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Hello From Sydney! Another Type 2

WombatType2

WombatType2

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Good evening everyone!

I have been lurking on the forums the past two days since I've been diagnosed with Type 2 last Thursday. This forum is probably the best I've found re: diabetes so far.

Long story short: I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago as I had a sore ear, she checked my blood pressure and was surprised that it was so high. She told me to keep checking it and I saw her again and although it was a little bit lower, she told me to get a blood/urine test so I did. I went back to see her on Thursday and was told I have Type 2 Diabetes, still have hypertension and my iron is low (which is another problem that her & I will have to deal with later on).

So here we are... it didn't come as that much of a shock. My dad had Type 2 all his life and I was kind of falling into a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle.

In May last year, I did a weight loss challenge at work and I lost about 9 kilos in 12 weeks and felt great. But I've slowly put that weight back on and stopped going to the gym in March this year. The last time I had my BP checked and it was normal was in February this year when I gave blood. I wouldn't have been able to if my BP was so high. So I was thinking... did I have diabetes all along or was it because of my unhealthy decisions in the last couple of months?

Anyway, when I did the blood test, I hadn't fasted. I've already had a coffee (skim mocha - sugar yay!) and a breakfast of raisin toast. But my results were = HbA1c was 6.6% (49 mmol).

Medication - right now I'm only taking Coversyl 6mg every day for hypertension. She also gave me Metformin 500mg but she said I don't have to take it yet until 3 weeks into Coversyl so she can check if Coversyl is working for me.

The next step is I have a 1hr appt on Monday with a nurse and then with the doctor again to start my Management Plan - then appts with dietitian, exercise physiologist, etc.

What I have done so far: Apart from read a lot of threads here, I've printed out an NDSS (National Diabetes Services Scheme) form to be signed by my doctor on Monday, I'm slowly easing my way back into a low carb diet (just not having any white carbs at the moment), I've given up coffee starting Wed for my hypertension and I've checked out some diabetes books from the library for some research and also going back to the gym this weekend. I don't smoke and hardly drink. My weakness is everything that is pretty much bad for you diet-wise but delicious. :hungover:

Maybe this was the kick up the butt I needed to get healthy and I'm just glad I was diagnosed early!

Sorry for the long post, I'm still trying to get my head around everything. If anyone has any pertinent questions I can ask the nurse/doctor on Monday, please feel free to post below. :)
 
Tagging @daisy1 her intro info has a link to useful questions. Welcome to the forum.
 
Hi @WombatType2 and welcome to the forum. Your HbA1c of 49 isn't too high (same as mine on diagnosis) and you should be able to lower it. As you have already been reading the forum you will know that many of us on here have lowered our blood glucose levels by lchf.
Ask anything you want, the people on here are friendly and supportive.
 
Hi Wombat and welcome to the Forum from another low carb fan. Just a couple of points, you say you didn’t fast for your HbA1c test, it doesn’t matter as the HbA1c test looks at excess sugar in your blood stream as an average over 2-3 months. Here’s a link about it, in case you haven’t seen it:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-test.html
Also be aware that as you progress on the low carb eating and losing weight your BP will probably come down. I was on two meds for BP when I was diagnosed type2 and a few months into low carbing and resultant weight loss I started to get dizzy when I stood up quickly, this was due to my BP being a little below normal. I stopped one of my BP meds with my GP’s blessing and now my BP is now normal.
 
@WombatType2

Hello Wombat and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic 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 help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Just a little update - went to see the nurse and my GP again today to start my MP.

BP still slightly high but coming down.
I've had breakfast and a snack and my reading was 6.7 which I'm and they're happy about.

They gave me a free glucometer - the Accu-check Guide and taught me how to use it.
I've submitted my form to the NDSS so hopefully I get my card soon as I only have 10 strips in the box included.

I have the following referrals:

- To get a diabetic eye check
- 2 x for a dietician
- 2 x exercise physiologist.

All this for free under the govt's 5 free referrals a year for chronic conditions. We're holding off on the podiatrist for now.

So far, so good... I guess. :woot:
 
6.7 is good
You can get diabetic eye checks at Specsavers without paying for it rather than going to a Specialist unless you have eye problems

As for dietician and a podiatrist you can get referred to your local public hospital diabetes clinic which is free and much better because they only do diabetes services,they are in every major hospital in Sydney

I pay $220 a month in top health cover and the first specialist avail was 8 weeks away :eek:so i have gone as a public patient and got in next week, im thinking waste of money this private health insurance !!!

Also you can be under the” Enhanced health plan” which entitles you to 5 free visits per year with a allied health specialist eg exercise physiologists :) your DR can refer you under this program
 
Australiadiabetic2 said:
im thinking waste of money this private health insurance
Click to expand...
It's pretty useless for chronic conditions such as diabetes (though I believe insulin dependent diabetics on pumps can get their pumps from it). You can also get subsidised physio and dental stuff. I guess it's good if you want to jump queues for things like hip operations, cataracts etc? But honestlty, I lived with T1 diabetes in Sydney for 17 years and the only reason I had health insurance was because it saved me tax to do so, it certainly didn't help with diabetic fees.
 
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