New to the world of Diabetes

[Deirdre]

Where do I start....

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes just over three weeks ago and I can honestly say I feel like I'm on an Alton Towers ride!!!

My wish would be for someone to just give me a booklet with all the answers to my questions. My meetings with my diabetic nurse are very helpful, but I can never think of all the things I want to ask whilst in there, plus you get flooded with information, but no real explanation... Pregnant women get packs, which tell you what's going to happen etc. On my visits it seems I'm being drip fed with information which the health system thinks as useful for me at that given point in time. (please don't get me wrong - I don't want to sound ungrateful, nor do I want to say what they are doing is wrong, as they do a great job, but I just feel so unsure about everything!)

I'm trying to be really positive about my new diagnosis (as much as I can be - as this is for live and may well get worse). I'm trying to take this as the kick up the backside I needed to get me to loose weight and change my lifestyle, but it's proving a little hard at times...

I'm on Metformin, have been for just over two weeks and it seems to be going well, although it's still early days apparently. I was told to start with one tablet a day and see how I go, now we're on two tablets a day (1 x am/ 1 x pm) and so far so good. (Day 2 and counting). I was given a Contour meter yesterday to crack on and measure my levels. I can't explain how much that has scared me...
Needles are not my friend... I don't like them and having to 'prick' my finger every so often a day to get that drop of blood is really testing me. I asked my nurse how often I should measure and she didn't really give me an answer, her response was - every so often. What does that mean? Once a day? Twice a day? Having read through the record diary I was given there are before meal sections, after meal sections? What should the ideal be? My levels seem high to me, which scares me...

Since having been diagnosed with diabetes, I've been really good, set myself a meal plan of oats for breakfast, mid morning banana, healthy lunch and afternoon apple, followed by a healthy dinner. But what can I do to bring my sugars down more? One before bedtime recording was 17.3? That's bad right?!

I know I'm due to see the doctor in two weeks and review my log of blood levels and it was mentioned that my Metforming dose will be reviewed. Quite rightly I guess, but there was also a mention of having to go on Insulin at some point... I REALLY REALLY don't want to, just because the needles freak me out. Is there anything else I can do to bring my sugar levels down?

If I'm honest I feel a bit miserable at the moment as been invited to some parties and feel I cannot go... been told not to have any alcohol whilst on Metformin!!!

Like I said - I'm trying to be positive, but this lack of information is making me feel like the fun has been drained from my life.

Any suggestions / advice / tips would be more than welcome!

Kat

 

[sugarless sue]

Have a read of this advice we give to newbies and see if there is anything you can use. Ask us questions,there's usually someone with an answer. This forum is much better than a booklet as we are diabetics and write from personal experience of what works and what doesn't.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different .

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

 

[Hobs]

I don't think anyone actually enjoys pricking their fingers, but there ARE ways of doing it to minimise the discomfort.
Washing your hands in warm to hot (not too hot) water first helps the blood to flow, so a smaller puncture is needed, and experimenting with the lancet depth settings can help too.... start with the lowest and surprise yourself :wink:
Never prick the finger pad as that can be very painful .. choose the side of a finger and aim for any point between the end and the first joint. You don't have to get a massive drop for a Contour meter and if it does look too small, a slight side squeeze will usually double the blood drop size.
Never use the lancet more than once as a blunted one can increase the discomfort.

If at some stage you do find yourself face to face with injecting.. do not worry! You would have to walk a very long way to find someone more needle aware than me, but with the modern injection pens and ultra fine needles, even devout coward 'me' does it daily without any discomfort whatsoever. I have been injecting Victoza for many weeks now, and I really do not give the process a second thought. I just WOW at the benefits ...fanbloodytastic!!!!

Good luck and remember practice makes perfect ... a few weeks down the line and it will become second nature to you.

 

[buggiejack]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in January, and prescribed Metformin (1 tab twice a day) which has subsequently been upped to 2 tabs twice a day. Plus Simvastatin and Ramipril was added.

The doctor gave me a Diabetic Record Card, and has only ever filled in the figures once, though he has seen me at least 4 times, neither has he filled in any target values. So, I don't really know a great deal to help me keep it under control. I usually ask him questions but don't really get any definitive answers. The podiatrist has told me a bit more about the numbers, which has helped a bit. Is my experience with the GP usual?

I've been told that this self-testing which seems to be covered a lot in here is being "phased out", and indeed the doctor told me not to worry about it, so I feel a little confused, especially when I read all the great detail people seem to know about themselves in here.

I can say that my record card says HbA1c of 10.1 (or it might be 10.7 - doctor's writing!) T/Cho = 6.0, HDL = 0.8 LDL = 3.6 tRIG = 3.6 and Creat = 73, but as I say, this is from 3½ months ago.

Would appreciate some pointers.

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi buggiejack,
There is an excellent post for newbies in this thread, 2 posts above yours.
Have a read through this and then come back with any questions you may have.
Obviously you are being treated for high cholesterol and high blood pressure as well so anything you don't understand there then please ask away. No question is considered silly here and we all have to start somewhere.

