Hi - A new Type 2 - Officially!

[Blert]

Hi All,

My name is Bob and I have been diagnosed for about 3 years and have been diet only controlled. All was going well until a few weeks ago (and I think deep down I was in a bit of denial about really having type2 at all - perhaps my sugar was naturally suppose to be slightly raised???) I started to feel off colour, did a few finger prick tests, checked my bp and thought I'd better have a check up a the docs. So today its official, I am starting with metformin, and my simvastatin is being increased to 80mg. I will be using this forum on a regular basis for info and to get a grip of the disease, so hello to you all, I hope we can be friends!

Cheers

Bob

 

[sugarless sue]

Hope this info for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics helps. Ask us questions, there's always someone to answer your questions.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.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.

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

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.

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 !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

Sue/Ken

 

[Synonym]

Hello Blert and welcome to the forum.

What a pity you didn't find your way here when first diagnosed. Anyway you have found us now and it is a good place to get information and there is usually someone on here happy to help with questions.

Although it is a while since you were first diagnosed I still think that you would benefit from the above advice from Sue/Ken for newly diagnosed T2s . If you follow the advice you will really get a handle on your condition and feel much better. 8)

If you have any questions come back and fire away as there will be someone who can help.