Newly diagnosed type 2, on hospital waiting list...

[pclad1]

Hello,

I've recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.
I've been told to cut out sugar, salt, saturated fat.

I have educated myself over the last month using the internet, but, am concerned that I don't know, what I don't know. I'm on a hospital waiting list to see someone in general medicine, which makes me feel that my condition can't be that serious, but, I just don't know.

It was a bit of a shock, as I'd gone to the GP to have heart palpitations investigated. The GP tested my thyroid levels and tested for diabetes.

I had my thyroid removed about eight years ago. The surgeon was only supposed to remove the bad half, but I guess his knife slipped. I was told by my GP that diabetes follows a few years after you have your thyroid removed. Why nobody told me that before, and never tested me, I just can't work out.
(Just venting some annoyance there)

Lee.

 

[cugila]

Hi Lee.
Welcome to the forum. Take a good look around the different areas. Gain all the information you can. If you have any questions just ask away.

Diabetes is what you make it. Control it and you have a long healthy life ahead of you, don't and well.........?

I see you say that you have been advised to cut out sugar, salt and saturated fat ?

Did anybody tell you that the biggest source of glucose is in fact carbohydrates, so you need to cut back on them as well. When you read a label which says the total carbs, of which sugars, forget the sugars, just read the carb content, that includes the sugars. If it is high, leave well alone or at the very least only have small portions.

 

[hanadr]

Lee
diabetes is a tightrope. You need to keep in control to keep babanced or you fall hard.
I would say read around the forum and get yourself a Blood Glucose meter. There are plenty of cheap deals and some freebies around. Do a search. It's the strips which are an issue.
As Ken says, the sneaky enemy is carbs, in the form of starch. For us diabetics, "healthy wholegrains" aren't. In fact most breakfast cereals are a trap. A few of us can handle a bit of porridge. I'm not one of them.
I have eggs for breakfast.
Hana

 

[pclad1]

Thanks cugila & hanadr,

Nope, nobody mentioned carbohydrates, but, it's early days, so I was just given basic advice and referred to the hospital.

I was told to eat wholegrain bread/toast.
Which I've been having with no added sugar jams.

My diet consists of salad, jacket potatoes, and toast at the moment, but, mainly toast!

I'm in limbo, until I get the hospital appointment.

I just feel a bit stupid, as I thought I knew what to do.

I'll take a good look around this site, and try to take control of this thing.

 

[cugila]

Hi Lee.
No need to feel stupid, we ALL thought we were doing it right at some point, then we turned up here.

First thing that I would say is you need a meter and strips and you need to test, particularly 2 hrs after a meal.

Some of the things that you are eating are high in carbs, bread of most sorts, brown or white. Jacket Potato especially as cooking them turns the starches into sugar. As for the so called sugar free jams, in my experience these can have anything up to 60g carbs per 100g weight. Very high !

So you need to read all you can in the diet forums to get an idea of what things might be better for you. If you are one of the lucky ones who can tolerate the carbs and your Bg levels are not elevateed, great ! If like me you can't then, very small portions or none at all is the way to go, find an alternative.

 

[Romola]

I agree about the sugar-free jams.

You are better off using normal jam - but just have a teaspoon of it at a time - and only as an occasional treat. I have a jar of Wilkins Little Scarlet for just such times

What you put it on is more likely to be the problem.

 

[pclad1]

Hehe,

I'm heading off to the diet part of the forum, in a moment.

But, one last thing:

I'm getting that carbohydrates are bad,
but, this jam I have is 100% fruit
and I thought fruit sugar, fructose, was meant to be ok.

apricots 50%
unsweetened grape juice
lemon juice
fruit pectin

per 100g
carbohydrate 56g
of which sugars 56g

So, they've turned 100% natural ingredients which I can eat,
into carbohydrates that I can't eat.
Is that correct?

 

[sugarless sue]

Carbohydrates are a natural ingredient just the same as fat and proteins are.

Fruit sugars are carbohydrates just as anything ending in 'ose' or 'ole' is. When you read the product label look for the total carb content and then you can work out how high it is and how much it is likely to affect your blood sugar levels.

 

[pclad1]

Carbohydrates are a natural ingredient just the same as fat and proteins are.

Fruit sugars are carbohydrates just as anything ending in 'ose' or 'ole' is. When you read the product label look for the total carb content and then you can work out how high it is and how much it is likely to affect your blood sugar levels.

It took a hammer to crack my nut, but I've finally got it.

There's so much conflicting info out there,
I read somewhere that I can eat as much fruit as I like,
and have been eating loads, which is why I got a bit confused over the jam.
Consider myself corrected!

I'd rather listen to someone who has the condition, rather than some of the 'experts' out there.

Thanks again,
Lee.

 

[sugarless sue]

Get yourself a carb counter book and check out the carb content of some of the things that you eat.
Now , I am lucky, I can eat certain fruits but to find this out I had to do a lot of testing before and after meals to check what it was doing to my blood sugar levels.

 

[hanadr]

Hi pclad1
Fructose doesn't raise the blood glucose, but has its own complications. It's metabolised like fats and causes high triglycerides, which is a cardiovascular risk
Hana