hi everyone

[ian francis]

hi im ian today was told im diabetic gone on to 500mg metformin but not sure about foods or anything related to this

 

[totsy]

Hi
Ian,
welcome, what kind of blood results did you have?

 

[Andy12345]

hi, welcome

have a read of the forum mate, theres alot to learn


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[ian francis]

Hi
Ian,
welcome, what kind of blood results did you have?

hi not sure dr said the pancreas was struggling spoke of weight loss bit of a blur really got app on 12 march to a clinic be told more then i think thanks for your reply

 

[Kat100]

Hi and welcome, you must still be in shock, you will learn more slowly, but take your time and make decisions for you, it will all be a bit trial and error for a while, but after your next appointment you will have to think of a lot more things and changes which might affect you...
Meanwhile here enjoy this site and see what information is useful to you....it is so early day ...best wishes Kat

 

[daisy1]

Hi Ian and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 70,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[totsy]

Have a good read of the forum and good luck at your appointment, i would suggest writing down any questions you have and taking it with you,
look forward to hearing how you get on

 

[ian francis]

Hi and welcome, you must still be in shock, you will learn more slowly, but take your time and make decisions for you, it will all be a bit trial and error for a while, but after your next appointment you will have to think of a lot more things and changes which might affect you...
Meanwhile here enjoy this site and see what information is useful to you....it is so early day ...best wishes Kat

hi thanks kat its the changes that scare me being a single dad dont wanna scare the kids one daughter already worried but once i know foods and stuff should be ok everyones so kool on here thought they might think what a wose thank you

 

[ian francis]

Have a good read of the forum and good luck at your appointment, i would suggest writing down any questions you have and taking it with you,
look forward to hearing how you get on

thanks totsy il let you guys know

 

[ian francis]

Hi Ian and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 70,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[ian francis]

wow thanks

 

[Kat100]

Hi and welcome, you must still be in shock, you will learn more slowly, but take your time and make decisions for you, it will all be a bit trial and error for a while, but after your next appointment you will have to think of a lot more things and changes which might affect you...
Meanwhile here enjoy this site and see what information is useful to you....it is so early day ...best wishes Kat

Hi Ian, you will be amazed at how the changes can be positive, you can still enjoy food as well, once you find foods you and your daughter can both enjoy....they are there to be enjoyed.....hope you like to bake and cook, nice to try out new recepies...
The change is hard but stay positive and put your health first ......Kat x

 

[popsy]

Hello Ian! Just what Kat said, if you can look on it as an opportunity and not as a tragedy it will help you through. It's a life changing thing for sure but yes, take it slowly and read all you can on here. If your daughter is worried maybe she would benefit from reading all the info too...depending how old she is of course! It can be a stunningly scary thing but you will get used to it I know. We all started out pretty scared but we dealt with it and you can too.

Here for you mate

 

[ian francis]

thanks guys did my first meter check said 13.1 and went to buy celeriac omg looked rank bottled out of it lol i feel better reading the posts on here not long till the clinic hope that eases things too, my daughter is 18 going on 80 being a single dad shes very protective but the strong bond with my kids means everything so we share hopes and fears helps moving forward il say nite up at 3 for work stay safe and............ thank you x

 

[carraway]

hi Ian#
Daisy's welcome message is really a great place to start, but if you are at all worried about what to eat/drink you can always type up a few of your typical meals and we can chip in and offer some suggestions.

Meanwhile lose weight if you need to and exercise if you can.

Let us know how you get on at your appointment

Cara

 

[mrs gimli]

Hi its hardto change all at once small changes are good and cut portion sizes.get rid of suger is a simple one.change bread to granery or seeded if you can not give up. Change mash for new spuds in jkts. And weigh pasta 100grms is a portion .im trying lowcarb myself but im also still learning .

 

[Alanp35]

Hi its hardto change all at once small changes are good and cut portion sizes.get rid of suger is a simple one.change bread to granery or seeded if you can not give up. Change mash for new spuds in jkts. And weigh pasta 100grms is a portion .im trying lowcarb myself but im also still learning .

Mrs Gimli
A journey, and diabetes is a journey, a lifelong journey, starts with one step. It doesn't matter how big or small that step is; it is the first of many. The entire journey is one of learning, and what may suit one may not suit another. Just keep taking those steps at your pace,heading towards your goal.



Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[anniwoo]

hi thanks kat its the changes that scare me being a single dad dont wanna scare the kids one daughter already worried but once i know foods and stuff should be ok everyones so kool on here thought they might think what a wose thank you

Hi, was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago, my kids are at uni. I haven't told them yet, don't want them worrying I will tell them when they are home for Easter by that time I would have had another appointment and got to grips with a daily routine, if they can see Im coping then I feel it wont be too much of a shock to them

 

[bernie.freeman]

Hi Ian,

Welcome to the forum, you can ask as many questions as you like and will get some really good replies. Everyone on here is helpful. Hope your apt goes well. Daisy's information is invaluable, you will soon get to know what foods effect your blood sugars and which ones don't. Good luck.

 

[parameswaran]

thanks guys did my first meter check said 13.1 and went to buy celeriac omg looked rank bottled out of it lol i feel better reading the posts on here not long till the clinic hope that eases things too, my daughter is 18 going on 80 being a single dad shes very protective but the strong bond with my kids means everything so we share hopes and fears helps moving forward il say nite up at 3 for work stay safe and............ thank you x

Hi Ian,

If well controlled, you need not fear diabetes. I am having diabetes for more than 25 years (first detected when my duagher was 6 months old). Proper lifestyle (with good diet and exercise) is the key to control the same. Medices come only second.
Don't worry.

Regards,
Parameswaran