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Newly diagnosed and overwhelmed

J

jondt

Newbie
Messages
3
Hello,

I was diagnosed with diabetes this week. The Dr left a voicemail in which he referred to me as a 'new diabetic' but that's the only info I have- I don't even know which Type it is at the moment, but I'm assuming Type 2. I'm 48 and haven't had a particularly healthy diet, although not a massively unhealthy one either. I've been put on 4x metformin per day and Avorastatin.

I'm feeling very overwhelmed as literally the only thing I've been told is that I'm diabetic and there aren't even any phone appointments until next week, although I do have an eye screening on Monday. There seems to be so much information to take in and some of it seems contradictory.

So far this week I've cut carbs out almost completely, and have stopped drinking alcohol. I'm also taking more exercise.

But I'm very teary and depressed, and can't get out of feeling that everything has changed in a dark and dangerous way. I'm also conscious that some of the things that turned out to be symptoms- especially some numb patches on my feet, frequent urinating and unexplained hunger- are things that I've had for a while so I'm worried about how far the condition may have progressed. I don't know whether I'm on a high or normal dose of the medication, for example, or if the eye screening is standard or a sign that they're worried.

I don't really know what I should be doing, and I feel like the diagnosis is weighing very heavily on me- it's all I can think about. I know these worries and helpless feelings are to be expected under the circumstances, but I'm very sad and scared. I know I have to wait it out but I just want to get to a point where it's something I'm able to live with and where I'm not worried or weeping all the time.

Any help or advice would be very gratefully received.
 
Hello and welcome.
It looks as though your GP is assuming you are type two, as that is the standard prescription.
Type two is in its simplest form, an inability to deal with the amount of carbohydrates we are told to eat these days.
When you speak to your GP it would be useful to have more information - your Hba1c, which is shorthand for glycated haemoglobin - it indicates how much glucose was in your blood for how long, and the level of glucose in your blood when the sample was taken.
The eye screening is standard and should be done yearly just to check, like the foot check.
I am an ordinary type two, and I can't really complain about the diet - I only need to eat twice a day, at 12 hour intervals, but when I don't have scrambled eggs with cheese and some salad, I might have steak with mushrooms and sweet peppers, or sausages or bacon and eggs - and that is just breakfast. In the evening I might have stew or curry, or a stir fry and roast meat or cooked fish.
I make a low carb bread, cheese waffles, almond flour chocolate cake - there are recipes online.
Your prescriptions will all be free now, but you will probably have to buy your own testing meter if you want to monitor your response to diet.
I got a Tee2+ meter from Spirit Healthcare - which you can have free of VAT if you register on the website and then confirm by email. I am told that if you contact them by phone they might give you a free meter kit if you order several pots of strips, and depending on how you feel about changing the lancets, a box of those. I change the lancet almost every time, as I am usually only testing once in a blue moon these days, but when starting off you need to test fairly frequently, but there is a use by date on the test strips.
 
Hi and welcome firstly.

To receive a diagnosis by voicemail is hugely disappointing although unfortunately not surprising to me.

It can be a very frightening place to be when diagnosed out of the blue. I was quite lucky in that I expected my diagnosis so wasn't surprised and had found this forum a couple of weeks beforehand so had a head start on the nonsense that the Diabetes Nurse spouted when we eventually go to talk.

First thing is try to find out your HbA1c level that has led to your diagnosis from that you can see how "bad" your T2 is.

Second thing Id recommend is to get a blood glucose monitor so you can start to measure your blood sugar levels at home.

Cutting carbs is definitely the best way to go so you are doing the right thing there.

Statins are a bit of a pet hate of mine so without knowing what your full lipid panel results were I'd probably hold off starting on them. They have been known to raise blood sugar levels which at the moment is precisely what you want to avoid doing.

Feel free to ask anything here and whilst your are concerned for many of us diagnosis was a wake up call to turn our health around and get well again.... its not necessarily all bad!
 
Welcome. I would suggest ringing the surgery and asking for your HBA1C results. They should have given those to you at the time so you know your starting point. Waiting a week will just make you worry more. You may be pre diabetic or they may indeed be higher. Ring up for the numbers. Whatever the result you can sort it. Don’t look backwards. Look forwards and ask lots of questions on here. I am Type 1 but am sure many type 2s will come on and give support.
The eye test is general across the board nothing to panic about and great you have an appointment so quickly.
 
