Hi folks Type 2 newbie alert

davidh66

Member
Messages
17
Hi everyone, im new to both type 2 and the forum. Plz be gentle with me ;-) . Im a Geordie living in Liverpool so be nice to speak to other people with diabetes
 
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debdebc

Well-Known Member
Messages
90
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi there, I too am a newbie :) I was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago. You have certainly come to the right place, I have found no end of support and information here:)

I still feel very up and down, quite excited about getting healthy because I have to..but also wish I had done it without the diabetes lol.

Have a good look round and keep asking questions, I have found them to be gentle on here ;)

Deb
 
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amanda19640

Well-Known Member
Messages
336
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Moaning for moanings sake!!
Hi there, I too am a newbie :) I was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago. You have certainly come to the right place, I have found no end of support and information here:)

I still feel very up and down, quite excited about getting healthy because I have to..but also wish I had done it without the diabetes lol.

Have a good look round and keep asking questions, I have found them to be gentle on here ;)

Deb
Hi there,I'm new too & from Southport, great support here, better diet advice than the nurse iv found.
 
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azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Welcome :)

I'll tag @daisy1 and she'll provide some basic info for you.

There's a lot of information here, so have a browse and feel free to ask any questions you might have.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome to the club,

You have made a good start by finding this forum. Have a god read round and ask as many questions as you like.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@davidh66

Hello David and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information which we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. If you have any questions, just ask 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 over 150,000 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.
 
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davidh66

Member
Messages
17
Thanx. I knew it was coming because all my father's siblings have it as well as him. But its great to go alongside my heart disease and arthritis too lol just means just a few adjustments to my diet ;):D
 
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poohtiggy

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Getting old and diabetese
Lots of newbies this week, welcome to the forum everyone
 

JenniferW

Well-Known Member
Messages
561
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome aboard! ... this site has stopped me going into meltdown!

I was diagnosed T2 in May, and I'd say this website and the forum has had the same effect for me. Without it, I'd have been drifting on doing pretty much nothing!
 

Patricia21

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,764
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Animal crualty
Hi all new people.
This forum is great.
Lots of help and advice and new friends,you are never alone.
 

neil1945

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Im like jennifer w - sorry havent foud out how to 'tag' this site is brilliant! Ive had a couple of questions and got them answered straight away - and the help and info is great