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Newbie with type 2

R

RoyM

Newbie
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Location
Silverstone Circuit
Hi everyone, Told to find this forum by my diabetics nurse, looks a nice place to stay.

Just recently been diagnosed with Type 2 on a medical, because my wife and I were to become foster carers

We have been approved carers for nearly 2 months now and have a foster child with us too.

Worryingly, I had no intentions of getting any check up or medical done as I felt (although I am BMI 38) very very healthly and experienced no effects attributed to diabetes type 2. So could've gone undetected for a longer time to come..

Well to be honest the only checks I had were a urine sample that showed 3 plusses (on my doctors chart whatever that means??) I then returned for a blood test that showed my blood suger levels were at 8mmol (IIRC). I was then tasked to return for more blood tests...

I was mortified to find that on my medical to our prospective foster agency that my doctor had written that I was grossely obese and would not make a good foster carer and wouldn't convey a healthy lifestyle. The fact that I eat reasonably healthy wasn't even asked of me so how could my GP possibly know If I was a lardy takeaway pizza eater I shall never understand. Well our agency said "Don't worry GPs say that about everybody"

After our approval I went to get my diagnosis. My GP said (without any further test) "What are we going to say you've got? Type 2 Diabetes?"

I replied "I suppose"

And here I am today having a good look around to see what I can learn for myself

Sorry for the 1st post rant but hopefully I make sense to everybody out there

Many thanks

Roy.
 
Hello Roy and welcome

Some GP's seem to have this skewed view that most people who are overweight eat rubbish all the time, lol! It may be true in some cases, but not in yours or mine.

Well done on being approved to be foster carers. That must be a very stressful process to go through.

I've been diagnosed with T2 since 30/11/10. My diabetes was discovered through a pre op assessment, by accident like you. I also felt healthy and had no obvious signs of Diabetes that I was aware of until they weighed me and I realised I'd lost a stone without trying. I also had 3+ on the urine screening test and since have had a blood analysis to confirm the exact extent of my diabetes.

I felt abandoned by my GP regarding this diagnosis of Diabetes and found this site, which has very good and useful information.

I bought a Blood Glucose meter as I need to reduce my BG readings to an acceptable level for the operation I really need and monitor daily my BG levels. I've also cut out sugar and most carbs, it's bloody hard work! I'm also on Metformin medication. I've lost a further 8lbs since 30/11/10, my GP has put this down to the Metformin but I think my diet changes have also contributed to this loss too.

I felt quite shell shocked at first, as I didn't really appreciate the implications of this diagnosis and the long term fall out if not treated properly.

I hope this helps.

Ali
 
Welcome to the Forum, Roy.

Your GP does not sound too geared up on Diabetes ! :roll:

Congratulations on becoming a Carer, a difficult but rewarding job.

Here is the basic advice we give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. I hope some of it will be a help to you in getting to grips with your Diabetes.


Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Hello Roy and welcome to the forum. If there is anything you want to know just ask a question and someone will have an answer for you :)
 
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