hello everyone and thankyou

[desperate housewife]

Hi everyone just joined the forum after lurking about since christmas which was when i was diagnosed type 2 , had a blood test as kept getting water infections, and feeling generally unwell so doctor said i needed testing and he was right ! I think my tale is fairly typical of others i have read about on here, saw the nurse several weeks after finding out results she gave me a diet sheet which was very high in carbs said i didnt need to check blood sugar as "we dont bother with all that for type 2 and it makes your fingers sore " lol . I did say i thought i would get a moniter and strips as i would like to know how high or low my levels were and i didnt mind buying it myself however she was not impressed and told me it would confuse and depress me ! so i didnt argue with her just said ok she said i would see the doctor in six months time and he would decide if i needed medication, but as my test had come back with fasting level 8.2 and after the lucozade was 12.5 diet and lifestyle changes would be fine until i saw him . I do need to lose lots of weight so couldnt disagree with that part . If i hadnt found this forum i would have gone home happily eating the high carb diet and not having a clue how it was affecting my blood sugar so i want to say thankyou thankyou thankyou for all the stuff i have found out about type 2 im not as scared or worried as i was when first diagnosed and getting a moniter was so important as i can work out what i can eat and what to avoid, I love reading all the stories on here and all the info, hubby says im obsessed lol but i think its great to be able to find out all i can, so thanks everyone for helping me .

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome desperate and there's nothing wrong with being a little obsessed.

 

[daisy1]

Hi desperate housewife and welcome to the forum You definitely did the right thing getting yourself a testing kit as that way you can see which foods you can eat and which you can't as you are already discovering. Test before the meal, then 2 hours after, and if the figures are roughly the same that food is OK for you. If not you can try reducing the portion size or cutting it out completely. Ask as many questions as you need to as there is always someone here to help. This is information which we give to new members which I hope you will find 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 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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.

 

[chocoholicnomore]

Welcome to the forum.

I agree with the obsession. I'm on this forum every day and like to read all the info/stories and keep up to date with it all. Even the kids have noticed and say "she's on that diabetic forum again!!!" I think my addiction has changed from chocolate to this forum :lol:

I look forward to reading your stories and finding out how you are getting on with it all. It's so difficult but the support of everyone on here has been brilliant

I can assure you that you won't regret joining :thumbup:

 

[Grazer]

Hi and welcome!