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Just diagonosed v

Annewalks

Active Member
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hi I have been diagonosed and given metaformin 500 mg once daily. Had a hbc1a resding if 58. I have been walking every day and foingnluw carb diet. Testing before after meals and meals no rise or if rise only small. I have only had medication for 2 days. I have been doing all this for 2 weeks and have list few pounds. My morning reading around 8 and it goes down to bout 7 couple hours after breakfast. It then hovers around 7 and has dropped to 5.8 yowRds evening. Do you think I doing ok . Thanks for any comments
 
Sounds like you are doing all the right stuff. Being able to see 5.8 mmol within such a short time after diagnosis is signs of good progress.

Fasting glucose will usually take longer to normalize. Continue with what you are doing and you will see the results. @daisy1 will come along with some intro info.

Welcome to the forum and feel free to post any questions along the way...
 
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You seem to be on the right track. Just keep an eye on the rises from before eating to the 2 hour mark and keep them as low as you can - definitely under 2mmol/l and hopefully less than that. More than that and you need to analyse the food you ate and cut back on the carbs in that meal a bit more.
 
@Annewalks

Hello Anne and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will reply on this thread.


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 250,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Well done. Keep up the good work.
 
Well this morning I am very pleased. My reading was 6.0. My before bedtime last night was 5.7. The other 2 hour after meals reading were around 7.5. That's after 2 weeks on diet and 3 days metformin at 500 mg. well pleased. Saw nurse fri who actually offered me a blood monitor with strips . Said could have strips until I was stable then would have to purchase. As I have already got my own I declined. She checked feet urine etc and was very helpful. Said low sugar/carbs etc too. So pleased with results
 
Well this morning I am very pleased. My reading was 6.0. My before bedtime last night was 5.7. The other 2 hour after meals reading were around 7.5. That's after 2 weeks on diet and 3 days metformin at 500 mg. well pleased. Saw nurse fri who actually offered me a blood monitor with strips . Said could have strips until I was stable then would have to purchase. As I have already got my own I declined. She checked feet urine etc and was very helpful. Said low sugar/carbs etc too. So pleased with results

I think I would have accepted the offer of the meter and strips, even if it is only temporary. It is always useful to have a spare back-up meter.

Well done on your success so far. :) No wonder you are pleased.
 
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