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new type 2 needs help

S

simonjd1974

Member
Messages
17
Location
Surrey
Good afternoon all

I got my diagnosis on Friday of type 2. My fasting glucose level was 20.1 and HBA1C was 103. I have already been taking 1 x 500mg metformin, since Friday the doctor increased that to 4 x 500g and also one 40mg of gliclazide.

I'm seeing diabetes nurse next week bit I'm really struggling. Been checking bloods last two days and fasting seems to be around 18. Took a reading last night before bed and was 27.5. Obviously not good.

I want to take the diet seriously, can anyone suggest breakfast and lunch options? I work in an office and normally eat bread every day, and used to have pastries for breakfast :-(

Also, I got very worried with my reading last night, although the increased dose is only a day old, I thought the fact I've been taking one metformin since the 25/10 might have helped a little, but obviously not.

Ill be on here a lot learning and getting to know you all, which I look forward to. In the meantime if anyone could offer any advice to a lost soul it would be much appreciated.

Thanks. Simon
 
Hi Simon and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information which we give to new members and I hope this will be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will come along and 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 well over 70,000 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.
 
Hi, Welcome :)

Try to reduce your intake of Sugar, Bread, Rice, Pasta and potato, thats the simple version, carbohydrates are also very important, this is a little more complicated and will take some researching, there are hidden carbs in lots of food you wouldnt expect, you will read alot of info on how many carbs a day you can have, this is a personal thing which is very un helpful because i know you just want an answer but there really isnt one, i choose 30g a day of carbs because it suits me to bring down my bgs, many others will say you can have more but its really trial and error im afraid, this is complicated by the fact in the begining your bgs will tend to fluctulate wildly (mine did) this makes testing what you can eat very difficult, for example if your testing what a certain food does to your bgs you might eat something very low carb and find your bgs rise considerably then eat something carby and find they have dropped at the 2 hours, all very confusing but eventually your bloods will settle and you will find a pattern to it all, you will have to for now eat as well as possible and write down everything you eat next to your post and pre meter readings, looking for patterns in what you have eaten, avoiding the foods that spiked you, exercise is very important too, ive your numbers are high go for a briskish walk for 20 minutes after your meal if you are able, this will or should bring down your numbers. this is a huge subject so id reccomend having a read at some forum posts you will learn loads, almost too much sometimes so take breaks from it, it all takes time so again try to be patient. there are apps for iphones of on the computer to help you, my favourite is "myfitnesspal" it helped me loads in the early days to understand how much i was eating and what was in food, i am a massive fan of low carbing but others will have different opinions so you will have to test and decide what works for you, as an example of some lunch to start to get those bloods down you could maybe try

brekkie
eggs bacons
full fat greek yogurt with berries and nuts
avoid cereals (imho)

lunch
salads (and a salad isnt just lettuce and tomatos use peppers and jalapenos and pickles)
cheese is terrific with anything
meats are also great

vegetables if they grow above ground are less starchy therefore much better, again looking for ways to cook these is a must, i used to hate veg now i love it but thats mainly due to finding better way to cook them

fats are fine but avoid trans fat (again research, you would be surprised that butter and olive oil which are great for us become trans fats when heated up too much so frying in coconut oil or even better ghee is favourite)

i could go on all day but i wont hehe

ask any questions you have we are here to help if we can :)

best of luck!



edit: what daisy has said is definately worth a read, it saved my life :thumbup:
 
Hi. Yes, do keep the carbs down as Daisy and Andy have suggested. I'm assuming you are perhaps overweight hence a Type 2 with insulin resistance? The lower carbs will gradually help clear this. Metformin will also help with this rather than reducing blood glucose directly. Note that if you are on the young side and not overweight there is always background possibility of Late onset Type 1 rather than Type 2. Let us know if you are normal weight or have lost weight recently. Do keep testing your blood sugar and if it regularly goes into the 20s then see the GP again and watch out for Ketones which give the breath a sweet smell. The GP can increase the Gliclazide if necessary up to 320gm; for me it had little effect at that level but for others it would cause an immediate hypo. It stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin.
 
Thanks for the replies, its really good of you.