Hi and welcome to the club you didn't want to join. Being "diabetic" can seem overwhelming at first but stick with it.

The eye screening is absolutely standard - diabetes is diagnosed at an HbA1c of 48 precisely because diabetic retinopathy is "rare" beneath that figure, so everyone diagnosed gets screening. You are probably right that you have had diabetic symptoms for years. I had symptoms for over ten years pre-diagnosis but was told (despite the symptoms) that I didn't have diabetes.

The good news is that getting your BG back into normal range should reduce your symptoms - mine fell away really quickly, although I had a couple of new ones during the transition and in the early months of normal. My guess is that the body system is out of whack and needs time to reset: while that's happening symptoms appear. I still have a bit of foot tingling but it's at 5% of what it used to be.

The other good news is that low-carb works, but some willpower needed. I was back at normal readings in four months, and others have brought their BG down from much higher levels more quickly. You do need a meter because (in my opinion) you need to test and see which carbs in what quantities raise your BG unacceptably. Then you cut those out. Example - I react really badly to pastry but am relatively OK with chickpeas. Both have carbs but one is a cereal and the other is a legume (I think). So I (unfortunately) never have pastry but can manage moderate portions of chickpeas within a daily carb allowance of about 20grams, which is what works for me. Other people will have different experiences, and you need to find out what your pattern is.

Final point: try to forget everything you think you know about "healthy food". We have had a relentless barrage of "base all your meals around starchy carbohydrates" and "eating fat will give you heart disease" from the NHS and the media. For T2s like me that diet is positively unhealthy - it's the diet I was eating up to the point of diagnosis. I have friends who simply can't understand how I'm losing weight by eating a higher proportion of fat and red meat. According to them I should have had several coronaries by now - instead my lipids are the best they've been for ever and I didn't even have the statin discussion last time I was reviewed (first time without a statin discussion for about 20 years) because my bloods "are fine".

So - stick with it. It can and will get better. I put together a "six things that helped me" list based on my first year after diagnosis which you can get to via the link in my signature. Might be useful. Also look at dietdoctor for low carb options for food and alcohol. Best of luck - this forum is really helpful and there are a range of views and opinions to listen to and learn from.
 
Wanted to join in saying welcome, and sorry to hear you got your diagnosis via voicemail — a doctor really should speak to you for that kind of info.

It can be a big shock and it’s normal to feel worried and upset. But knowing there are things to do to help yourself (testing with a meter, cutting carbs, weight loss if indicated/wanted) might help you see that you can turn things in a better direction and even enjoy life.
 
Hi and welcome. As others have said do get hold of a glucose meter and keep going with the low carb diet. Alcohol isn't a problem other than beer & Cider will have carbs. We all have eye screening called Retinopathy. Damage is only normally present in the longer term if your BS has been poorly controlled. Get access to your surgery's online system with test results so you can see the results of future blood tests before you meet with the nurse.
 
Welcome!

post your stats, blood test results, weight & height, your current diet so we can give suggestions, get a meter. At 48 you can most likely get this under control.
 


Hi, I have had exactly the same call from my Medical practice, with an telephone appointment booked for a week later. So, I started researching to find out as much information as possible, and I'm still learning. After purchasing a blood glucose monitor I started taking tests and found my average was approx 9.0. I started an strict exercise regime and a low carb diet. I have started to lose weight (because I need to) and I will fight this diabetes as I have fought COPD and Asthma, I believe a positive attitude is required for any health problem because we can overcome,
 
I'd like to thank everyone who took the trouble to reply- it's so much appreciated. I kind of hid from the thread for a couple of days because there was so much to take in, but I've read and digested everything- you're all so kind, thank you.
 
jondt said:
I'd like to thank everyone who took the trouble to reply- it's so much appreciated. I kind of hid from the thread for a couple of days because there was so much to take in, but I've read and digested everything- you're all so kind, thank you.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your opennes. It will be a hard way, but I belive in you
 
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