Just diagnosed & a little bit overwhelmed!

[Antje77]

Thanks
I went for an fingerprint meter to start with and my what a variation of readings I’m getting! Yesterday daytime pre meal 7.5 then stir fry chicken with quinoa raised to 10 post meal then had an alcofree evening. Woke up this morning at 2.2 which rose to 9 after 2 coffees and morning routine!!! What’s going on?

I would have retested the 2.2, it's an unlikely reading.
Premeals 7.5 to post meal 10 tells you that less quinoa and more chicken wouldn't be a bad idea, although the rise wasn't that much. Many people aim for a rise of no more than 2 mmol/l, but it does make a difference where your starting point is of course.

With the morning rise from 2.2 to 9, I'd doubt that 2.2 for now, so the rise was likely less.
Still, many of us experience 'foot on the floor' or dawn phenomenon, where your helpful liver gives you a boost of glucose in your bloodstream to help get you going for the day.

 

[Andrew_VP]

Hey Andrew - greetings ( I say this but I am new here myself!) - I know the feeling of dread/anxiety/worry when I first got diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. There is hope, you can put it into remission, I done it myself previously to the point I came off the Metformin and was on no meds. This will be controversial but the way I did it was with Ketogenic eating with Intermittent fasting combined. I also lost over 5 stone in 6 months. You need to talk to your diabetic nurse and doctor before embarking on these but the problem I had was that I found my diabetic nurse was giving me incorrect advice to eat @Slow digesting carbs as the main part of my diet" which simply makes me ill.
You can beat this and stay on top of it, lots of people do.
Exercise does help always but the food is number one to deal with. You need to make sure you are eating and consuming low carb, low/no sugar foods and drinks.
I know what you're saying about lockdown, I worked for the Ambulance Service during lockdown and even I fell off the wagon too. it has been incredibly hard on all of us in the world, a lot of people use food as a comfort or just because they are bored and I was one of them.

you got this buddy, its something you can do something about.

PS - I not used the Libra 2 but had a look at it - looks good for monitoring. You can also buy "diastix" which will show glucose (sugar) in your urine.

Stephen

Many thanks Stephen for your supportive comment. I had my first drink fee day yesterday!!! Going for so long thinking I'm invincible then reality strikes. I've gone down the fingerprick route for now as it's less in your face. Found what looks like a great app for tracking results, carbs and diet etc 'mySugr'. Using the free version for now but it looks very good

 

[Andrew_VP]

I would have retested the 2.2, it's an unlikely reading.
Premeals 7.5 to post meal 10 tells you that less quinoa and more chicken wouldn't be a bad idea, although the rise wasn't that much. Many people aim for a rise of no more than 2 mmol/l, but it does make a difference where your starting point is of course.

With the morning rise from 2.2 to 9, I'd doubt that 2.2 for now, so the rise was likely less.
Still, many of us experience 'foot on the floor' or dawn phenomenon, where your helpful liver gives you a boost of glucose in your bloodstream to help get you going for the day.

Thanks for that. So, I've deleted the 2.2 as obv my body went into hibernation and will see if repeats tomorrow, but likely as you say not to be an accurate reading (hopefully!). Good point re the quinoa - more chicken for me in future!

 

[Andrew_VP]

I think, in the beginning, getting into a routine with the testing regime is useful. Testing before, then 2 hours after, noting what you've eaten. If you're reducing your carbs, you will see the pre-meal numbers coming down and the after-meal numbers. The last number to improve is often the fasting reading when you wake up: it's common for our livers to release glucose into the blood to fuel the start of the day.

My HbA1c at diagnosis was 74, which I brought down to 41 when retested three months later. I also lost 15kg but wasn't counting calories or doing new exercises. Most importantly, I wasn't starving myself; if I was hungry, I ate. I just made sure the meals and snacks were all low-carb.

Over Christmas, I allowed myself a few treats (a box of mince pies spread over a couple of weeks, a small packet of chocolate digestives given as a present by my daughter, and tagliatelle in a restaurant with family). My HbA1c did rise: to 42!! So the good news is once you get things under control, a once-in-a-blue-moon treat won't put you back to where you were. There are a few apps that can help track your carb intake and your glucose readings, showing how your numbers are progressing, whether the trend is up or down

Thanks for your response, yes getting my head round testing and a routine and learning my numbers is a priority and hopefully over time I will see them start to come down

 

[Andrew_VP]

I tend to grate my fingers!

There's such a thing as too much protein

 

[Andrew_VP]

Things I didn't notice being mentioned are Fruit juice (its all high in sugar - so don't drink it! ) and alcohol - there are 2 things to consider with this: 1. Carbs - Spirits with low carb mixers don't directly hurt your BG, the sane goes for dry white wine and for most red wines. 2. However although alcohol delays the body processing carbs and turning them into glucose the total carb content still turns into glucose , just slower. The big problem with alcohol is that it contains a lot of calories - so that can be a problem for those who still need to lose weight!

