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New Type 2 very confused

G

GI Jane

Newbie
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1
Hi i've recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and am very confused by the information provided by my dr's surgery. Whilst attending a new patient appointment at the dr's they found I had high amounts of protein and glucose in my urine, was asked to do another sample which still had high glucose and some protein. Since then I have had two fasting glucose tests one at 11.2 one at 11.7, was then told to attend diabetic clinic today, nurse took blood for HbA1C and told me it was my choice how I handled the diabetes I could either have tablets and diet or just diet. I opted for diet only for three months and then see what second HbA1C said and add tablets in if required. When asking her about testing my blood glucose at home she said "you don't need to thats only for type 1 people". she then explained about hypos and hypers I asked again about home testing blood glugose to guide me and she said don't worry you will "just know "if your becoming hypo or hyper. Asked for advice on what I should be eating and was told just follow any healthy eating plan (I am currently 8 stone over weight) said she would refer to me a dietician and didn't want to give me any advice that might contradict the advice that the dietician may give!! (said it could a few months before I see the dietician as they like to get a few people together before they refer them on!!)

So I guess what I am asking is do I need to test/record my blood sugar daily?
What diet should I be following and what quantities of carbs etc?
Anything else I should have been told?

Thanks
Jane
 
Welcome to the forum ,Jane,so glad you found us.
In answer to your questions,yes it is important to be able to test your blood sugars!!How else will you find out which foods affect your blood sugar levels.If you test before ,and two hours after a meal and your readings are much the same then you know that you got that meal right.Over a period of time you can build up a 'menu' of meals that can help you control your blood sugar levels and keep them down under 7 which helps prevent complications in the future.The advice that you don't need to test is nonsense!!Brought about by surgeries trying to cut down their budgets.
The food ingredient that you need to look out for is carbohydrate.When reading a product read the total carbohydrate amount not just the sugar amount as all carbohydrate turns into glucose in the blood and raises your levels.Start by reducing your intake of carbs say by half and see what effect this has on your blood sugars and your weight .Many diabetics can just reduce their carb intake and it helps but others need to reduce carb intake a lot to gain control.Everyone is different in this respect.
Have a good read round the forum especially in the food section and you will pick up a lot of advice,a lot of it confusing ,but just ask us questions.
 
Welcome Jane, it sounds like you have your head screwed on! Ditto to everything Sue said, you'll find a lot of very knowledgeable group of people on this forum. You've done the best thing already which is asking the right questions. Don't hesitate to ask anything else you think of, I'm sure you'll find someone who can supply all the answers. Good luck,

Bubsy
 
Hi Jane and welcome,
Just to reiterate what the others have said, you are at the start of a big learning curve that nearly all of us have been through. There's an awful lot that you will find confusing in the early days, but please don't be afraid to ask, no matter how silly it may sound. We've all been where you are now and will do all we can to help you.
 
GI Jane said:
Anything else I should have been told?

Thanks
Jane
Click to expand...

<RANT> no wonder diabetes is increasing and average A1c is appalling </RANT

This is one of my favourite newbie sites

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/d-day.html

two more

http://www.bloodsugar101.com/

http://www.dsolve.com/

You are going to need to learn to do a lot of reading <G> this may make up for the woeful lack of information you've had so far.

As you will see testing is absolutely crucial in discovering what you can and can't eat and when.

I'd also be very tempted to go back and ask for metformin, this is usually #1 medication for Type 2 and along with exercise will help reduce your insulin resistance: this should hopefully also help you to lose weight. There are a whole bunch of feedback loops: high BG and high IR leads to high levels of insulin which leads to weight gain which increases insulin resistance and inflammatory damage to your pancreas and cardiovascular system etc. and you really need the tools to hack into this loop in as many ways as possible as soon as possible

waiting three months for a dietician who will probably tell you to eat exactly the wrong things is an inexcusable way for them to behave
 

This sort of advice from so-called up to date health professionals just makes my blood boil!!There's enough new research out there to prove the effectiveness of testing for type 2's,the good people on this forum alone prove that.It's just a short sighted budget jobworths's way of saving money!!I wonder what the cost of NHS hospital care is for someone with impaired vascular system compared with a few years worth of test strips.
As for knowing if you are hypo or hyper,sheesh,How many on here just know,I wonder(type 2's that is not type1's)sure you feel unwell but is it up or down? The only reliable way to tell is a quick test.
 
A hospital bed for one night cost £320 + Medications other equipment...

It cost the NHS aproximatley £100,000 to treat one heart attack (I assume this includes after care costs)

Even Lazer treatment cost the NHS around £500-£800 pounds a throw...
 
So say 50 test strips at £25 per month,that's £300 a year for say 20 years...£6000 ! A lot less than it costs to treat the heart attack then.
 

Sorry Jane ,let's get back on to the original post's questions!!
 
sugarless sue said:
So say 50 test strips at £25 per month,that's £300 a year for say 20 years...£6000 ! A lot less than it costs to treat the heart attack then.
Click to expand...

Ah but if you die of the heart attack (more likely if you've been running **** numbers for years) THEN they are saving money

and how much of the doctor's salary is £6000

not to mention the Deputy Chief Assistant Undermanager etc, who wrote the Practice Guidelines

and the paper that leaflet is printed on
 
No danger of my dieing( how do you spell it?) young then!I'm already in the 60s. That is the key though.
MOST T2s are older and already retired when diagnosed. I know it's changing! :twisted: , but at the present time I think it's still true.
We are dispensible and not expected to live long enough to develop complications. They say that T1 takes up to 15 years off your life and T2 about 10.
I assume that's why they don't want us to control the thing properly, so that we won't beat the stastistics.
 
Hi GIJane and welcome to the forum.

Well, what a start! You've come up against some fairly typical nonsense already - largely a result of people with a clearer understanding of accountancy than medicine.

However, they did get one thing right. It's worth trying to see if you can get your blood sugars in control by modifying your diet before you try anything else.

The dietician you eventually see might be switched on, or might not. If they tell you to eat more starchy carbohydrates and less fat you would be better of sticking your fingers in your ears because that sort of advice is utterly illogical and will only make things worse.

In very simple terms, you will only lower your blood glucose levels by eating less sugar, as you know, and starch. That means avoiding things like cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes and flour (bread, cakes, biscuits, crackers). Instead, if you eat more natural, unprocessed foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy foods, nuts and vegetables, you may still find that your blood sugar improves significantly. It will also help you lose a few pounds in the process!

All the best,

fergus
 
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