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Newly diagnosed, 28, confused

A

ashbash28

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, I'm very recently diagnosed with type 2. I'm finding it difficult being so young and also got diagnosed a week before my birthday and Christmas is now coming up. I've been looking at posts and ideas for food etc and I've been cutting down on carbs/trying not to have them as much as I can. My blood sugar was fine two years ago and I know my life had spiralled out of control along with my weight. I lost a stone in two weeks but it has now stopped. Along with diabetes I was also diagnosed with an underactive thyroid...anyway, just looking for some help really and support as my family don't understand and eat takeaways a lot...which is driving me mad! But still sticking to things as I want to change my life. Struggling with exercise though :/ anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to speak to some of you soon!
 
Hi ashbash28, welcome and do not worry so much. From what i read in this forum tons of type 2 here have successfully control, remission and some fully reverse their diabetes. As long you willing to learn and willing to change you will have a long and productive life.
 
Gabrielle_Tai said:
Hi ashbash28, welcome and do not worry so much. From what i read in this forum tons of type 2 here have successfully control, remission and some fully reverse their diabetes. As long you willing to learn and willing to change you will have a long and productive life.
Click to expand...

Thank you Gabrielle :) It's just scary and I struggle with health anxiety and have always been worried about my heart or having a heart attack and this diagnosis has just made that worse. I'm struggling to find things that are good to eat and I end up eating fajita salads most nights...I don't know what kind of exercise is best either as I don't really enjoy it that much but would like to! I know it's better to know I'm diabetic and I just hope I can be someone that can lose their diabetes! I will have to try and find people who have been successful in doing so - I have also looked into the blood sugar diet but it seems expensive and I also need to learn to like celeriac :)
 
ashbash28 said:
Thank you Gabrielle :) It's just scary and I struggle with health anxiety and have always been worried about my heart or having a heart attack and this diagnosis has just made that worse. I'm struggling to find things that are good to eat and I end up eating fajita salads most nights...I don't know what kind of exercise is best either as I don't really enjoy it that much but would like to! I know it's better to know I'm diabetic and I just hope I can be someone that can lose their diabetes! I will have to try and find people who have been successful in doing so - I have also looked into the blood sugar diet but it seems expensive and I also need to learn to like celeriac :)
Click to expand...

Do you have a meter? I find a lot of members here have a meter and their follow a way of life called eat to the meter. I recommend try to ask some question and read some of the older post at the type 2 forum. Sorry about not able to give much advice since i also new to the beast called diabetes myself (diagnosis 2 months ago) but let work together to control it and not let it control us.
 
I suspect that I have been diabetic for a long time. I was diagnosed with a defunct thyroid a long time ago, but I have had my own household since I was 18 - we could do that back in the 1970s, so what I ate was down to me.
I have a BSc, but even when doing A level Biology I have been suspicious about the way Humans were eating. A spell in the food industry only confirmed what I thought.
Takeaway food is far more about profit margins than any thought of nutrition - cheap to produce is great, leave it up to the advertising department to hook onto something as a selling point - and if it can be labelled as healthy, all the better.
Once you have been taking a thyroid supplement for a while - it has to be increased slowly as it can cause palpitations if started off too high, you should feel a lot better, and combined with the reduction in weight which Thyroxine or whatever you are on and eating as low carb as you can should produce - increased exercise helps too, which both those make easier, so with any luck your life should change for the better in the near future.
 
Hello @ashbash,welcome to the best forum in the world,well done you for finding us all,believe me when i say this forum and the wonderful posters are life savers, three years ago i was in same condition as you( and many others)but by changing my routines ( exercise and diet) i have managed to lose 4 stone in weight and my blood sugars now are averaging 5 mmols,are you taking metformin?
The book by jenny rhul...blood sugars 101 is an excellent insight into what diabetes is and how to beat it,there are many things you will find out here but most important is getting yourself a blood test meter and test your blood on rising inthe morning( before you eat ) this is the figure hat comes down last...as our livers due to being diabetes are full of glucose and can take anything from 6 to 12 months to come down to a normal range known as the dawn phenonenon(IMG]//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171221/0d9115f8f2c86c9cd70304362129f422.jpg[/IMG]there are many here who follow the low carb high fat diet,because it helps to bring down the weight and b/s levels quicker,have a look at the what have you eaten today thread for some quick ideas,but as i and many others have found.....test yourblood sugars upon waking then one hr after eating and see how what your eating and ( how much) affects your blood sugar rises.please ,feel free to ask as many questions as you like...no such thing as stupid questions...only stupid answers
 
Gabrielle_Tai said:
Do you have a meter? I find a lot of members here have a meter and their follow a way of life called eat to the meter. I recommend try to ask some question and read some of the older post at the type 2 forum. Sorry about not able to give much advice since i also new to the beast called diabetes myself (diagnosis 2 months ago) but let work together to control it and not let it control us.
Click to expand...

