Hi, nice to meet everyone on here.Diagnosed type 2 two weeks ago, tbh deep depression already

AM1874 said:

Hi @GerardSinclair .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like yourself and many others, I was shell-shocked with no information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I see that @Rachox has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

It is a top priority that you have your own meter and test regularly and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 (you don't pay VAT) or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them. Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps

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AM1874 said:

Hi @GerardSinclair .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like yourself and many others, I was shell-shocked with no information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I see that @Rachox has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

It is a top priority that you have your own meter and test regularly and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 (you don't pay VAT) or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them. Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps

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DCUKMod said:

Gerard - Lots of people find it to be a shocking diagnosis in these early days, so plenty of people will identify with what you are saying. One thing I will say in return is whatever you do; don't panic.

For most T2s who arrive here there is period of adjustment and a bit of work to do on what we eat and drink. Don't think all the things you like are going to be off limits, because there's loads to eat whilst getting your blood sugars under control.

Spend a bit of time reading around the forum, and seriously think about investing in a blood glucose meter, so that you can see on a day to day basis how you're getting along.

Take it steady. On a final note, many people say a few months after their diagnosis that they are then the healthiest they've been in years. It' certainly not all gloom and doom.

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Mbaker said:

Hi @GerardSinclair I have every confidence that you will do what is required to have a normal life expectancy, you have great reasons to for your family and yourself. It does look like you are Type 2 diabetic as Metformin has been prescribed, but this is not end stage anything, it is a warning that must be acted on.
Hi, I really do appreciate the advice and support from you and all on here . I really did feel desperate, scared and very much alone, but then I received some nice helpful words of encouragement from many brave caring considerate people on here. We are all in the same boat, life just seems so unfair sometimes.having said that, I need to pull myself together and see it as a wake up call as so many of you have..wow, tbh I'm impressed with everyone's positive attitude and natural bravery on their own health, maybe I can take a leaf from your books and have a word with myself lol...I'm not going to take another day for granted, I'm going to tell my wife and children how much I love them and I'm gonna try to be the fittest man on this earth with non stop exercise and a healthy diet from now on, if I lose a bit of weight, who knows, I might even get my good looks back lol...life is precious, nobody take it for granted....wishing you all very happy, very long lives for you and your loved ones....and sorry for my grammer and spelling mistakes, I'm not very good at written...I hope you all had a wonderful weekend . Gerard


Your numbers of 9.1 and 8.1 are at a level that could be put right i.e. within the non-diabetic range between 3 to 6 months in my opinion (mine were over 20, now around 4.7 in the morning and average circa 5.5) - if I can do this so can you. I say 3 to 6 months based on what others have achieved who take control of their food.

It looks like you may have some neuropathy, I had this mildly and no longer do (not even a little bit). Some say not to walk with this, but I did and walked at under 12 minute miles, so you can try this, obviously if you feel worse seek more professional advice.

Please do not starve yourself, in fact do the opposite. I posted earlier today on a different thread, the below food example, I have just cut and paste for you to look at:

Breakfast
Bacon / Sausages (quality), scrambled egg / omelette, tomatoes, mushrooms, quarter avocado, spinach

Or

Nuts (I have in the same sitting Brazil, Walnuts, Pecan, Macadamia, Cashews (smaller amount), Almonds and Hazelnuts as a base; with on top Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Red Currents, 2 dollop of Greek full fat yoghurt / double cream, pumpkin and flax seeds.

Lunch (If you have it)
Oily fish, reddish, salad, leeks / Onions, quarter avocado

Dinner
Any fish / meat, mixed vegetables, salad

You will notice there is no bread, pasta, rice or potatoes, ready meals and the like.

I don't eat past 6 or 7pm and do at least a walk after eating. This will keep you full due to the good fats. This is more of a lifestyle than a diet as the food is not specialist. This is under the banner of low carb high fat.

Alternatively you could look at the Newcastle diet to get your numbers quickly into at least pre-diabetic range or better. Information is available on both these protocols on this site. Whatever you choose carbohydrates will need to be restricted, and rather than planning for the worst, by addressing your "diet" you should have at least the same outcomes as anyone else in the general population.

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Art Of Flowers said:

The blood test they usually do for diabetes is called HbA1C. See http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html

A reading of 8.1% corresponds to 65 mmol/mol. That is not that high compared to me at diagnosis (11% or 99). You need to aim to get down to 6% or 42 mmol/mol. The best way to reduce blood sugar is to cut back or avoid food high in carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Also avoid fruit juice and fruit like bananas and grapes. See https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb for examples of what is good to eat on a low carb diet.

A blood glucose meter is very useful to check which food spike your blood sugar. Consider getting one asap.

I was getting some pins and needle sensations after taking Metformin. This maybe due to a vitamin B12 deficiancy, so I started to take vitamin B12 supplements. Metformin can cause a B12 deficiency which results in neuropathy symptoms. I also took Alpha Lipoic Acid which is also good for symptoms of neuropathy. I am getting a B12 vitamin deficiency test as part of my next blood test. By eating low carb I have reduced by HbA1C from 99 down to 44 mmol/mol in about six months and have now stopped taking Metformin. You should be able to get down to non-diabetic levels on a low carb diet in 3 to 6 months. Intermittent fasting is also a useful way to reduce blood sugars.

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