Newly diagnosed and introduction

Yes, you have made the first positive steps in controlling your diabetes. Have a good look around the forum and website, there is plenty of helpful people on here who have had experience first hand at control. @daisy1 will be along to give you the introductory posts follow the advise.
Please ask any questions, welcome to the forum and merry Christmas.

What a terrible time to be told! At least you have really made positive steps!

Keep posting, keep asking, let us know how you are doing.

Ho, ho, ho!

Hello Disky and welcome! What an unfortunate time to find you have Diabetes .. oh well, guess there's never a good time but you've come to the eright place, you will get heaps of tips, advice and info on here to help you on your journey. Merry Christmas!

Hi and welcome. You've already started on the right route so just keep at it.

Disky said:

Hi, my names Raymond and like most people I came across this site because I was diagnosed with Type2 on 23/12/2014 and I was so scared of the unknown I decided to see what I can do to make healthy changes..

When I was told by my GP that I was defo diabetic I was completely gutted, scared and unsure of what the future held for me..

I came across this site and suddenly the world started to be a bit brighter, and then I decided I was quite happy getting the news that I was type 2, as I can now change things for the better, which I would not have normally done.

I've read a bit on here about glucose meters and why it can be important to self monitor, so, took the step and asked on Facebook for recommendations for a decent one. Wow !!! I had no idea the amount of friends and business acquaintances that actually have diabetes of some sort. I now feel a bit more comfortable with it knowing I'm not alone and that there's always someone at the end of a keyboard that can help or even just listen.

This doesn't mean much to me at the moment but the results of 1st blood test at the gp was a whopping 19, I now know it should be along the 6 route.

Started cutting carbs straight away, on metformin at 1 a day for a week, then up to 2.

Basically, that's me, so, I'm glad I found this place as is have a great deal to learn, and a fight to fight to kick this back to where it should be

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You have come to the right place for support , ask any question and someone will try to help. Cutting the carbs will make a big difference to your readings .daisy 1 will give you good advice soon .

Best wishes

Welcome Disky .
Understand how you must be feeling being told
this diagnosis and news so close to Christmas .

I was told on 30th dec 2009 at 6.50pm - totally ruined my new year for myself .
Was furious when was told this news as just battled both pneumonia and septis infections off .

You can and will find a way through - as I did
This forum helped me immensely and provided me with crucial support
when I needed it most .
Alongside my great DSN (diabetes specialist nurse) and fabulous GP .

Ask any questions you need .
Someone will be willing to help and support you here .

Hi Disky, welcome and well done for being proactive, you can manage this! And Merry Christmas!

@Disky

Hello Disky, Merry Christmas. What a time to discover you are diabetic! I hope you will have a lovely day.

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to 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 over 130,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.

Disky said:

Woooo Hoooo, just ordered an Accu-Chek Mobile

hope it comes soon so i can keep check of this, as it will help me understand what i can and cant eat

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Hi Disky and welcome,

Brilliant to see you are being proactive in fighting this disease. Keep on this track and you won't go far wrong.
One word of warning about the Accu Chek Mobile. I have one, and it is a good, convenient, easy to use meter. However, the replacement strip cassettes are very expensive, and initially you will need a lot of them. One cassette of 50 does not last long! You will find the cheapest cassettes on eBay. I ended up buying a different meter with the cheap strips, the same as many of us on here use. (SD Codefree) Not as convenient, but much easier on the purse, and even cheaper when you use the promo codes for bulk buys. http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

Also have a look at this thread if you are cutting carbs http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

Keep posting, ask questions, and good luck.

Warm welcome aboard Mike

Hi and welcome to the team. Everyone is fantastic here, you will not be alone in your journey!