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Type 2 Hey

Jo1984

Jo1984

Active Member
Messages
27
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hey in new to having diabetes type 2. Feels like the end of the world to me. How did u cope when u found out
 
oh it was a great shock to me too... the first 3 days I didn´t sleep at all...so scary..
but then I decided to do my best and also to get in shape like doing fitness and all what would be the best to ease the condition... I decided to loose all excess weight.. and to start right away, I was dangerously overweight at that time had a bodymass of 40,7 and well if I hadn´t gt this diagnosis maybe I wouldn´t have made these healthy decisions

luckily I read about the newCasttle diet and later of the low carb high fat diet very shortly after my diagnosis...where I looked for a cure...(which I haven´t really found yet ) but I found that diabetes can be controled if one get ones average blood glucose down to at normal level like people without diabetes... it can be difficult to soe but going low carb like under 80 grams a day or even under 20 grams a day makes it possible for most of type 2 diabetics...if one is not yet depending on insuline or insuline higthening medications
 
Hi and welcome @Jo1984
It is a shock to begin with. I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago and can still remember it well.
I will tag @daisy1 who will post a helpful guide for newbies. Take time to read it through and do come back with questions. You do need to take things slowly and try and makes changes one at a time. It is bewildering at first but most are able to get some control in time.
For me the most helpful thing was a meter and testing before a meal and 2 hours after. This showed me what foods my body could cope with and what was better avoided. It's all carbs including bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc as well as sugar that affect out blood sugars.
 
@Jo19 Hello and welcome.. It was scary and a shock for me too! This place is great for help and advice when you need it, so you're in the right place.
 
There is plenty that you can eat. Just look at the low carb section. There will be links to a low carb program in Daisy's post which might be helpful. I only cut out or cut down on the carbs my body couldn't cope with. I can manage one tiny potato. There are lots of alternatives to some of our carb heavy foods. Just ask and people will offer suggestions.
 
I suspected I had diabetes before I was diagnosed, so it wasn't really a great surprise to me when it was confirmed.

Wouldn't really say I felt shocked at the diagnosis. It was just another condition for me to manage and just another pill to take.

I wasn't particularly impressed by the consultation I had about the diabetes. I spent some time online and found this forum which has been much more helpful.

I have now found a food regime which has brought my blood glucose levels back into the normal range most of the time.

Using a meter has helped me a lot and I would also recommend you get one - even if you have to buy it yourself.

Type 2 needn't be a scary condition. It might be hard to cure, but you can control it with a little bit of effort.
 
I was diagnosed on 15th November, and I instantly stopped eating all the things which I know I can't cope with. It was not as easy to start to lose weight as it was in the past, but nothing drastic. Now I am a stone lighter, and my blood glucose levels are dropping each week. I assume that my metabolism is sorting itself out now it isn't being bombarded with carbs it can't cope with. I assume that I will always have to be careful but I can't really see anything end of the world-ish about the diagnosis. I hope that if I look after myself I'll be continuing in this world for some time to come.
 
Like Inchindown I wasn't surprised either especially seeing that I have always been a proper choc-a-holic!
I have been overweight for most of my life and had lots of other things to contend with so one more didn't make much difference anyway :happy: and just another hill to climb.
I was 226lbs in August 2010 and when I lost a couple of stone I was told that I was really no longer diabetic. However I have now put on a few pounds and on my last check with the nurse I was informed that my glucose levels are getting rather high so I must do something about it. My diet is calories 1200g carbohydrates 100g or less if possible and sodium 1500mg per day.
 
TBH it was no problem .. just almost a relief that it was not another heart problem.
 
I can't remember too much about how I felt when I was diagnosed, and I had been prediabetic before that. However, my favourite foods and staple diet included bread, potatoes, pasta, cakes and chocolate so the idea of 'dieting' was a no-no to me - I just couldn't do it. Hence, I continued to have my weight problem, of course. Then I was prescribed Glipizide and later the Glipizide was duly increased as my HbA1c continued to be too high but I started to gain weight, which I really didn't like so, with some other reasons which resulted with me feeling I was 'backed into a corner' I knew I had to do something about this.

I looked at the Low Carb diet and decided I couldn't do that but I actually, gradually, started to reduce the amount of bread, potatoes, pasta etc that I ate and stopped eating chocolate as far as I could. As my glucose levels started to come down, allbeit slowly, and I started losing weight, I was motivated to cut back even further, to the point I'm fairly well Low Carb, and very much enjoying the High(er) Fat.

I couldn't have done it any quicker, I don't think. I really needed the right motivation and gradually got the confidence that I wasn't going to be hungry. In fact, I really enjoy the foods I eat, even though I'm rather stuck on 'plain' and 'normal' foods.

So, please take heart. Ease yourself into a diet gently, taking it day by day, and please don't feel deprived of certain foods as you can gradually convince yourself that you don't actually need/enjoy them as much as you thought you did, if you see what I mean ;)

Good luck, do plenty of reading and research and do what you feel is right for YOU!!! :)
 
Hi and welcome,
With me it was only three months ago. Despite being pre diabetic; which meant nothing to me at the time; when I got that diabetic diagnosis it was a huge shock, even though I'm over weight, a binge eater and eat all the carbs and sugar I could get my hands on, on a daily basis and my mother was also diabetic. I always thought if that day came I would take it all in my stride but I didn't I fell apart. Luckily I quickly found this site and more importantly this forum, without all the guys and dolls here I would still be in the world of disbelief and struggling but they have made me see that it is possible to be diabetic and it doesn't mean the end of the world has happened, simply a new chapter has begun, admittedly with new challenges to conquer and a few mountains to climb on the way but one that we can take control of again. Well at least i'm trying!
Get yourself a blood glucose meter you can then work out what foods you can get away with and what to avoid. I also suggest you have a look at the Low Carb High Fat diet most recommend here and see if its something that may suit you to follow, it's working for me, first diet Iv'e been on that doesn't feel like a diet at all, I've just reduced my carbs and I'm loosing weight.
But most of all keep posting the support here is wonderful and will help you to adjust and come out the other side of the shock period your going through.
Good luck
Maggie
 
The staff at the surgery commented on the fact that my diagnosis did not seem to come as a surprise to me. I had been given many hints over the years almost every time I went near a hospital but I chose to ignore them. It was only after my diagnosis in 2009 that I wondered if there was anything I could do about it. I dutifully took all my pills until each one of them gave me side effects.

Fortunately my Hba1c went high enough for me to be given a meter. I reasoned that if diagnosis was because my blood sugar was high then maybe I could test after eating to see what the effect was. I did this for six months and learned a great deal. I put what I learned into practice and lowered my Hba1c significantly. Then I discovered this site and found that I was not alone and other people were finding the same things that I had. The rest is history.
 
@Jo1984

Hello Jo and welcome to the forum :) Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. You will find a lot of advice on carbs and levels, and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you want 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 well over 220,000 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 free 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.
 
Jo1984 said:
How did u cope when u found out
Click to expand...

It was a shock of course...because we have been accustom to the view that it is a chronic and progressive condition. Especially so for me as my father just had to amputate his gangrenous toe shortly before my diagnosis. He had been diabetic for close to 30 years. The outlook was bleak and grim.

I was extremely fortunate to have found success with the carb lites fats friendly path...but this discovery was unfortunately way too late for him...he passed away in June.
 
When I was first diagnosed I already had known or suspected that I had diabetes for some time when it was eventually confirmed by a new GP, I said well that's a bit of a kick in the teeth, he said why you already knew didn't you my reply there's a world of difference between knowing or suspecting and having it confirmed, I still felt the shock of it.
 
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