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SimonB

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Hello, firstly can I say what a great site this is , members are really helpful and a great place to seek advice and information on Diabetes.

I was Diagnosed last week, thank you to the information I have read on here. Apologies if I go on a bit, but I am concerned and hoping I can get some help here.

I signed up today to this forum but have been reading posts as a quest for many weeks.

My doctor has been very reluctant, to confirm me being diabetic, I am sure it down to cost and cut backs. My general health is very poor having Leukaemia several years ago, I have been left with many late effects, where Chemotherapy and Radiation has left me with damages lungs, liver and heart and many other things.

Over the last 12 months I have been excessively thirsty and drinking loads of water, I eventually asked my father who is Diabetic, if I could test myself on his meter. I got a readings (over a period of 8 weeks) of 8 to 10. When I told the doctor he said I was pre- Diabetic.

In the last 2 months I have been waking up at night to urinate several times a night (4-6) and urinating like there's no tomorrow. During a hospital appointment for other reasons, I was told I had a large amount of Protein in my urine and my blood pressure is 160/98, the consultant said I should see my doctor as I may be Diabetic. He also sent him a letter.

As I mention earlier the Doctor had recently Diagnosed me with diabetes type 2 and put me on Metformin 500mg tablets twice a day. I am not seeing the Diabetic nurse for another 4 weeks as this is the earliest appointment.

I have purchased a meter as I really don't want to wait and feel the need to take control, my readings are currently around 10, I have also noticed when I wake up in the night for a wee, I really want to make a sandwich or something to eat (really hungry) sorry if this sounds silly but its true, Am I going mad?

My concern in reading some post on here protein in the urine can be dangerous if left, should I be chasing the Doctors to see what they are doing about it? I think I should be having a lipid test and kidney test? Are my sugar levels at 10 OK or are they still to high. I am watching my diet, carbs, and not eating any sugary things. (not that I did before)

Its makes me angry reading posts on here how relaxed many Dr, practices are regarding Diabetes, I am only in my mid thirties and want to ensure I have done the best I can at an early stage to sort and manage my Diabetes from the start. Any advice will be most welcome.

Thank you once again

Simon
 
Hi Simon and welcome to the forum. :) You have been doing the best thing for yourself by reading around this forum and now becoming a member. Your question about protein in the urine will soon be answered by any member who knows about it probably having experienced it personally. The search engine should help you too in case you haven't already tried it. There is an active thread on this subject:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16857

In the meantime - some basic information written by the Forum Monitors. You may already have seen some basic information while you were looking around the forum but this is an updated version which I am posting here to you, which you probably didn't see, which contains much more information. The diet advice should help you to reduce your levels - you will see what the NICE recommended levels are in this information.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS.

Postby sugarless sue » 02 Oct 2010, 17:49
Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Hello, I'm newly diagnosed myself, but part of your post struck a chord with me. My main symptom was lethargy, not wanting to get up in the morning particularly, as soon as I started metformin that immediately improved and I get up at least 2 hours earlier than I did before! So last night I ate late after coming home from badminton and the lethargy was there again this morning, I can only assume it was due to eating late raising my blood sugar-so when you feel like a snack when waking up in the night, from my own limited experience I know it wouldn't suit me. But I guess your meter will tell you if need the food or not.
 
Hi Simon and welcome to the forum it sounds like you have had a proper bad run of things over the last few years, I hope things start to improve for you from here on in :D

Any questions you have and there are likely to be many, just shout and I'm sure someone here will have the answer for you.
 
Thank you for the warm welcome, Like I say its a great site. Excellent write up written by the MOD very interesting. Cheer Simon
 
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