hello and glad i've joined

[willow67]

hi....long post coz i'm new :wave:
i read here with my breakfast,and then with my dinner lol
i've been unwell for ages,and a virus on top i think ? sent me over the edge.
i went to the local walk in hospital because i felt thoroughly washed out,temp was 105.2
dehydrated.pains in my back.blah blah blah..first dr sent me home with antibiotics said i had gastro-enteritis,
i had a nice reaction to them,so back to walk in, second dr was awesome,i told her what was going on
the nurse did my bs,and she said to ask my gp for a blood test as she was positive i was diabetic.(bs was 17)
she told me to take some ketone sticks away with me.
i had a fasting blood test done the next day,luckily because i was going on holiday
my husband bought me a blood checker,and check is what i did,they fluctuated between 5-17 the week away we had.
my vision was annoying to say the least,feels like you can see stuff across the eyes,like you constantly need to clean them ?
my step daughter is type 1..she told me it will be the sugar behind my eyes.
came back from holibobs,got the appointment with the dr to discuss the problems i was having, he tells me i am
type 2 and i am to control it by diet and exercise,no need for a checker,and i'll have another blood test in 6 months,
i've bought myself some strips for my checker from ebay,and i feel the need to know where i'm going wrong.
i know how it feels to be high blood sugar,it wipes me out if i had something i shouldn't,and as you all will know
the other feelings of high sugars.for the last two days
i've been very strict,and i feel better, heart flutters are settling,fuzzy headache almost gone,dehydration better.
awaiting appointment to see dbn.
wish me luck. :mrgreen:

 

[Squire Fulwood]

i've bought myself some strips for my checker from ebay,and i feel the need to know where i'm going wrong.

Sorry, is the drink affecting me or did I just miss something there. What are you doing wrong? You seem to be dealing with it.

 

[Andy12345]

hi, welcome



lol squire

 

[willow67]

hi
hmm me not explaining myself properly probably .
i want to keep a check on myself so i know what is going on after a meal,
you know as in what has that meal done ?
is it normal to have a positive reaction to a glucose strip some time after a meal ?

hi Andy ,thanks for the welcome.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Welcome. Normally you test 2 hours after a meal. A non-diabetic will return to a 'normal' blood sugar value after 2 hours i.e. hopefully noticeably below 8.5mmol. A diabetic may well be above the 8.5mmol level. The aim thru diet and exercise is to try to keep the 2 hour reading below 8.5. You will find carbs affect your sugar the most so control the portion size and keep the carbs low-GI where you can to smooth absorption.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Willow and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many more questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


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.

 

[willow67]

hello Daibell and daisy1
thank you both for the welcomes,and much appreciated information.
my glasses have been very handy these last couple of days with the amount of reading

 

[zaphod37]

Welcome to the family Willow

Mark

 

[luceeloo]

Hi Willow, Welcome to the group

You sound like you are doing great already to control your diabetes.
Not that I'm advocating that you ignore your Dr, but the thing about not needing to check your blood sugar... that seems to be an NHS cost-cutting thing that they tell all of us type 2's.
If you are anything like me, for the first few weeks you will feel like you need to check after every meal. It's not a bad thing as it will give you a good idea what certain foods do to your body. Also, you will quickly see that the way to controlling diabetes is largely through trial and error!
I'm a relative newbie too (diagnosed 5 weeks ago in similar circumstances to you). Personally, I've found that reducing my carbs and increasing my protein has helped me a lot. It goes totally against the type of diet that I've always eaten, and the way I'm dealing with it is to eat a whole lot of different foods that I never gave the time of day to before!

If you continue with your positive attitude and the desire to learn as much as you can about diabetes and your own body, you are going to crack this quickly

 

[willow67]

hi mark and luceeloo
thank you for the welcomes.
early days for me lol diagnosis was thursday,so i'm just a noob
i find it interesting to check,and have got myself a note pad to jot it all down.
i'm beginning to wonder how long i have actually had this ?
low carbing is not new to me,as i followed one not long ago.......ahhhhh penny dropping moment here... :idea:
i wonder why i felt so good when i was low carbing..... :think: :lol:
shopping tomorrow
just a side note..blood pressure was good,and so was cholesterol,so thats something.