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Newly Diagnosed Need Advise

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LivingWithAPurpose

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Hi. 4 weeks ago, I went to the Dr as I felt nauseous during my morning walk. I thought I was anaemic so the Dr ran a full blood checks and said everything is normal except my BG. My HbA1c was 54 mmol/mol. Repeat BG test was done 1 week later and it was 52 mmol/mol. They said Im now a T2. 1 of the Dr said I don't need to take any tablets and if I can try lowering my BG by low carb diet and exercise. Nurse yet to take other tests next week but she said I need to take the tablets (havent prescribed it though)
That got me confused as Dr & nurse recommended different things.
Secondly, do I need to buy a tester? And if so, what brand is the best/accurate one?
Thirdly, Im wondering if people on this forum are vegan and if they can give me tips as Im leaning more towards changing my diet to plant based. Thank you.
 
Welcome to the forums.

As they've given you conflicting advice you can do either

As regards exercise and diet, the critical thing here is the carbs in your diet. If you are a T2 (the other tests may confirm?) then you don't process carbs well, and reducing the amount of them in your diet should hopefully normalise your bg.

I recommend @JoKalsbeek 's blog on T2 and low carb as a good starting point, and yes you do need a meter.

JoKalsbeek's blog | Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community

Hopefully someone will be along with the current meter advice soon (if not I'll look it up).

As regards vegan and plant-based, it's not impossible but does restrict your low carb choice quite a lot (though if you get a meter it'll tell you what your body can cope with). Here's a link to the vegetarian section of this forum which also has some vegan threads
Vegetarian Diet Forum | Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community
 
OK, @Rachox isn't online now so I'm just cutting and pasting from her post on meters. (And for what it's worth, probably not very much, I'm in New Zealand and use the caresens dual.) The critical thing with meters is the cost of the strips, as they soon outweigh the cost of the meters.

*****************************advice on meters by Rachox*******************************

Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.


Home Health have recently bought out the Gluco Navii, but I haven’t heard any reviews yet, links to strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/

There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively.


Disclaimer, I haven’t used the discount codes that I have quoted recently so I don’t know if they are still current.





Spirit Healthcare have a meter called the Tee2 + found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/

with the strips found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/

Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423


With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
 
Good news is that your not that far over the diagnostic level of 48 so moderate changes to your diet & exercise regime could soon deliver non-diabetic numbers.

Take the advice above on sourcing a meter, it's the most valuable tool you will need.

There are many vegans on this forum but personally I wouldn't advise it as a route of first choice.
Cheese, eggs & meat are all low/zero carb so it automatically removes many tools from your arsenal.

Good luck.
 
Hi @LivingWithAPurpose ,

Isn't it lovely when the people you rely on for information and help, contradict one another? That answers the "do I need to test" question right there. Yeah, you do. It's not likely to be funded, so you want a meter with cheap strips, but the perks of testing: You see what works for you, and what doesn't. A meter won't contradict itself, it's a simple yes or no from that thing. Do you need tablets? At a HbA1c of 52, I'd 100% say, nope. Just low carb/high fat, and you'll be back into the normal range in no time flat. Maybe add walking to your daily regime, if you can. As for vegan, it wouldn't be my personal choice. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and most dairy are zero carb or near it, filling, and absolutely loaded with nutrients. It can be done, it seems, but going without those things does make low carbing a little more complicated. So it would depend wholly on your reason for wanting to go plant-based. How strongly is it motivated, and if the motivator is blood sugar control, it's more a hindrance than a help. Your choice, in the end, and some people here have indeed managed, so it's not entirely out of the question.
Good luck!
Jo
 
Thanks for all your help so gar
 
For all that have replied, thanks for all your help. I will definitely go get myself a new tester and will try the recommended brand mentioned above.

1)How often in a day do I test myself?
2) For the past couple of days, Ive experienced a mild tummy discomfort/ache (not painful but mild & comes and goes.
Anyone experiencing this earlier on theirs diagnosis?
3) I like exercise and I mostly do a slight HIIT type cardio for 40 min 5 days a week, is this ok or should I modify it to just walking or jogging and nothing too energy draining?
4) Is missing meals sometime due to work commitment ok or not?
Thank you all.
 
