Just been diagnosed type 2

Hi there.

I have also been recently diagnosed. You sound like you're in the same boat as me - youngish, weight sensible, and you are active. I teach Yoga. Like you, i wondered where I could go with this, as I felt that I had a healthy diet and lifestyle. But just a week after joining this forum, getting advice and measuring my blood glucose regularly, I have started to learn so much.
Invest in a meter and strips - even if the NHS didn't offer them to you, they are essential if you are going to learn which foods to avoid and which foods are ok for you. Carbohydrates and hidden sugars are usually what send the Blood Glucose soaring, so as you will no doubt gather from reading advice on this site, you have to monitor your carb intake and make some dietary changes regarding carbs.
My levels when first diagnosed ( Dec, borderline, March diagnosed, May started to worry and DO something!) were very similar to yours. After just a week of monitoring, I have managed to be in the 5s quite often and this is considered under control ( I think ! )
Test your blood first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking. Under 7 would be a good aim.
test before and 2HRS after every meal. The 2 hrs after eating reading ( post prandial ) should be around 8mmol/l.
Before meals you're looking to be under 7mmol/l.
Keep a diary with your food intake and the results recorded.
Very soon, you'll begin to learn which foods 'spike' your blood glucose and put too much pressure on your pancreas.

There's so much to get your head around, it's tough. I've been on here for most of the week , reading and trying to understand. But do start testing. it's the key to control. Also, it's common, I think, to suspect you have complications ..... but good to check them out. i thought my vision had worsened ... doctor said no way .... optician confirmed it and now I have new specs!!! Don't ignore anything - it's not worth it.
Let me know how you get on - and all the best
CathyN

Hi and welcome to the T2 club Manxfrank, I'm only 4 weeks diagnosed myself and managing to keep my BS down to an overall average so far of 5.7, Advice as above get yourself a meter the SDCode free is the cheapest I have found for the strips if you get any of the others you will be paying from £10 to £27 for 50 strips. Has the Nurse not sorted any appointments for a Podiatrist, Dietician and Eye test yet she should be as they are all the normal checks they do. I have had my feet checked and seen dietician today Eyes checked 25th June. someone will be along soon with information that all new members receive. As for the Diet you would like to Follow personally, I told my dietician I am not doing the NHS diet as the Carbs are too high, and I am following the low carb route. best thing have a good read on here and make your own informed choice. And by all means ask as many questions you like. And stop worrying.

Hello Frank and welcome to the forum.

You've arrived at the best place!

Your "on arrival" stats are unusual for T2. You are only 40 and not over weight. Did your nurse check a urine sample for something called ketones? Have you LOST weight recently for no good reason? There are several types of diabetes (not just 1 & 2) and although most diagnoses are correct several who've arrived on our shores with similar stats to yours have found they are what's called LADA or Type 1.5 and not the initial Type 2 diagnosis. Not a great deal to worry about but you need to get the treatment right. I'd talk to your GP about it and point out you don't meet the usual criteria of Type 2. Ask for c-peptide and GAD tests to be done to confirm the diagnosis either way.

Anyway regardless of what Type you are to start with most members would recommend you follow the same things they told me about when I joined. I was diagnosed just over 6 months ago and using the advice I found on this site I got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around 8 weeks and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well.

Diet wise its really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.

The above diet is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you may find what I and other forum members recommend will be different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.

I see you are already measuring your blood levels which is great as most forum members would recommend doing that. If your doctor prescribed the meter and strips you are one of the lucky ones as many of us have to self finance testing. It's a bit of a post code lottery and we find some progressive surgeries are pro testing and others anti. I'll warn you the anti ones can sometimes be very vocally anti!

The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.

As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

PS Here's three good links about what's good to eat.

First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden

http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in

Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

There are also loads of brilliant recipes on the forum. You can find them herehttp://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4871.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

CathyN said:

Hi there.