Hope this helps,
Catherine.

 

[buggiejack]

Thanks for that Catherine,

You're right about my blood pressure & chloresterol.

So its OK if I ask the doctor to sort me out some type of tester; I'll do that in a fortnight when I next see him. I'll also ask him to fill out more of the record card, so at least I can see what if any progress has been made, rather than just having him say that as I am peeing less, things must be working. The stuff you wrote about potatoes, bread, pasta and rice was very useful, though I am not sure I wanted to know that, as I do love all those foods. I've virtually cut out sugar and chocolate from my diet, but not those carbohydrates. I was shocked to read the stuff on here about shredded wheat for breakfast, as I'd gone onto that, presuming its good for me.

I really do think I need to get a tester, as I can see I'm fumbling about in the dark at the moment.

I'm eating loads more fruit these days , and drinking fruit juice - I hope thats good?

How bad is dairy stuff for me, milk, cheese, butter? I've now gone for semi-skilled milk, halved my consumption of cheese, and quartered my butter intake. Is that enough?

 

[sugarless sue]

Fruit Juice ! :shock: :shock: Well the only way to find out if this, and fruit is ok for you is to test !!
A tester is a necessary in the early days to find out what the foods do to your blood sugar levels.

As for the fats......there are many different points of view on this. I personally do not eat a lot of fat but I do eat butter, full fat cheese but semi skimmed milk. The reason simply is that there are less carbs in these than in the more processed 'low' fat 'healthy' foods. The key, however, is portion control.

There is a school of thought that fat does not affect you but that carbs are the culprit in regards to cholesterol etc. You will find many arguments for and against this on the forum and you must make up your own mind on this one!

 

[Giblet]

Hi Deidre,

I hope you get on ok when you visit the Docs. If you get flustered about all the questions and forget, then make yourself a list and take it with you. My mum is a bit forgetful, so i list her questions out and she takes it into the docs and hands it over! not suggesting your as bad at remembering as my 78 year old mum but it might help. John.x

 

[Cowboyjim]

You came to the right place Deidre... it has been a great help to me after my diagnosis back in summer last year. Got me in a right tizzy... and I was supposed to keep calm so as to keep my hypertension/BP down! Then you find the info is conflicting. Before all this I was unaware of the problems faced by T2s... when I tell friends they can't believe it either. Think I am bonkers.

Beware of going overboard with this. Yes it is serious but one step at a time and in no time at all you will be feeling a lot better. Let's face it if you were really that sick they would be on your case.

I went a bit mad with food paranoia and now I realise I shouldn't have.

I call it the 'tyranny of numbers' - whether it's your BP or glucose. Lucky me I only occasionally see results in double figures - usually after the obvious things like bread, rice etc. But even then I don't feel sick.

It is really weird to be told your body is betraying you and you can't have all the food you used to enjoy, but you knew you shouldn't have. It is a matter of readjusting a bit at a time. Don't do anything drastic just start with some food suggestions here and get testing. Play a game with yourself if it helps, in a perverse way it is fun seeing what foods do what to you.
ATB 8)

 

[Howski]

Hi,

Only recently diag's myself, I'd really suggest this book:

"The First Year: Type Two Diabetes", by Gretchen Becker

Which is the closest I came to a "a booklet with all the answers to my questions"

But remember to test yourself and there are lots of pieces advice out there that are contradictory so you really have to try your own body's reactions

 

[Cowboyjim]

Not sure about that book. I got it and it stays in the cupboard. Like a lot of these tomes they will frighten you with what might happen first... some kind of CYA methinks. Better get it from the library if you can... better still sit and read around this forum, it's all here. Spend the money on more strips etc. 8)

 

[Synonym]

Not sure about that book. I got it and it stays in the cupboard. Like a lot of these tomes they will frighten you with what might happen first... some kind of CYA methinks. Better get it from the library if you can... better still sit and read around this forum, it's all here. Spend the money on more strips etc. 8)

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Deirdre]

Thanks Guys for all your help / advice & suggestions!

I clearly have lots and lots to learn! :wink:

 

[hanadr]

Deirdre[and other newbies]
Glucose in the blood comes from a couple of sources.
1 Your liver makes some
2 sugars you eat turn 50% to sugar
3 starches you eat turn 100% into sugar.
Metformin, even at maximum dosage cannot take your blood glucose down by much.
Normal blood glucose is about 5mmol/l and in non-diabetics doesn't vary by much or for very long.
Ken[Cugila] has the "official" target blood glucose numbers on a prepared post. I'm sure he can be persuaded to post them again.
The objective of control is to keep your blood glucose as near normal as you can.[You'll do better as you learn]
Going back to numbers 1, 2 and 3 . Metformin helps control the glucose your liver makes.
Your intake of sugars and starches determines how much glucose you get from your diet.
It obviously helps if you control your intake in some way.
The degree to which you do this, depends on you and your preferences. there are several options
firstly, simply cut your portions, go on to a I/GL diet or cut carbs back hard.
You need 2 bits of equipment to help you.
A reference book of carbohydrate values[sugars and starches together are carbohydrates]The simplest is Collins Little Gem Carbohydrate[or Calorie]Counter. Either is cheap and easily available. that will help you judge how much carb you take in.
The second bit of equipment is a blood glucose meter. If you are lucky, your doctor will prescribe you one along with its disposable test strips. If doctor won't prescribe and tells you you don't need to test. Just buy one. The easiest way is to contact the suppliers direct. I buy my supplies from Abbott Diabetes Care, who give an excellent service..
Only in this way will you learn what foods affect you and how to keeep the blood glucose in your target range.
Hana

 

[sugarless sue]

Ken[Cugila] has the "official" target blood glucose numbers on a prepared post. I'm sure he can be persuaded to post them again.

