New to taking back control!

snowysand

Member
Messages
5
Hi
Have ignored this diabetes type 2 for too long now! Buried my head in the sand to the point of being acceptant to feeling like poo each day. No energy, tired beyound belief, eat eat eat! blurry eyesight,,,,,,you all know how it goes! When i was first diagnosed last year I had a reading of 26.4(uk levels) but it really didnt register that it was serious. I took one metformin (suppose to take 4)and threw away the gliclazide and never tested. Went for an annual review at the drs request yesterday and maybe now i wil sit up and listen. Had lots of ketones? in my water and a reading of 16.5 first thing in the morning. My blood test was 10.9% but I dont really understand what that means? They have told me its really important to try and get a grip on this....So this morning I have taken my first gliclazide and decided to post on here as I really need the support. Cant do it alone ! i have watched my mother since I was 16 have diabetes and joke around with it,. She went on insulin so she could eat whatever she wanted. I think this has maybe contributed to me not taking diabetes seriously....So here I am .....declaring to the www that I am going to try real hard to get this under control and get myself well again....and I hope I will get to the point where I will understand that diabetes is serious and not something to bury away.
Thank you
snowysand
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi snowysand and welcome to the forum :) You will get all the support on this forum that you need, and you can ask as many questions as you like as someone will usually know the answer. You are right to take control of your diabetes and take it seriously now. Here is some information that was written for new members which should help you to get started.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.
 

Morgaine

Active Member
Messages
28
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Dislikes
bad manners house/rap
Hello Snowysand,
aw that is soo brave of you.I am new here and don't know a lot about it, but I think I have been burying my head in the sand for a bit too! I had tiredness, needing the loo a lot, and a really bad thirst. Put it all down to stress!!!! and my age/menopause stuff. (and I don't like to bother the doctors) But in my heart of hearts I think I knew it was likely to be diabetes. I think I had the attitude of well if it's not diagnosed I don't have to do anything about it. Anyway a move to another county meant I had a new patient screening, and I was investigated diagnosed and offered treatment before you could say 'Diabetics Anonymous'! Well, I am still working it all out, but I do feel much better, especially now I'm on Metformin SR. I think you have to make a positive commitment to taking control and doing what's best to help you manage your diabetes. It sounds like you are ready to do that now. For me it was a big wake up call too. It's a lifelong commitment, but sometimes it helps to think of commitment in the moment rather than think too much about 'tomorrow' otherwise it can feel overwhelming. I hope you get the support you need here. Good luck :)