Newly Diagnosed ...kind off 1 year on

Hi @steveis36 ..
Since joining this forum, 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 can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

You will come across a lot of conflicting information around but the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose 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 see that @ daisy1 has already been in touch with you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she has sent you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Unless you are prescribed a test meter and strips by your doctor (unlikely), it is a top priority that get yourself one and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps

steveis36 said:

Hi
Yes i have 2 meters Accu aviva
And jazz (from doc)
Both give me 2 differant reading
One could give me 8mmol and the other 13mmol.
Yeah i am watching my carb intake and i am trying a intermitent fasting once a month.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

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My advice is to put one meter away and only use it in emergencies. Using two is just confusing and counter productive. You are looking for trends and trends in the amount you rise from before to after meals so you can learn which foods your body can cope with. It isn't coping too well at the moment from what you say. Over a period of time, any meter discrepancies will sort themselves out, swings and roundabouts.

Are you keeping a food diary and recording your before and after levels alongside? This will show you at a glance if your food choices are causing problems for you.

Test immediately before you eat
Test again 2 hours after first bite
Keep any rise from before to after under 2mmol/l maximum, preferably a lot less.
If you are more than this, your meal has too many carbs in it.
This way is the best way to learn. It is called eating to your meter.

There is no need to cut out chocolate - just don't eat the ones which are loaded with sugar.
I have some small bars, sold in a pack of 5 which are down in the teens as far as carb count, and high in cocoa.
There are some which have artificial sweetener, but you need to be careful with them as they can be a bit explosive for some people.
I manage to keep my blood glucose down and also get normal Hba1c results by eating low carb foods, avoiding or eating only small amounts of the foods which would raise my BG. I see good results all round after less than a year from diagnosis.

steveis36 said:

Hi all
Ok,..my doctor says i have T2 but i havent got any of the symptons (rageing thurst,constantly tired,peeing alot etc)

I guess 1 year on i havent really took it very seriously but saying this i went back to doctor for my yearly check up and my mmol was an around 14mmol which was better than last year (so i was told)

I did try Metformin which i didnt get on with.
This year doc wants me to take 1 aday slow release but diabetic nurse wants me on Glexcide and i heard that it can put weight on, which defeats the object of trying to bring blood sugars and loose weight.

My bg drops into single figures when go out bike ride and i have also notice my bg drop when my heart rate slows down.

I am watching what i eat and i now excercise weights and walk to work (30min aday)

Sorry for this long post but this diabeties is just driving me nuts and cutting out chocolate etc is bloody depessing and hard work, espiecally when you eat pretty healthy i dont drink or smoke

Such a head ache

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Hi steveis36, I was diagnosed in April and I am on 40mg of Gliclazide a day, I have none of the usual symptoms like thirst, peeing a lot, tiredness etc. I am not overweight (9st) and actually lost 6lbs by reducing carbs, weight has stayed at 9st and bg levels consistently between 4 -8, good luck on your journey. Tracy

I completely understand how you feel. I am 18 mths in and still haven't a) accepted it (often feel very low) and b) got a handle on it. I have cut down on carbs lost about 12lbs (stuck at 11 stone - so still overweight). My last HBA1C was 6.7 (but would like lower). I also have Crohns from before.

Last couple of days I have been feeling awful going as low as 4.8 which is a little unusual for me.

Tried slow release and ended up with severe acidity so back to 2 metformin a day. Also now on omeprazole and statin (even though my cholesterol is lower than my non diabetic husband!) - I always feel bloated and sick and everything aches and I'm exhausted.

I think I just have to pull myself out of the low and get in with it.

I think this forum is great though - this is my first time writing.

dp0810 said:

Also now on omeprazole and statin (even though my cholesterol is lower than my non diabetic husband!)

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Hi and welcome,

Good to see you are now doing something about this disease, and this forum is the best place to learn.

Perhaps you would like to check the breakdown of your cholesterol (HDL/LDL/Triglycerides) and then read up about cholesterol and taking statins. The NHS tend to put all diabetics on statins, whether they need them or not. The total cholesterol figure is meaningless as it is just a total of the good and the bad. It could be you have more good than bad! Using the search box on this forum will bring up many hundreds of threads about it. One point that is well known is that statins can raise blood sugar levels, it even warns about this on the instruction leaflets.

dp0810 said:

Last couple of days I have been feeling awful going as low as 4.8 which is a little unusual for me.

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4.8 isn't low. It is excellent. If your body is used to high levels and then for whatever reason (usually a better diet) they drop to more normal levels, your body reacts as though you are too low and you can feel awful. If this is the reason, it will pass. Of course there could be some other reason for feeling awful!