Newly diagnosed -15 days.

[HazelD]

! was diagnosed15 days ago, been keeping a food diary until I saw the doctor and nurse this week. I am 73, not that active, I have an exercise bike which I go on each morning partly to keep my replacement knee working.. :lol:

My cholesterol is good 4.2, have been having porridge for breakfast every morning for years. I have a fatty liver and was shocked :? ! I have never eaten fatty foods at home but now I know it is caused by diabetes, have gained weight over the last couple of years but not thought about it need to loose 12 kls.

With this diary I knew I had to watch food, written everything down I have not lost an ounce but seem to be losing inches which I don't mind - new clothes!!!- I gave up potatoes, only one slice of bread a day which is low GI in any case. Told only to eat low carbs and watch calories but given no specific numbers...told also not to eat pears, grapes and keep bananas to a small one a day, asked to keep diary for another two weeks - so going to eat exactly the same then blood tests again for liver functions which BTW have gone done a little over 2 blood tests so far.

Referred to eye and foot clinics. Also referred to a diabetes class for learning more about diabetes which I think the nurse said is a couple of hours a week for a month. Also had a check up at Liverpool women's hospital for signed off for another six months, should be the last... fingers crossed.

Have quite a few friends with diabetes and they control it with diet only, I had hoped I would be the same but the fatty liver problem has me on Meds of 500, one a day for a month. At least reading this forum I knew about it and am prepared for any tummy upsets until it balances out.

I know I have quite a lot of reading to do, learning about carbs etc. bought a few cook books as well.

My hobby is dolls house miniatures so I know I need my eye site tested to keep doing this miniature work, also got fast growing cataracts only found that out last Oct, growing bodily older is a pain! but thankfully I am kept busy. I have my own web site and run an internet group for miniaturists so am heavily involved in the hobby.

BTW...at the Docs yesterday on my records I had a blood test in 2010 and showed a blood sugar level then but nothing was said.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Hazel and welcome to the forum

You sound as though you are doing well and have a helpful nurse. Here is the basic information we give to new members which I hope you will find useful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will come and answer and share their experiences with you.


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.