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Hi

I

infoman

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Just got back from the doctors and i have been told i have type 2diabetes
I am a little overwhelmed as now i have to change my diet (very scared)
I have booked another appointment to get my blood taken again for my HbA1c number

My doctors do not have a diabetic nurse on hand and i need to know where can i go and see 1

The problem i have is that food prices are so high and we are on a tight budget for food each month ( i know im not the only person) I need advice and how to be able to do this with our budget
I am married with 3 young kids and i know i need support from somewhere

At the moment my mind is running overtime and really dont know what to think

sorry for going on so much
 
Hi and welcome!
Daisy will be along soon with dietary advice for new members which is great advice, so do read that. It doesn't need to be expensive, but you will need to spend more time thinking about food and perhaps preparing it.
In general terms you will need to reduce the total number of carbohydrates you eat per day. All carbohydrates turn to sugar when we eat them, and no type 2 diabetic on diet only, or on diet and metformin only, can control their blood sugars (BGs) without controlling their carb intake. Even those on strong medication normally choose to control their carb intake to keep the level of medication they take down. The total number of carbs per day you can eat depends on how advanced your diabetes is. It’s perhaps worth starting at about 50% of normal levels for a non-diabetic then adjusting up or down according to how you get on. That’s 150 grams of carbs per day for a man, 125 for a woman. You can read the total carb content of food under “nutritional info” on the packet or wrapping, or look it up on the internet for loose food. Just google “carb content..”
You also need to stop or reduce the bad carbs; that is the starchy ones that make your BG go up quickly.
So obviously no sugar or glucose! But also no white bread, white rice, pasta, flour products like pastry, cake and batter. You can eat a little basmati rice, wholewheat pasta or the tri-color pasta fusilli ones in small quantities. Boiled new potatos are OK but not old pots mashed, boiled or in their jackets. (Roast is not so bad, the fat slows their absorption and conversion to glucose in the blood) Amongst other veg, parsnips are about the worst for BG, and carrots not great but ok in smaller amounts.
Multi grain bread (not wholemeal) is not SO bad, but lots of us eat Burgen soya and linseed bread from tescos and sainsburys, although all bread should be in limited amounts.
All fruit has carbohydrates, and needs to be included in the amounts of carbs you eat in a day. For most people, bananas are about the worst for pushing our BG up and berries (like strawberries, raspberries etc) are the least bad.
No sweeties!
Exercise is important. I tend to exercise about an hour after eating when I know my BG will be peaking. This helps to bring it down quicker and further. I do ten minutes hard work on an exercise machine, but you could run up and down stairs for ten minutes or go for a brisk walk.
Returning to types of food and quantities of carbs - you can only find out how many you can eat by testing. Most type 2’s are not given access to testing equipment, so you should get your own – although try arguing with your Doc that you want to manage to NICE guideline blood sugar levels, and can’t do that without testing! If you have to buy a meter, they are cheap and most manufacturers will give them away for free. They make their money on the strips you have to use! So go for the meter with the cheapest testing strips. Some people test before and after eating, on waking (fasting test) and before bed. But if you have limited strips because of cost, the key to me is testing 2 hours after eating. If your BG is above, say, 7.8 at that stage, you need to cut down on the carb content the next time you have that meal. Test after various different meals and you soon get to see a pattern of what you can and can’t eat, and in what quantities. You can then reduce your testing. I said “below, say, 7.8” because NICE guidelines are below 8.5 but most of us think that’s a little high. 7.8 is the max. Level at 2 hours after eating that a non-diabetic normally gets to so is perhaps a better target. Some then set progressively lower targets.
Do ask lots of questions; there is normally an answer on here. The more you get to learn about your diabetes, the better it will be.
Good luck!
 
Hello infoman :)

Welcome to the forum. Take a deep breath and don't panic - you've made a great first step by coming here. You'll find lots of great information and advice on this forum.
 
