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E

ebony's grandma

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i was diagnosed with type two diabetes two months ago and am still out of my depth. I haven't got a handle on anything. I feel out of my depth and my gp is only moderately helpful. I just dont know where to start and feel like giving up. Please help!
 
Hi ebony's grandma and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members which I think you will find helpful. Ask all the questions you like as 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.
 
thanks daisy i read this with interest and it does answer some questions, i think i am finding it difficult because i can see it like obesity, something i know well, get on the scales and you know where you are. My total information has been cut down on white bread and sweet things don't eat raisins or dried fruit and eat sensibly. Well I have type two diabetes because i am over weight and don't do eating sensibly so without more guidance i am lost. I feel totally out of control and not sure where to start in terms of monitoring or diet
 
Hi, ebony'sgrandma, and welcome.

Have a look at the diet I use. It's a Sticky Thread on the Low-carb Diet section of the forum, called Viv's Modified Atkins Diet. It is good for weight loss, blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. I work on the principle that I can't metabolise carbohydrate properly - so I eat very little of it. Except at Christmas! :oops: :lol:

If it's too extreme for you, it can still be used as a base for a low-carb diet. Get yourself a carb counter book - Collin's do one in their Gem series which is small enough to be portable. Then you can decide how many carbs you want to eat in a day, and add in extra carbs from lower-carb vegetables and fruit, picking things that are low GI so that you digest them slowly. Don't worry, you'll soon get your head round it :D .

Have you been given a blood glucose meter and test strips? They really are essential at the beginning, to help you find out which foods affect your blood glucose most. If your practice won't give you them on prescription, it's worth funding them for yourself until you learn what foods you can eat safely, and in what quantities. Then you don't need to test as much.

Another way of controlling your blood glucose is by strict portion control of your carbohydrates. Some people manage very well by doing this - sadly, I'm far too greedy with no self-control, so I only have things in the house that I'm allowed to eat! :oops:

I was morbidly obese on diagnosis in April 2010, but since then I have lost over 4 stone, my blood glucose is seldom outside non-diabetic levels, and my blood pressure and cholesterol are both fine, so my diet does work :D .

By the way, if you have insulin resistance it is possible that being pre-diabetic has added to your weight gain. When the carbohydrate in your diet turns into blood glucose, your pancreas releases insulin to put that blood glucose into your muscle cells, for energy. If those cells are insulin resistant, the insulin instead stores the glucose in your fat cells - as fat! There's a thread on here somewhere called Don't join the blame game which goes into this in more detail. So don't beat yourself up about this - it may be that the diabetes is not entirely your fault!

Do ask any questions that you like - there's no such thing as a silly question on here :D .

Viv 8)
 
Hello ebonys grandma .
A warm welcome to you :)

Please dont fret about understanding a lot right now.
Its perfectly normal to feel quite overwhelmed and it can take
some time for things to sink in and adapt to ...

It took 'me' over 6 months to get to grips with things .
It isnt easy and will feel quite a confusing place somedays :?

What I can suggest is curl up with a brew and just read what you are
wondering about the most - as a good place to start ...

You can even make a list of what questions you would like some answers or
help with.
Ask whatever you feel/need here - there is always someone who will be helpful
and supportive .

You can also take the same list to your GP's or the diabetic clinic ...

As you feel and read your way along - pick out the most helpful relevant things .
If it helps - to refer back to them - you can make a note or copy of them .

Anything you are unsure of ? - just 'ask' ...
It's what we are here for :)

Take things one step at a time - easier to take in and feel more copeable .
Its early days for you yet and we 'do' understand .

Anna.
 
thanks all for all the advice and the warm welcome. My new years resolution is to stop burying my head in the sand and attempt to at least manage my diabetes.

I am taking this week to get myself sorted on how to address it as i am back at work on friday (i am a school teacher) and that seems the perfect time to adopt my new lifestyle. I am hoping the change in diet is going to also give me a change in energy and stop all the water infections and yeast infections i seem to have had constantly.

I will no doubt keep moaning about feeling out of control. My daughter wants me to join weight watchers with her but not sure how this or other weight loss plans such as slimming world will help wish me luck.

Tracey
 
Ah yes, we're all guilty of burying our head in the sand from time to time. Now is your time to take control of your condition - there's plenty of advice around the forum on dieting, weight loss and effective blood glucose management. Hope you find what you're looking for here :wave:
 
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