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im new and a little overwelmed

N

Neliel2

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6
Hi Guys.

My name is lisa.. im a 35 years old single mum of two boys.. the youngest of whom has specail needs and i was diagnosed with type 2 last thursday.

Even though i was some what prepared for it, as lot of the signs were there, it ffinally starting to sink in just how much my life and life style, partuculally regarding food, are now going to have to change.

I have been given Metformin and even though the nurse tried to advice me against it (for cost reasons) i have a testing machine which i have been doing once a day. Im hoping to get a perscription for more test strips tomorrow as the machine i was give only came with ten.

There is so much advice about diet out there that im a little lost at the moment, and im waiting on an appointment with the dietician. I have reduced my sugar intake and my carbs, but i dont really know what im doing or if im cutting out the right ones.

My BG seams to be up and down and generally all over the place at the moment. the nurse told me last week that i should be aiming towards a 7.. but this week it seams to be bouncing from anywhere between 11.3 and 20.1. Im assuming that it will get better as i start taking more of the meds ( this week i was on one a day, starting tomorrow 2 a day then next week 3 a day).

I have another appointment with the practise nurse tomorrow for a diabetic MOT.. and a chance to ask more questions but to be honest there are so many questions i do know which are senseable and which are silly.

I know they are going to tell me to lose weight... im a big girl and always have been, and i do hate being talked to as if i dont know the facts about dieting but i have always struggled to deit before now due to lack of will power, and the fact i love my food.

ok i think i have ranted on enough now... sorry if bored you.:)
any advice would be greatly welcome... even if its just how to stop feeling so scared and lost and overwhelmed with it all.
 
Hi lisa and welcome to the forum. I'm a type 2 diagnosed in January and have found this forum really helpful in getting my head around the neccessary changes. This is a really useful post

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

to help you start thinking about what you need to do. I've been following the advice to reduce my carbs since January and have lost a stone. I also had a history of diets not working which I now think was down to my body being resistant to the insulin I was producing.

Read, think and ask questions. The search facility is very useful and no one will ever think a question is too stupid to merit an answer. Plus we've all been through the diagnosis wobbles and will understand where you're coming from.
 
Hi Lisa and welcome to the forum :) It is very confusing at first isn't it. I hope I am not going to confuse you with more information but I really think this could help you in all sorts of ways. This is information put together by the Forum Monitors for new members and hopefully you will be able to see things a bit clearer :) Ask as many questions as you like and someone will gladly help you.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Hi welcome to the forum :D
obviously still in a little shock however don't worry too much. Superb idea joining the forum we all help each out share notes ,Have a laugh :lol: :lol: :lol: some of us are forgetfull. Most importantly we have some very well knowledged people who know there stuff.
Don't worry about the Dr mentioning your weight you do not have to overweight under weight to have diabetes .Theres some superb recipes on here as well as some award winning diets ask ?'s use the search but most of all BBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEE :D :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Welcome again JF :wink:
 
Hi Lisa, you will get some really good help here. People that have lived with diabetes, and have managed it and that we are living with it too.....not too much quoted out of text books here!!!! The majoprity of us live with it 24/7/365.

Weight and food-some fantastic advice and help here. It may not be as bad as you really think with the foods.......I think the majority of us -although some low carb, some don't count carbs at all etc, but I think the main thing is to consider is portion size to be quite honest and snacking......take a step at a time. It is a huge thing to try to cope with, but you will do it, just take it a step at a time. Believe me, no human being in this world copes with change easily-whether it is work, home or socially, so diabetes is no different. It isn't the end of the world, honest.

You will be fine, there is some excellent advice here. Most of all, the support is fantastic-there is always somebody around to offer you support when you need it.....hoping that you can get more blood strips to try and do more than 1 a day.......well done on what you have been doing so far.....
 
I was diagnosed about 6 weeks ago and found this site had more info than my doc. I did wonder what to do for the best, but I just made small changes at first, cutting out bread (even though I had wholemeal!) I don't think I'd have the discipline for a proper diet regime so I collate the information and work out what's best for me-so far I've lost over half a stone just to make sure the doc can't hide behind excuses! Good luck and keep logging on to find out more I'm constantly surprised what I learn.
 
your lucky it was picked up i was over 40 when i was diagnosed with type one at least your on tablets i inject myself 4 times a day i would have liked to have been type 2 you just have to watch what you eat carbs and other things if you can get a meter they give you a bit of peice of mind and just watch for signs of hypos
good luck
 
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