New type 2

Rifkah said:

Yeah I'm in the UK. To be fair the nurse was just ticking stuff of a list, part of that included a seven page print out of prognosis and progression which she spent abot half the session on. I didn't get any other hand out just advice to go to diabetes uk website.

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Sounds like a pretty poor experience.

Rifkah said:

She was pretty clear on the fats. Gluconeogenesis causes fats to be broken down into glucose in the blood, it normally happens in starvation but I'm type 2 diabetics get switched on all the time. She was quite good in explaining it.

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Except that she is wrong. Fats do not get turned into sugar by gluconeogenesis in fact it is protein that does but only when the body needs it.I'm sorry but you have either been very badly informed or haven't quite understood her properly.

Rifkah said:

She was pretty clear on the fats. Gluconeogenesis causes fats to be broken down into glucose in the blood, it normally happens in starvation but I'm type 2 diabetics get switched on all the time. She was quite good in explaining it.

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You really need to question this.

Ok anecdotal evidence to try to help you understand. On diagnosis I cut my sugar and carbohydrate intake but didn’t think about or calculate my fat or protein intake. My HbA1c (average blood sugar test at the Drs) went from 70, well into the diabetic range, down to 45, prediabetic range, in two months. In a further two months my HbA1c was into the non diabetic range and has stayed there ever since by eating low sugar, low carb and whatever fat or protein I want. I am living proof along with loads of others here that it works. I very rarely feel hungry, have never felt weak wobbly sweaty etc... I just feel far more healthy with tons more energy and won’t ever go back to my previous way of eating.

My Diabetes Specialist Nurse 'threatened' me with insulin straight after she gave me the diagnosis. She gave me an appointment to come back a month later and was stunned at how much I had shaved off my numbers. No more talk of insulin or even Diabetes drugs (except for Metformin). The dietary advice she gave me was extremely poor so if I hhadn't found this forum I would be looking at a much poorer future. My eyes and feet are fine, I have no Diabetes neuropathy and I have learned more about good nutrition in the year I have been a member here than I have learned throughout my life.
We all live with this condition so we have a vested interest in finding the ways that actually serve us best.

Rifkah said:

..... just advice to go to diabetes uk website.

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This seems to be the only GOOD ADVICE your nurse gave you

Please get yourself a meter and strips. There are two particular ones that are as good as any and work out cheaper than others. You need to consider the cost of the strips, as they are the expensive part of the system. Without a meter, you have no way of knowing how the different foods affect your glucose levels.

Try not to get too depressed about it all. Yes, I have severe depression and it certainly gets to me at times, particularly when something has triggered some distress. Like you, I just want to turn to chocolate, ice cream etc but particularly chocolate - preferably milk chocolate. However, it's hard to get back to leaving the chocolate etc off after a bing so consider whether it's really worth it

You'll get to grips with this all but it takes time. Personally, I think your diabetes nurse, as with many of them, (including mine) should be SHOT!!!

Energize said:

This seems to be the only GOOD ADVICE your nurse gave you

Please get yourself a meter and strips. There are two particular ones that are as good as any and work out cheaper than others. You need to consider the cost of the strips, as they are the expensive part of the system. Without a meter, you have no way of knowing how the different foods affect your glucose levels.

Try not to get too depressed about it all. Yes, I have severe depression and it certainly gets to me at times, particularly when something has triggered some distress. Like you, I just want to turn to chocolate, ice cream etc but particularly chocolate - preferably milk chocolate. However, it's hard to get back to leaving the chocolate etc off after a bing so consider whether it's really worth it

You'll get to grips with this all but it takes time. Personally, I think your diabetes nurse, as with many of them, (including mine) should be SHOT!!!

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That may be a little harsh - but the ones I've seen have done me more harm than good.

Rifkah said:

Just the way this nurse spoke to me about all the things I HAD to do like I had no personal choice or autonomy. It was like being back on ward. They can't make me do this can they?

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No one can force you to do anything that you are not 100% happy with. When my nurse spoke of insulin she had a tone in her voice that clearly said all decisions were hers and hers alone. Before the end of the appointment she was aware that all decisions were and are mine. My diet, my medications and whether or not I take the advice of any health care giver is up to me.

Rifkah said:

Just the way this nurse spoke to me about all the things I HAD to do like I had no personal choice or autonomy. It was like being back on ward. They can't make me do this can they?

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You do as you like, it’s your body, your diabetes, your future

Rachox said:

You do as you like, it’s your body, your diabetes, your future

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Well put.

No one can MAKE you do anything, but with a bit of attention to your diet you can reduce that hba1c score.

It does worry me that you've lost so much weight though. Can you buy a monitor and keep checking your blood glucose levels? I was misdiagnosed as type 2 and ended up in A&E. It would have been worse but I was monitoring my BG levels and when they wouldn't shift below 30 I realised I was likely late onset T1

Rifkah said:

No group of men to pin me down and inject me up the bottom this time?
Promise.

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Lol Promise.

@Rifkah

It's YOUR body so you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Having said that, they are the 'professionals' and supposedly know best. However, they're not always the most up to date people and it's worth bearing that in mind.

My suggestion is to read up as much as you can but please be discerning as to what you take on board. Experience will help you differentiate between good advice and poor advice. Some easy examples are web pages where the aim is to sell a product. I would not take what they say as true unless I've seen it 'proved' many times elsewhere. Forums such as this one has a lot of very good advice but, occasionally, there could be some poor advice but others would likely keep you right.

What is right for others isn't necessarily right for you so, again, you have to make up your own mind based on the knowledge you have gained.

I've often just totally disregarded what my Diabetes Nurse has told me as it is quite clear that she isn't listening to 'me' and is clearly very out of date. Again, I will discuss stuff with my GP if I don't agree with what he suggests and, if necessary, I won't accept his advice although, generally I go to him for advice as I want it.

One of the roles of the Diabetic nurse, in my opinion, is to help patients cope with their diabetes, to encourage you to find the best possible ways that suit you, including diet. I daren't tell my nurse that I eat LCHF - she was really shocked, when I answered to her question of 'what did I have for breakfast', 'a piece of cheese! So, I asked 'what would she prefer I ate?' Her answer was two weetabix!!! For goodness sake! Is she trying to kill me intentionally???

So, I do wish you well. Post on the forum when you have questions. Read the posts that you find relevant - the relevance will differ from day to day, depending on what you are focusing on etc.

dbr10 said:

That may be a little harsh - but the ones I've seen have done me more harm than good.

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Yes, perhaps but the nurse I have to see really winds me up - to the point my blood pressure was really really high when she checked it during the last review. She was asking me questions at the same time as taking blood pressure, which isn't good practice, and the questions she was asking were about something I definitely felt she hadn't a clue about so trying to keep my mouth shut was 'stressful'

@Rifkah

Hello Rifkah and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will 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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Rifkah said:

Thanks for the advice
112 diabetic complications. Your list is more comprehensive than the one I received.
It does seem I am being offered different advice to that which the site recommends.
I've been told not to test and to have a no carb no fat diet.
It makes a lot of the site irrelevant.
Do you guys know of a site that might suit me better?

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So a diet of no carbs and no fat was recommended?
What would you eat on this diet?