Newly diagnosed and very frightened so much information to take in and it's overwhelming if I'm honest
Hi everyone
- Thread starter corgimum79
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JoKalsbeek
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It is absolutely overwhelming, and scary. But you're not in this alone, we're right here and quite a few of us have been where you are right now. Before you do a deep-dive into all things Type 2, know this: It's not the end of the world, and knowing what the problem is, is the first step to feeling better than you most likely have been.
Do you have any questions we can help with? There's usually someone around with answers, so... Fire away!
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Welcome @corgimum79
I notice your profile mentions ‘diet only’, so perhaps your HbA1c (the measure used to determine diabetes) is not so high that you can’t regain non-diabetes blood glucose levels. Many of our members have done that, without needing medication.
There is some information for new members at the end of my post, just below signature. Have a read, then come back with any questions you have. Members will guide you through this, based on their own experiences. You have come to the best place.
I notice your profile mentions ‘diet only’, so perhaps your HbA1c (the measure used to determine diabetes) is not so high that you can’t regain non-diabetes blood glucose levels. Many of our members have done that, without needing medication.
There is some information for new members at the end of my post, just below signature. Have a read, then come back with any questions you have. Members will guide you through this, based on their own experiences. You have come to the best place.
Well the doctors have been quite contradicting on what I can and can't eat the doctor says one thing than the diabetic nurse this morning says something else I think the diabetic nurse made more sense if I'm honest but navigating what I can and can't eat is daunting I admit my past diet was awful and I have changed that and I swim every day but I find the food side hard I've been eating lots of sweet potato which is obviously wrong I know now but i was diagnosed than for about a month left to my own devices although I did manage to lose a stone in that time I just feel overwhelmed with everything at the moment
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@corgimum79 - congrats just for making it here and posting - takes a fair bit of courage just by itself..
Everything, but everything will feel overwhelming to start off with - I remember barely being able to sleep the first night I properly started to digest what it all means... but after several "calm down, it's a marathon, not a sprint" type messages, you learn to take a breath...
On food - for sure; is there anything that instinctively makes sense to you ? that may be a good place to start. Everyone is pretty unique in this, so there are no 100% correct answers, but it would be really helpful to know some of the information you have, like HbA1c.
Everything, but everything will feel overwhelming to start off with - I remember barely being able to sleep the first night I properly started to digest what it all means... but after several "calm down, it's a marathon, not a sprint" type messages, you learn to take a breath...
On food - for sure; is there anything that instinctively makes sense to you ? that may be a good place to start. Everyone is pretty unique in this, so there are no 100% correct answers, but it would be really helpful to know some of the information you have, like HbA1c.
My HbA1c was 54 and I have had lots of appointments and contact with the GP surgery since but it's still daunting
JoKalsbeek
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- Type of diabetes
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- Diet only
When someone who's supposed to be an expert, is contradicting the advice from another expert, ask someone who is impartial: get yourself a blood glucose meter, and ask it what is true for your particular metabolism. It won't act on outdated research, or some fad diet or dogma, it'll just tell you what your blood sugars are doing and how they react to the food you're eating. Test before a meal, and two hours after the first bite. You're looking for a rise of no more, and preferably less, than 2.0 mmol. Sound complicated, but really, it's all two's: Type two, rise of no more than two, two hours. Two's all the way.
If you manage to keep your blood sugars in that range, the over all numbers will come down over time. How do you do that? Well, mainly it's some form or other of low carb eating. Sugar is a carbohydrate, but so are starches... And they might not start out as sugar, but they do turn to glucose once ingested. So potatoes, sweet or otherwise, can cause a spike. Same with rice, pasta, bread, cereal, most fruits (save for berries and tomatoes, in moderation). It's a bit of an overhaul of your usual diet, most likely, but try not to overcomplicate things. There are loads of sites online that come up with unpronounceable, unfindable and ridiculously expensive ingredients, but.... Rather than a spud, just have some more meat, a double portion of above ground veg, just change the portions around so you still have a filling meal. So breakfast could be eggs with bacon and high meat content sausages, lunch could be a salad with chicken, in the evening cauliflower rice with whatever spices you like, with some salmon, steak, pork, whatever. Full fat greek yog with berries or a hand full of nuts for dessert, maybe? They're just examples, but that's the main thing: keep it simple for the time being. If you're feeling adventurous, knock yourself out, but.... At this point in time, go with the easy stuff and cut yourself a break. Oh, and you were probably told not to get a meter (the bulk of us self-fund), but really, there's a lot of T2's out there and the NHS can't afford us, really.
