Hi, I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My nurse said it was possible that the treatment I had for cancer may have triggered it. Anyhow, I was given metformin and told to come back in a month, cut down on sugar and carbs and that was it. I feel at a loss. Have neuropathy in my fingers and feet and again was told it was possibly due to cancer treatment. Am taking vitamin b12, I read it might help with the tingling. Must say I am really in the dark, floundering. Can anyone advise how many carbs are good for a meal. Thank you.
newly diagnosed
- Thread starter lawsonmarg
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Oh bless you.
I'm afraid I'm not really one to give you any sound advice given I am but a few short steps in front of you in terms of this 'journey', however I have nothing but praise and thanks to my NHS healthcare professionals - they have been brilliant and very supportive so far - and boy have I needed it. I know others experience differs significantly.
The only advice I would give is you will be given advice by many people, in here and elsewhere - and in many cases this will be conflicting and contradictory, which will I'm afraid only add to the confusion you will experience (amongst I'm sure the other emotions you are also going through). Everyone is different, and will have different ways of dealing with this in their own way - so weigh up what is right for YOU.
I too have floundered as you are, and if I'm honest almost 3 months in, in many ways I am still struggling - this has hit me hard, more so than it has others who have come to terms with it more readily than I.
Best wishes.
I'm afraid I'm not really one to give you any sound advice given I am but a few short steps in front of you in terms of this 'journey', however I have nothing but praise and thanks to my NHS healthcare professionals - they have been brilliant and very supportive so far - and boy have I needed it. I know others experience differs significantly.
The only advice I would give is you will be given advice by many people, in here and elsewhere - and in many cases this will be conflicting and contradictory, which will I'm afraid only add to the confusion you will experience (amongst I'm sure the other emotions you are also going through). Everyone is different, and will have different ways of dealing with this in their own way - so weigh up what is right for YOU.
I too have floundered as you are, and if I'm honest almost 3 months in, in many ways I am still struggling - this has hit me hard, more so than it has others who have come to terms with it more readily than I.
Best wishes.
Hello lawsonmarg, and welcome to the forum. I suspect that most of us feel lost and confused when we first hear the word 'diabetes', and it takes a bit of adjustment to get your head around it. But confidence will come later, when you know more about the subject. First thing is to have a read around this site; it's amazing how much I picked up just from doing that. Take a look at the LCHF (low carb higher fat) forum (scroll down from the main forum page) and there's lots of info there.
I will tag @daisy1 who will give you the info pack for new starters. Meantime you could have a look at http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds and http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/
There are lots of really knowledgeable and helpful folks here, who will be very happy to help with any questions you may have. So ask away, when you are ready.
I will tag @daisy1 who will give you the info pack for new starters. Meantime you could have a look at http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds and http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/
There are lots of really knowledgeable and helpful folks here, who will be very happy to help with any questions you may have. So ask away, when you are ready.
MikePea
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Hi Lawsonmarg. You have come to the right place. Everybody here wants to help, but often with conflicting advice. But that is not supprising seing as diabetes effects people in different ways. You will find out what is best for you in no time. Testing your blood regularly before breakfast and two hours afterwards will give you all you need to know about which foods suit your condition. Which is not always the same as others. We react differently. You may find later that what is right now may not be right later on. The body changes, especially as we change our food intake and start a new life style and an exercise regime.
Keep watching and learning and testing. You will be OK. (Trust me. I'm not a doctor.)
Keep watching and learning and testing. You will be OK. (Trust me. I'm not a doctor.)
Bluetit1802
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- Diet only
Hi and welcome,
I do understand how you feel.
I was diagnosed with type 2 following cancer treatment. It wasn't anything to do with the treatment as such, but more to do with what we were advised to eat during treatment to help ward off side effects. Ginger biscuits, manuka honey, cranberry juice, bananas, lucozade and so on. (plus the chocolate comfort eating!) I was devastated. My diagnosis came 4 days after I was given my first 12 month "all clear". So 4 days of elation, then wham! But the good thing about it was it completely took my mind off the cancer, and has done ever since.
Have a good read round the forums, and also the home page for links to a vast amount of information about diabetes, test results, what all the numbers mean etc. and ask questions.
I do understand how you feel.
I was diagnosed with type 2 following cancer treatment. It wasn't anything to do with the treatment as such, but more to do with what we were advised to eat during treatment to help ward off side effects. Ginger biscuits, manuka honey, cranberry juice, bananas, lucozade and so on. (plus the chocolate comfort eating!) I was devastated. My diagnosis came 4 days after I was given my first 12 month "all clear". So 4 days of elation, then wham! But the good thing about it was it completely took my mind off the cancer, and has done ever since.
Have a good read round the forums, and also the home page for links to a vast amount of information about diabetes, test results, what all the numbers mean etc. and ask questions.
daisy1
Legend
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- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@lawsonmarg
Hello and welcome to the forum Here as mentioned above is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. You will find a lot of advice on carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you want 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 150,000 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 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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here as mentioned above is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. You will find a lot of advice on carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you want 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 150,000 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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Hi and welcome. Do follow the advice on diet and having a meter is essential. I wonder whether you are on steroids as part of the cancer treatment? These can cause a big rise in blood sugar which drop back when stopped.
