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Just diagnosed and freaking out

M

mastrs

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hi i am 37 years old and have just been informed that i am a diabetic with a Hb1ac reading of 97.

My BMI is 29 and my GP is not overly concerned with my weight but my recent diet is atrocious. I regulary skip meals (sometimes only eating one huge evening meal) and my diet is made up of too many takeaway and restaurant meals.

All of this must be contributing factor to my diabetes diagnosis. My GP thinks it will be impossible to reverse this with a better diet and exercise. I have a sedentary occupation and the only exercise i get is playing table tennis once per week.

I suffer from health based anxiety which centres around concerns about my own mortality. i read Google far too much for diagnosis.and i am trying to stay calm. My father had diabetes and passed at 54 with CVD so its hard to drown out the negative thoughts that a similar fate awaits me.

...I can see there could still be positives as this will force me to be healthy and my health will be regulary monitored, which will reduce risk. However from what I've read there is no guarantee that my levels will come down with medocation, so this is extremely daunting. I've also read that a low carb high fat diet is a good way to go, but i also have high cholesterol so i dont think a high fat diet is going to be conducive for my health.

As you can see im a bit overwhelmed and would appreciate any advice. My reading is towards the top of the spectrum so it would be heartening to here from people with similar readings who have managed to get their diabetes under control.

Many thanks
 
Hello and welcome,

What you are feeling and thinking is absolutely normal following a shock diagnosis of diabetes. Most of us have been there in your place, but rest assured you will feel much better about it if you take a deep breath, make a cup of tea, and read round these forums. We are all diabetics of one sort or another, so who better to listen to and take advice from than us?

It is absolutely NOT impossible to return your glucose levels to normal, despite what your doctor says. He is wrong. Many, many members on here have brought their glucose levels down to normal and come off or reduce medication. Many members had higher (much higher) levels than you when they started, so please do not despair.

Yes, you will be monitored regularly (every 3 months initially) and this includes blood tests not just for glucose but also cholesterol and lipids, liver & kidney functions, full blood counts, and urine tests. You also receive an annual retinal eye screening test and annual foot checks, which are both hugely important for us. This is also not forgetting the usual blood pressure checks.

Providing you find an eating plan that is suitable for reducing blood glucose, and also sustainable for you in the long term, you should see an improvement quite quickly. In order to help you with this, you will need your own blood glucose meter, otherwise you are working blind. I have little doubt that your doctor and nurse will tell you not to test, but this is a financial decision, not a sensible one.

I won't bombard you with stuff for now, but will tag @daisy1 for her very helpful introduction post. Meanwhile, read this forum, and ask as many questions as you like.

PS. If you are worried about cholesterol, make sure you have the full breakdown of the levels - HDL/LDL/triglycerides. A print out of your blood results will give you this information.
 
Thanks rom35, that's really good to know.

I think i just need a plan. Once i have one and gain a better understanding i will feel better.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Can i ask do you use medication to control your diabetes?
 
Hello @mastrs, and welcome to the Forum. First thing: take a deep breath. There are many members on here who had higher hbA1c levels at diagnosis and are proof that you CAN reverse/bring down your bg levels with diet and exercise. There are also members who are not able to exercise and have used diet alone. What have you read that says there is no guarantee your levels will come down? It sounds like your GP has unfortunately made matters worse but have a good look around the Forum, take your time to just dip in and out of threads you think might be relevant. Others will be along to give great advice. A website that is good for info and help is www.dietdoctor.com and try to stay away from Dr Google, especially those sites which will diagnose you on your symptoms - you usually end up finding you have an exotic disease that no-one's ever heard of! There are lots of success stories on here to give you hope and encouragement. And remember, it's not a sprint or a competition: it's a big step to turn around your diet etc but it IS doable. Good luck!
 
Thanks bluetit1802 thats some excellent advice which i will follow.

..wow all these check ups this will.hopefully empower me to take control and become fit and healthy

Thanks.again for posting
 
That's awesome Ziggy, well done.

Ive only been on these forums.for.20 minutes and i getting a dose of some much needed hope. Thank you!
 
Thanks Dark Horse i will certainly read the article
 
Perhaps after reading this thread and others round the forum you could compile a list of questions to ask on the forum. No question is silly, although some of the answers maybe!!!!!!!! (only joking) There is a wealth of experience here, and hopefully you will take advantage of this.
 
Hi @mastrs and welcome
My HbA1c was 95 on diagnosis so almost as high as yours so take heart with a lot of hard work it can be done. You've a lot to take in now but very willing to share what I did.
 
Hello and welcome! If you read around, you'll find that many members have actually improved their cholesterol levels by eating less carbs and more fat (I'm not one of them, I'm on insulin. I did however change to less carbs and more fat than before, but haven't had a recent blood test to check cholesterol). It seems eating fat does not equal more cholesterol or more body fat
Read around and take your time. You cannot learn everything in 1 day, and you don't need to
 
i certainly will bluetit. ibe jjst neen reading some of the success stories and they are inspiring.

The first question is how regimental do people need to be with their diet? Are we talking sensible eating 5 plus portions of fruit and veg and staying within all the recommended allowances for sugar, fats.etc or documentng everything you eat? i know everyone does things in their own way, but it would be interesting to see if there is a consensus on the way to do this diet wise.
 
Antje77 Good advice and good to know. My GP hasn't outlined their plan for my high cholesterol. It was 7.9, but its good to know that better diabetes readings sometimes correlate into better cholesterol readings
 
you will be ok.... I have no doubt

some people on here are very experienced at this sort of stuff. The LCHF diet is a must. Once you get ur head round it.

All the best on your new adventure

Rab
 
Hi and welcome
As the previous messages have said please don’t panic, I know it’s s massive shock, I was where you are in October but you can make chsnges. This is my journey so far......
I was diagnosed completely out of the blue in October last year. My first HbA1c was 95 (10.8) 2nd test result 87 (10.1) booked to see the diabetes nurse end of November and she did a finger prick test for me reading 76 (9.1) advised to eat well balanced diet, do some exercise and no need to test!

After the shock and some tears I did my own research and found this forum and the Diet Doctor website. Needless to say what I read made some sense and I decided to ignore the NHS advice and swapped to low carb diet in the new year.

Had my first check up 6th February, HbA1c now 45 (6.3) pre diabetic range, I test my blood myself and am averaging 37 (5.5) I’ve lost 3 and s half stone, to date, cholesterol was good at time of diagnosis 4.1 and has come down a little bit to 4, blood pressure was good and again has come down to lower than the recommended maximum level. Exercise wise I started with 20 minutes swimming 4 times a week until new year, then I introduced 15 minute HiiT sessions for a change and now I have just returned to 30 minute swims, 5 minute HiiT sessions and a daily walk during lunch breaks of 15 to 20 minutes (weather permitting). I am hoping that when I go for my second check up my HbA1c will reflect the averages I get now, I would love to see it around 32 to 34, still have some weight to loose but have a holiday booked for May that is acting as an additional motivation.

Take each day at a time and good luck
 
Thanks for your post hiitsme i would love to know what you did

..Just a big thanks for all your post I'm overwhelemed that you've all taking the time to post. I'll have to log.on to a pc as i cannot keep up on my phone!
 
Wow well done Jayney 27. There defontely seems to a consensus from a nimber of threads that a LCHF diet is tthe way to go. i'll look into this for sure. Does anyone follow a particular meal plan?
 
Get on a PC and search the forum .. has a ton of info on LCHF and plans
 
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