I don't have a meter no, but I'm thinking about buying one. Have you seen what ones are best? I've been given the chance to try and get my numbers down with just diet so would really like to manage so I don't have to go on medication. It's just a struggle not knowing what my numbers are and whenever I suggest getting a meter my mum tells me I'm 'getting obsessed' but I don't know how I meant to know if what I'm doing is helping or not otherwise.
 
Hi @ashbash28, not what you want for Xmas really. However joining the forum is a good move especially if you feel a lack of understanding in your family. I've been worried about having a heart attack for years and I'm 76 so I think we can be a bit relaxed about the chances of that one. I'll tag @daisy1 to give you some info. Latch on to the good advice on here which relates to yourself and you'll soon get the idea. Celeriac is ok, I use it all the time now while Mrs DeeJay has spud. Stick around.
 
ashbash28 said:
I don't have a meter no, but I'm thinking about buying one. Have you seen what ones are best? I've been given the chance to try and get my numbers down with just diet so would really like to manage so I don't have to go on medication. It's just a struggle not knowing what my numbers are and whenever I suggest getting a meter my mum tells me I'm 'getting obsessed' but I don't know how I meant to know if what I'm doing is helping or not otherwise.
Click to expand...

Since i not in the UK i cannot recommend what kind of meter to get there. My self are using one touch select but normally for type 2 which do not use insulin meter, selection is more to the strip price then the meter accuracy. I also waiting for my Dexcom G4 but i think those are overkill for non insulin user. If you ready obsessed with your number maybe a Freestyle Libre will do since it allow you to monitor your bs without poking 8 to 12 times like me.
 
Resurgam said:
I suspect that I have been diabetic for a long time. I was diagnosed with a defunct thyroid a long time ago, but I have had my own household since I was 18 - we could do that back in the 1970s, so what I ate was down to me.
I have a BSc, but even when doing A level Biology I have been suspicious about the way Humans were eating. A spell in the food industry only confirmed what I thought.
Takeaway food is far more about profit margins than any thought of nutrition - cheap to produce is great, leave it up to the advertising department to hook onto something as a selling point - and if it can be labelled as healthy, all the better.
Once you have been taking a thyroid supplement for a while - it has to be increased slowly as it can cause palpitations if started off too high, you should feel a lot better, and combined with the reduction in weight which Thyroxine or whatever you are on and eating as low carb as you can should produce - increased exercise helps too, which both those make easier, so with any luck your life should change for the better in the near future.
Click to expand...

Yes I understand that too. I think it's all about changing my mindset. I think for so long I've been an emotional eater and almost 'rewarded' myself with bad food. Of course it's not a reward if it's not good for you and I'm not a dog! It's just changing that habit really. I won't eat takeaways now anyway but it is hard when everyone is sitting with theirs and I've had to make mine and think about the best options but really in the long run, my choices will be better I suppose, just hard to tell myself at the time! :p

And yes I am on levothyroxine and have my blood test to see if it's working well in February...along with my next diabetes blood test too so here's hoping my health is looking better by then! I just need to push myself to exercise more..but with any luck things will be positive! It's just hard to be positive sometimes as so much you read is negative and quite scary and I feel like I've been diagnosed, had my feet prodded and then left to become a diabetic expert as fast as I can!
 
ashbash28 said:
Hi all, I'm very recently diagnosed with type 2. I'm finding it difficult being so young and also got diagnosed a week before my birthday and Christmas is now coming up. I've been looking at posts and ideas for food etc and I've been cutting down on carbs/trying not to have them as much as I can. My blood sugar was fine two years ago and I know my life had spiralled out of control along with my weight. I lost a stone in two weeks but it has now stopped. Along with diabetes I was also diagnosed with an underactive thyroid...anyway, just looking for some help really and support as my family don't understand and eat takeaways a lot...which is driving me mad! But still sticking to things as I want to change my life. Struggling with exercise though :/ anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to speak to some of you soon!
Click to expand...
Hi Ashbash I am a diabetes specialist nurse and I understand your frustration. There is so much info out there, what to follow? Have a look at this website: www.carbandcals.com there is an app for your phone you can download. Check out the carbs in foods and try to make lower carb choices. It might help showing the family how unhealthy takeaways are too! If you can keep your total daily carbs below 50g this is a very low carb diet and your body will be forced to burn fat for energy. So you will keep the blood sugar down and burn fat so losing weight.
Good luck and Merry Christmas!
 
