Newly diagnosed Type 2 a week ago

[gaz tred]

Hi everyone,

My name is Gaz, I am 46 and was diagnosed type 2 on Monday. Initially I went to the doc with chest pains about a month ago. I had a contrast media ct scan and thankfully heart is fine. However during the routine bloods my first fasting test was deemed a little high?? I did a subsequent fasting test which was 59.9? I have no idea what chart or Scale this comes from? I then did a test that maps my sugars over a three month period and the result was 50, again not idea what this relates to. My doc has put me immediately on metformin. To be honest I am not keen on taking it but have started. I would prefer to try a diet and exercise regime first. A little about me, I am around 5'9", I weight 16st 7llb or 231llb. Yes I am over weight but relatively fit. I still play football twice a week. Currently I don't have a great diet and I do drink significantly over the rda. Probably a couple of pints a day and several more at the weekend. Obviously this has changed since Monday, no beers and just chicken and leafy veg all week.
Is it possible for me to get back into a non diabetic reading on these tests? I know I can shift the weight, I have done so before doing Atkins and lost 4 stone in 16 weeks. I read a study that said that VLCD 800 cal a day can reverse type 2. Has anyone tried this?
Should I speak to the GP and stop the metformin and try to go the diet route alone? I know that the change is relatively recent as I had diabetes blood test about 18 months ago and was all clear?

Any info great fully received as I am really worried about the future and a life time of drugs which really isn't for me!

 

[jack412]

First buy a codefree meter and strips off amazon uk
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

Metformin will take 3 weeks to kick in

Drink low carb beer or dry wine or spirit in small quantities (because of metformin)

Look at the lchf diet that a lot of us here follow

There is a Newcastle page here for the 800cal

And it's normal to be in a panic

 

[sanguine]

Hi Gaz, welcome.

I'm not sure what the units of that 59.9 fasting test are, but the 'three month' test at 50 will be what is called an HbA1c. 50 is not actually that high, and with diet and exercise there is no reason why you can't get back to normal levels fairly quickly (months). You will probably still be diabetic but sufficiently controlled to minimise the risk of future complications. The metformin will help, if you don't want to take it you should discuss with your GP and agree a diet and exercise programme to convince him/her to defer it pending next review (this is what I did from a HbA1c of 65, quite a bit higher than yours.)

As for diet, many of us do Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) - carbs is what you need to drop very significantly, especially potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. See www.dietdoctor.com/LCHF for more info. You should also get yourself a test meter such as SD Codefree from Amazon - this will help you determine which foods spike your blood sugars and which don't.

It's all a bit daunting at first but you're in a good place here. Don't panic, read around and ask questions.

 

[this is too difficult]

Hi Gaz an HbA1c of 50 is not too bad. I sugest you do as Sanguine says.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Gaz 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 like 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 over 100,000 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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi Gaz and welcome. Some very good advice from all the above posters. I can't add anything, but do come back with any questions and keep us informed of your progress.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. I would continue with the Metformin as it does help reduce insulin resistance which you will have as an overweight T2. Do follow the advice to low-carb. Think carbs not calories as these are the cause of higher blood sugar and much of the weight gain many experience. Many popular diets talk about calories not carbs but the latter are more important for us and in fact most people who want to lose weight. Make up as needed with proteins, fats and non-root veg. Set a daily limit of, perhaps, 150gm and see how it goes.

 

[gaz tred]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the responses

Gaz


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[gaz tred]

So took you guys advice and my codefree meter arrived today when I got home from work. So had dinner, couple of chicken breasts and some salad. Had salad for lunch also and breakfast was two poached eggs and a sausage. 2 hours after this evenings meal did my first bg test, 6.5 mol/l. Read in the codefree instruction book it says that a normal non diabetic, 2 hour post evening meal reading should be <7.7mmol/l. Does that mean my 6.5 mmol/l is good or bad??


