• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Newly diagnosed type 2

Tinks_76

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi everyone I was officially diagnosed Thursday after my second blood test came back higher than the first I was put straight on to medication which I started yesterday,overwhelmed to say the least I don’t know where to start what I should and shouldn’t be eating I haven’t stop crying since Thursday and my head is up my backside any help and advise would be so appreciative xx
 
Hi and welcome.
First .. sit down with a cuppa and relax.. you've found your new best place to be.
I'll tag in @daisy1 for the intro to what a lot of us do to put our T2 into remission and I'm sure we can help you get there too.
It may seem unlikely to you at the moment but some of us thank our diagnosis for getting much healthier and putting and end to many other conditions than T2 .. so relax have a read around and ask any questions.. someone will always be around to help.
 
Hello, @Tinks_76 , and welcome to diabetes and the forum!
A diabetes diagnosis is overwhelming but it gets better!
I'll tag @daisy1 for you, she'll post a very useful info sheet on this thread to get you started. In the meantime, have a good look around the forum, lots of interesting and useful threads!

It would be very helpful if you could fill out your details, especially type of diabetes and medication on your profile page, as it may change answers you'll get to your questions.

Good luck, big hug and don't forget to go out and do something nice in between reading about diabetes!
 
Welcome to the forum @Tinks_76. Many of us will have felt like you when we were first diagnosed, and it does take a bit of time to come to terms with it all. But you have done well in finding this forum, you will get a lot of useful advice and support on here.
Do you know what your HbA1c (blood glucose) test figure was? If not you should contact your gp surgery to get a printout of the test results which give you a lot of useful information besides your blood glucose levels.
Your test results should also be available online, but it is usually necessary to request access from the gp surgery.

Read @daisy1 's information when it is posted, and have a read round the forum and ask any questions you want to.

Edit: I am assuming you have been told you are Type 2 diabetic as you say you were diagnosed after two tests, but can you confirm that you are T2 rather than Type 1.
 
Last edited:
Hi Tinks, you’ve already had some guidance on what to do next, so I’ll just say hi and welcome for now x
 
ahh, @Tinks_76

you ain't alone in that one ...many of us whichever type got that same feeling.
And you ain't alone anymore now you found US.

@bulkbiker , makes a great welcome, and so on the money.
and @Antje77 good idea, to post in and tell us a little bit bit more like what type,
as answers will vary considerably depending on that..

what to eat ...easily sorted.
and as for the whole idea there is NOTHING we can eat...(it was how i felt back then)
there is a WORLD of GOOD food we can eat..

we just need to make a little effort and reassess, what HEALTHY food now REALLY means to us, as diabetics and eat accordingly.

I eat well, ( my missus will tell you how Shocked she is how much i eat AND what i eat)..and i've improved my HBA1c score down to almost normal..and lost almost 4 stone to boot.

So yeah..it's a shocker..BUT there IS a Life to enjoy afterwards once you educate yourself on a few things on here.

A sad welcome to the club, nobody 'Wants' to join..
but in my eyes one of the best forums i've ever been on.

Good luck, chin up.
it gets better from here on in..trust me.
 
Hi @Tinks_76 and welcome to the very best diabetes community on the planet.

Fear not. I bet in less than a year you are thanking diabetes for turning your life around and making you healthier than you’ve been since you were a teenager
 

Hi thank you my HBA1c was 63 and they have said type 2 I have been put on metformin 1000mg
 

A very warm welcome.
I know it does hit you hard but you really are among friends.
You can get better results with a change in diet and as you learn more about that and implement it in your life you're going to amaze yourself by discovering how healthier feels like for you.
Although I would not wish diabetes on anybody - now more than ever is not a bad time to be diagnosed with it. There's so much more that is known about it and so many things to help you cope with it. So just take a breath, find your balance again and then beat this thing
 
@Tinks_76
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 600,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
 
Tinks_76 said:
Hi thank you my HBA1c was 63 and they have said type 2 I have been put on metformin 1000mg
Click to expand...
63 isn't very high. You should be able to reduce that by your three month retest. Many of the T2s on here with higher readings than that on diagnosis reduced their bgs by their next retest. Read @daisy1's info and have a read round the threads and ask any questions you want. The people on here are friendly and supportive.
 

Indeed. I recall that @Caeseji got his HbA1c down from triple figures to non-diabetic in about ten minutes
 
Jim Lahey said:
Indeed. I recall that @Caeseji got his HbA1c down from triple figures to non-diabetic in about ten minutes
Click to expand...
I JUST FOOLED YOU ALL I WAS NEVER DIABETIC! MUHAHAHA!

In all seriousness though I just committed to the lifestyle and it’s given me many more benefits besides. This coming from Jim whom reversed many complications AND has insulin sensitivity beyond a mere mortal now
 
I was diagnosed November 2016 after being on a cholesterol lowering diet which was high in carbs - really awful.
These days I am far happier about the foods I eat.
I have a freezer full of veges, berries, meat, sea food - a fridge full of salad, nuts, cheeses, eggs and fresh veges, another with cooked meats and eggs (at the top) and defrosting things lower down, with pots of cream and yoghurt in the door slots.
Low carb is an excellent diet - and very sustainable, contrary to the usual advice about it.
 

Wow that's amazing and gives me such hope. Did u do keto?
 
chrestomanci said:
Wow that's amazing and gives me such hope. Did u do keto?
Click to expand...
Hi hi! Kind of! I started reducing carbs in December time, so I was liberal low carb till around Feb when I plunged into Keto and intermittent fasting. On my check at the start of March that was when I got my 41 mark and from then on I’ve kept to the lifestyle and hardly ever at all see a number over 5.5 these days. There’s always hope there, always! Just a matter of finding what works for your body and we are always here to help.
 
Wow that's so inspiring. I'm doing IF too and trying to get the carbs as low as I can. Was diagnosed T2 last month from a random blood test. Still in shock... but finding this community so very friendly. Thank you x
 
chrestomanci said:
Wow that's so inspiring. I'm doing IF too and trying to get the carbs as low as I can. Was diagnosed T2 last month from a random blood test. Still in shock... but finding this community so very friendly. Thank you x
Click to expand...
Well I am hoping that you get a great result from all this so you can inspire others too! You already are doing so with me because seeing your determination is astounding. You are so welcome and the shock will pass, it's just making those lifestyle decisions and realising that there is so much more to life than food. I really do wish you absolutely all the luck in the world xx
 
Thank you so much! There's such a lot to learn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…