First Time Caller

woomygrrl

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Everyone,

My name is Rebecca and I was diagnosed with type two diabetes on 11/02/2019.

I can't say this has come as a surprise, diabetes runs in my family and I am obese (130kg at 5ft 4). But nevertheless it's really opened my eyes to the damage I've done to my body by neglecting it so much. I am hoping that with the right support, medication and dedication to becoming a healthy weight I will be able to control my diabetes.

I'm a technical support adviser during the day, mostly sitting in an office environment where I catch coughs and colds 24/7. But I really enjoy the work that I do, it's mostly helped by the incredible team that I work with. In my downtime I enjoy relaxing with my partner either by watching TV, playing games or going out into town.

I love to learn, recently I attained my masters in film and media studies which is where many of my interests lie. I also enjoy reading novels, comics and manga alongside playing video games and learning languages.

I would like to use the Diabetes forum to make connections with people, as well as to ask questions about the condition and how I am able to control it.

Thanks for taking time to read my introductory post!

Rebecca
 

urbanracer

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,186
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
Welcome to the forums @woomygrrl

Have a good look around and get to know the place, and ask questions, lots of questions. Don't miss the information pages on the front end of the website though, they're a great source.

@daisy1 likes to give newbies some information so stay tuned.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Everyone,

My name is Rebecca and I was diagnosed with type two diabetes on 11/02/2019.

I can't say this has come as a surprise, diabetes runs in my family and I am obese (130kg at 5ft 4). But nevertheless it's really opened my eyes to the damage I've done to my body by neglecting it so much. I am hoping that with the right support, medication and dedication to becoming a healthy weight I will be able to control my diabetes.

I'm a technical support adviser during the day, mostly sitting in an office environment where I catch coughs and colds 24/7. But I really enjoy the work that I do, it's mostly helped by the incredible team that I work with. In my downtime I enjoy relaxing with my partner either by watching TV, playing games or going out into town.

I love to learn, recently I attained my masters in film and media studies which is where many of my interests lie. I also enjoy reading novels, comics and manga alongside playing video games and learning languages.

I would like to use the Diabetes forum to make connections with people, as well as to ask questions about the condition and how I am able to control it.

Thanks for taking time to read my introductory post!

Rebecca
Hey Rebecca, and welcome,

I just saw there's a bunch of tags to take care of before I go to bed, and this is one. Well, as others have mentioned, you're in the right place. Loads of info here, and some more is about to head your way. T2... It is a kick in the head, but it won't always feel like that. Honest.

Anyway, the nutrition thingy:

There’s a few things you should know.

1. Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested, so not just straight sugars, but starches too. Food doesn’t have to taste sweet to make your blood sugars skyrocket.

2. A meter helps you know what foods agree with you, and which don’t. Test before and 2 hours after the first bite. If you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal was carbier than you could handle. (It’s easy to remember, as you’re a T2: all 2’s, all over the place!)

3. In case you didn’t know already, this isn’t your fault. It’s genetics, medication, decades of bad dietary advice, and basically all manner of things, but nothing you can actually blame yourself for.

4. Diabetes T2 is a progressive condition, unless you (also) change your diet. So you have options. Diet-only, diet with medication, or medication only. But that last option will most likely mean more medication over the years. (And there is more than just metformin, so if it doesn’t agree with you, there’s lots of others to try). So even if going really low carb isn’t for you, you might consider moderately low carb an option, with meds to assist.

5. Are you overweight? 90% of T2’s are. Yeah, that means 10% are slim and always were. If you did gain weight, it was the precursor of this metabolic condition. We make loads of insulin, but become insensitive to it. So carbs we eat turn to glucose, and normally, insulin helps us burn that glucose for fuel. When it doesn’t, that glucose is stored in fat cells instead. When those fat stores are full, the glucose remains in our bloodstream, overflowing, into our eyes, tears, urine, saliva… And then we’re T2’s. So weight gain is a symptom, not a cause. This also means that “regular” dietary advice doesn’t work for us. The problem lies in our inability to process carbs. And most diets focus on lowering fats and upping carb intake. Which is the direct opposite of what a T2, or prediabetic, for that matter, needs.

6. There are 3 macro-nutrients. Fats, protein and carbohydrates. Those macro’s mean we get the micro-nutrients we need: that would be vitamins and minerals. So… If you ditch the carbs, you should up another macro-nutrient to compensate, to make sure you don’t get malnourished or vitamin deficient. Carbs make our blood sugars rise. Protein too, but nowhere near as bad as carbs do, so they’re alright in moderation. Fats however… Fats are as good as a glucose-flatline. Better yet, they’ll mitigate the effects of any carbs we do ingest, slowing down their uptake and thus the sugar-spike. Contrary to what we’ve been told for decades; fats are our friends.

7. Worried about cholesterol? On a low carb diet, your cholesterol may rise a little as you start to lose weight. That’s a good thing though. (Believe it or not). What was already there, stored in your body, is starting to head for the exit, and for that it’ll go into your bloodstream first. So when you have lost weight and it stabilises, so will your cholesterol. And it’ll probably be lower than what it was before you started out.

8. You’ll lose weight on a low carb diet. Weight loss will help with your insulin-resistance, and not only that… Going low carb might help with other issues as well, like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and depression.

9. Always ask for your test results. You don’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been.

10. Last, but certainly not least: If you are on medication that has hypoglycemia listed as a side-effect, like Gliclazide for instance, do NOT attempt a LCHF diet without a meter nor your doctors’ knowledge/assistance. You can drop blood glucose levels too far, too fast, if your dosage isn’t adjusted accordingly. This could mean a lower dose in stages or even stopping medication completely. Never do this without discussing it with your doctor first!


