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Newly diagnosed, confused about carbs

B

brianmt

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago today. I had blood test for a hospital visit, the nurse said had I eaten anything that day I replied shredded wheat , milk, two rounds of toast and jam, she said it didn't matter as she wasn't doing a diabetes test . A few days later \I get a call from my surgery saying the doctor wanted to see me. This is when he said I had diabetes, I was stunned !!! I'm 17st , badly overweight so not totally unexpected, he gave me a prescription and said cut out sugar and I'll see you in a month.
After the initial shock I though " right low carb here we come !!" . A few days later I bought a sd codefree meter and began testing BG varied from 6.1 to 8.9 but I'm still getting to grip with when to do it. < stops for breath>
Here's my question this morning my BG was 4.9 hurrah, really, really pleased had myself scrambled egg and a slice or 2 of smoked salmon with a couple of cherry tomatoes. Just tested my BG again before my lunch and it's 6.9 , what has made it rise ???

ps since being diagnosed I've lost 7 pounds
 
Firstly hello and welcome.
Secondly well done on the weight loss and the reduction in sugars
Now down to your question.. did they tell you what your HbA1c level was when you were diagnosed? That could give a clue as to how sensitive to carbs you are. Also depending on the type of smoked salmon you had both that and the tomatoes can contain carbs which may explain your rise.. As it was the morning it could also be a dawn phenomenon although that usually would have impacted the pre food reading more (but as we are all individuals you could be different). Check the carb content of the salmon on the back of the packet as I think some cures use sugar. I guess you are keeping a food diary with your blood glucose levels? If not it can be a good idea just so have a record of which foods are causing spikes. Did you have a drink with breakfast? That may have had an impact too. On the whole though it looks like you are doing really well .. so have a pat on the back.
 
Hi @brianmt .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like yourself and many others, I was shell-shocked with no information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

You seem to be on the right track for managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose .. this seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and i suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Hope this helps
 
Welcome to the forum brianmt
You have made a brilliant start, getting yourself a meter and cutting back on carbs is definitely the way to go.
It's not just what you eat that impacts sugar levels, for me any vigorous activity will see my levels rise where as a gentle walk will reduce them. Congratulations on the weight loss, well done.
 
There are lots of things which may cause blood sugars to rise without eating carbohydrates. For example a response to stress is for glucose to be released into your blood which would prepare you for fight or flight. Another example could be a response to higher intensity exercise. (I was 19 after my hockey match on Wednesday).

You sound like you're making really positive progress. Over time, you will get to know how your body reacts to different foods/activities. Keep going!
 
Just looked at the salmon and it is very low in carbs, The cherry tomatoes are really sweet though so maybe them. THe doctor told me nothing, I will be requesting a printout from him . I do keep a food diary and I'm becoming very strict with it. I use one note on office365 so that I can update from my phone when out , works very well. Yesterday I was feeling a bit strange looked up the side effects of crestor and it would be easier to say what side effect I didn't have, binned them, feel better already !! thanks for the reply
 
Hi and welcome aboard,

Do ask for a print out of the test results (or ask if your surgery puts them on-line and how to register for this). You need to know which tests you had and where you are starting from. If the test was an HbA1c (and this is the normal one used for diagnosis) the very carb heavy breakfast you had will have made no difference at all because this tests averages your glucose levels over the previous 2 to 3 months. However, it will have affected your triglyceride levels if you had a cholesterol test. This will be on your print out.

I agree with what all the others have said about your pre-lunch rise. There is also another possibility that either one of your tests could have been rogue readings, which happens to us all. Whenever you see a genuinely unexpected level it is best to do a re-test after making sure your hands are clean, rinsed, and dried.
 

A few years ago I went on the atkins diet to lose weight for a wedding lost , lost over 2 stone in a few months , so I know the low carb approach works, This time my goal is to lose 2 stone and then take it from there , I really need to get rid of 4 st if I'm honest. Thanks for the reply
 
my next question is how the hell do you cope with pincushion fingers, They're sore !!!!!!!
 
Feel a bit of a fool now, just came back in from a 4mile bike ride and HID made my hoover the living room, It was the hovering wot dun it !!!!
 