I can only speak for myself, but I took well to eating Low Carb, high protein and traditional moderate fat (which is now considered High Fat by current standards). So had no problems with that way of eating and found T2D remission quite easy to achieve and to maintain.

Thanks, good to know I will still be able to have an occasional drink (in moderation!)

 

[Andrew_VP]

I would say that brown rice is disgusting, brown pasta bearable especially with a strongly flavoured sauce. I've weighed the portion for years before T2, so I reduced it to 50g dry.

How about cauliflower rice? I brought some at first but it's easy and much cheaper to make, as long as you have a food processor.

Bough a cauli today - having thai green curry so will let you know!

 

[smithsj1]

Thanks
I went for an fingerprint meter to start with and my what a variation of readings I’m getting! Yesterday daytime pre meal 7.5 then stir fry chicken with quinoa raised to 10 post meal then had an alcofree evening. Woke up this morning at 2.2 which rose to 9 after 2 coffees and morning routine!!! What’s going on?

I think there is a margin of error of 15% on these strips so don't be too worried about any single reading. Keep a record of your results and then see if you get any patterns ie if you are really low at 2.2 each morning then you may need to investigate why. For what it's worth when I used to get these outlier high or low numbers I would redo the test and almost all of the time the number came in closer to the normal range. Mind you if you do a load of vodka or whisky in the evening your blood sugar could be in your boots many hours later!

 

[Resurgam]

There's such a thing as too much protein

I have an electric grater, but most often use a knife or even a demi lune blade (there's posh) when I have an attack of the chefs in the kitchen.

 

[Angela64]

So, I've just been diagnosed Type 2 and had my first appointment with the diabetic nurse at my GP practice. There is so much to get your head around and I'm a little bit freaked out!! I'm early with the diagnosis as blood test last year was ok but now I'm scoring 52 (?). I've been advised to loose weight (BMI 35) and do more exercise and be retested again in 3 months time. I eat healthily already but need to use my gym membership which I haven't used for over 1 year. I know my big nemesis is alcohol which crept up during lockdown but has stayed high so that will be a challenge!

I've read that reducing carbs and upping the fibre is good for weight loss and glucose control but is it worth investing in a Libre 2 or similar so that I can learn what influences my BS most etc?

What type of exercise is best? Running, spinning? Walking? etc

For those who've tried it how realistic is reversing T2 and going into remission?

Many thanks in advance

Mmmmm, I went low carb, lost good amount of weight. I’d put on weight over the years due to menopause AND the wretched heart rhythm drugs. Yes one needs to look at the diet and take away those foods, carbs that elevate the blood glucose and substitute for foods that don’t have such a dramatic and detrimental effect, HOWEVER - we need to enjoy living and eating! We eat with our eyes first, then the smell of the food. I was diagnosed in June 2021 and still trying to get to grips with it. My glucose levels can make no sense, I’ve since been diagnosed with Haemochromatosis ‍
I know that I am suffering anxiety and may be depression because of the diabetes and the heart stuff etc. I used to love cooking, cooked from scratch, now - lost all interest. There is a lady on instagram who advocates combining to lower the spikes, not advocating eating carbs. Not really sure if this works for me. The most important thing is, to make the meal look, smell and taste good or why eat ‍

 

[smithsj1]

Bough a cauli today - having thai green curry so will let you know!

you can also make noodles from courgettes when you fancy a stir fry or bolognese!

 

[Mark R 1958]

So, I've just been diagnosed Type 2 and had my first appointment with the diabetic nurse at my GP practice. There is so much to get your head around and I'm a little bit freaked out!! I'm early with the diagnosis as blood test last year was ok but now I'm scoring 52 (?). I've been advised to loose weight (BMI 35) and do more exercise and be retested again in 3 months time. I eat healthily already but need to use my gym membership which I haven't used for over 1 year. I know my big nemesis is alcohol which crept up during lockdown but has stayed high so that will be a challenge!

I've read that reducing carbs and upping the fibre is good for weight loss and glucose control but is it worth investing in a Libre 2 or similar so that I can learn what influences my BS most etc?

What type of exercise is best? Running, spinning? Walking? etc

For those who've tried it how realistic is reversing T2 and going into remission?

Many thanks in advance

I know your feeling. I was dignosed 2 years ago that I had T2 and blood count was 53. I lost 12kg in 3 months by keeping to a low carb, higher protein with healthy food (veg and salad) and got down to 42. This site and various others were great help. You don't need to be an anorak but just strong minded. I exercised more. I used an exercise bike at home 3-4 times a week for 20 mins. Take a look at food GI's to check which ones are slow energy release which help against spiking the blood sugars. Read Malcolm Mosely stuff but there is no need to be that fanatic but the info helps. Don't be freaked out just determined and positive. A friend of mine went down from a count of 84 to 42. The stories are out there. My diabetic nurse wasn't forthcoming with enthusiasm about remission but was blown away by my results and now praises me.