Hi ashbash I use my fitness pal to track food (it’s free). Dropping potatoes rice pasta & bread worked for me. I also have a curry homemade or from m&s & have with veg instead of rice. Just take time to read posts & ask questions lots of people will help you
 
Hi Ashbash today I posted my results, less than 6 months of being diagnose , my bg is now in the normal range and has been for 2 months. I too was at my wits end, a lot older than you, 66 , years of overeating and no excercise finally caught up with me. Don't despair, you can get it back to normal. Best of luck with your journey.
btw I've lost 4 stone but after 3 stone I stopped losing weight, nothing I did made me lose any more , then all of a sudden I started to lose weight again . Keep the faith !!
 
ashbash28 said:
Yes I understand that too. I think it's all about changing my mindset. I think for so long I've been an emotional eater and almost 'rewarded' myself with bad food. Of course it's not a reward if it's not good for you and I'm not a dog! It's just changing that habit really. I won't eat takeaways now anyway but it is hard when everyone is sitting with theirs and I've had to make mine and think about the best options but really in the long run, my choices will be better I suppose, just hard to tell myself at the time! :p

And yes I am on levothyroxine and have my blood test to see if it's working well in February...along with my next diabetes blood test too so here's hoping my health is looking better by then! I just need to push myself to exercise more..but with any luck things will be positive! It's just hard to be positive sometimes as so much you read is negative and quite scary and I feel like I've been diagnosed, had my feet prodded and then left to become a diabetic expert as fast as I can!
Click to expand...
I've had a lazy thyroid for over 12 years and only recently been diagnosed type1. Healthy food is the only real choice and meds for the thyroid. You can't really do much about stuff but defo keep positive
 
Hello @ashbash28, welcome to the forum. You asked about options for bg testing meters; because very few type 2s get their meters and strips funded via their GPs, most of us have to purchase our own equipment if we want to keep track of what's happening with BG levels. The meters themselves are relatively cheap, or even free sometimes, but you'll find that the main cost is in the strips, because you will probably use quite a lot, particularly in the early days of testing.

I have "borrowed" this info from another thread, details kindly provided by @Bluetit1802

"Many people on here use either the Codefree or the Tee2 because the test strips are the cheapest on the market. You can pay between about £7-50 and £30 for 50 strips, so you need to be very careful.

You can't buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here and the meter is free.
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ "
but the strips are slightly more expensive than the Codefree, and there are no discount codes for bulk purchase.

Hope this is helpful, alongside other options available.



edit:typo
 
ashbash28 said:
Hi all, I'm very recently diagnosed with type 2. I'm finding it difficult being so young and also got diagnosed a week before my birthday and Christmas is now coming up. I've been looking at posts and ideas for food etc and I've been cutting down on carbs/trying not to have them as much as I can. My blood sugar was fine two years ago and I know my life had spiralled out of control along with my weight. I lost a stone in two weeks but it has now stopped. Along with diabetes I was also diagnosed with an underactive thyroid...anyway, just looking for some help really and support as my family don't understand and eat takeaways a lot...which is driving me mad! But still sticking to things as I want to change my life. Struggling with exercise though :/ anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to speak to some of you soon!
Click to expand...

I was diagnosed as type 2 in September with an Hba1c of 97, it was **** but weirdly I no longer see it that way. I’m now a stone and a half lighter (wasn’t massively overweight before) and have used low carb to be healthier as I’ve come to realise my diet was awful before diagnosis. I have a natural competitive nature and so use that to try to beat science and what most doctors will tell you in that you cannot reverse this condition. My aim in life is now to do just that. I, like you am only young (34) and there is no way I am letting this condition take over my life. I see it as a positive challenge in that if I can control it I not only get to live normally but I also get to live a much healthier life which cannot ever be a bad thing. Had my 3 month Hba1c a couple of weeks ago and I’m down to 45 so part one of my challenge is complete, part 2 is maintaining that and I fully intend on doing that. It’s all about being positive, it is what it is, you just need to learn to live with it because there is no other way and once you have the hang of it, it’s not that hard. Good luck.
 
Hi @ashbash28 and welcome to this rather exclusive club! You are in the same position we all were in when first diagnosed - totally bewildered and overwhelmed. There is so much to learn and it doesn't come quickly. I'm two years since diagnosis and I still learn something new every week largely thanks to DCUK and its members. I can't comment about your thyroid condition, but I do know from experience that for myself and a great many other T2s a LCHF diet does have a remarkable influence on lowering blood glucose. I also know, as you seem to do, that ready meals/takeaways are packed with sugars and carbs and are best avoided, so stick to your guns on that issue, it's your health you have to think about first and foremost.
You've already shed a significant amount of weight, but I wouldn't worry too much about a halt in weight loss, managing diabetes isn't a sprint it's a marathon. From what I've been reading/viewing recently exercise seems to be largely incidental in managing weight loss and is secondary to intake of carbs/energy, though exercise does have many other important health benefits.
To add to the suggestions already made regarding materials etc, the book by Dr David Cavan, Reverse Your Diabetes is a good primer about about diabetes and diet, it helped me understand the condition and how I could adopt a diabetes friendly diet and has been significantly helpful in reducing my own BG to a pre-diabetic level.
 
I trust you have Walmart in the UK. They sell meters and strips that are really cheap. At least here they do. The strips are about 20 cents each. That's way cheaper than anywhere else except online where I buy mine for the same price in bulk.
 
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