The 'Official' 2010 NICE guideline Bg levels are in the second post down from the OP.

 

[Deirdre]

Hi All,

I thought I'd update you all on my progress made so far...

Been on Metforming (500mg) for nearly a month now, first two weeks 1 x day, then increased to 2 x day. Had my meter for two weeks and been checking regularly. Despite the nurse telling me I should just do it now and then...

So worst reading I've had was a 17.3 and the best I've had in the last two weeks is an 11.1. You can imagine how shocked I was with all he above readings and how scared I have been. After the first couple of days of tracking I was straight on the phone to my nurse, what do I do, what am I doing wrong, what can I change...

Well her response was - I think we need to up your dose of Metformin, but wait until you see your doctor (appointment was yesterday). So I carried on doing my readings for another week (last week) and sadly despite being really good with what I'm eating I could and have not been able to get my levels down.

Having done some reading and talking to a friend who's a Homeopath, I've decided to cut out all things dairy, so milk, cheese, yoghurts, buttermilk etc all banished from our house. I am not touching anything that has the word dairy written in it's ingredients list, as I want to see what happens and how it effects me.

I had my doctors appointment yesterday and needless to say - he upped my dose, not only did he do that - he also tried to tell me that I ought to consider a gastric-band! WHAT? I've only had diabetes for just over a month, I am overweight (size 20, used to be a size 26) and am easing my weight off slowly. I left my doctors surgery feeling dreadful (very dis-heartened and incredibly FAT). I don't have a lot of confidence, due to my size and I KNOW I need to loose weight, but surely a gastric band is just a little too soon and too extreme. It is major surgery.

I'm now supposed to take Metforming (850mg) twice a day, but haven't started that yet.

I had my first day without dairy yesterday and can you believe it my pre-lunch reading was 8.8! That was the lowest I've had in two weeks, I had a dairyfree lunch and my after-lunch reading 'only' rose to 9.1! I've carried on without the dairy today and managed to get my levels down 7.4 prior to lunch! I an thrilled, although I am a huge cheese lover.

Has anybody had similar findings? Please let me know your thoughts!

 

[Mother Bear]

Omg that was a harsh suggestion by your doctor! You have already dropped in dress size 26 to 20 the way you are going (which is great btw! ) Keep up the good work and your weight will no doubt go in the right direction. To be honest I would love to be as small as size 20! Unfortunatly I am like a potato with coctail sticks for arms and legs! :lol: Since I have just cut out most carbs from my diet like breads and rice etc I have already lost 5 pounds so low carbs is the way to go! 8)

Forget about what the doctor said, just work on a low carb or low gi diet that suits your needs and add a some activity into the mix and not only will your bg be under control you will see a good result in your weight loss!

 

[Deirdre]

Hi Mother Bear...

Tell me about the harshness of the suggestion. I couldn't believe it! I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. I've been trying hard and it's not as if one can get rid of the weight just like that over night!

I got the impression that for him I was another statistic - an overweight woman, who due to her clinical obesity has diabetes! But moving on from that... (don't wish to dwell on his negativity, but rather just crack on with what is working for me!)

Thanks for the compliment, I'm pleased with my progress and hope to carry on doing well. Any progress - no matter how small or large is PROGRESS! The fact OUR weight is coming off -that's what matters! So I think it should be a WELL DONE to both of us!

Hope you carry on doing well too! x x

 

[justfoundout]

Deidre
Well done on the weight loss - it will take time. Just remember doctor's unfortunately tend not to see us as individuals. They have too many patients to get to know us and understand what makes us tick. I'm sure with continued determination next time you visit you will prove to the doc that you don't need a band!
The only dairy that I have given up on is milk as when I looked at the sugars/carbs in all things dairy that was the worst offender. Fortunately I have now got used to soya milk as a replacement. Cheese, cream, and some plain yougarts (the higher fat ones the better - Lidl does a fab greek one - found that thanks to Hanadr) are all relatively low carb. Although I'm not trying to lose weight so I have not limited myself on these beautiful things. Not sure how they would fit in with your "show the doc a lesson" diet? I guess everything in moderation?
So pick yourself up, dust off the gloom and go for control of bs. Good luck M

 

[Synonym]

Hi Deirdre

It sounds as if you have made a really good start so don't be discouraged and just keep doing what you're doing! Well done on the weight loss and the drop in dress sizes.