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hiya,im new to all this an doing my head in already :(

V

voni

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OK, end september i had a realy bad cold an felt under the weather, so as all non diabetes do, i sat an drank lucazade, but i was so thirsty i was drinkin bottles at a time.Untill i couldnt take it no more an i walked into the local walk in center, i thought i was diein an thought i was goin blind, i felt so rough.The nurse took blood sample an said its high you best go to hospital ( even though i was sat in one :roll: ) At the hospital they took blood/wee samples.I was told im stoppin over night as my sugars were 58.i had 3 drips in my arm , 5 insulin injections, it did come down but then shot back up on its own.Next day they had got it down to 17 an i was sent home an told to take metformin an go see doctor.I did an on my next visit i was told to see diabetics nurse.Im being treated for type 2, ok how do they know what type i am ? Now on metformin twice a day an gliclazide half a tablet twice aday.Ive had my feet tested,goin for my eyes to be photo in a few weeks.The other day i went to all day diabetic talk kinda thing that doctors advised me to go for.OK this is were i loose the will to live , this women stood there sayin we should not eat an amount of more then a slice a bread at meal time, i realy felt like gettin me bag an walkin out , im 44 , i lift 20kg boxes on a reg bas at work, an they want me to stave. Right since oct 1 ive quit my 20 a day to nill, i now eat health food instead ****,an i eat 3 meals aday,but they still moan at me sayin i need to excerise.My HBa1C was 11 last time i went, an my blood prick was 10.The big question is should i be testin as im on gliclazide, i got nurse in 3 weeks an if i should do i tell her i want a tester an strips, or do i just go an buy me own as i cant be doin with rows,as i know il swear walk out an light up an that be the end that , an i have to start all over again.Help , ive only had diabetes 37 days an ive had enough already :roll:
 
Hi Voni and welcome to the forum :) You have lots of questions at the moment but they will soon get sorted out. It will all get better, I promise you. The answer to your question about testing is that all diabetics need to test, regardless of what medication they are on and even if they aren't on medication at all. I don't know much about gliclazide but there are members on here who do and will advise you. Try and get your nurse to give you a testing kit, but, unfortunately, many members here have had to buy their own. Whatever she says, please, please, don't light up after all your hard work. You have been doing really well.

Here is some information we give to new members which should help you to get started on good control of your diabetes. Ask as many questions as you like as there is always someone who can 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.
Click to expand...
 
If you drive and you are taking Gliclazide you have a good case to get a meter as DVLA are a bit interested in hypo inducing drugs so you can try that angle to get a tester and strips on prescription.

If you do a lot of lifting and manual work the best option I find is little and often. I can't really eat two slices of bread at a meal butIi can get away with one mid-morning and then another at lunch with salad or something like that. So I have a sandwich at say 10am then another at lunch about noon or just after and that is fine. Watch out on the Glic and doing heavy work as when your levels get a bit lower they can tend to drop quite quickly. I was on it initially to bring my levels down to normal and could go from about 6 to 4 in about 45 minutes!! (If your muscles start to hurt they need feeding I find and I'm getting lower).
Don't let it get you down, you will get used to it in time and there are lots of us on here to help you whenever you need answers. Don't be afraid to ask.
Hope this helps
Angie

Well done on quitting the smoking too!!
 
Welcome to the club no-one wants to join .... It's important not to panic - the complications can take years to develop & meanwhile you become well informed & take control, so putting the complications into the distant future.

The diagnosis of a chronic illness is a shocking experience - I was in a state of shock for months. That was 11 years ago & they computed my probability of a heart attack as 25% in 10 years. I'm still in good health.

The good news is that we can get control & live a normal life with a few adjustments, particularly to diet, as Daisy has indicated. Testing is important especially while you are trying to understand your condition. Your Dr or diabetic nurse should give you a meter & prescribe test strips.

Diagnosis at your age will normally be type 2 - which means you should be able to control your blood sugars without insulin injections. Sounds as if you are active in your job, so additional exercise is not necessary. Starving yourself is also not necessary, only cut down the carbs - bread/potatoes/rice & drinks like Lucozade & fruit juice. Tomato juice is OK. Proteins & fats don't raise blood sugar, & are more sustaining than carbs, so eat plenty of meat/cheese/eggs/nuts & bulk out with vegetables. I make a bread-cake without flour, using ground almonds, baking powder, olive oil & eggs. It's sustaining & doesn't raise blood sugar.

See this thread for my report on the X-PERT diabetic course.

Hope that helps - you'll get lots of answers to your questions from people who felt like you on diagnosis.
 
Thank you daisy, angieG an ianD, you all made alot sence an i found your post a great help ian about food so thanks,yes i do drive a car an im goin to try this to get a tester and strips on prescription.
 
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