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New diagnosee, type 2, 39 years old

Andybyrne79

Member
Messages
23
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hi there,

I have recently (yesterday in fact, over the phone) been diagnosed with type 2 and have an appointment with the diabetes nurse at my GP surgery in a couple of weeks. I need a little help before then.

I completely understand that the condition is my own doing, I'm overweight, have been having 3 sugars in hot drinks for years and drinking a can of monster every day at work for the last 4 years or so. So yes, I know I have created a rod for my own back

My question is, in the short term, is there anything I can do to combat my tiredness whilst at work? Obviously I've got to cut out the energy drinks altogether, and hopefully after a few weeks of eating healthier the tiredness will start to abate, but in the meantime, has anyone got any tips?

I don't want to go down the pro plus route but if there is no danger in that then I may have to for a couple of weeks.

Thanks in advance,

Andy
 
I should probably add it was a bit of an up and down diagnosis. Went to the doctors because of stomach problems, happened to mention fatigue and kitten scratches on my legs not healing, she instantly did a blood sugar which was 13.1.

Ended up at the hospital for suspected appendicitis which turned out to be nothing, but whilst there they checked my blood sugar again (probably 3 to 4 hours later) and it was down to 8.

Had fasting bloods taken the next day and the results came back at 54.

I'm 6 foot, just shy of 19 stone.
 
First off, this was not your fault! Second, there is plenty you can do!

Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.
Your immediate problem with fatigue cannot be fixed in a matter of hours or days but it can be fixed.
Drop the sugary sweetened drinks and the table sugar, these will be harming your health. A lot of people switch to artificial sweeteners and seem to do well on them.

I will leave the advice there for now, no doubt you will get members offering more but I really wanted to stress that blaming yourself is a waste of your energy and time as well as being just plain wrong.

Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.
 
Andybyrne79 said:
My question is, in the short term, is there anything I can do to combat my tiredness whilst at work?
Click to expand...

I think you may find that by cutting out the sugars in drinks and not glugging down high sugar/carb energy drinks you will find it has a positive influence on your tiredness almost immediately.

If you cut out some obvious heavy carb items quite quickly too, such as bread, spuds, rice and pasta you will see quite rapid results and you will begin to feel more energised.

I know from my experience, I went from feeling dreadful at diagnosis to feeling great within days of starting a low carb lifestyle.
 

Despite the media agenda with Type 2, whilst the sugars and energy drinks won't have helped once the condition developed, you were more than likely predisposed to this so don't beat yourself up about it.

Tagging @daisy1 for a welcome pack.
 
Andybyrne79 said:
I don't want to go down the pro plus route but if there is no danger in that then I may have to for a couple of weeks.
Click to expand...
Not sure what you mean by this? Slimming food????
I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the standard new diabetic info.

But, honestly, as a T2 your best option is to (drastically) reduce your carbs. Your body can't process them properly and produces extra insulin to attempt to cope, which in turn makes you gain weight.

In the short term. you'll feel netter if you reduce your blood sugar, which should/may be relatively easy if you've been overdosing on carbs. (This is assuming you're T2 rather than T1/LADA, which sounds most likely but isn't necessarily true.)

@daisy1 's post will explain about lower carb, but in brief you need to cut out the sugary drinks and desserts and (probably) drastically reduce/cut out bread, pasta,rice, potatoes. Most breakfast cereals are packed full of sugar. (A blood testing meter will help you find out what foods you can tolerate.)

On the other hand, eggs and bacon are fine as are berries with (unsweetened) yoghourt.

Good luck, hopefully some T2s will correct any errors in my above post.
 

Thank you so much
 

No errors at all just an added factoid, though. Up to 20% of those with Type 2 Diabetes are of normal weight on diagnosis. Weight gain, as you say, is more often a symptom of T2 rather than a direct cause.
 
Guzzler said:
No errors at all just an added factoid, though. Up to 20% of those with Type 2 Diabetes are of normal weight on diagnosis. Weight gain, as you say, is more often a symptom of T2 rather than a direct cause.
Click to expand...
So I might put more weight on? Nooooooooooo *raises fists to sky
 
To get a "energy fix" try coffee with cream (not milk), or https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/bulletproof-coffee

Forget about trying to lose weight for at least a few weeks and just focus on removing all suger (including natural) and most carbs from your diet, without being conserved about how much fat you are adding.

Diet is a lot more important then exercise, however a short walk after a meal helps lower BG.

You may need to increase your salt intake a little, as many people find they need more salt when they cut back on carbs.
 
I suspect I was in diabetic mode from my twenties, but I always ate low carb to keep my weight stable and so was not diagnosed until 65.
I am now strictly low carb - no porridge to lower cholesterol nonsense from now on.
I do eat a lot of cauliflower, which is so low carb compared to potatoes and other starchy veges, but I always could have something to eat if I wanted it - though these days I eat early and late and don't need any snacks or lunch - I do drink coffee with cream a couple of times a day, and in a morning I add a tiny amount of salt and a pinch of cinnamon.
When I weighed myself after noticing that my clothes seemed too big, I found I'd lost three stone, without trying so it you have a problem with easy weight gain - as many type twos do, then you might be pleased to find you are shrinking - particularly around the waist.
There is a lot of information and advice about low carbing, but it is pretty simple.
I used to have two shopping lists which I used alternately for years to ensure that I could always have a meal suitable for a low carbing me and the rest of the family with a minimum of trouble and argument. A big freezer was very useful though.
 
If you like sugar in tea / coffee then I suggest you buy xylitol which you can get in Holland & Barrett plus supermarkets. Ok, it’s pricey compared with sugar but it tastes same as sugar, is like for like amounts, does not affect your blood sugar and is 40% of the calories. I also make ‘sugar’ solutions with it to make lemon squash, sweet chili sauce etc etc. Really helps me eat things I used to love.
 
Wow, I'll have to try that. Thanks
 
It's definitely the pasta (have bolognese or lasagne once a week) and the energy drinks I'm going to struggle with, but in just over an hour you've all given me loads of advice and encouragement. Thank you.
 
Andybyrne79 said:
So I might put more weight on? Nooooooooooo *raises fists to sky
Click to expand...
Not if you go low carb, I did on diagnosis, got my blood sugars down to normal levels in four months and lost six stone in a bit over a year
 
Oh, word or two of warning...xylitol is lethal to dogs, I don’t know about other pets. It also has an osmotic effect on your guts so can give you the demon sh*ts. In my case this is predictable, I get very interesting gurgles and rumbles in my abdomen and then I head for bathroom. Usually not prolonged issue but we are all different! One chum of mine thinks this is ideal for purging - she likes to stuff herself and then counter the intake by puking or...but I think as a strategy for weight loss it is quite possibly dangerous.
As I have real problems with artificial sweeteners in terms of taste aversion, xylitol is a blessing for me. I confirm I have no commercial interest in this product!! The occasional gut clearance is no issue for me
 
Carbs reduction would be the first big step...there will be some tiredness from the carbs withdrawal as glucose level normalize, because our brain had become glucose impaired. But it will quickly stabilize if we fuel it right.

One of the best kept secret for maintaining stable glucose is a balance meal of fats and protein...otherwise known as roast pork belly...it helps to keep insulin and glucose level really stable.

 
What would a diet such as this.. high in fat do to my cholesterol levels? I'm already having the word statins mentioned when I see my GP.
 
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