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New, confused, worried and terrified!

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woppit_95

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello to all of the forum.

This is my first venture onto any kind of forum, so please forgive any mistakes.

I have just been diagnosed with Type 2, but feeling confused as my Diabetic Nurse said it maybe Type 1. How can they not know? I had a hb1ac (think thats what it was called) and it was 68 (?)

Taking metformin, but made me feel ill, so been swapped onto slow-release. I have a monitor and my blood sugar is usually in the very low teens. Either before food, after food or early morning/last thing at night.

I feel tired, more so after eating. Im watching everything I put in my mouth. Eating food made from scratch, fresh chicken soups, veg stews, bol with little pasta. Loads of veg, fruit, pulses, nuts. Not drinking booze or eating fat or sugar loaded food.

Why is my blood sugar not responding? How long would it take to come down? Im just not coping very well. Im worried if I eat and the reading is high and Im worried if I dont and the reading is high.

Waiting to attend a DESMOND course, but waiting list is long.

I cut my foot the other day, just a tiny nick, but its painful and now im worried about if thats something to do with it,

Any advice is gratefully received.

Thanks,

Rach x
 
First thing to do is !don't. panic!
I am sure @daisy will be along soon with the advice that has helped so many of us and I and I am sure lots of us felt just as you do Stick with this forum and you will find good advice Ask any questions no. matter how silly you may think they are
CAROL
 
Thankyou.

I am trying really hard not to panic, but seem to be firmly stuck in "Headless Chicken" mode.

x
 
hi @woppit_95 welcome to the forum, there is a lot of people on here can give you lot of advice and support, Just ask questions
 
Welcome to the forums .. And DON' T PANIC ... Please don't panic .. Sorry I shouted at you .. But wasted energey panicking should be replaced with understanding.. @daisy1 will be along with your welcome pack and when you have had a good read ..come back with lots of questions
 
Hi and welcome. Can you let us know your BMI and age. If you are overweight then T2 is more likely but if normal weight and have lost weight recently unexpectedly then T1 is more likely. GPs often guess the diabetes type like mine did 10 years ago. It can be difficult to tell but there are two tests that can help diagnose T1 and the weight aspect helps (GAD and c-peptide). The low-carb diet is the best thing you can do currently. If you are a T1, then the Metformin will have only a small effect and there are different tablets that will help. If your blood sugar stays in the 20s or above, see the surgery urgently.
 
It's awful to be diagnosed but the information and support on here soon helps you to accept that this is not the end of the world and to adapt to a new way of life. We all feel the same way at first but with changes can help give a new appreciation of yourself. It won't feel like this forever
 
woppit_95 said:
Thankyou.

I am trying really hard not to panic, but seem to be firmly stuck in "Headless Chicken" mode.

x
Click to expand...
Hi woppit_95, welcome to the forumif you can give us your daily food routine and we will help you with your bs's ,the best advice is...keep calm, and make any needed changes gradually,most of the posters on here do lchf , and this helps to stop high blood sugar spikes,please feel free to ask any q's you likeps 68= 8.4 which is less than ideal ...but not bad.
 
Hi and welcome
I think nearly everyone on the forum has felt the same as your feeling now , it can be scary to start with but I promise you that it will get better soon. Start by CUTTING DOWN on the carbs plenty of vegetables and fats will help fill the hole left by the lack of carbs so eggs bacon cheese should be fine , there are loads of things you can have . Take a good look around the site and if you have any questions please ask , no question is silly so don't be shy ask away.
Keep well stay safe JJ
 
@woppit_95 don't stress as this will cause you sugars to spike. I'm overweight and I have found that drinking loads of water is helping, and a 10 - 15 min walk every few days is also useful. I know it feels like the end if the world as I was a chocoholic, but this site, these people are amazing and full of info.
 
Hello and welcome.
Most of us have been where you are,try not to get anxious,it dosent help/
Stick with the forum and read round.
We are what we eat so take Daisys advice,Its not hard to do.
All the best.
 
@woppit_95

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

You have got some useful advice above. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.
 
Thankyou all for your really kind posts.

I am overweight, BMI 40. Also taking 5mg Ramipril for high bp.

Before I was diagnosed, I thought I ate really well. I cook everything from scratch, even the take-aways we have are home made, The thing is.....I eat way, way too much of it. I can polish off a washing up bowl sized dish of pasta with virgin olive oil and lemon juice in seconds!! And risotto. Made with tons of veg....but covered in virgin oil.

I make everything super-sized! I dont make a family sized chicken and leek pie, I make one the size of a dustbin lid! I am truly happy when Im feeding people. Oddly, my husband and boys are all slim and a healthy normal size. Its just me who is the big one.

I feel ashamed that Ive done this to myself. And the few people Ive told dont really seem to understand it. They just think its a case of not eating anything with sugar in. And that its a fat persons disease so if I wasnt fat, then I would recover. And I have to say, before I really knew about it, I just thought you could get better. I was floored to find out its a life-long illness. And something I could have delayed or avoided by looking after myself properly.

Im confused about what I should eat, cards,fats, sugars. At the moment Im eating alot of chicken, beans (not the tomato sauce covered kind) Porridge made with half milk/water. Almonds, cranberries, apricots. Fruit, veg, salad. But I still feel tired, hungry, to the point I could kill for more food. Some days I feel "vague" almost hung-over, but as Im not drinking any booze, how can that be??

Sorry for rambling on. Once I started typing, it all just came out.

Rachel x
 
Hi and welcome to the forum you are in the right place. It can seem to be an uphill battle but with time you will get it sorted. You have been given some good advice already so I dont really have anything to add. Your BS may take time to come down so please try not to worry.
 
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