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Just diagnosed & need some help please!

F

FBW

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I was diagnosed with type2 in March it’s thought this is a result of having had acute pancreatitis caused by a medication I was taking. I also have cancer. On being diagnosed I was given a px for Metformin 500mg 1 tab twice a day. Initially the nurse didn’t feel I needed a test meter but then decided to give me one. I was due a follow up full diabetes appointment which was cancelled due to to Covid pandemic. The meter does not work so have just bought an accu-chek mobile. Because I have not had any advice whatsoever on managing this condition I am at a loss as to what I should be doing. Just tested my blood it was 12.5 which is much higher than when I was diagnosed.
When should I be testing my blood? How do I get it down to a better result? I have no idea what my diet should be, what I should avoid, how many carbs,fats per meal I should be having/avoiding etc should I be having a snack between meals? I am not usually so useless but this is because I have had no advice whatsoever.
 
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You have my sympathies, but you have found the best place for support, welcome to the forum.

All sorts of situations/medications/stress etc can affect our levels. The best testing time is just before you eat and again 2 hours after the first bite.

Most of us avoid carbs to some degree. Testing will give you an indication of how your food has affected you.

Tagging @JoKalsbeek for her great info. Your not on steroids are you?
 
FBW said:
I was diagnosed with type2 in March it’s thought this is a result of having had acute pancreatitis caused by a medication I was taking. I also have cancer. On being diagnosed I was given a px for Metformin 500mg 1 tab twice a day. Initially the nurse didn’t feel I needed a test meter but then decided to give me one. I was due a follow up full diabetes appointment which was cancelled due to to Covid pandemic. The meter does not work so have just bought an accu-chek mobile. Because I have not had any advice whatsoever on managing this condition I am at a loss as to what I should be doing. Just tested my blood it was 12.5 which is much higher than when I was diagnosed.
When should I be testing my blood? How do I get it down to a better result? I have no idea what my diet should be, what I should avoid, how many carbs,fats per meal I should be having/avoiding etc should I be having a snack between meals? I am not usually so useless but this is because I have had no advice whatsoever.
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Hi @FBW ,

Sorry you're dealing with so much right now! I'm a little surprised at the T2 diagnosis, as it was my understanding diabetes linked to pancreatitis was T3c, (making too little, not too much but insensitive to it). But hey, if you can make improvements through diet because it's still working somewhat, that's a big win right there.

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is a bit of a jumping-off point for a low carb diet, if you want more in-depth info you should have a look at Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code, dietdoctor and this forum's website, diabetes.co.uk . Fount of information, all of them, but if it's all a bit much, well.. The Nutritional Thingy kind of condenses things for ease, you know?

As for testing, before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. You're aiming for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l. Anything over that means the meal was carbier than you could handle.

You be good to yourself, okay? If there's anything any of us can help with, give a shout. You're done doing this alone.
Hugs,
Jo
 
xfieldok said:
You have my sympathies, but you have found the best place for support, welcome to the forum.

All sorts of situations/medications/stress etc can affect our levels. The best testing time is just before you eat and again 2 hours after the first bite.

Most of us avoid carbs to some degree. Testing will give you an indication of how your food has affected you.

Tagging @JoKalsbeek for her great info. Your not on steroids are you?
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You're welcome to just share the link, I'm not always as around as I'd like to be. ;) <3
 
Hi Jo thank you for your reply. I was reading about T3C and if I ever get to speak to someone I will discuss this!
I’m so stuck, I’ve used the new meter all day today my readings are all over the place. I’ve downloaded and connected to the accu app which records my readings, I have absolutely no idea what they and codes mean. I’m getting so worried and frustrated with this now. How do I know how many grams of carbs I should have at each meal? Can anyone tell me this?
 
It takes a while to get your head around things, don't be disheartened. We usually pick a number for carbs and see how we go. We may have to reduce the carbs if we don't see numbers we are happy about. I went keto, less than 20g carb per day straight off the bat. Other people will start at 100g.

I cant help with the codes because I am not familiar with your meter. Could youu quote them, someone might be able to help.
 
FBW said:
Hi Jo thank you for your reply. I was reading about T3C and if I ever get to speak to someone I will discuss this!
I’m so stuck, I’ve used the new meter all day today my readings are all over the place. I’ve downloaded and connected to the accu app which records my readings, I have absolutely no idea what they and codes mean. I’m getting so worried and frustrated with this now. How do I know how many grams of carbs I should have at each meal? Can anyone tell me this?
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Sorry I didn't see this sooner. If you put an @ in front of someone's name, they get a notification that someone's talking to them, that might help. ;)

Very few doctors know about T3c, usually they just call it (often an insulin-dependant) T2, while it is an entirely different condition, really.