Hi @brianmt ..
You can and you will .. If you look at the numbers on my sig block (below) you will see that I lost 22.7 kg (3st 8 lbs) between Feb 7 and May 25 .. my weight today is 80.2kg, which is an overall loss of 25.9 kg (4st 1lb) .. all done through LCHF, exercise and intermittent fasting
 
Even if you did get an increase in blood glucose after the salmon breakfast, the result was not a high one.
It took me a few weeks to get my levels below 8 after meals, even ones very low in carbs.
If you can keep the two hours after meals levels to 7 or 8 then they should, with any luck start to go lower as you recover from the effects of high blood sugar and hopefully begin to lose weight. Being type 2 diabetic seems to make it really hard to lose weight, but I found I needed to eat more strawberries and cream - no complaints there then.
 
brianmt said:
my next question is how the hell do you cope with pincushion fingers, They're sore !!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum and a big well done on getting your BG under control so quickly.

As for sore fingers.... been there / done that - and. yes, it does hurt.

The best idea is to use the side of your fingers tips - not the bit where your fingerprint is - and don't use the same one all the time. I don't use my thumbs because they seem to hurt more than the fingers do (I have no idea why).
 
brianmt said:
my next question is how the hell do you cope with pincushion fingers, They're sore !!!!!!!
Click to expand...
After testing 5 or 6 times a day for over 10 years, I would say you just get used to it.
However, there are a few things that help
- rotate your fingers. I don't mean do a hand-jive I mean take it in turns which finger you prick. I have come up with a strategy that helps me ensure I keep the rotation even. I prick my left hand on odd numbered dates (e.g. 1st May, 23rd June, 17th July) and right hand on odd numbered dates (e.g. 2nd May, 24th June, 18th July). OK so there are more odd dates than even but in the grand scale of things it doesn't make much difference. Then I split up the day into four chunks: little finger for any pricks from just before breakfast until just before lunch; ring finger for any pricks from just before lunch to before tea; fore-finger from just before tea to just before I go to bed; and pointy finger for when I go to bed and any time I wake up in the middle of the night.
- don't prick the middle of the finger pad. This hurts. Try to prick on the side of the pad. This may take some trial and error because, if you prick too far round, it seems to bleed forever.
- make sure you have an adjustable pricker and choose the minimum level of prick to suit your fingers. This may vary at different times. For example, when your hands are hot, your blood is likely to be closer to the surface so you bleed easier and don't need to prick as deep. If you keep up the finger pricking, you may find your flesh gets tougher so you will need a deeper prick over time.
- don't force the blood out. If your hands are cold, the blood may not want to flow. Don't force it by pressing your fingers: this could cause a painful bruise. Instead, shake your hands (but careful if you have already pricked your finger and you are wearing a white shirt!), warm your hand on the side of your cup of coffee (or tea) and try again.

If all else fails and you are feeling flush, you could invest in Libre flash monitor.

I hope the sore fingers don't stop you keeping an eye on your BG. Keep up the good work.
 
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brianmt said:
Feel a bit of a fool now, just came back in from a 4mile bike ride and HID made my hoover the living room, It was the hovering wot dun it !!!!
Click to expand...

I can confirm that about the hoovering. Happens to me all the time, also cleaning windows and the kitchen floor! Solution - no more housework.
 
@brianmt

Hello Brian and welcome to the Forum To help you to get started, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find this useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone 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 235,000 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
  • 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Biggest problem for me is understanding what is expected, the comments left have assured me I am doing something right. As to losing weight It's dropping off me but there again I had a lot to start with, still have
 
You might like to look at Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution - there are copies on line or for pennies. I use it and my last results are normal - the later books from the Atkins Corporation aren't really worth bothering with, you need Dr A himself.
 
brianmt said:
Biggest problem for me is understanding what is expected, the comments left have assured me I am doing something right. As to losing weight It's dropping off me but there again I had a lot to start with, still have
Click to expand...
I try to keep my blood sugars under 6 even after eating. But it took me about 6 months of low carbing to get there consistently and I can still have higher readings sometimes but usually only after eating higher carb meals (which is rare for me). You are getting good readings after 2 weeks which is great - 4.9 is brilliant especially as a lot of us have higher morning readings.
Have you seen the blood sugar table here
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
This shows where abouts you are. Hope that helps a bit
 
brianmt said:
Biggest problem for me is understanding what is expected, the comments left have assured me I am doing something right. As to losing weight It's dropping off me but there again I had a lot to start with, still have
Click to expand...

The weight dropping off is likely due to a lower insulin level in your body, and hence shows you are doing a lot right. You also need to exercise a bit to build up muscles as they help to control BG levels.

I expect that provided you are eating some green salad and a selection of veg (try for 5 colors a day) if you just keep doing what you are doing then due to the weight lose you will soon get your BG under very good control and your complete health will be a lot better then it has been for a long time.

If you wish to understand "low carb" well, have a read of the "living low carb" book, but it will take you at least a few days to read it, as it has lots of details.
 
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