newbe

Hi and welcome. Well done on changing your lifestyle. @daisy1 gives all us newcomers help and advice I've tagged her. Have you got a meter to test your glucose levels with?

Hi there and welcome. Well done for taking the bull by the horns, so to speak.

Welcome to the forum.

You may also take a peak at my simplified blog for T2D newbie...
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/newbie-guide-to-t2d.1858/

Testing is important to type 2's because it shows us the effect of food and exercise on our blood glucose levels. It shows us what works for us and what doesn't.

I'm going to tag in @Bluetit1802 and @CherryAA.

Can someone please add the information on meters.

Hello and welcome. Another vote for getting a metre. You really will need one oryou will be doing this in the dark.
My first hbalc was 53 in june this year when I was diagnosed. Last test 2 weeks ago was 39, so it can be done. Good luck with it all and ask any questions you may have and read everything you can find!

@chrisha

Hello Chrisha and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able 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 250,000 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 free 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. They're all 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.

Meter advice..

https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.


The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available
Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips. For the bulk discount on strips for the SD Codefree, you need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and the number of packs that you want). Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Coupon. Enter the relevant discount code in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price .. and finally, you then proceed to checkout.


I should add many thanks to @AM1874 Who compiled this useful guide.

bulkbiker said:

Meter advice..

https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.


The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available
Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips. For the bulk discount on strips for the SD Codefree, you need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and the number of packs that you want). Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Coupon. Enter the relevant discount code in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price .. and finally, you then proceed to checkout.


I should add many thanks to @AM1874 Who compiled this useful guide.

Click to expand...

Thank you sir for posting this.

chrisha said:

2 are available what is the difference and which should I order
One reading inmmol/L and the other reading in mg/dL.

Click to expand...

If you’re in the UK you need the one that reads in mmols/l

chrisha said:

2 are available what is the difference and which should I order
One reading inmmol/L and the other reading in mg/dL.

Click to expand...

in the uk we tend to use mmol/l, so that may be easier to use - the nice guidelines, for example, are given in mmol/l. having said that, i have a meter which reads mg/dl, mainly because when i bought it i didn't realise there were different ways of recording bg levels. i use an on-line converter so that i can see what my bg levels in mg/dl are in mmol/l.

Until you have your meter be cautious about the foods you select, as some which are 'healthy' can cause quite high spikes - porridge, wholemeal anything, brown rice, any grain (including sweetcorn) and some seeds, baked potatoes, peas and beans, starchy vegetables and fruits, sweet fruits can all send my blood glucose high, and it stays high for some hours, then it goes down very fast. Not good.
If you can stay away from the usual suspects until you can test your reaction to them then you can find tune your menus to cope.
A Hba1c of 53 is not very high - mine was 91 at diagnosis so it should soon come down if you can push your metabolism back into a lower carb mode of operation.

welcome here chrisha

wow you are doing very fine... just keep on... and you´ll end up having normal blood glucose

Hello Chrisha
I bought an SD Code 3 meter on line plus extra lances and strips. There is a tick box to choose mg/dl or mmol/l before you purchase.
Well done so far and best of luck