Newbie - though teetering on being diagnosed for 3 years

[2131tom]

Hi.

I've found this forum through searching the web more generally about diabetes, in the hope I can understand more about it.

I've just turned 60 and my doctor has been talking about "elevated sugar levels" for 3 years now, after I first went to him with a rather vague complaint of dizzy spells. He says my fasting glucose level has risen from 4 to just over 7 during that time and has now diagnosed me as Type 2. I don't have any symptoms of excessive thirst, or visits to the loo, unexplained weight loss, or tiredness, and my eye tests have been fine during the 3 years I've been having them done.

I have been denying there's any problem, however, until a couple of weeks ago when I decided I had to take it all seriously. I'm overweight so I've now put myself on a moderately ambitious diet although I realise I probably have more to do: So far, I've cut out sugar (though I adore sweet coffee), decreased carbs and increased the proteins. I'm eating my main meal in the middle of the day and having much smaller meals for breakfast and tea. Exercise is a bit more difficult to arrange (stuck behind a pc all day) but I'm walking where I can and using the walking machine at home.

Because I'd rather not be in the dark about what's going on with my blood sugar, day-to-day, a week ago I bought an Accu-Check Aviva which I've found OK to use despite the fact the older I get the more I loathe needles. That's given me some food for thought, working through the range of results I'm getting and getting a feel for what's causing them and, more to the point, what they *should* be. So far, my highest result was 10.2 (90 mins after what I now realise was a rather sweet fruit cocktail 'snack') and 5.4 a couple of hours after a heavy stint of manual labour in the garden. Waking up in the morning, it's between 7 and 9.

That's probably enough from me. I'm here to listen and learn and share some experiences, I appreciate you taking the time to read this post and I like to assure you that all advice will be very welcome

 

[daisy1]

Hi Tom and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I think you will find this useful. Ask all the questions you need to 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 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.

 

[2131tom]

Thank you for the welcome and advice. I am finding the new posts and extensive archives of this site very, very helpful.

In the 10 days since my previous post, I'd started to feel so rough, with bouts of shakiness, fuzzy heads, feelings of numbness in my arms and legs (not sure if that was connected or not) and a general feeling of being well below par. The readings I'd been getting during the day were getting more extreme too, with spikes of 10, 12 and 14, so on Thursday last week I asked for a quick appointment at the surgery and saw a different GP to my usual one. I'd had a routine blood test the week before so the results were current and after he'd checked my blood pressure (said it was fine) the GP brought the results up on the screen and went through them with me. Liver & kidney functions were normal, HbA1c was 46 (didn't think that was too bad but I'm not that experienced in these things), all other parameters "were OK". But when he saw my fasting level of blood sugar at 8.1 (the previous ones, taken over the past 3 years had been below this level), he said: 'it's time to start medication', and prescribed me 1000 mg Metformin.

I'm still not sure how these diagnoses work or even if the GPs are working to any particular standard. Maybe because I've had no other symptoms (thirst, frequent visits to the loo etc.), I don't feel 'diabetic', in the sense of being labelled with something, but I think I'm relieved to be now looking at my health seriously and starting to do something about it.

I realise that I've been in denial for a long time that there was anything wrong with me. The latest episodes have at least given me the jolt I needed to start looking at my diet and lifestyle.

 

[jampot]

Hi Tom
I am newly diagnosed type 2 as well - 2 weeks ago. I had absolutely no symptoms and the diabetes was picked up through a routine blood test for my hypertension. After another 2 fasting tests, a Hbh1c and glucose tolerance test, I got the label. GP started me on Metformin. I came home devastated. But 2 weeks in, I feel more in control of myself and my diabetes by trawling the internet and the various forums available. My questions on various forums have all been answered and I now feel I can make some choices how to manage the diabetes. I am making some radical changes but already am seeing much improved blood glucose levels and loosing weight.
Good luck

 

[2131tom]

Hi Tom
I am newly diagnosed type 2 as well - 2 weeks ago. I had absolutely no symptoms and the diabetes was picked up through a routine blood test for my hypertension. After another 2 fasting tests, a Hbh1c and glucose tolerance test, I got the label. GP started me on Metformin. I came home devastated. But 2 weeks in, I feel more in control of myself and my diabetes by trawling the internet and the various forums available. My questions on various forums have all been answered and I now feel I can make some choices how to manage the diabetes. I am making some radical changes but already am seeing much improved blood glucose levels and loosing weight.
Good luck

Thanks, Jampot.

I'm still trying to work through all this but I think I have to be careful not to overwhelm myself or become disappointed if it doesn't always go well.

A work colleague is T2. I've known her for years and she sits on the opposite desk, so it's very easy to talk to each other. She was diagnosed 4 years ago and has a more severe problem, leastways judging by the level of her medication, the frequency of her visits to the GP, and the difficulties she tells me she has keeping her levels under control.

She says that when she was first diagnosed, she read everything she could find on the subject but couldn't make the sense she felt she should have made from it and, in her own words: "more-or-less gave up". That worried me because she's not unintelligent and gets her head around everything else at work.

On her diabetes, however, she says she hates her condition but just jogs along, tries to eat sensibly but often falls off, doesn't want to use a meter and dreads her GP check-ups.