Newly diagnosed over christmas

Hi there,
It was a year ago for me, so this year having got my levels down from 18.6 to 6.1 I have had some trifle....

I am not a low carb person , I eat a balanced diet, I have other health problems, but the diabetic news was a shock, still is in some ways...
Not sure if you ever accept it, just learn to cope , it is not easy...

I do eat rice pasta and potatoes, but I have reduced my portions, and look for lower GL food....
I have got used to green and blacks chocolate, Christmas is so hard, it really seems like it is all about food....

I also take metformin and statins, they seem to work for me, but they are just more meds to take...
I have increased my exercise, I have chronic fatigue, with other problems so I really have to make an effort...but this year my clothes size is a medium rather than a large or a 12 rather than a 16 feel like I am getting my body back....more work still to do this year though...

Hope you come to terms with things and find ways to cope with the shock, there is a lot of data to read, find away that works for you, I really panicked at first, so breath and take your time, get all the support you can, this site can be very supportive and addictive....
Tc best wishes Kat

ways seems worse when diagnosd at xmas time mainly because of the repetative food ads telling you to eat ;p; .. im one month into my diag and doing ok . my sugar was 18.1 wen i was found now im down to 55 on an average day . and im looking at losing 10 stone but will do it like u i had sweet choc tooth but ssoon worked out that was making me sick so now i veiw choc etc as posion to me it works try it,,, theres lots of good friendly people here who like you and i are nebies or vetrans and always have good advice xx

Hi Minirex and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 70,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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.

Hi. Not a nice Christmas shock. Yes, the numb foot could be as a result of diabetes or possibly some other condition. I would suggest you control the daily carb intake as carbs are converted to glucose in the blood and diabetes is a condition where the body can't handle glucose properly. It sounds like you are starting to do all the right things. A lower carb diet will help manage both blood glucose and any excess weight. 85% G&B Dark Chocolate is something I have as it is quite low carb. Steroids are a known cause of diabetes so coming off them should help as well

thats a good start .. my boss gave me box of celebrations for xmas and i told him i was diabetic 2 week b4 so u see people dont understand i gave them away asap to avoid temptation, i find suger free jelly and frozen berries good wen ur choc tooth kicks in .. u are doing the right thing and should be proud of yourself for sarting your journey here along side all of us who are fighting this thing head on well done xx