Blood sugars fluctuate all throughout the day, as they should. What numbers were you seeing? You're just starting out, so seeing things higher than 8,5 mmol/l isn't unusual. As for how many carbs you have per meal, you can depend on your meter to tell you. Or you can just go full on keto and stick to 20 grams of carbs total per day. Or less. I know, that sounds pretty much impossible, but I, and quite a few people on here, do it. If that sounds too drastic though, try something called eating to your meter. Test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal was carbier than you could process. That way you suss out whether you should eat 80 grams of carbs a day, 40, or 20... You do have time to figure this out, you don't have to get it absolutely right overnight. Go over the link i sent you of the Nutritional Thingy and see what would work for you. Check your grocery list, see what the usual carb content is and what brands can be replaced, or foodstuffs added and nixed. Will save time in the grocery shop. ;)
 
@JoKalsbeek @xfieldok thank you both. Been for my blood test this morning, god knows what it will be! Thanks for the advice. I think I’m going wrong by not eating enough fat and not eating enough generally which just bamboozles me! My numbers have been 8 up to 14 but after eating earlier it was 19.1. So I had a bowl of special K and two crumpets all too low in fats I think? The crumpets were sat fat 0.1 each Carbs/sugar 1.1 each. The cereal fat 0.1 carbs 5.1. So total fats .3 carbs 7.3 this where I have gone wrong? I have ordered the book you mentioned it should arrive tomorrow. Thanks again!
 
FBW said:
@JoKalsbeek @xfieldok thank you both. Been for my blood test this morning, god knows what it will be! Thanks for the advice. I think I’m going wrong by not eating enough fat and not eating enough generally which just bamboozles me! My numbers have been 8 up to 14 but after eating earlier it was 19.1. So I had a bowl of special K and two crumpets all too low in fats I think? The crumpets were sat fat 0.1 each Carbs/sugar 1.1 each. The cereal fat 0.1 carbs 5.1. So total fats .3 carbs 7.3 this where I have gone wrong? I have ordered the book you mentioned it should arrive tomorrow. Thanks again!
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The numbers you mention for the crumpets and cereal can't be correct... Just the Special K is 71 grams of carbs per 100, and what's without dairy which includes milk sugars.... I have a feeling you're reading the nutritional labels wrong, or you'd steer clear of both crumpets and all cereals.

Okay, so.... Nutritional information: Check TOTAL carbs, not just "of which sugars". Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested, not just the sugars. The starches too. Which is why anything made of conventional flour, wheat, oats, rice, corn etc will spike your blood sugars as they're doing now. Oh, wait a second... When I check Special K there's a 0,3 in the nutritional information... That's the amount of fibres per portion! Fibres are carbs, technically speaking, but they don't penetrate the intestinal wall... Those don't hurt your blood sugars. It's the sugars and starches that do, and you had a LOT of those. It's not about having too little fats, it's about having more carbs in a single sitting than I do in a week. Well, that solved that mystery.

Go over the link of the Nutritional Thingy again, please. I know when you're just starting to figure things out, no information sticks as it's all too much to take in, but you really need to get a grasp of the carb concept here... Or your blood sugars will keep doing what they're doing now. And please, stay away from cereal and crumpets. ;)
 
It's such a lot to get your head around when you first start out. Please don't worry, it will fall into place. Fatty meat will help keep you full, any of the Goodl fats, do you like avocado.

When I started, I only counted carbs. Nothing else.
 
@JoKalsbeek so I don’t just look at the saturated fats and the carbs which sugar? God it’s so confusing! These are the food labels attached. I see it now, the carbs were outrageous. The hilarious thing is that this is the first time I have eaten anything like this in about a year as I have really bad issues with appetite and taste due to chemotherapy so I often eat very, very little. Just recently I’ve been able to eat more because of a longer chemo break so I have eaten things that I haven’t had for a very long time and I’m having 3 meals a day generally. I seriously need some form of meal plan and that diabetes clinic appointment. IATTACH=full]42140[/ATTACH]IMG_2996.jpg
 

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@JoKalsbeek there’s another issue! I eat very little meat I don’t have red at all apart from bacon an odd time but rarely because my taste issues over exaggerate the salt taste. It tends to be chicken and that if but recently I haven’t liked that. Yesterday I had 2 grilled bacon rashes & 2 grilled tomatoes for breakfast followed by a small muller light fat & carb free Greek yoghurt. That reading was ok.
 
