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New and confused

S

sazmo

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello all, newly diagnosed T2 about 3 weeks ago, been on metformin for a week. Hbac was 103 - which from reading on here I see is really high. I asked what services I could be referred to for support, weightloss etc (5ft4 and 18 stone:confused:).
am 42 and female

Essentially nothing. I'm on a waiting list for a 2 hour info session via zoom.

I asked if I should be testing my bloods, told no point - but how will I know if the changes I'm (trying) to make are having an effect? I got a one sided sheet of A4. I was prediabetic last year and GP wrote to me suggesting more exercise and weight loss, but no prevention measures or follow up.

I know I've brought this on myself but I thought there might be more support, I'm at prime motivataion really as its the first bad health news I've had (lucky I suppose).

I've cut out pop which was my big downfall, I've had terribly itchy feet until I did this and didn't put two and two together. Trying to low carb-ish.
 
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Hello, and welcome, @sazmo .

First thing I would like to tell you is do not feel it is your fault you have diabetes.

Next thing, by the time you get to be offered your online info session you will, most likely , have gained enough information and support from the members here To be able to manage well enough for it not to be neccesary to attend.

The main reason for health care professionals to tell people not to test their blood glucose is the cost of prescriptions. Many members here with T2 diabetes self fund the test meter and strips. There are some reasonably priced sets. I will put some meter info, that was prepared by @Rachox, at the end of this post.

You have made a good start by cutting out the fizzy pop, and reducing carbs in your diet. Many of our members have managed to return to non-diabetes blood glucose levels and maintain them by doing that.

There is some information for new members in the signature beneath my post. Have a read, and come back with any questions. Our members are generally very helpful.

INFORMATION ABOUT METERS FROM @Rachox
Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.



HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/



Links to the strips for future orders:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/



Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + which is quite popular:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793



The strips are to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)


5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833


If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.

Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
 
sazmo said:
Thank you, I've just been suprised at the total lack of support. I'll order a test kit and crack on.
Click to expand...
Keep reading round forum, and post to let us know how things are going for you.
 
sazmo said:
Hello all, newly diagnosed T2 about 3 weeks ago, been on metformin for a week. Hbac was 103 - which from reading on here I see is really high. I asked what services I could be referred to for support, weightloss etc (5ft4 and 18 stone:confused:).
am 42 and female

Essentially nothing. I'm on a waiting list for a 2 hour info session via zoom.

I asked if I should be testing my bloods, told no point - but how will I know if the changes I'm (trying) to make are having an effect? I got a one sided sheet of A4. I was prediabetic last year and GP wrote to me suggesting more exercise and weight loss, but no prevention measures or follow up.

I know I've brought this on myself but I thought there might be more support, I'm at prime motivataion really as its the first bad health news I've had (lucky I suppose).

I've cut out pop which was my big downfall, I've had terribly itchy feet until I did this and didn't put two and two together. Trying to low carb-ish.
Click to expand...
No no no - you did not bring this on yourself - there is so much bad advice and insistence that high carb foods are 'healthy' when for many they are the exact ones to avoid.
I find that the fizzy flavoured zero carb drinks are fine, also the sugar free squashes (not no added sugar) and of course I tested meals to ensure that I was not eating more carbs than I could cope with, two hour after starting to eat I wanted to be under 8mmol/l. It seemed a good choice as once I was seeing that my numbers kept going down without any further changes in food.
I was using a printed out sheet from the GP for almost 2 years before diagnosis, felt so ill, put on weight - it was high carb and low fat, exactly what I did not need.
 
Please take a look at The Nutritional Thingy. This is the advice I follow which has taken me from 74 mmol/mol at diagnosis and 120kg to 37 mmol/mol and 100kg a year later. I started with metformin, was swapped to metformin SR but now I maintain good levels through diet alone. The weight loss has been easy, and I eat when I’m hungry which normally works out as two meals but sometimes three meals a day. I don’t count calories, I pay them no notice at all, I just control the amount of carbs. There is also the Freshwell Low Carb website which has the same advice as Jo gives but also some nice meal plans and recipes, which can help overcome that initial, “What on Earth can I eat now!”

My food previously was ”healthy” high carb and vegetarian. When I started low carbing, I resumed eating meat and fish. Now, I’m back to eating vegetarian meals but this time they are really healthy for me because they’re low carb. It’s easier to Low carb as a omnivore, but it’s also not too hard as a vegetarian :)
 
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@sazmo as others have said, the fact that you progressed from pre to full blown type 2 is not your fault. If health advice from your GP had been forthcoming and fit for purpose last year you would not be in this position.
Last week my father was in hospital. Although he himself is not diabetic as I’m a type 1 with very strict self imposed criteria for my diet, I was interested to look at the diet suggestions for diabetics on the back. Good grief! Lots of fresh fruit and lots of potatoes, pasta and rice. The health service is truly complicit in its patients downfall.
Onwards to a new you @sazmo with help from the people who know. The successful members of this forum. Not our woeful NHS unfortunately.
 
Hi, and welcome

I'm also a newbie and can identify well with your confusion. I was diagnosed less than a week ago when attending one of those free health check clinics. My HbA1c was 105, and since then, my head has been in a whirl.

I'm almost 54, 5 ft 11 and 12 and a half stones, so quite slim. I've lost muscle mass over the last year or two, and yet like you, as far as diet goes, I've basically been given a couple of sheets on a healthy diet. I don't think I should be losing any more weight, but I understand that I need a low-carb diet. It was so confusing, and very little personalised diet information was given.

At least I was given a testing kit and was put on Metformin immediately (had the tablets at home within a few hours of follow-up blood results the day after my initial health check).

I think this place is going to be a vital source of information and support for both of us. By the way, I worked as a qualified counsellor for almost a decade before a complete career change, and I'd like to echo what others are saying about beating yourself up. You've already done things such as cutting out pop and are seeking out help and support on here. I'd call that a great start. Long may it continue.
 
I'm also newly diagnosed (about a month back) and also had a pretty high hb1ac of 106 at that point. I've not had much support from the NHS yet especially as the systems were down when I had an appointment with the diabetes nurse so she didn't have my results to hand. Instead all I got in the end was a couple of phone calls initially telling me to book another test then, a few minutes later (after she'd consulted one of the doctors), telling me to pick up a prescription for metformin and statins (the statins I'm holding off starting on for the moment). Since then I've not had anything further other than a letter inviting me for a retinopathy appointment.

I was advised to lose some weight (my BMI being about 28 at the time) and directed to some "healthy" eating advice - but that was the usual stuff like eat lots of fruit and veg and switch to brown rice/brown bread/wholemeal pasta etc. I also wasn't advised to do any personal blood sugar testing either (the nurse was quite dismissive of that in fact), but am glad I did because that alerted me that following the eating advice actually increased my blood-sugar levels! That led me to sites like this and the advice to go low-carb, which I've been doing now for 3 weeks or so and have seen a decent downturn in my blood sugar levels (and have managed to reduce my BMI to about 26.5 or so).
 
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