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new & very confused!!!

Sunny

Sunny

Well-Known Member
Messages
93
Location
Leeds
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello all - just to say hello. I am literally just in the process of being diagnosed - they have mentioned Type 3 caused by the steroids I'm on for another medical condition which is very debilitating & a big challenge to cope with!!! I have had unbearable thirst for a few months with horrendous tiredness & constant yeast infections. Last week had a fasting blood glucose off 11. Has been repeated today with an Hb1ac.
Worried about how I'm going to manage it as my other condition is a Mast Cell Activation Disorder which means i have terrible allergies including to many foods so i already i have an odd restricted diet. Also i have a condition called Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis (sounds like a fat lazy persons excuse!!!) but does actually mean I am allergic to exercise!!! I only have to exert myself a little & i end up in an ambulance with anaphylactic shock!!!! Other people eating fruit such as apples anywhere near me also sends me into anaphylaxis!! It effects many of my body systems so I tend to average at least one medical appointment a week with all the specialists , GP etc etc

II am feeling quite confused by everything at the moment, feeling SO rough but having to wait so long for a definitive diagnosis - the first random blood sugar that i asked for because of my symptoms was taken just after christmas!! I'm also angry as I feel I've got my fair share to deal with -but i know it doesnt work like that & loads of people are worse off -but i guess thats past of getting your head around it all!!

On a personal level, i'm divorced with 4 wonderful grown up sons, i used to work as a Midwife but was ill-health retired 3 years ago. (broke my heart as I loved it so much!). my life now runs around my 3 JackRussell dogs- they mean that i have to get out from under the covers even when i dont really feel like it. I do walk with them twice a day & only occasionally get 'Ambulanced off' !!!

So, thats me - thanks for listening!!
 
Hi Sunny and welcome

I am a reletive newbie. I have learned that there are different types/ reasons for diabetes (I am T1) in the short time on this forum and I hope become more openminded. You certainly seem to have had a tough time. I cannot say that I am an expert on T3 or anything else for that matter. However you will find the support and encouragement on here amazing. I hope you get just as much from this forum as I have. :)
 
Hi sunny

welcome to the forum.

You sound like you're having a terrible time of it.

hopefully the diagnosis will, in time, become a postive thing as it has for many people here. Give it time.

Walking your dogs twice a day is more exercise than I commit to and I don't have a bonefide excuse so WELL DONE YOU :clap:

The normal advice to newly diagnosed is to reduce the obvious sugar, cakes, chocolate etc, but the main surprise for people is to reduce Carbs as they turn to sugar.

If you can think of any obvious carbs like pasta, rice, bread, potatoes you can reduce/remove then great, mostly people replace them with more veg/salad. Is this something you can consider?

With you having extra complications I think you will need to speak to GP/dietician to make sure you're not doing harm elsewhere.

Keep us posted and keep asking those Questions

Mary x
 
Hi Sunny and welcome to the forum :) Regardless of what type you turn out to be, this information which we give to new members may be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you like 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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
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