Newly diagnosed and reeling

[kentgirl]

Hi all,
Just been told l am Type 2 by my GP following blood test. No symptoms at all and to be honest l am SO worried, not helped by being a single parent and the current health crisis!
Would really appreciate some reassurance!

 

[xfieldok]

Don't panic. Do you know what your hba1c number is, if not, ring the surgery to find out.

Most of us control our levels through diet. Read around the forum and ask questions.

 

[kentgirl]

It's 58

 

[mouseee]

58 is not as high as many at diagnosis. 48 is the point at which you are diagnosed. I was over 100!

I only noticed symptoms a couple of weeks before my email to the doctors but after I'd got my blood sugar lower I realised how many things were wrong with me! They all went and I suddenly felt better!

Low carb is the main suggestion around here and it's been proven to work time after time. That over 100 seven months ago? 39 at last test.

You can turn it round very quickly with Low Carb and you have plenty of motivation.

There'll be lots of useful links posted soon but have a good look around here and you'll learn loads!

 

[sno0opy]

I know its easy to say and hard to do, try not to panic.

58 isnt that high which is why you have not had much in the wya of symptoms. Like others i started way higher. It took me a while to get my head round it and i didnt have to deal with this Corona Panic at the same time.

However, the main thing to do is try and get your numbers down which is in your gift to do and while im not giving medical advise the lower your numbers go the lower chances you have of complications from diabetes but possibly also corona.

So:

Main step: Get a blood glucose meter online - they are cheap and easy to use. This is your best tool so you know how what you eat affects your blood glucose levels. Loads of guilds on the forum about this point. But test in the morning and 2 hours after eating and read up or ask questions n here about what it all means.

Second: Using this information, look to cut out as as much carb based foods as you need to such that 2 hours after you eat your levels are nigh too high. So Cakes, sugary stuff, bread, pasta, rice, tropical fruits, juices are probably out. Beans, Lentils, other ground based veg may also be out. Test and see thats the key - you wont know what you can eat without testing what your anomaly eat and making changes based on the results.

Meat, fish, eggs, above ground veg, buts and seeds are all fine.

If you can, i would also take more exercise - the fitter and more active you are the better you process carbs as you muscles need them,

Not got time for a full post now, but seriously take a breath and plan out a response to this then you can beat it.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. As others have said, 58 isn't too bad and you can probably bring it back by going low-carb together with enough proteins and fats to keep you feeling full. Your GP may prescribe Metformin tablets. They are very safe but don't do a lot. Follow the advice from this website and you should be fine. Do get hold of a meter.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi all,
Just been told l am Type 2 by my GP following blood test. No symptoms at all and to be honest l am SO worried, not helped by being a single parent and the current health crisis!
Would really appreciate some reassurance!

A HbA1c of 58? You'll have this licked in no time at all! Meaning, your blood sugars back into the normal range, probably without needing any medication. You'd still be diabetic, but no complications or progression. Order yourself a meter, read up on Low Carb/High fat diets, ( https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html ) and you'll get a grip on this right quick. Getting diagnosed is overwhelming, as is the current Corona crisis, so... While there's little we can do about the pandemic, you can do loads to get your blood sugars under control. At least you're not powerless there.
If you have questions, just shout, there's always someone here with answers.
Hugs,
Jo

 

[Beetlebum]

It's 58

I was diagnosed 5 weeks ago hb1ac 62. Bit of slap round face but got my head round things made changes stop eating **** walking to work and feeling better already just takes time to break old habits. Agree that the current corona crisis isn’t helping

 

[Automon]

I was diagnosed in January with a reading of 173 yes it was huge and come as a massive shock however due to this site I have learned a lot and have been reassured by members and given some great advice on how to control it and control is main word here. My diet has changed for the better I monitor sugar levels constantly and I now find what sends them rising and what keeps them low and believe me with the help from this forum you cant go wrong. A recent blood test shows the levels have dropped to 105 and my medication now has been reduced. I feel better in myself energy is returning and I now look after my body better than I have ever done, so once you get over the initial shock start monitoring your sugar level with a monitor and change your diet you will see the level drop and you may get away with diet alone. Good luck with you next results

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welcome,

It is totally normal to feel overwhelmed and worried when you are diagnosed. It can feel like there is a steep learning g curve and I certainly felt a real grief when I realised how much my food choices would have to change. But this site is awesome and the people here understand how you feel and are willing to offer advice and support.

