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Hello and Help......

S

SimonJH

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone, I never thought I'd be using a forum like this!

I'm Simon, 52, living in Stoke on Trent, and have been on tablets for high blood pressure (candesartan's) and cholesterol (simvastatin's) for the last 5 years.

When I was first diagnosed, with the above, I joined a gym and cut out all fatty foods, chips, crisps etc, cut down on chocolate and reduced my alcohol intake to a few units a week, but replaced it with not fatty foods, baked potatoes, rice, pastas, fruit etc

My blood pressure used to be a scary 150/105!, but I've managed to get that down to around 115/80 and my cholesterol has recently risen to about 6 from 3.5/4, about 6 months ago. I'm still about a stone heavier than I should be.

On a routine review and blood test with the nurse, she said that my blood levels (HbA1c), were 51, and I might be type 2 diabetic, and she retested about 4 weeks later and they were 49.

She has prescribed 1 metformin a day, and that I need to get another blood test done middle of February ( in 3 months) and go back and see her. She's also booked me on a DESMOND course, but I'm waiting to hear when that will be. She's also advised me to get a retinopathy. I asked her about seeing a dietician, but apparently there isn't the funding for me to go and see one! She hasn't mentioned self testing of blood levels, where locally I can get help and support, or really how it will affect my pre existing conditions! on the plus side though she told me my prescriptions are now free!!! whoopy doo!

Reading around various pages on this forum regarding diets, the one thing that strikes me is that all the low fat foods I was eating before, now are bad for me, and the forbidden fatty foods, bacon, cream etc are now on the list of things I can eat? how is this going to affect my blood pressure and cholesterol? I'm struggling to get my head around this!

I've also been out and bought Dr Cavens book which everyone also seems to rate highly.

I'm sure I can readjust my lifestyle ( again) and have the support of a wonderful wife who will help prepare what I need to eat, but tonight I've gone off on one, a throwing things/ slamming doors moment, as I feel frustrated at the lack of help, and if I'm honest a little bit scared!

Thanks for reading my ramblings!
 
Hi simonjh,big welcome to the forum,it is a shock to realise we have t2 diabetes,i never thought i'd get it,but ...with the help of the great people on here,i have wrestled it into submission and can now say my illness is under control,but i never relax my guard and go back to eating like i used too,i'll tag @daisy1 for the info given to new posters,have a good read and come back with your questions,clive
 
Hi @SimonJH

I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
Have a read of the information within it.
Also have a read of the low carb forum, there is great ideas and recipes.
Also have a read of the success stories.

You will have to have a rethink of what foods are good for you and the baddies. If you want get control of the condition.
It is achievable and there is many including me that have great control.
Reduce, not only your sugar but your carbs, they turn to glucose in your blood and the levels are going too high.

Gain knowledge and ask questions.
You've taken your step, make sure you continue to make more.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Hi, Simon.

You'll shortly get a reply giving you a lot of information and advice for the newly (or possibly nearly) diagnosed. That's very good info, though it takes quite a bit of wading through to understand and digest.

My advice is to continue to read up about diabetes but don't expect to understand it all at once - there's plenty to look at, particularly on this website. Remember that not everyone is the same, nor do all our symptoms correspond.

When I was first diagnosed I quickly decided to buy a test kit (from Boots) so I could see what was happening to my blood sugars during each day and what the effects of various foods were on me (again everyone tends to be different). That was the best decision I ever made - though not all doctors or diabetic nurses would agree!

Good luck. It's one hell of a shock at first and nothing's ever quite the same again, but it's amazing how well most people learn to cope with it, after a while.
 
Hi Simon, I joined at the end of October and have found the site very helpful indeed. Apart from getting a better idea from people's posts, i have had questions answered very quickly and very supportively. I strongly advise keeping a diary of food eaten and readings before and two hours after to gauge what impacts your levels personally. that made a big difference to my approach. I told my doctor I was stopping my meds (Gliclazide) as it was having no effect and my levels have dropped really well since cutting down dramatically on carbs, and I have had great advice on here. Good luck.
 
@SimonJH

Hello Simon 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 questions as you need to 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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.
 
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