1/ when you test you need to be able to learn something from that test. A random test is really just a stab in the dark, it tells you nothing about why you are at that level or what you can do about it.
So if you test just before eating, and again 90min to 2hr later you will know what that meal has done to your glucose levels. If your second reading is within 2mmol of the first then you have found yourself a suitable meal, anything over the 2mmol and you needed to have a think about where you can cut some carbs out of that meal or maybe take it off the menu.
2/ I think we all experience gastric problems occasionally but I don't think it is something associated with diabetes
3/ all exercise beneficial and helps burn off that excess glucose. When you start testing you need to bear in mind that it's not just food that can cause our levels to rise. Whenever we are under any stress, emotional or physical our bodies wil release some stored glucose. It can worry some people when they see the higher numbers but getting rid of that stored glucose is definitely a bonus
4/ missing meals ( intermittent fasting )is a strategy that many of us use, it helps use up that stored glucose.
 
Hi @LivingWithAPurpose .

It's your personal detective mystery

Who are the smiling assassin's, lurking in your kitchen.?

Which innocent looking snack is secretly sabotaging your health ?

Most check at waking ..that first feet on the floor experience of the day .

A FASTING blood glucose (FBG.)

It's usually the last to drop, but it gives a clear look at your BG levels after being fully rested and without food.

However beware of dawn phenomenon.

And pre food, it's your base line for checking rises,

Then 2 hours after eating, to check how well YOU can tolerate what it was you ate.

And some check last thing at night, I guess to compare with the next mornings


When starting out, you need lots of data, so plenty of testing early days is the norm, I'd say.

Then once you have a better grasp of how individual good items affect you, it then tails off somewhat

For me, it's 2 meals, rarely any snacks and the morning FBG ...5 times In total.

But early days I was testing more as I still snacked, and I also tested at the hour marker for some meals ...hence why its good to check out the cost of strips, as like a printers ink, they are the ongoing costs
 
You've gotten some excellent answers already, so I'll just add a few tidbits: when I'm stressed, my stomach/gut responds. And getting diagnosed is stressful. So it could just be the stress/trauma of diagnosis? And if you've changed the way you eat, gone low carb/high fat, your insides might need a moment to get used to the new normal. It will though, if you give it a chance. But any change in diet will require a shift in gut bacteria and the like, and that doesn't happen overnight. As for HIIT, that depends wholly on your meter, really. Your BS might go up some due to the physical stress it puts on your body, but at the same time, like Cat said, it does mean whatever's stored in the liver, is on its way out. If you're uncomfortable with rises around physical activity, then walks are an excellent alternative. And you can miss as many meals as you like. It is actually a component of a low carb diet to some. I have two meals a day, I don't have breakfast until about noon, really. It's called Intermittent Fasting, it might be of interest to you.

Good luck!
Jo
 
Thanks all for all your wealth of information. Another question - bowel movement and constipation? Sorry if its TMI - But ever since diagnosed, I only do the "number 2" once per day and not much. Loo trips for wee is alot which is expected but not so much number 2. Am I not alone in this? Hence probably why my tummy bloats regardless of exercise and started clean eating. Anything advice or method to improve this?
 
It's a known problem with T2, and can be pretty unpleasant and painful. I didn't have much bloating. Both the constipation and bloating have largely gone....if you have recently changed to a different diet then it can take your gut a little while to catch up. It can also mean that the frequency changes - can be intervals of a couple of days now, which is rather different to how I was.
 
Like @KennyA said, when you make changes it takes a little while for your gut to catch up. You might have a lot of bacteria that deal with food a, and less that deal with food b, but you're eating more b than a... And that can be a little problematic for a little while as things start to balance out. You might want to try probiotics to get that sorted faster. If that doesn't work, senna pills/capsules could be helpful to get things moving a little. Also, with foods out of the equation that have a lot of carbs, you have less waste. Fats and protein get used more, there's very little that remains of those. Some carnivores for instance, only need to go once every 3 days or so. (And with some, I mean me, haha). There just isn't that much that doesn't get used and needs to be excreted.
 
@JoKalsbeek The probiotics, are they available in shops without needing a prescription or do I need my doctor to prescribe them for me? Any specific probiotics you recommend brand wise if I can buy them without a prescription?
 
LivingWithAPurpose said:
@JoKalsbeek The probiotics, are they available in shops without needing a prescription or do I need my doctor to prescribe them for me? Any specific probiotics you recommend brand wise if I can buy them without a prescription?
Click to expand...
https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-travel-biotic-capsules-60033306 is my preferred choice, but they have a whole lot of various probiotics that pretty much cover the load. Most have a mixture of various bacteria, so all bases usually are covered.
 
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