FBW said:
@JoKalsbeek so I don’t just look at the saturated fats and the carbs which sugar? God it’s so confusing! These are the food labels attached. I see it now, the carbs were outrageous. The hilarious thing is that this is the first time I have eaten anything like this in about a year as I have really bad issues with appetite and taste due to chemotherapy so I often eat very, very little. Just recently I’ve been able to eat more because of a longer chemo break so I have eaten things that I haven’t had for a very long time and I’m having 3 meals a day generally. I seriously need some form of meal plan and that diabetes clinic appointment. IATTACH=full]42140[/ATTACH]View attachment 42141
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You can forget about the fats for now. (I just actually waved at the screen in a "don't bother with those" gesture, which you don't see at all!) It's relatively simple if you cut out all the irrelevant information for the moment. Only check the total carbs. The rest is just noise. Keep it as simple as possible, and keep that carb number as low as possible. There's a lot of people here who have to eat around food issues, so you wouldn't be the first, but it can be done. Have faith, you'll figure it out. I don't know what your needs are, whether you have weight to lose or not. But unless you are bordering on underweight, you don't have to eat 3 times a day unless of course, you really want to. My breakfast is usually a mug of tea and a quick Nespresso. I don't eat until 1 p.m., and then it's something like a load of eggs with bacon and cheese, or a salmon omelet, or a portion of chicken liver. Tuna salads with capers, mayo, olives etc are good too. In the evening I avoid spuds, so I just have more meat (or fish, or poultry), with something like cauliflower rice, spinach or something. Low carb foods with high density nutrients. dessert might be some extra dark chocolate (Lindt 85% is good. Might even work your way up to 99%. ;)).

And I just saw the bit about bacon and such. You can get unsalted pork from the butcher's, I'm sure, just make sure you don't get too low a blood pressure with the lack of salt eh. Chicken's fine (keep the skin on if at all possible. No batter!), but if that's a no-go for the moment, how's fatty fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring? Eggs, Heck's high meat content sausages, soy or quorn meat replacements? It's a bit of a search sometimes, but it is worth it. ;)
 
FBW said:
@JoKalsbeek there’s another issue! I eat very little meat I don’t have red at all apart from bacon an odd time but rarely because my taste issues over exaggerate the salt taste. It tends to be chicken and that if but recently I haven’t liked that. Yesterday I had 2 grilled bacon rashes & 2 grilled tomatoes for breakfast followed by a small muller light fat & carb free Greek yoghurt. That reading was ok.
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Completely got distracted by the cat, sorry. There's more to respond to and I missed it. Anyway: Go for high fat foods. Thing is, I really doubt that yoghurt is carb free... Full fat greek yoghurt is low in carb. The moment they take the fat out, they need to replace it with something else to give it flavour, and usually, that's a carb... Okay, had a google: That particular yoghurt is 7.8 grams of carb per 100 grams. Full fat might be half that or less. See what I mean? You could have a lot more filling and tasty yoghurt (maybe with some berries or nuts tossed in), and still not hit the numbers you would with the Muller stuff. Also, full fat means it'll mitigate any spike of carbs you do have, as it slows down the uptake of the carbs. On top of that, you really are eating very little. Bit of bacon, bit of tomato, and a bit of yoghurt... Eat until you stop being hungry. The breakfast was fine as it was (dunno how much yoghurt you had, but all in all, it was relatively low carb), but if it wasn't enough to keep you going until your next meal, maybe add in an egg, some cheese, something like that. If it was enough for you because you have a suppressed appitite, either due to the chemo or the metformin, well... if you're not hungry, you don't have to eat. If you're not on insulin or gliclazide or the like, you won't hypo.

Mind you, I have a problem with people, social and generalized anxiety disorder, but if you want to shoot me a question every now and again, you're welcome to send private messages. I don't usually extend that invitation, but what the heck.
 
@JoKalsbeek my weight is so, so I’m not considered obese but on the overweight bit of the nhs graph (god knows how now). To be fair I put on weight due to chemo & steroids but lost 2 stone on the chemo that I am on now. Yes that’s the sort of stuff I eat generally, tuna, salmon, mackerel, veg, salad, boiled or poached eggs (don’t like egg white really) don’t like bread but am partial to a potato and boiled rice not big portions. Definitely don’t like meet. Will try the dark chocolate I can’t stand ordinary milk chocolate so will see how that goes. Will have a mackerel salad tonight! Is there a graph anywhere that sets out the carbs in things like potatoes based on their weight? So sorry to be a pain with all the questions, beginning to feel complex.
 
