Giving advice to new members

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sugarless sue

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Rude people! Not being able to do the things I want to do.
To all our highly researched and well controlled diabetics on the forum

When advising diabetics, even if it is in answer to a post by an experienced diabetic, please remember that this forum is read by newly diagnosed as well.

You may have got your numbers very low but for someone who is high then this is like shooting for the moon! The advice to get to the NICE guidelines is do-able for most newly diagnosed. Once they get their levels down to that level, then they can try for the lower levels as, by this time, they will have got some idea on diet etc. and more experience in just what diabetes is.

Similarly on diet, yes, you may have a diet that controls your diabetes successfully but did you start there? Reducing down gradually is more likely to be permanent and a life style change than trying to go ultra- low immediately and perhaps failing and feeling guilty about it.

On testing, please remember when you were first diagnosed. Newly diagnosed diabetics need to test frequently to find out what the food they are eating is doing to their blood sugar levels.This means testing before a meal and two hours after. Testing after three hours is advised if eating food with a heavy fat content is eaten because fat slows down the absorption rate of some foods.One hour testing, looking for spikes in blood sugar can be useful as well.

Newly diagnosed diabetics need time to acclimatise to their condition and small steps at a time are more likely to succeed than very large steps.

Similarly advising that certain low numbers are ok just because you have attained them is very disheartening for someone confused and inexperienced.

Being confused immediately after a diagnosis is very common.
 
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