It isn't the en do of the world- read around, ask questions and vent when you need to. There are people here who say the result of their diagnosis has meant that after making some changes in their diet they are healthier than ever before- so you don't need to believe that it is the progressive illness many of the medical profession think it is.

Good luck and welcome.

 

[kentgirl]

Huge thank you to all those who replied and reassured me. I haven't started metformim yet and undecided what to do. Would like to get my levels down without medication if l can, but this corona saga has kinda overtaken everything.
My mother is also Type 2 and says she regrets starting Metformin, so that doesn't help my decision making!
Going to try and speak to my GP this week.
Out of interest, how many others also have high cholesterol?
Also wonder what the average dosage is when starting Metformin?
Thanks again.

 

[xfieldok]

Knowing what I know now, I would try diet only first. Get a copy of The Diabetes Code by Dr Jason Fung, you can get it on Kindle. Dr Fung also does YouTube videos.

 

[kentgirl]

Knowing what I know now, I would try diet only first. Get a copy of The Diabetes Code by Dr Jason Fung, you can get it on Kindle. Dr Fung also does YouTube videos.

Can l ask why you have that view too?

 

[xfieldok]

Hba1c 122 on dx, 4 months later 35. Pretty anal on keto though.

 

[HSSS]

I started on 55. 3 months later it was 44 low carbing no medication. Many do even better than me from higher starting points. You can always add metformin in later if you feel you need it if reluctant to start. Or drop it later once you’ve got the hang of low carb if you want the extra help. It doesn’t do as much as diet anyway if you’re serious about making change


Lots of us start with higher cholesterol. It’s part of the whole metabolic dysfunction that ends up in diabetes. Low carbing and getting our metabolism under control usually improves it all by itself.

Statins have a whole host of issues and problems not least is their propensity to raise glucose levels. Cholesterol may well not be the issue some drs see as and total numbers are pretty much meaningless regardless. But those are another entire conversation - to be had before you accept statins I’d advise.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Huge thank you to all those who replied and reassured me. I haven't started metformim yet and undecided what to do. Would like to get my levels down without medication if l can, but this corona saga has kinda overtaken everything.
My mother is also Type 2 and says she regrets starting Metformin, so that doesn't help my decision making!
Going to try and speak to my GP this week.
Out of interest, how many others also have high cholesterol?
Also wonder what the average dosage is when starting Metformin?
Thanks again.

High cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic liver disease, put them together and you have something called Metabolic Syndrome. So it's a combination that happens a lot, of all or a bunch of those. Basically, if you tackle one of them (diabetes through low carb eating), the others follow suit. I had almost all of it, my liver was so fatty they thought it was one big tumor. Except for high blood pressure, that one was normal... Now my blood pressure's usually low, but my fatty liver's gone, I'm overweight but no longer morbidly obese, and a month or two into low carbing I could ditch the statins for my cholesterol.

If your mum regrets metformin... I was only on it for a short period of time, it's not a life sentence. Low carb, and don't need medication. Could well be an option for her too. Metformin usually gets started on with the lowers dose, (can't from the top of my head remember what it was though), as its side effects can be absolutely brutal. Which is why quite a few of us tried a different route.

 

[pixie1]

Huge thank you to all those who replied and reassured me. I haven't started metformim yet and undecided what to do. Would like to get my levels down without medication if l can, but this corona saga has kinda overtaken everything.
My mother is also Type 2 and says she regrets starting Metformin, so that doesn't help my decision making!
Going to try and speak to my GP this week.
Out of interest, how many others also have high cholesterol?
Also wonder what the average dosage is when starting Metformin?
Thanks again.

I had high cholesterol and fatty liver on first diagnosis. My A1c was relatively low at 53 in comparison.
Low carbing, brought my cholestral down, also normal liver function.

Good luck

 

[copilost]

Going to try and speak to my GP this week.

You could try diet only first and have a check up in three months, that's what i agreed with my diabetes nurse. She was really supportive. It gave me time to calm down and learn (this site/community was really helpful). It really was a bit of a shock and for me was "oh no not another thing that i have to deal with", I burst into tears when the nurse told me I had T2! mostly because I simply didn't have the energy to cope with yet another thing. Turns out that fixing my diet also fixed the exhaustion. A strong recommend for the low carb diet from me. Turns out all that brown rice, pasta, beans etc with low fat was making me feel ghastly.

Wishing you all the best and keep safe.