Alchohol is a lot of empty calories so cut that down or out to aid loosing weight.

Good luck

 

[HolgateEnd]

Hi Andrew, I was diagnosed type 2 a year ago with Hb1ac of 80. After 6 months I’d gotten it down to 34, so rest assured it can be done. I am due another test soon as expect it to go back up as I’ve been eating a few too many chocolates and sweets since Xmas!

I attended something called a DESMOND course run by our local NHS authority (I assume it’s nationwide though), and it was invaluable. A couple of things to take away were that every meal should resemble a Mercedes badge 1/3 each of protein, carbs and veg. Do not cut out carbs as your body still needs them, but we need to ensure we eat less. Dont do what most people do and run to a diet of high fruit, as fruit can have as much sugar as chocolate! Limit fruit intake to 2 portions per day (and check portion size, as just 7 grapes = one portion!). Exercise helps massively, though I’m struggling with that one. The obvious one for you (and me previously) is the booze. We were having a good scoop of Stella every Friday and Saturday, and when I was away with work or if there was a decent match on the TV. Not every day, but probably 3-4 times a week. I’ve pretty much cut out lager, beer and cider completely and drink red wine now but only one day a week (usually Saturday). I also allow myself to eat chocolate or sweets one day a week too (or at least I was pre-Christmas, and need to get back to that). We were previously having 2 or sometimes even 3 takeaways a week, now it’s one per fortnight.

The booze, chocolate and takeaway reductions have been huge behavioural and habitual changes but after a few weeks I got settled into the new norm. I haven’t cut them out completely as it’s unrealistic and there has to be a point to living, doesn’t there, so I still want to enjoy these things.

For what it’s worth, my diabetic nurse told me not to bother with finger prick or urine tests and to focus on making those other improvements to daily life as it would be more beneficial. I did exactly that and managed to reduce my Hb1ac massively as per above. I think you can get overly consumed with testing and it can lead to drastic but unnecessary changes, but each to their own and do what’s right for you. Good luck.

 

[ajbod]

The reason you are told not to test is that if you are told to then they have to be supplied, a cost the NHS does not want.
It's true that many people become over anxious and test to extreme levels. But unless you test you cannot know what affects your blood sugar, so needs reducing or removing from your diet.
But if told your Hba1c has gone up, how would you know what was causing it over the previous months.
The other diabetic nurse favourite, is why cause all that pain finger pricking when it's not necessary. well as many on here can testify, most health care professionals are ignorant of how to prick properly at the side of the finger pad away from the greatest density of nerve endings.

 

[HolgateEnd]

The reason you are told not to test is that if you are told to then they have to be supplied, a cost the NHS does not want.

in my case, not at all. I told the nurse I was willing to buy a meter and test strips etc and she was steadfastly against it. She was adamant that it was not required and it can lead people to constantly take short-term views rather than look at longer term health. The two ladies running the DESMOND course were also against it for the same reasons (nobody mentioned either cost or pain to me).

I think if you track what you eat, that’s probably enough to identify trends/issues with changes in Hb1ac. For example I know that in the first 7 months post diagnosis I started to eat less carbs (1/3 of a meal), less fruit (3-4 portions per day instead of 6-7), less chocolate/sweets (once p/week) and less alcohol (and what alcohol I did have was red wine not lager/beer/cider as it would have been before) and the result was a drop in Hb1ac from 80 to 34. Since Christmas I’ve been eating a bit more chocolate and a bit more carbs as we’ve had quite a few meals with no veg. If my score goes up, which I expect it probably will, I instinctively know which two things to correct!

 

[ajbod]

Probably enough is not good enough for me. By extensive testing early on in my diabetic journey, i now know which foods are a problem and need avoiding or treating with extreme caution. as a result i now very rarely test as the work was done earlier on.
When driving i'd much rather see the speedometer, than wait for a speeding ticket to let me know when i was going too fast.
No health care professional is ever going to mention cost, but as many on here know if there was a financial incentive for surgeries to supply testing equipment and strips, they would be the first items foisted on pre diabetic diagnosis!

 

[VashtiB]

I'm going to say that I totally recommend that you get a meter. I have found it an invaluable tool in keeping my levels well into the normal range for over 3 years.

I still test though not as regularly as I keep very low carb (less than 20 grams a day) and this has lead to a great improvement in my health and in my blood sugar levels. I went to a different doctor who thought I must have been misdiagnosed as my HbA1C has been 34 or less for all of that time and all my other blood test results have improved.

I keep testing as I want to ensure that I keep my levels in the normal range for a long time.