Hi infoman and welcome to the forum :) You have come to the right place to get help and advice. I also felt scared when I was diagnosed but I got used to it quite quickly as you will too. If you ask questions someone will be able to answer you. Here is the information we give to new members which I expect you will find useful.

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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Hi infoman,

Don't be scared - it's ALL do-able, even if it's not much fun sometimes! It doesn't have to be a life sentence, honestly. :)
 
Greetings infoman!

What tree-peony said is absolutley spot on! :D
 
Hi infoman :wave:
From another newb, it does seem very shocking and confusing at first.
However with the help and advice from all the great people on here you soon calm down and realise it's far more manageable than you might first have imagined.

:) Steve
 
Thank you guys for the support

I think the scary part is i have to change my way of eating also so much to read on this great forum
Is there an idots guide for diabetics if not would be great if someone could write 1

what is the typical carb intake per day

I am am more aware about looking at carbs on the side of a box now even diet pepsi lol
 
infoman said:
Is there an idots guide for diabetics if not would be great if someone could write 1

what is the typical carb intake per day
Click to expand...

Hi again! I hopefully covered that above.
 
Hi i just brought a meter and im really worried
i took my 1st test 1 hour after breakfast
2 white toast and a little peanut butter and it came up as 19.0 mmol/L
This is not normal is it
please can some one help me
 
infoman said:
Hi i just brought a meter and im really worried
i took my 1st test 1 hour after breakfast
2 white toast and a little peanut butter and it came up as 19.0 mmol/L
This is not normal is it
please can some one help me
Click to expand...

Well, for a diabetic, the normal response for eating two-slices of white toast and some peanut butter is a huge spike in your BG.

19 mmol/l is pretty bad. You need to reduce your carbohydrate intake to a level at which your BG < 7.8mmol/l at 2 hours. That means no more white bread for a start...

Well done for getting a meter. The next stage is to start eating a sensible diabetic diet. The best description of a diabetic diet is from our Swedish friend xyzzy:
BlindDog said:
The diet consists of meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, vegetables, legumes and vegetable proteins and fats from olive oil and butter. The diet includes less sugar, bread, cereals, potatoes, root vegetables and rice than a traditional diabetes diet.
Click to expand...

You can't keep letting your BG get so high if you want to live a complication free life.
 
You need to start low carbing! 2 slices of white toast would do that to me as well (at least!) and check the ingredients/label for the peanut butter to make sure it's unsweetened.
 
infoman said:
thanks mate
so your saying 75g of carbs a day for a man
Click to expand...

No, I suggested you start on 50% of recommended amount for a non diabetic male, which means start on 150 grams, (GDA for a non diabetic male is 300) but then test to see if you need to go lower. Also, I suggested that white bread is out; a slice or maybe 2 (test to see) of Burgen Soya and Linseed bread might be ok.
It's tough to take it all in, but it gets easier!
 
Thanks
day 2 and its already going to be hard to break the habit
But with help like this i will do it

Thanks guys
 
Hi infoman

My advice is to keep a food and readings diary. Use these first few days/weeks for research. Also, don't assume becuase you get a high reading at one time of the day you can't eat that carb at all, it may be different later/earlier in the day.

( i would def not try 2 rounds of white bread again tho')

EG I can eat 3 Nairns oat biscuits for supper but not breakfast - infact I can't tollerate any carbs for breakfast. Weird I know but that's the way it is.

Good luck - youre taking the first steps to getting to grips with this.

Mary x
 
MaryJ said:
Also, don't assume becuase you get a high reading at one time of the day you can't eat that carb at all, it may be different later/earlier in the day.
Click to expand...

Good advice Maryj. I actually think you're more the norm being able to eat carbs pm but not at breakfast. I'm the opposite! I can eat a ton of cereal at breakfast and be high 4's / low 5's two hours later, but can't tolerate much carbs (even the same ones!) later.
 
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