I have also been recently diagnosed. You sound like you're in the same boat as me - youngish, weight sensible, and you are active. I teach Yoga. Like you, i wondered where I could go with this, as I felt that I had a healthy diet and lifestyle. But just a week after joining this forum, getting advice and measuring my blood glucose regularly, I have started to learn so much.
Invest in a meter and strips - even if the NHS didn't offer them to you, they are essential if you are going to learn which foods to avoid and which foods are ok for you. Carbohydrates and hidden sugars are usually what send the Blood Glucose soaring, so as you will no doubt gather from reading advice on this site, you have to monitor your carb intake and make some dietary changes regarding carbs.
My levels when first diagnosed ( Dec, borderline, March diagnosed, May started to worry and DO something!) were very similar to yours. After just a week of monitoring, I have managed to be in the 5s quite often and this is considered under control ( I think ! )
Test your blood first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking. Under 7 would be a good aim.
test before and 2HRS after every meal. The 2 hrs after eating reading ( post prandial ) should be around 8mmol/l.
Before meals you're looking to be under 7mmol/l.
Keep a diary with your food intake and the results recorded.
Very soon, you'll begin to learn which foods 'spike' your blood glucose and put too much pressure on your pancreas.

There's so much to get your head around, it's tough. I've been on here for most of the week , reading and trying to understand. But do start testing. it's the key to control. Also, it's common, I think, to suspect you have complications ..... but good to check them out. i thought my vision had worsened ... doctor said no way .... optician confirmed it and now I have new specs!!! Don't ignore anything - it's not worth it.
Let me know how you get on - and all the best
CathyN

Click to expand...

Hi Cathy looks like you're picking it up really fast!

Yes 5's are excellent readings to be getting especially after only being here a week. You beat me hands down. Took me around 6 weeks to get a 5.

Hi! Missed this earlier, although replied on your other post. Here's what I said there!
Hi and welcome! Sorry to hear about the diagnosis of course, but seen much higher fasting levels than that so don't despair. If you're already low carbing, you're limited on diet changes I guess. Have you been low carb for long? With exercise, maybe you need to look at the timing and type. I find that just ten minutes of fairly intense exercise about an hour after eating brings blood sugars down quicker and further. I think that with your diet and weight (all good) you need to get a meter and do some detailed testing to see what's happening. Test before you eat then two hours after. Keep careful notes of what you ate, what before and after sugar levels were, what exercise you did etc. then you'll get an idea of what's sending levels up, or if they're up constantly and so on. Let us know the results, and perhaps we can help you interpret them.
Also, did you just have fasting tests? An HbA1c would give you a better picture of your overall blood sugar levels as it looks at averages over the previous month or so. I'd insist on one of those. That will also give you a base to measure future progress against, as you'll have those tests again in the future
Good luck!

You do seem a bit of a conundrum at the moment, and you may need further tests to confirm what type of diabetes you have

Grazer
 

Hi Frank and welcome to the forum
Here is some information that we give new members which I hope you will find helpful. Ask all the questions you like as there is usually someone who has the answer.

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.
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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 Frank welcome :wave:

Came as a shock to me also, ignorance turned out not to be bliss.

Your in the right place, some power reading on here will stand you in good stead.

codefree on the net is about the cheapest as the strips come cheap. You can get free meters easy from Bayer and lots of others, but you pay a bomb for the strips. Lots use the codefree. NHS won't normally pay for testing unless you're on hypo-inducing drugs (metformin doesn't count) although it is up to the doctor. Show him how structured you'll be in testing, how you'll analyse and adjust diet accordingly etc and he might give you one. Or do what I did and bully him; I got one then.

I'm alway between 7.6 and 8.6 in the morning no matter what I have eaten the night before .Have been for few years before that I was 11+

I was getting exactly the same results from my fasting BG. I read widely discovered Cortizol, kicks in during the night, to raise your blood sugar and ability to get up in the morning, so that's why so many of us have higher morning levels. What I also discovered was that Apple Vinegar is really helpful at lowering and controlling BG levels. So for the past week I've taken two capsules of Apple cider Vinegar before I go to bed with 500ml of water and guess what.....my FBG have dropped materially and consistently. I am now averaging 4.0 to 5.0. So it is definitely something for you to research and possibly try.

@KevinPotts What strength Capsule are you taking?

I got some at 750mg and take one - but these are quite expensive so went to Holland & Barret and bought their buy 1 get 1 for a penny - 350 mg so two of those at night.

Thanks @KevinPotts I have ordered some 750mgs from Amazon so shall experiment for a week and see if it helps my fasting numbers

That's where I got mine from. Might take a couple of weeks to really start to see the benefit. The other strategy one of the Profs at the Diabetes Summit talked about was including very slow release dabs via a handful of beans in your evening meal (butter, haricot, three bean - in water) type etc. These call on the body to release glucose slowly and naturally, so that the liver does not have to dump glycogen or the adrenal cortisol.