Yes I am overweight. I also have a sedentary job. My bmi is 37 I think.

Been doing testing for a couple of days now, always seems to be 17 or 18 in the morning, as I previously said I was scared last night when it got to 27.6

Today I've had an omlette, some cashews and some pork loin and veg. Was really surprised earlier when i did a test and it came out at 10.8! Whilst still high its the lowest I've seen. Seeing dieticians tomorrow so hopefully that combined with this forum I can learn all about foods. Today seems a good start, I assume that the drop today was what I've eaten as I've only taken the glic twice, but who knows.

I did actually think I might have type 1, as symptoms seemed to come on really fast over last month or so, but doctor convinced type 2. Thanks again.
 
great job, please come back once the dietitian has given you bad advice lol sorry im sceptical, its just the party line from many not all dietitians is to eat lots of carbs which is bananas (excuse the pun) there are folks on here that can help you alot more than a dietitian (and i dont mean me lol) but again im just an old sceptic, you may be lucky and get a good one, apparently they do exist
 
Hi. Yes, I agree with Andy ref the dieticians. Whilst there are no doubt good ones offering up-to-date advice, there are many offering truly awful advice. Just keep an open mind and if they suggest following 'The Eatwell Plate', 'Having a Normal healthy diet' or 'Starchy carbs with every meal' then I'm afraid you will know which you have come across...
 
It takes time to get the BGs to start falling and to get them under control, it's not instant . Metformin is not like insulin either, it works in a different way. It took me 8 to 10 weeks to get my HBA1c from around 87 to 48. I don't know what it is now, ten months on, but judging by my own meter readings, it should be below 40. Bread and pastries are not on the list of suitable foods I am afraid. Even things like porridge may be off the list to begin with. It used to spike me in the begining so i was eating good old bacon and eggs, omlettes with tomatoes or mushrooms or cheese and tinned fish, especially salmon and tuna. Soon though, losing weight and steadly falling BG levels and daily exercise and I could eat porridge again. I started to eat rye bread too, but still avoid white bread, and I do so miss toast and marmelade. But having got lower BG levels and having learned what I can and cannot eat, I am not going to ignore what have learned.

It takes time though and you've just got to patiently have a go and keep trying. It works in most cases.
 
well you were all dead right about the dietician. Waste of time, spent most of the appointment arguing with her about carbs. Didnt go well when she started with the eatwell plate.......

Just wanted to ask if anyone had had success with Nuts (cashews and Brazils). been eating a small wholegrain porridge for breakfast, salad for lunch and stirfry for dinner. Also greek yoghurt 0% and small amount of fruits.

I have been eating nuts as a snack about 10am, and when i test levels about midday they seem to be low. 8.7 today.

Considering a week ago i was getting between 17-27 each time i see this as a massive improvement.

Just wish i know whether it was the 4 metformin tabs and 40mg Glic or healthy eating and nuts that have made the difference.....
 
It's a combination of meds and diet change that have got you the results. Well done :clap: :clap:
Must admit I had never touched an omelette till my diagnosis now its a staple meal in my house :D
 
Re nuts, walnuts, brazils, almonds and macadamia are all good ( i eat a couple a few times a day as in between main meal snacks, but only a couple at a time), cashew however are quite carby so I'd avoid them along with peanuts.


Sent from a melting iceberg. help!!!
 
Bananas send me into double figures. Blueberries don't. Porridge does. Almonds don't.

I seem to have scrambled eggs,mushrooms and cherry tomatoes for brekkie most mornings.. No bread.

Evenings I have either grilled pork loin,fried lambs liver... All with a mass of green veg and no potatoes.

I am eating less than I have done for years and have had problems with constipation for weeks now. I thought I would go the natural way and bought a bag of prunes from Tescos and they send my blood sugars up too so I am going to have to go down the other route and buy some Senekot...

I am drinking 1 litre of sparkling mineral water a day which I am told isn't enough. I have stopped drinking tea as I can't handle it with no sugar and don't like sweeteners...

I am not feeling as up as I was as when I was first diagnosed it was exciting measuring my blood. Now I am looking at it like it is a chore and I am missing certain foods.

Good luck anyway...
 
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