So what raises blood sugars? Aside from the obvious (sugar), starches raise blood glucose too. So bread, and anything made with grain/oats flour, rice, potatoes, pasta, corn, cereals (including all the “healthy choices”, like Weetabix and muesli), most beans and most fruits. So you’ll want to limit your intake, or scratch them altogether.

Which food items remain on the shopping list? Well, meat, fish, poultry, above ground veggies/leafy greens, eggs, cheese, heavy cream, full fat Greek yoghurt, full fat milk, extra dark chocolate (85% Lindt’s is great!), avocado, (whole) tomatoes, berries, olives, nuts, that sort of thing… Meal ideas? Have a couple:

Scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, maybe some high meat content sausages?
Eggs with ham, bacon and cheese
Omelet with spinach and/or smoked salmon
Omelet with cream, cinnamon, with some berries and coconut shavings
Full fat Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries
Leafy green salad with a can of tuna (oil, not brine!), mayonnaise, capers, olives and avocado
Leafy green salad with (warmed goat's) cheese and bacon, maybe a nice vinaigrette?
Meat, fish or poultry with veggies. I usually go for cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, with cheese and bacon to bulk it up. Never the same meal twice in a row because of various herbs/spices.


Snacks? Pork scratchings, cheese, olives, extra dark chocolate, nuts. :)

Of course, there’s loads more on the web, for people more adventurous than I. (Which is pretty much everyone). Just google whatever you want to make and add “keto” to it, and you’ll get a low carb version. There’s a lot of recipes on the diabetes.co.uk website, as well as on www.dietdoctor.com where you’ll also find visual (carb content) guides and videos. And I can wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Jason Fung’s book The Diabetes Code. It’ll help you understand what’s going on in your body and how to tackle it, whilst not being a dry read. Not only that, but you’ll know what to ask your doctor, and you’ll understand the answers, which is, I believe, quite convenient.
 

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi. You’ve come to the right place. Take a good look around. The low carb info from jo is the best place to start. Then if you don’t have one already I strongly advise a blood glucose meter. It’s the only way you’ll know what each meal does to you so you can make whatever adjustments are necessary. Food is the biggest factor in what our bloods do. Stress, sleep, illness, hormones exercise and medication all affect it too. @Bluetit1802 has a blurb about those.

Don’t blame yourself too much. Having diabetes, causing by an inability to process carbs makes us gain weight and feel tired. Obviously being overweight an sedentary isn’t good but it can be a symptom as much as a cause. And now you have the knowledge, or soon will, to make changes you never knew you could.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@woomygrrl
Hello Rebecca and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you don't already have your own blood glucose meter I do urge you to buy one. Meters themselves aren't very expensive, some are free, but the test strips vary enormously in price and you need thousands of them, so do be careful to check the cost of the strips before you buy a meter.

The most popular meters for self funding T2's are the Codefree and the Tee2+ because the strips are much cheaper than other meters. You can't normally buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk. (applied at the check out stage)
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2+ is here

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product-category/shop/tee2/

Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for either meter)
 
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woomygrrl

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
In relation to Metformin, I've just been reading the leaflet that is in the box and it says you cannot drink alcohol with this medication. I've read some conflicting information online about this (NHS website says you can?) does anyone have a definite answer on this?

I do enjoy a gin and slimline now and then, I don't drink in the house but when I am out with friends I might have two or three. I don't want to be putting myself at risk but at the same time I don't want to cut all of the joys out of my life haha!
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
I don't use Metformin myself, but I think that warning about not drinking alcohol is included in the info leaflet with just about every medication. I think it's mainly to legally cover the manufacturers.
But I expect people who use Metformin will be able to give you the benefit of their experience.
 
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Caeseji

Well-Known Member
Messages
658
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Self-fellating idiots that don't at all look at other people's views
Hi there and welcome! You’re going to find so many great people here along with a whole slew of support, also I love the Inkling avatar too! As for Metformin I’ve drank with it before and it never effected me but I am on the extended release variant.
 
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woomygrrl

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I don't use Metformin myself, but I think that warning about not drinking alcohol is included in the info leaflet with just about every medication. I think it's mainly to legally cover the manufacturers.
But I expect people who use Metformin will be able to give you the benefit of their experience.

I am always really cautious about reading the leaflets in regards to side effects. I have a severe case of emetophobia (vomit fear) and I worry about the medication making me feel nauseous. But I completely understand where you're coming from. It would be great to hear from others about their experiences to get a general idea.
 
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woomygrrl

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I've began using a blood glucose monitor, I decided to go with the Accu-trak Mobile as the data can sync with my phone. How many times a day should I test? Today I followed guidelines I found online which was to monitor before breakfast, lunch and dinner and then two hours after each meal. Is this correct?
 
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Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Two hours after the first test, which should be done just before you start to eat.
As a type two, of course you do need to note how the food you ate affected you - an increase of under 2 whole numbers is the objective, though staying under 8mmol/l for the second number is another objective. That seems to be the tipping point, as once I got that my numbers went down without any further reduction in carbs.
 

woomygrrl

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Two hours after the first test, which should be done just before you start to eat.
As a type two, of course you do need to note how the food you ate affected you - an increase of under 2 whole numbers is the objective, though staying under 8mmol/l for the second number is another objective. That seems to be the tipping point, as once I got that my numbers went down without any further reduction in carbs.

As an example these were my results yesterday:

After breakfast - 6.7 mmol/L,
Lunch - 5.8 mmol/L,
After Lunch - 5.8mmol/L,
Dinner - 5.8mmol/L ,
After Dinner - 6.7mmol/L

Does this seem normal?
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
@woomygrrl Those figures are good. These are the NICE guidelines for pre and post meal readings:

Screenshot 2018-07-30 at 10.58.43.png
 
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