Newbie

[Netty70]

Hello everyone
only been on this sight for a couple of weeks and love it already but wanted to introduce myself to you all
ok here goes i do talk alot so be warned
i have been diagnosed diabetic for about three months went to see the nurse for holiday jabs and told her i was sweating profusly at night and couldnt stop drinking do you think i am on the change ???
nurse said bring a water sample in and we will do a test so i did the following day i got a call from my docs asking me to go in for a blood test as there was sugar in my water still no light came on
they then rang me again two days later to say i had to come to see the doctor straight away now the tears come thinking something is wrong but still no light came on
went to see the doc who confirmed type 2 diabetes and started me on medication think i spent the weekend in a blur of tears saw the DN on the monday who i have got to say has been amazing
she informed me that my blood sugar reading was 119 meant nothing to me
then it all started happening because my sugar was so high once it started coming down so did my eyesight within a week i could see about 10% scary times spent my wedding day in a blur but thankfully i married the right one :lol:
had an emergency eye test at the hospital no one tells you how much that stuff stings ouch but thankfully everything was ok and just had to let me eyes settle so i then spent a month off work waiting for my sight to come back and generally recovering
sadly three days after my wedding my father passed away bad times but i have a loving family and friends who have helped me through
this was all about two months ago now and i feel i am coping with all the changes i have had to make
wow are you all awake lol i could go one forever

thanks for reading :clap:

 

[daisy1]

Hi Netty and welcome to the forum

I am so sorry you lost your Dad and so soon after your wedding too. I'm glad you are being helped by your lovely family.

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. 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.

 

[hale710]

Welcome Netty

 

[Netty70]

Thanks daisy & hale


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[zolabud]

Welcome from me too Netty....

 

[Netty70]

Thanks Zola


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