Once you know what a meal does, you don't have to test around it anymore, so the use of strips'll taper down as you go. Me, I only test when I feel ill with a virus or have had a steroid shot or something, having a pretty solid idea of what does what. So it won't always be an assault on your fingers..! Hang in there, it gets easier.
Jo
PS: http://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html should explain things a bit more thoroughly, but it's just what worked for me. I've been in the normal range since oh, 8 years now or something? I've lost count.
What works for one might not work for another though, so you do you, okay?
JoKalsbeek
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Oh, excellent. The diabetic range starts at 48... You're just 6 mmol/mol over that! Just a few changes in your diet and you should be in the prediabetic range right-quick, non-diabetic soon after. Many here have come down from more than double your HbA1c. It can be done, if you want to give it a go.
In other words, you're not keeling over tomorrow, unless you get hit by a truck or something. Breathe.
May Mic
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Welcome to the club no one want to belong to. I control by diet only at this point but numbers are creeping up. I need to cut back on carbs more and move a bit more.
Lots of good info here to read and re-read as needed.
Lots of good info here to read and re-read as needed.
Yeh it's a lot to take in. I was diagnosed type 2 in May 2024. On 3 insulin tablets a day at the moment. Got my levels down to around 7 to 7.5 , you're right it's a lot to take in at first. I'm on a low carb diet. Which includes sweet potatoes and lots of wholemeal foods. Brown bread and making a lasagne with wholemeal.pasta etc. I'm lucky that I love salads with chicken in. During the day I snack on celery sticks and carrot batons. Boiled eggs and an apple for breakfast. My levels haven't gone above 8 for a while now. I know everyone is different but this is what works for me. Any questions just ask. Andy.
Forgot to say I do a lot of walking also . I have a dog which helps. I love getting outdoors and walking everywhere. Every type 2 person I know keeps there levels lower with a good diet and exercise.
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JoKalsbeek
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Hi Andy,
Welcome to the forum! Bit of a thing, wholemeal can still spike you as much as any other type of flour can... It's still high in carbs, no matter what colour the carbs are (white, brown, wholemeal), and your body will have to process it eventually. It is often a little slower in the uptake though, but that's about it. That means you could well still get more control with less medication, should you choose to at some point, though I'm not sure what "insulin tablets" are...? Insulin is an injectable, though I'm guessing you mean something like gliclazide instead, maybe metformin? Just to be on the safe side, if you're going to pose questions on the forum in the near future, please be as specific about things like that as possible, because the advice you get can vary wildly when you're on certain types of medication. Like, Metformin can be combined with a low carb diet safely, it shouldn't make you go hypo, but gliclazide and a low carb diet can trigger a hypoglycemic episode. Been there, faceplanted repeatedly, did not find it enjoyable in the least. So whatever you think might be relevant or irrelevant, mention it, so people don't give advice that can be potentially dangerous to you. Folks here are not nosy for the sake of being nosy, it's for the sake of your safety. (And being nosy, haha).
If you're content and stable with the tablets and the wholemeal, stick with it, but if you ever feel like your control is slipping at some point, there is still wriggle room to get more control at a later date, should need be. Good thing, that.
I'm rediculously low carb myself because I can't tolerate the medications, so I don't exactly feel like I have a whole lot of choice. Like you said, we're all different, and that works for me. If this is what works for you, wonderful! Just, you know... Infodump on us any time, so we don't end up accidentally hurting you with well-meant advice. (And I am a blunt ADHD/autistic Dutch person, so if any of this caused offence, it really is said with the best of intentions. But freely ignored as usually, unsolicited advice is, ah, well... Unsolicited, as everything I realise I've said above, is. Apologies if I botched it...!)Anyway, again, welcome!
Jo
Resurgam
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I think people love to make things complicated and add in a bit of magic and rules about things.
For me, a very ordinary type 2, I cut down on the carbohydrates I was eating until my blood glucose became normal after eating - under 8 mmol/l was the 'magic', if there was any at all.
After that I went on eating in the same way and everything seemed to sort itself out.
Coming up to 8 years later I had lost a fair bit of weight but being still rather podgy, when I brought a full length mirror into the bedroom I decided to cut back on food. Doing low calorie dieting never worked when I was eating high carb foods. Coming at it from low carb is a doddle. I am not even hungry.
For me, a very ordinary type 2, I cut down on the carbohydrates I was eating until my blood glucose became normal after eating - under 8 mmol/l was the 'magic', if there was any at all.
After that I went on eating in the same way and everything seemed to sort itself out.
Coming up to 8 years later I had lost a fair bit of weight but being still rather podgy, when I brought a full length mirror into the bedroom I decided to cut back on food. Doing low calorie dieting never worked when I was eating high carb foods. Coming at it from low carb is a doddle. I am not even hungry.
