Newly Diagnosed As Type 2 & Feeling Alone!

[Shoelace1973]

Hello

Last week I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic. I'd had the usual symptoms of extreme thirst, blurred vision etc and a blood test revealed my blood sugars were 20.

I saw the practice nurse, who wanted to put me on insulin there & then! because of the high level. But, as there was no-one at the surgery to monitor/help me with this for the next couple of weeks, she couldn't.

I came away with advice about cutting down sugar/carbs and Metformin tablets to take.

After a week on the tablets (1 a day) and completely cutting out crisps, sweets, chocolate etc. I barely have the energy to push the Hoover round!

Seems logical to me - as I've cut down on food that was giving me energy - or could it be the tablets?

Having had nothing much more than a couple of colds a year, for most of my life (43 yrs) this has all been a massive shock for me!

2 more weeks until I see the nurse again - just worried I may not have the energy to get out of bed by then!

 

[Enclave]

Welcome to the forums, no need to feel alone, you are with friends here. I am tagging @daisy1 who will be along with lots of info for new members. Have a little read of the info, then do return with your questions.

 

[andyfh]

Hi Shoelace,

do you still have the thirst or did the dietary changes & new medecine quickly put a stop to it?

When I started taking metformin and greatly reduced my carb/sugar intake, I completely lost my thirst to the point that I wasn't drinking anymore than 1 cup of coffee a day!!! I became a zombie for a couple of weeks.

Others will no doubt have a lot more to offer than little old me, but do make sure you are drinking plenty.

Chin up

 

[Shoelace1973]

Thank you for your replies

My thirst disappeared after a few days of the tablets & diet change - but still have blurred vision.

I suppose it takes your body a while to adjust to any diet changes.

I was hoping to be able to control it with diet/exercise etc - but the nurse insists my blood sugars are way to high for this.

 

[Shoelace1973]

This is a great forum & I have found out a lot of useful info.

 

[Gingerjan]

Hi I am also newly diagnosed and have decided to try and control with diet. In two weeks I have lost half a stone and my bs readings seem to be going in the right direction. I decided not to take the Metformin and it was put to me by the nurse "do you want tablets or not". I have learned so much from this forum and still learning. I have also upped my exercise. Got arthritis in my knee but losing the weight had meant that I can rejoin my spinning class without the pain.
Good luck

 

[Enclave]

My sugars were in the mid 20's but got to grips with the low carb high fat way of eating and take no medication for my T2
If your going LCHF don't forget to drop all low fat foods for high fat ones .. you need the higher fat to replace the sugar your not getting from the carbs. You will get 'carb flu' as your body adjusts to the lower levels of carbs and sugars in your system ... Should only last a week !

 

[Liam1955]

@Shoelace1973 - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. Have a good read of the information that daisy 1 will post soon. And don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you want.

 

[Shaydollar811]

Hi shoelace1973 welcome I am too recently diagnosed found this forum home good luck and you will be fine..

 

[Shoelace1973]

Thank you Enclave - this has given me some hope. The nurse said I would never be able to control it with diet alone as my sugars were so high.

Am trying to get it as low as possible before my next appointment.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Yes, the blurred vision will take a few weeks to clear. Do ensure you are having a low-carb diet. Can I ask what your BMI/weight is? I'm surprised the nurse thought about insulin as 20 blood sugar is quite high it is not dangerously so and should come down with the right diet and the tablets.

 

[daisy1]

@Shoelace1973

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will always 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 well over 210,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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

 

[Shoelace1973]

Thank you for the info Daisy1.

Daibell - My BMI is 30, with weight at 14st.

 

[neety41]

Blood sugar of 20 IS dangerously high actually!

 

[Mbaker]

@Shoelace1973 It is unfortunate that the PN has not researched what others have achieved with diet and exercise. I began with figures similar to yours as in my signature. Although I was medicated with Metformin, this was at a stage for about year when I was ignorant of low carb. I made good progress on Metformin and a lot of exercise (often excessive), and got A1C down to 42 whilst accidently sabotaging potentially better scores with almost "normal" carbs. Now I am off Metformin, exercise reasonably and eat low carb without going into full ketosis (I have elected to not go the full hog on high fat, as I have gone mid-fat (I always go a little conservative)) and have regular late 4's blood sugar levels. I hope you embrace low carb and achieve your goal of diet and exercise. If you want examples of what others and myself do, just ask.

 

[Shoelace1973]

@Mbaker. 2 weeks of Metformin and cutting down on the '****' I used to eat, my blood sugar is now around 10

My PN is now not coming back for weeks, so am somewhat doing this alone! Perhaps that has done me a favour as I would probably have been on insulin by now!

Saw a Dr recently, who, by chance was also on Metformin - so got some advice - but I had to ask about the A1C test I keep reading about on here!

Hopefully I can continue to get my blood sugars down further.

 

[bigjim19]

hi your in the right place the forum has helped me in last few weeks that i've been here the meds i've got i have only just started
them so i can't comment about them yet but eat what you think you can check the carbs and sugars and keep it healthy

 

[Quirkybee]

Hi Shoelace,

I'm in a similar situation to you and was equally as worried. My hba1c rose to 113, but am on Metformin since x4 daily and the symptoms of thirst blurred vision have dissipated.
I'm looking into the LCHF diet and hoping my reading has come down when it's next tested.

You're not alone, we're all in this together. I can't offer any advice as I'm new to this myself, but I can join you in your worries and concerns and hope that we can reassure each other and other members on here.

 

[Liam1955]

Having a blood sugar meter is essential, it helps you to find out which foods to eat and those to avoid. If you don't have a blood sugar meter? You really ought to purchase one - they are not being issued anymore by GP's or Diabetic Nurses due to cutbacks. If anybody wants the website/link for the SD Codefree Meter just tag me.

 

[Mbaker]

@Shoelace1973 It is unfortunate that the PN has not researched what others have achieved with diet and exercise. I began with figures similar to yours as in my signature. Although I was medicated with Metformin, this was at a stage for about year when I was ignorant of low carb. I made good progress on Metformin and a lot of exercise (often excessive), and got A1C down to 42 whilst accidently sabotaging potentially better scores with almost "normal" carbs. Now I am off Metformin, exercise reasonably and eat low carb without going into full ketosis (I have elected to not go the full hog on high fat, as I have gone mid-fat (I always go a little conservative)) and have regular late 4's blood sugar levels. I hope you embrace low carb and achieve your goal of diet and exercise. If you want examples of what others and myself do, just ask.

This is a significant change in blood sugar score. Metformin effectively lubricates your cells to use the insulin you produce, so accordingly your pancreas must have some active beta cells. If you can reduce your insulin sensitivity your numbers should come down proportionately. If you can exercise, this is a free way to improve your numbers as this will force glucose use, hopefully alongside low carbing will drop your personal fat threshold which will assist with the stability of lower numbers. I am not sure what your position is with exercising, but you could start with walking, building up to higher intensity walking / running, coupled with resistance training with manageable weights.