hi i am new on here

[Glynis57]

Hi everyone I have been recently diagnosed with type 2 and i am busy learning about it as i have loads of appointments for things but they are still a few weeks away yet. My main worry at the moment is that I am getting dizzy spells and not sure if they are related to diabetes i have been on tablets for about 3 months now and i have been fine until recently aswell as dizzy spells i am getting severe stomach pains and diarrohea (not sure about spelling lol) in the mornings could anyone help please thank you

 

[daisy1]

Hi Glynis and welcome to the forum I don't think I've heard of dizzy spells being connected to diabetes unless your blood sugar has gone down rapidly. Have you checked it? Are the tablets you are on Metformin? They frequently have the side effect of stomach upsets and if you are taking it you should mention it at the next appointment as there other medications which can be prescribed for you including a long-acting (SR or ER) version of Metformin which shouldn't give you these problems.

Here is some basic information about diabetes which was written for new members which should tell you a lot of what you would like to know. If you have any questions just ask as there is usually someone here 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.

 

[Glynis57]

thank you for your reply. I have been given a blood sugar tester but have been told not to use it til i have been to my diabetes management course which the first session is on the 26th september i am still struggling to find out what i can and cannot eat but i must be getting there as most of the time i am ok but these sympoms have just started in the last 4 days i do take Metformin. I am going to make an appointment with my doctor and discuss it with her and see what she thinks. The reason why i thought the dizzy spells were linked to my diabetes is because today when it happened i ate a banana and felt abit better then half an hour later i had my dinner and i have felt ok since then and also last week i got my blood pressure checked and it was quite low so that could also have something to do with it i think there is so much to take in its hard at times. I am going for the eye check next week just hoping thats ok as i am having problems with my eyes too.

 

[Gappy]

Welcome, whatever is causing the dizzy spells it sounds like it'll be short lived. There are numerous complaints about health officials here but yours seem to have everything sewn up for you! I have not found my diagnosis to hold me back in anyway I will still win games in the local badminton league this season!