• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

New member. Type2.

C

Cheron

Newbie
Messages
1
hi my name is Cheron and I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes . It is all so new for me and i feel so overwhelmed , i was just browsing the internet and came upon this website. I am learning much as i read the different post hopefully i will be able to put it altogether and see a reversal in my health. I am taking 1000 metformin as well.
 
You joined here @Cheron that is a start. I felt overwhelmed in January when diagnosed, now calmer - but maybe still in shock. Get all the info you can, and support from your docs. You'll find more useful info here though I think, this forum has helped me so much and now on my iPad, iPhone and desktop. Be positive - everyone is here to help you!
 
Welcome to the forum @Cheron I am tagging @daisy1 who will post some information for you soon, after you have a read please ask anything you wish and and someone will answer. I know that it's all a bit overwhelming just now but things will get better, as @PenfoldAPD said everyone here will help
 
@Cheron - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. Yes, it's a bit of a shock when you are first diagnosed. But take one day at a time and you will get to grips with it all. Do you have a blood sugar meter? Ask as many questions as you want. Someone will answer, we are all helpful and supportive to one another.:)
 
@Cheron

Hello Cheron and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.
 
Welcome @Cheron

Its a great sight and don't forget to ask any questions as you go along it has helped me enormously
 
Hi Cheron, Welcome to the site you are in the best place here, everyone on this site are very supportive and very friendly. Ask any questions you like someone will always answer you. Good luck:)
 
Hi @Cheron, welcome to this site. This is the site where everyone from all over the meet and discuss our common problems. I am from Malaysia. Last year Nov i was diagnosed with T2 diabetic. Till now the doctor in hospital not yet started with me any medicine. In Malaysia senior citizens like me are entitle for free treatment and free medicine from any government hospitals and the only set back is long waiting period and I can't choose the doctor whom I want to meet. Every appointment in the hospital I will meet a different doctor. My next appointment is on the end of March and hopefully the doctor will prescribe some medicine for me. I find that this site is very informative and helpful and I started on my own low carb food. Before that I know nothing about low carb food and how to control my glucose level. Do ask questions. The groups here are very supportive. By the way, buy a glucose testing meter to check your glucose level everyday. Download some free app to record your daily glucose level..
 
Back
Top