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[jack412]

It means it's good, well done
Less than is what the < means

This site is good, have a look at the how to lower page
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

 

[gaz tred]

@jack412

So does that mean I might not be diabetic t2? I was only diagnosed last Monday?
I will post my fasting readings in the morning.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[jack412]

My guess is you don't have very bad insulin resistance to get it down quick.
You are now a diet controled diabetic

If you like after your fasting test, drink 75g of sugar in water need to dissolve in hot water and test 2 hr after
It's not accurate and an indication as you are also lc'ing. If the reading is over 11 you're diabatic

 

[Bluetit1802]

My guess is it reflected the dinner you had. Salad and chicken breasts won't raise your levels unless you had something with it. Did you test before the meal? You need to do that so you can see the difference. 6.5 is good though.

Your diagnostic HbA1c test result shows you are diabetic. Sorry, no getting away from it just yet! However, well done on your first reading.

 

[gaz tred]

My guess is you don't have very bad insulin resistance to get it down quick.
You are now a diet controled diabetic

If you like after your fasting test, drink 75g of sugar in water need to dissolve in hot water and test 2 hr after
It's not accurate and an indication as you are also lc'ing. If the reading is over 11 you're diabatic

Thanks jack,

Stupid question but I don't have any scales. How much is 75g in say teaspoons full of sugar??

 

[Bluetit1802]

You need some scales! You can get cheap kitchen scales from Amazon. The jug type are often the best as you can weigh liquids and solids, and make sure they are digital. I couldn't have managed without my scales initially as I used them to measure my carbs so I knew exactly how many I was eating. You can't go on a low carb diet if you don't know how high or low you are. Once you get used to seeing suitable portions on your plate you won't need the scales as much.

If you want to go down the 75g of sugar route, you can ask your doctor for a test. Personally I wouldn't bother at this stage, but its up to you. Home sugar tests aren't reliable unless you know what you are doing.

 

[jack412]

It's about a third of a cup

 

[gaz tred]

It's about a third of a cup

Wow, a third of a cup is loads. I will give it a miss for now and see how my reading progress. I did Atkins several times but never really bothered weighing foods out too much. Once crashed 4 stone off on it but always put it back on again

 

[jack412]

Don't blaim you, I would go with you being diabetic and easily diet controlled

You need to get a way of eating you are happy with for the rest of your life

 

[this is too difficult]

Thanks jack,

Stupid question but I don't have any scales. How much is 75g in say teaspoons full of sugar??

15

 

[Pipp]

Hi everyone,

My name is Gaz, I am 46 and was diagnosed type 2 on Monday. Initially I went to the doc with chest pains about a month ago. I had a contrast media ct scan and thankfully heart is fine. However during the routine bloods my first fasting test was deemed a little high?? I did a subsequent fasting test which was 59.9? I have no idea what chart or Scale this comes from? I then did a test that maps my sugars over a three month period and the result was 50, again not idea what this relates to. My doc has put me immediately on metformin. To be honest I am not keen on taking it but have started. I would prefer to try a diet and exercise regime first. A little about me, I am around 5'9", I weight 16st 7llb or 231llb. Yes I am over weight but relatively fit. I still play football twice a week. Currently I don't have a great diet and I do drink significantly over the rda. Probably a couple of pints a day and several more at the weekend. Obviously this has changed since Monday, no beers and just chicken and leafy veg all week.
Is it possible for me to get back into a non diabetic reading on these tests? I know I can shift the weight, I have done so before doing Atkins and lost 4 stone in 16 weeks. I read a study that said that VLCD 800 cal a day can reverse type 2. Has anyone tried this?
Should I speak to the GP and stop the metformin and try to go the diet route alone? I know that the change is relatively recent as I had diabetes blood test about 18 months ago and was all clear?

Any info great fully received as I am really worried about the future and a life time of drugs which really isn't for me!

Welcome Gaz
I did the VLCD /Newcastle diet 3 years ago. Blood glucose returned to normal almost immediately, and has remained so despite having regained some of the weight.
I suggest you take time to read info on here, and ask questions before rushing into any particular diet. Everyone needs to find a way that works best for them.