Just daignosed really need help

[mrssmurf2]

Hi

Please can someone help me? I have been diagnosed as having diabetes last week, The doctor told me to make an appointment with the diabetic doctor at the surgery. When I did this the only appointment I could get was 6th July! In the meantime I tried to join the gym as I have also got depression and thought it would help. When doing my blood pressure it was really high and told to see a doctor before I could join.
I went to see the doctor on Monday and he said yes my blood pressure was high but needed to see the diabetic doctoer (6th July). He told me to change my diet and also see the nurse the day after for a glucose testing machine.
I went to the nurse the day after and when she did my reading showing me the machine it was 25.5 mmol. She said it was very high and to test it again before my lunch. I did this and it was 18.5. She spoke to a Doctor and they told me to wait till 6th July to see the diabetes doctor.
Is this right?? I feel really awful. I am soooo tired?

 

[mikecarter]

Hi

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and predicament with the doctor/diabetic nurse. If you're anything like I was when first diagnosed you are probably really scared/confused/angry/fed up etc. You have found a great place to come though. Have a look around the board and take your time to assimilate the huge amount of advice and knowledge on display. My blood readings were similar to yours when first diagnosed and I found the advice on lowering my carbohydrate intake invaluable.Because your blood sugars are high at the moment you may be feeling really tired/thirsty/blurred vision etc (and according to my wife..unreasonable and bloody moody.)All this will pass with getting your blood sugars down. I do think it would be worth trying to see someone before the beginning of July but if not remember that ultimately you will take charge of your own diabetes and begin to feel better soon. For now don't panic and be kind to yourself,
Mike

 

[mrssmurf2]

Thanks Mike thats really nice and helpful. I went to see GP again this morning and have a bad water infection so need to get rid of that first as it effecting my blood sugars

 

[Synonym]

Hello mrssmurf2 and welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and that you are feeling so poorly. So often you have a wait before you get to see a doctor but it is not all bad as it gives you a chance to read and find out as much as you can first.

You will benefit from following the 'advice for newly diagnosed T2s' normally posted by Ken and/or Sue, our Forum Monitors which I will paste on the end. Read around the various threads on here as you will find out much that will be helpful to you. Let us know how you get on and come back and ask any further questions as they come up.

"Welcome to the forum. here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.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.

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

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.

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 !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous."

 

[theblokefromstoke]

Hi Mrs Smurf,

Welcome to the forum. Sorry about the diagnosis, same happened to me in January.They told me I was diabetic, gave me a tablet and discharged me. This was the friday, i had instructions to call the diabetic nurse on monday and book an appointment. I had gone to see the doctor for a water infection as i thought. Turns out it was keytones in my urine. I was absolutly terrified, in a state of shock and never felt so alone.

I eventually met with the nurse, she told me to eat lots of slow acting carbs such as potatoes, pasta and wholemeal bread. I did this and was driven to tears many times as my Blood sugar stayed really high and i continued to feel like cr*p. I read some posts on here and the advice was to control the carb intake, which i did and not only did my sugar levels drop, my moods lifted, i felt better and the weight started to come off. Like you, i suffered with the depression for a couple of years, on and off the prozac. I now know the feelings I had when i was depressed are when my sugars are high. touch wood i have not suffered since i have got my Blood under control. I reckon i had diebetes for a couple of years and the doctors just didn't think to test me for it. The blood pressure was under control very quickly as well.

It really is life changing being diagnosed but its not actually all that bad when you get to grips with it. Its just living a healthy diet. Its a struggle, don't get me wrong but there is some lovely folks on here, between us, we have pretty much experienced most things diabetes related and will always offer help.

Have a look at the low carbs section. For me, i dropped my carbs slowly, starting at 100gramms per day, i'm now happy with about 40 grammes per day and still losing weight. Take one step at a time and don't worry too much in the short term, your Blood sugars will drop and you will feel better.

Keep posting and spend some time to look around at old posts and stuff on here. Best wishes with things,
Carl

 

[mcmoby69]

hi , some good advice. first thing you need is a bg machine, test before meals and 1- 2hrs after. that will give you an idea of what is good and bad for YOU. we are not all the same and react differently to different foods. most peeps are more resistant to insulin in the mornings, so a protein breakfast will be better than any cereal or toast etc try scrambled/boiled eggs or omelette etc/

if you do decide to lower your carb intake(i did) watch out for false hypos, when your body has run high for a while when it reduces to 'normal' levels you will feel bad. this is normal but will susbside.

there is a lot to learn, but baby steps are needed here. there are loads of tricks to managing diabetes,

 

[mrssmurf2]

Thanks everyone for yur advice.
It's all really confusing. My Mum,Dad and sister all had diabetes and I just took it for granted, now it has happened to me I didn't realise how serious it was. I just feel rubbish this week because I am trying to finish coursework for college and it is a struggle with feeling so tired.
Right thats my moans over with lol
Thanks again

 

[mrssmurf2]

I feel really deserate I just wanti t to go away. I have been given 1 x 500 mg of Metformin per day I hope it makes me feel better soon I need to do my exams.

