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Newly Diagnosed Type 2

Hi @Kirsty41 and welcome to the forum.

I've moved your post here from another thread in the hope that more people will see it and you'll get more support.

You've absolutely come to the right place for help and support - we're a friendly bunch so ask away!

As a starting point you might find this link helpful: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.17088/

It would also be good to understand from you whether you have been prescribed any medication, and if you know it, what your HbA1C was. That'll help people to make relevant suggestions.
 
Hello and welcome,

First of all the diagnosis an be a shock. It took me over 2 weeks before I wasn't in tears every day. The good news is that having found this site you have a real opportunity to take control of the diagnosis and turn it around.

My first piece of advice is always to get a meter. Many doctors tell you that you don't need to test but I don't know anyone who has successfully turned their diagnosis around without one. Test before every meal and 2 hours afterwards.

My second piece of advice is to reduce the carbs in your diet- all carbs count not just sugar. Counting the carbs together with the testing lets you work out what level of carbs your body can tolerate.

My last piece of advice is read around on the forum and post also. This place has many people who have been where you are now and are willing to help and provide advice and support. I could not have managed without them. That actually is the upside to my diagnosis- meeting the amazing people on here.

Good luck and welcome.
 
Hello @Kirsty41 and welcome to the forum.

I can add a little more detail to VashtiB 's post:

1. There is little to choose between the more affordable Blood Glucose meters ( all BG meters sold in the UK conform to the exact same standards). The major difference is the cost of the testing strips (you use 1 for each test but you don't need a new lancet for each test - or even each day) and if you are testing as most of us did then in the first couple of months i.e. before and then 2hrs after each meal, you will get through quite a lot of testing strips.
The testing strips are specific to particular BG meters. The meters with the cheapest test strips are the Spirit Tee2 and the SD Gluco Navii which both have strips at a price of around £8 for 50.

2. Cutting carbs is what many/most of us did to reverse our T2 Diabetes. Here is a link to one member's advice on this:
https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

Apart from the Low Carb forum here, many of us find at least the free section of www.dietdoctor.com to be useful for info and ideas on meals, as is Google for looking up the carbohydrate content of branded foods(including supermarket 'own brands'.

Note that in the UK Cabs are shown as Net Carbs (i.e. with the indigestible fibre content already subtracted, but in the USA they show total carbs so you then need to subtract the fibre content.
 
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