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Hello all/New to forum.

grifter123

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Good morning to all.
Iv'e been a member for a few months and feel its high time i said hello and introduced myself. I was diagnosed with Type 2 in late september and im finding the whole situation a bit daunting to say the least.I have an appointment with my practice nurse on weds morning and will be asking what the practice feels about self testing and if i can get testing kit/strips on prescription.I should add when i went to the diabetic clinic the woman who gave the session did say that the Dn who i will be seeing does approve of self testing by Type 2 diabetics so fingers crossed.I have been on simvastin for the last month and wednesday is my three monthly appointment so ill see where we go from there.Ill sign off now and would just like to say iv'e found this site invaluble and will keep in touch.
Thank to you all Griffo.
 
Hi Griffo and welcome, belatedly, to the forum :) I hope you are able to get your testing equipment on your next visit to your DN as it really is essential to test. See in the information below how to use it to obtain useful data.

Since you have been here a while, you may have already come across this information and read it, but in case you haven't, it is important that you see it. It was written for new members.

If you have any questions, just ask and someone will have an answer for you.

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
 
Welcome Griffo! Make sure you listen to all views, then form your own. The excellent advice from Daisy may not tie in completely with what your DSN says at your meeting, they seem to vary considerably from practice to practice, so read lots and then you can decide your own way to tackle your diabetes. I'm on MODERATE carbs, about 50 to 60% of normal for a male, with exercise about 1 hour after main meals to bring the sugar peaks down more quickly. Others eat whatever, and take the pills. Others are on very low carb diets. Some can tolerate more than others according to the state of their diabetes. No-one is right or wrong. Do what works for you. Make sure you DO test, even if you have to pay, to see how the different foods affect you. And welcome!
 
Hi grazer,
Thanks for the info,trust me i do appreciate any help and advice from anywhere at anytime.To call this site a global community is an understatement in my eyes as there seems to be so much information to take in. Anyway once more thanks and lets see where weds appointment takes me.
Thanks Griffo

P.S Can i also thank daisy for her welcome to the forum earlier.
 
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