newly diagnosed and not sure!

[hpotter44]

Hi My name is Hayley and after a stroke I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. I was having treatment for Migraine associated vertigo for 4 years up until the stroke. They obviously had misdiagnosed me because I feel wonderful and look wonderful too even though I had an extensive left frontal Thrombotic
Lobe (Stroke). I lost the use of my right side and I could only say two words that were yes or no. Since taking the medication Metaformin I feel better than I have done in the last 4 years.

My only gripe since being diagnosed is with different diabetic nurses not singing from the same hymn sheet. One says one thing and the other says some entirely different. What food does one Eat and should I test my glucose levels regularly? Apparently not I am told and to eat everything in moderation!!! I bought my glucose tester myself and the test strips and finger prickers when I came out of hospital. I want to be able to manage my conditions myself so I thought I was doing right? Yet I am told No because I am taking the medication Metaformin? Am I being told no because its a cost cutting exercise?

I am waiting to be told if I have Heart Failure too because of the stroke so I am going through a very difficult time at the moment and feeling very angry inside too. I am only 44 years of age and recently divorced after 27 years of marriage and left Bankrupt too with no money either and due to the stroke I have had to move home to live in another town with my 70 year old Mum. The only positive side is I speak my mind now with all thats happened to me now and I do believe that this will be the making of me!!!!

Your thoughts and opinions will be appreciated,
Hayley x

 

[ebony321]

hi hayley,

I'm sorry to hear what's happened to you recently

On one hand it's never good when someone else joins the forum, as it means another diagnosis, but on the other hand (my favourite) you've found a very good place to talk to people who are in the same boat and can really understand whats your going through

Daisy is a moderator here, and i'm sure she will be along soon to kindly post some great info that's shared with all members of the forum. It's very pro-active advice/info which you will see is 100% behind managing diabetes and self testing etc. No matter what medication you are on it's alays best to know your levels, then you can act on any you aren't happy with.

Last year my mum who was 44 also at the time, collapsed and went into cardiac arrest, unexpected as the only condition she has is asthma, luckily my nana was home to help her and the fast response was here quick thankfully to save her life.

She was in intensive care for two days before being moved onto a heart ward, they still don't know what happened, they have investigated and investigated to see if she has an underlying condition and nothing was found, eventually she was fitted with a de-fib (shocks her heart if she goes into VF, it's fitted under her collarbone and into her heart)

This was the same year her sister died aged 47 from liver failure due to alcoholism. the year prior to this she split with my younger sisters father partner of 17 years, which happened 3 months after i was diagnosed with diabetes aged 20.

So i sort of understand how terrible things can seem, and how horrible life can be that it not only strikes you once but several times in such a short space of time.

But things have gotten better for me and my family, it takes hardwork to come to terms with things, the way i see it is that things happen that can't be taken back, i can't rewind things and make it different. But i can be positive about it, i can learn from the cruel things that life throws at me and i can turn it into an advantage!

From diabetes i have learnt that i CAN be commited. i AM strong willed and determined. i CAN live a long healthy life. I am more aware of food, exercise and my health in general. I've learnt im not invincible but i've also learnt i'm not made of glass either. I've learnt a great deal more in the past two years than i did the previous 21!

I hope the best for you with your heart, and i hope things start looking up for you too. I assure you if you speak your mind and ask anything you like here there are many great people who can help, advise and support you. It's all confusing now i bet, especially with conflicting advice, but after a while you will pick out the advice that better suits you helping you to control your diabetes the best you can.

All the best Hayley i hope some of what i said helps and welcome the the forum

 

[daisy1]

Hi Hayley and welcome to the forum It's a shame that your diabetic nurses don't give you the same information. There are a lot of different opinions on which is the best way to treat diabetes. You are right to have got yourself testing equipment as testing is a very important part of good diabetes management. I take Metformin and test regularly. The important thing is to test before, and 2 hours after meals so you can see which foods you can eat. You should aim for the two levels being similar. You are right - they don't want you to test because of cost. A lot of members have to fund their own testing equipment - strips from ebay and free meters from manufacturers if you ask. Regarding diet, have a look at this information here which was written for new members - this should help you to get good control of your diabetes. If you have any questions please ask as there is always someone here who 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.

 

[hpotter44]

Thanks Ebony321 And Daisy1 for responding to my enquiry! Next time I go to see my Gp and will insist that he provides me with Test strips and finger prickers :wink: Watch this space . Daisy1 thanks to all the links there really helpful.

Again thanks,
Hayley.x