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Just been diagnosed type 2 - hello

D

Dave_G

Member
Messages
10
Location
Helston, Cornwall, UK
Hi all,

Just been (Friday) diagnosed with type 2 after 2 yearly eye test for working on VDU's highlighted mild leak back of right eye and they referred me to doctor for blood pressure and blood work. Told unaware anything was wrong as would say had none of the common signs. Although am little overweight 6'2" 95kg @ 49yrs old, and mother & sister are both type 2.

Can't 100% remember all the figures as was little stunned, think 84 was mentioned ! But couple days later had chat with Diabetic Nurse and she gave me meter and I'm reading 11.1 in morning before breakfast (two slices of white toast) and 2 hrs later between 16 & 17. Then about 4pm (no lunch) 9.6 and 2hrs after tea 14-16.

Doc has me on metformin 500mg x 1 in morning rising in week two to x2 then week three to x3. Not really started working on any diet or low carb foods, only cut out sugar in tea, no sweats, chips etc.

Know its going to be a long road and one I need to be positive about rather than negative. In fact in some ways looking forward to the challenge of eating differently, something I've never had to think about before.

May need to find different meter, been given AgaMatric WaveSense JAZZ by nurse, and although it works, being in I.T. I'd like something that I can record what I eat with ease and be able to review all results and intake on the computer. So if anyone is using a meter that has good connection to computer, would be interested in knowing make/model and your thoughts.

Thanks
Dave
 
howdy, the white bread is pushing up your blood glucose mate, try to reduce your intake of bread, rice, potato and pasta until you have time to read up about food and carbs, i use a nexus meter that connects to puter via a usb and it gives you all sorts of info i think you are looking for, ask any questions you come across, the lovely daisy will be along shortly im sure with some really useful info, definately worth a read, best of luck :)
 
Hi Dave G , I agree about the bread etc. I was diagnosed in April and tested foods to see how I reacted , carbohydrates like bread and cakes , potatoes , rice and pasta all make my sugars shoot up. Im not a saint with my diet but I feel so rotten when my sugars are high so I ve adjusted my diet. You ll find what you as an individual can have or not have. Read all the posts and experiment . Think of it as a challenge to get it under control . Good luck.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi Dave and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I think you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 70,000 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.
 
Hi and welcome. There are many makes of meters that have PC connection. I use a One Touch UltraSmart meter plus the one given to me recently by my DN a MyPura. Yes, go for lower-carbs and wholegrain lower-GI bread etc when you do have bread. We all get used to smaller portion sizes over time, but the good news is that protein, veg, fat and some fruit is OK
 
Hi Dave,

Swap your toast for boiled eggs and that will be a great start.

Bread 12g of carbs per slice.
Eggs - Zero carbs.

If you love bread there is a low carb bread called LivLife (3.8g per slice) from Waitrose - but pricey at £1.99.

I watch my diet and I use an app called myfitnesspal. It tells me how much carbs everything has and also has a barcode scanner.

Its a bit tricky at first but being in IT you should be ok with it.

When I was told about the barcode scanner I spent about an hour in the kitchen and threw loads of food out and replaced them with low carbs. Its a steep learning curve but worth it.

Good luck!
 
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