Newly diagnosed Type 2 - problems with meter and more topics

[GreenTea]

Hi,

I am male and 39. I was diagnosed as type 2 last month. I was quite frustrated as I was sure something was wrong with me for years. The doctors done a blood test in 09 and said it was 6.5 and a little high but nothing to be worried about. I suppose on another day it could have been higher !! ??

I wish they told me in 09 I was at risk at developing type 2 and I would have have done all I could then, but they didnt, they didnt even suggest I come back for a follup blood test so I thought I was fine.

My Dad was type 1 and died of kidney failure as a result of diabetic complications so that scares the life out of me.

Since diagnosis I have had no fizzy drinks, no chocolate, no crisps, no potatoes, only brown rice. Have added things like Quinoa, Avocado's, almonds to my diet. Already sick and tired of caulifllower.

I've cut down on my alcohol but being honest I really enjoy a drink, always have done, its part of my life and I hope there is a way I can continue to have a session at the weekend. Having 1 pint of lager or whatever the recommended max limit is doesnt really appeal; I'd rather have a pint of water than only 1 pint of lager.

I have been feeling a lot of the ''why me'' syndrome. I feel that a lot of people in their 60's get this and and struggle by until their 80's but I am a fit and healthy reasonably young guy, only about a stone overweight. Can I live a comfortable life until I am in my 90's ?

Also since diagnosis I have been going to the gym for resistence training 3 times a week and I am running a half marathon in 3 weeks time.

Do you think with my Hba1c at 7.1 at diagnosis it's too late for me to reverse this with diet and exerise ? Thats my plan. I was intitially prescrided metformin but I am scared of tablets leading to more tablet leading to insulin leading to amputations and chair-lifts so I discussed with another doctor that I wanted to try with diet alone. She agreed.

I read if you manage this condition well it reduces the chances of complications. Reduces to what exactly ? From very likely to just likely ????

I also have an eye condition called keratoconus. Until now I'd put my un-aided poor deteriorating vision down to that but now I am petrified of my of my first retinopathy screening next month. I dread the thought of going blind.

All I ever think about is diabetes, nothing else. How Can I get back to a normal way of life where I can think of other things again ?

Anyway the point of my post was about meters. I bought a codefree meter and some strips. I tried to use it but it the twice I took a blood sample and put it into the meter it gave me an error message. I need to know how to correct this error message. Also on low wages I want the best advice about using these strips sparingly and about best place to buy them and lancets etc. I think there was some type of ''test solution'' ? mentioned on the instructions but I didnt have that in the box which came with the meter.

As you can see I've tons of questions.

I think what happened to my dad will make me very consientious and meticulous about this.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Re: Newly diagnosed Type 2 - problems with meter and more to

Hi Greentea

I can only advise that if you have a nice gp to try and get meter and strips off them.. Unlikely if you trying to go diet alone .. But if you added in about your dads diabetes and your concerns they may succumb but unlikely.. But worth a go.

Complications are not a definite with diabetes.. I can only speak thatI been T1 coming on 30 years and so far, no complications... I also know of one gentleman that died of old age... No complications from his diabetes.. And he was diagnosed around the time of insulin.. I think with meds nowadays and internet info that life with D can be much better. It should not rule your life, it needs to fit in with your life.. Some lifestyle changes may have to be done, but in a balance that you are going to be happy with.

Drinking at weekends? I still drink red wine and also my favourite tipple .. Drambuie... Drambuie I do only have on special occasions, as I could quite easily drink myself under the table with it. Redwine, I will have on the two nights my hubby is off.. But I've done this for 20 years and in my younger days I always went to parties and nightclubs. However,.... I am completely thick when it comes to lager.. I dont think that is necessarily the best choice of alchohol to have when trying to diet only diabetic control...

Sd codefree.. Cant help with that at all. Loads of peope have them.. So somebody will have the answer.

'Why me' syndrome should be added to the diabetes complication list actually... Because it is one of the biggest hurdles to get over... Its not easy, and takes many jumps at it... Sometimes you can jump that one hurdle and another one is waiting..BUT sometimes you can have a clear running track ahead....

 

[hanadr]

Re: Newly diagnosed Type 2 - problems with meter and more to

Greentea
I've just reported my latest results [today].
I'm 10 years down the line with a genetic form of T2 and all my blood tests and my feet come up in the ideal range [except HbA1c which comes up on the data sheet as "Lo".
I had some retinopathy at diagnosis and I'm sure it's been diminishing over the years since I went to a Very Low Carb Diet. I also use minimal medication, because I don't like the thought of drug side effects.
I'm sure its TIGHT blood Glucose control that keeps me healthy [ I'm 66 by the way and a grandmother, who can almost keep up with young grandchildren!]
Hana

 

[daisy1]

Re: Newly diagnosed Type 2 - problems with meter and more to

Hi GreenTea and welcome to the forum

I'm glad that you have already had some answers to your questions. Here is the information we give to new members which I think you will find useful. Carry on asking questions as there is always someone here who will 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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.