 

[mcmoby69]

I feel really deserate I just wanti t to go away. I have been given 1 x 500 mg of Metformin per day I hope it makes me feel better soon I need to do my exams.

hello mrs smurf, sorry but it isnt going away.
the tiredness is prbably due to high bg levels, unless you test you wont know what they are, when you do manage to lower them you will feel lots less tired.
i have cut out bread rice pootatoes and pasta, and my bgs are ok and my a1c is miles better too. also i am not as tired all the time. try it, your health must be worth it.

 

[Synonym]

I feel really deserate I just wanti t to go away. I have been given 1 x 500 mg of Metformin per day I hope it makes me feel better soon I need to do my exams.

Hello again.

Sorry you are feeling so desperate - you are not alone, we have ALL been there! :roll:

Unfortunately wishes are not effective but the tablets will help you a bit . The main push and shove has to come from yourself, though. Follow the advice you have been given and it will get better. It takes time so don't expect too much too soon and be warned that sometimes you can feel just as bad when your BG levels start to go down as your body is not used to the lower levels. Don't be tempted to down more carbs in an attempt to feel better as you will just go back to the beginning and have it all to do again. Make sure you have lower carb snacks to hand - things like veggie nibbles, cold meat, small pieces of cheese, nuts, hard boiled eggs so that you don't go and eat the wrong things.

Hope things start to get better and that your exams go well. Let us know how you get on - on all counts!

 

[mrssmurf2]

Hi

Just wanted to let you all know I am feeling so much better. I am on 3 metformin a day and my BS have come down. feel a lot happier too. thanks all for your advice

 

[Synonym]

Hello again.

Very pleased to hear that things are so much better for you!

 

[mrssmurf2]

Oh I passed my course too so the struggle with the exams and feeling rotten was worth it

 

[Synonym]

Oh, that is good, congratulations on that too! 8)

 

[mrssmurf2]

Thanks Syn x

 

[KaseyCoff]

Hi there! It's been a month since your post and I wondered how you're doing. Have you been able to start getting a record of your BG levels, or finding any patterns? Are you still on the Metformin 500x1 / day? Have you had any additional visits with your GP or possibly with a diabetes-specialist nurse? Also, most surgeries either hold or are 'linked with' courses that meet for several weeks and include instruction on good nutrition, fitness, tips and techniques for learning how to take care of yourself - if your surgery has not given you information on any healthy-lifestyle classes in your area, call and ask them about it. Please post again and let us know how you're getting on.

 

[micksmixxx]

Congratulations, mrssmurf2, on passing your exam. (I'm grieving that you haven't told us what course it was for.)

Sorry I'm so late in noticing your 'dilemma'. I've only visited today as I received a link from my Diabetes.co.uk email.

I'm glad you're feeling better in yourself. Obviously, the most likely reason for you feeling so 'rough' was down to your diabetes. Secondly, the not knowing exactly what was going on with you can have a psychological effect on you. Coupled with the lack of support and/or advice that you received from your doctor's surgery, it's no wonder you weren't feeling on top of the world.

You may be wondering why your Metformin has been increased to 3 tablets a day in such a short space of time. Actually, this is quite normal. I don't know whether you've experienced it yet, but Metformin does tend to have a side-effect of disturbing your intestinal tract in many people. (I won't go into detail, but this can be less than pleasant.) Doctors tend to 'combat' this by starting people off on a lower dose to begin with in the hope that your body will become accustomed to some of these side-effects. Then they increase the dose ... obviously, to get your blood sugar (glucose) levels back down to 'normal' or near 'normal' ranges.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned training courses that MAY be available to you, dear lady, but take a look at the following page. It explains what some of these courses are, and how they're designed to help diabetics:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/education/index.html

I appreciate that you've recently finished a course but, believe me, these courses are very much worthwhile, and they're not designed to operate like a course that you may undertake at college. (The DESMOND course, in my humble opinion, would be best suited to your needs. It's aimed, primarily at recently diagnosed type 2 diabetics.)