FBW said:
@JoKalsbeek my weight is so, so I’m not considered obese but on the overweight bit of the nhs graph (god knows how now). To be fair I put on weight due to chemo & steroids but lost 2 stone on the chemo that I am on now. Yes that’s the sort of stuff I eat generally, tuna, salmon, mackerel, veg, salad, boiled or poached eggs (don’t like egg white really) don’t like bread but am partial to a potato and boiled rice not big portions. Definitely don’t like meet. Will try the dark chocolate I can’t stand ordinary milk chocolate so will see how that goes. Will have a mackerel salad tonight! Is there a graph anywhere that sets out the carbs in things like potatoes based on their weight? So sorry to be a pain with all the questions, beginning to feel complex.
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You, alas, want to avoid potatoes, rice, any kind of bread-ish thing, pasta, cereal, corn etc... White, brown, wholemeal, none of it matters. They're carbs, and they will spike you. That's why I mentioned upping other components of your main meals. The fish are excellent options, and you might be surprised just how versatile cauliflower rice is. (I use it almost daily, with ever changing herbs and spices, and usually throw in grated cheese). I only asked about your weight because if you're skinny or bordering on underweight, I can't tell you that intermittent fasting (skipping one or two meals a day for instance) is a good idea, because it wouldn't be. If there's mass to spare though, it should be perfectly fine to do. Not trying to fat shame you or anything, as I was 102+ kilo's once upon a time myself. (I was a lot more + than that, but after 102 I stopped weighing myself. I'm a coward. ;)). Steroids and chemo can certainly have an impact on weight, so no surprise there. Are you still on steroids? They up blood sugars, so if you have a problem getting into the normal range, that can certainly be a culprit. Depending on how much is administered, you might see a rather large spike that lasts a few days. (That's assuming a shot. If it's daily tablets, there's less of a huge spike, but a marked permanent elevation.). So if you're on those at any point, don't panic if your numbers go up (again). We make corticosteroids ourselves when we need extra energy, and the liver obliges by dumping glucose. It can't tell the difference between the stuff we make naturally and what is administered though, so if it gets the signal from steroids to start producing glucose, it will... And it won't stop as long as you're on the steroids. Can't be helped though, if you need them, you need them. (I use them every now and again too).

Chocolate is an OPTION, it's not mandatory. :) If you don't like it, try something else for a treat. Luxury cheeses? I rather like whipped (unsweetend) cream on my nespresso, or on some strawberries. (I can't actually have cream due to cow milk issues, but every now and again.... I'll treat myself and just pay the price willingly! ;)). Seek out treats. Oh heck, www.dietdoctor.com might have some ideals, meal-wise.

What else do you normally eat? Maybe there's workable alternatives or things you thought you couldn't have with diabetes, but really can?
 
FBW said:
@JoKalsbeek my weight is so, so I’m not considered obese but on the overweight bit of the nhs graph (god knows how now). To be fair I put on weight due to chemo & steroids but lost 2 stone on the chemo that I am on now. Yes that’s the sort of stuff I eat generally, tuna, salmon, mackerel, veg, salad, boiled or poached eggs (don’t like egg white really) don’t like bread but am partial to a potato and boiled rice not big portions. Definitely don’t like meet. Will try the dark chocolate I can’t stand ordinary milk chocolate so will see how that goes. Will have a mackerel salad tonight! Is there a graph anywhere that sets out the carbs in things like potatoes based on their weight? So sorry to be a pain with all the questions, beginning to feel complex.
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https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides <-- that might help a little with the carbs. As for based on weight, you might want to try a keto diet app or Carbs & Cals'.
 
@JoKalsbeek thanks fir the links. Haha no fat shaming taken! Along with the foods I’ve already mentioned, it’s an odd pizza or oven chips which I wont be having now! The fish is fresh ie the salmon, tuna, mackerel etc maybe once a fortnight a fish in breadcrumbs but again not any more. 2 rich tea biscuits sometimes. Going to try a grilled pork loin steak with salad I rarely eat them but giving it another shot as I just really don’t like meat in general. The taste thing means I often add things like piri piri sauce to my salmon before cooking it just so that I can taste it and have peppered mackerel, are they ok? I think I’m getting this now as years ago I did slimming world which was low carb but with the option of a potato or rice couple times a week as a ‘healthy extra.’ I eat strawberries, oranges, bananas. I am allergic to apples so not those. I do like a home made veg lasagne but probably only once in a few months because I’m not particularly big on pasta. Thanks for your kind offer of messaging, I don’t wish to be a pain though.
 
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