New User

[LINDASH54]

:? Hi am new to the Forum. Was diagnosed Type 2 in July, picked up on a routine cholesterol test. Was in shock for a while as no real symptoms. Am not on any medication yet and trying not to be but find dietary information quite confusing. Have lost nearly a stone in weight since diagnosis as am trying to get cholesterol level down at the same time! Miss all my favourite foods and have had a few lapses but not too bad. Read a few books advising lots of testing to find out which foods affect BG level but GP says can only have 50 strips a year - they didn't last long and they are so expensive! But without them it feels a bit like russian roulette! Have been invited on a one day course for newly diagnosed type 2's - is this worth doing? Means a day off work but I will go if I think it would be worthwhile. I think I have read too many books and been experiencing information overload! My recent HBA1C was 45mmol - the last one was 7.1% in old money! so am a bit confused. The GP's receptionist rang with the result but didn't seem to know they had changed the measurement.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Linda and welcome to the forum There is a lot to learn at first but you will soon get the hang of it. It really is necessary to test before and 2 hours after meals until you know which foods you can eat and which to cut down on or avoid. Try reading the advice below on trying to get strips. If you phone a manufacturer you will probably get a free meter as they want you to buy their strips. Choose one with the cheapest strips. Members here often buy their strips off ebay. It is worth doing for a short while at least.

I don't know what course you have been invited to but I would definitely go if I were you. I have heard all these courses are very good. Your first HbA1c of 7.1 works out at 54 in new money and since your second is 45, you are making good progress.

I don't want to confuse you with too much information but this advice for new members is really worth reading and will really help you. Ask as many questions as you need to as there is always someone here to 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 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.

 

[Gappy]

Hello and welcome, I found when I was diagnosed I went overboard on finding things out, but I've found that just small changes made a big difference so all my initial concern wasn't truly justified. So by all means learn as much as you can but don't let it worry you.