I don't know how you feel about the standard of care (or lack of care) that you received from your doctor's surgery in the beginning, but how would you feel about requesting a referral to your local hospital diabetes centre? You'd find that a diabetes centre would be aimed at dealing specifically with diabetic patients, that would usually have a better understanding of diabetes and the effects that this might have on someone that's been diagnosed with it. You'd probably be given the name and telephone number of a diabetes specialist nurse ... someone that you could contact if you found your diabetes was a bit 'out of control', or you had some other concern. (I'm obviously biased, but I'd trust both my doctor (endocrinologist) and diabetes specialist nurse with my life ... and I'm really NOT exaggerating when I say that.)

Do let us (the nosey ones, at least) know what your blood sugar levels are like now. Some of us do have a genuine interest in our fellow diabetics, finding out what happens to them, and what works for them. (I appreciate that NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) don't actually want type 2s to test their blood sugar levels but, being newly diagnosed, I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find that your doctor wants you to test ... for while, at least.)

No-one has mentioned it here, yet, but can I offer a word of advice? Try to keep your blood sugar levels as near 'normal' as you possibly can. This will lessen the chances of you developing complications later on. Ideally, this should be between 4 and 6.5 mmol/l, though this may well make you feel ill. This would be due to your body having become accustomed to your blood sugar level being higher than 'normal', and taking time for it to become reaccustomed to 'normal' levels. Do bear with it, and take it slowly. No-one's going to insist that your blood sugar levels come down fast.

I wish you the very best of luck in coming to terms with this life-changing diagnosis, and hope that you live a long, happy, healthy, complication-free life.

Be well.

Lots of Love and Light.

Mick
x x x x
x x x

P.S. Please don't be offended, or alarmed, at the "x's". It's merely a logo, of sorts, that I've used for some 30-odd years now ... from way before Political Correctness came into vogue.

 

[mrssmurf2]

Awwww isn't everyone nice!!
Here's my update: My god i am feeling soooooooo much better. I am now on 3x500mg Metformin a day, my BS have dramatically reduced but still on the high side. On an average day they usually around 11-12mmol. I go to the GP's on Monday for a review to see how I have been getting on, as last time he mentioned I may have to go on medication for High Cholesterol, which is not good at 33 years old but I have a very strong family history of diabetes and heart related conditions. On one of my visits to the hospital they said a daibetic nurse would contact me, that has been a month now and no contact has been made. The Diabetic Doctor at the GP surgery (when I go to see him) is really nice so I gonna stick with him.
My diet has changed as getting diabetes was a wake up call as both my parents had it and they both died at the age of 57 so I really don't want to be like them so I am gonna try and manage this diabetes well. I still eat carbs cos I am afraid my addiction is bread and cannot give that up easily but have changed to granary. I eat loadsa fruit and completely cut out sweets (boo hoo used to eat a whole packet in one go) and sugar in my tea. Have fallen off the wagon a couple of times like having a Macdonalds and an ice cream but that was just rebelling lol. I have also started to exercise to improve mood and am loving Yoga, I need to lose about half a stone as I am not that overweight.
Since getting treated for diabetes my anxiety and depression has gone a little better too. My psychologist said I may have had diabetes for a long long time and BS levels can effect many things. By no means has it helped completely and still have quite a way to go as I am undergoing CBT but I feel so much better as I have more energy and am definately going the right way.

I will look at a diabetes course as I would love to go on one.
The course I have just passed is an Access to Humanities course which is for 'older' students to gain access to University. I have been accepted with a place at University and starting in September. I am going to be doing a Combined degree in English Literature and Social History. I am really looking forward to that although a little nervous. Having worked in accounts for 15 years I wanted to do something completely new and eventually would like to go into Teaching but wanted to do something I was genuinely interested in.
I was in a bad way upon my first post on here, I didn't want depression to beat me and then being diagnosed diabetic was not a shock really but I hadn't realised how much it does actually effect your life. Although I can honestly say it may be a postive thing as I can try to live healthier and also now it is getting more under control I CAN beat the depression instead of it coming over me like a big old cloud. As Winston Churchill said depression is like a big Black Dog always following you around, well I gonna try and make it into a fluffy white poodle or something lol.
Thanks everyone for your posts its nice to know your not alone.

BTW I am not offended by the XXXXXXlol

 

[mrssmurf2]

Actually there is something else I would like to ask.
I think I have a water infection again. Is this common with diabetics?