Newly diagnosed

Hi
I was diagnosed on Monday after a long stint of working away where I have absolutely no control over what/when I can eat (I am a journalist covering sports tournaments and so lunch and dinner depends on matches and when players are coming into press. Some tournaments are better than others with range of food. There are two tournies that are a complete disaster!)

I am on metformin - starting at 1 tablet a day, next week two (breakfast and lunch) and then three times a day with meals and will need to get supplies before a min 2 week trip coming up, poss. 3 weeks.

Advice was: Cut out sugary drinks and food (easily done, and was my weakness when I was away but can be managed)
Advice was also not to go crazy and suddenly cut everything out but to start to introduce better carbs - wholegrain rice has NEVER been a favourite, and I have to learn to love salads. But on the plus side, I often rotate between chicken, fish and veggie dishes, and alternate at the same time between spuds, noodles/pasta and rice - but only when I am at home between tournaments.

My biggest sin in the 120 days timeframe for the blood test was where I was only home for 5-6 days I opted for rubbish like takeaways but before my latest 4 week stint I did a ton of batch cooking so as to save money - so that's good.

I need to have another round of blood tests in 8 weeks so that will take into account this trip to the US for 2-3 weeks.
As a complication my cholesterol is high, and I have high blood pressure, but the doc feels a lot of that is due to the sudden death of my mother just after I got back from the Australian Open and the continuing stress of dealing with the probate, which is taking an age.

The only 'good' thing is my liver and kidney function is fine, and I actually yearn to cook when I am back from tournaments, so I have month of playing with things like ham/smoked mackeral salads, grilled veggies and today's experiement of cauliflower rice.

What I am struggling to find though is how much sugar should I be aiming for in a day - I use My Fitness Pal to count calories normally but it is not really working terribly well for low sugar/low carbs - it shows me coming in at way less calories than it wants, which I just ignore to keep more of an eye on how many grams of sugar my pre-entered meals are now giving me.

Anyway - that's a bit of a huge missive. Thanks for reading.

Thanks @azure - I actually have invested in the free-style libre monitor which ought to be winging its way to me - hmm can't wait to see how that works going through an airport screening device!

Yeah MFP counts everything so just having to adjust - although if it stops a well meaning pal harping on about the 5:2 diet, then I will be eternally thankful!

Sam50 said:

hi there, i'm new to this forum myself having joined to get advice for my Hubby who has just been diagnosed with 'high blood glucose'-that's all we know so far as yet to see the nurse. Lots of good advice on here and plenty of people who can give you tips. From what I've gathered so far you should be aiming to get your blood glucose below around 6 (apparently under 6 is non diabetic) and follow a low carb/high fat diet. There is a good 8-10 week programme that you can follow (details on this forum)

So basically no bread-if you must eat Burgen Soya and Linseed. No potatoes, rice or pasta. No cereals other than oats which are a lower GI. Lots of protein, salads and eggs. I think you might get to like omelettes . Sugar is hidden in so many products so swap for a sucrose based sweetener and watch the sugar content of fruit juices and fruit like bananas and grapes. Cutting out adding sugar and sugary drinks is the easy bit, it's the hidden sugar you have to check packaging. No beer but you could have a glass of wine or vodka ! Hope that helps a bit, am sure someone more knowledgeable than me will soon be along to help.

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Thanks for the advice - but unfortunately because of the nature of my job, 8-10 week programs are useless for me because half way through I will be flying to the US for at least three weeks, and at the whim of what media centres provide and when we can eat between press conferences. For example... if I put in a request for a bunch of players - they generally take a dim view if you decide to hoof off for some dinner when they are coming in specially.

High fat is also a danger because at the moment my cholesterol is also quite high, as has been my blood pressure.

The problem has been getting the Dr and the pharmacist to actually accept I don't have a usual 9-5 job and return home every evening. To give the doc his due, he made me write down all the tournaments on the list for the rest of the year, and at least tried to understand the challenges. And I am sure I am not the only journalist on the circuit in this position.

Pity I can't STAND vodka, but I do like wine!

I should also add - I lost a stone and a half in around 4 months which along with the raging thirst and pins and needles, made me think there was something up. I have stayed steady at around 10st 8 or thereabouts and could still drop a good half stone so being back home for month gives me the chance of hitting the gym again.

Resurgam said:

It does help enormously to have a testing meter, so you can check your progress, and also tell which foods cause spikes.
By avoiding high carb foods - those with sugars and starches over 10 percent is usually the cut off point - blood glucose levels can usually be lowered.
Hopefully you will not have problems with the Metformin - trying to have any kind of normal life was impossible when I was taking them.

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He put me on 500mg and so far it has been ok but it will be interesting to see what happens next week when I up it to two tablets a day and then the week after, three

Sam50 said:

Mmm I can see that controlling what you eat is going to be tricky. I guess all you can do is try whilst you are away and know what to try and avoid. Metformin has relatively little effect on blood glucose levels but monitoring your blood glucose levels yourself is probably the most useful thing you can do.

Yes I always believed that wine had medicinal values ! Good luck x

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yes - the medicinal purpose for wine was the reasoning behind many a wind-down in the Wimbledon media bar with a colleague!

Bluetit1802 said:

Hi and welcome @RFSMarch

What a wonderful job you have!

You appear to have picked up a lot of information already, but not from your doctor I'm afraid. Sugar is only one carb and there is little point in counting it. It is total carbohydrate you need to count. Any sugar in the food is already included in that amount. All carbs convert to glucose once inside the system, and the worst ones are potatoes, rice, bread, pasta and anything made with or containing flour. (such as batter, pastry, soups, sauces, gravy) And that includes all the wholemeal versions.

The wholemeal versions have the same amount of carbs in them and will turn to glucose just the same. The only difference is they tend to be low on the glycaemic index, which means they take longer to digest.

Using My Fitness Pal you need to start off by setting your daily carb target and work from there. Any shortage of calories are made up with fats and protein. There is no other way. You may have to "unbrainwash" yourself that most fats are bad for you. Really, they aren't as science is now telling us. Real fats rather than low fat is the way to go. There is no need to overdo the fats if you don't want to, but just enough to stop you feeling hungry and replace the calories lost through cutting carbs.

Good that you have ordered a Libre sensor kit, but you also need a glucose meter. The Libres are wonderful but not necessarily "correct". People find that when comparing them to meters the Libre tends to read low, and some read high. Meters also aren't 100% accurate, but are more in-line with reality. With a meter you can do comparison checks against the Libre to see whether each sensor is low or high. (They vary) This will give you a better idea of what your levels are running at. The Libre monitor can also be used as a glucose meter, but you have to buy the Freestyle testing strips.

One thing you haven't told us is what your diagnostic HbA1c is. Did you get a print out, or does your surgery put test results on line?

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Hah the job sounds wonderful - but in truth it is long hours and I run my own website so ... I spend most of my time chasing my writers to... actually WRITE! And you find yourself wishing the winner of a match is whoever wins the coin toss a lot of the time!

You are right about one thing - the GP was quite vague on stuff... I found out about the libre from my cousin who was pre-diabetic, and from a Dr friend who was over to watch Wimbledon and she recommended it also. I believe I am waiting for an eye specialist appointment as well. He said nothing about testing strips... asked me how I felt about Statin for the high cholesterol and then decided that might wait until the next blood test probably when I get back from the US to see how it compares.

Now - prepare youself because the HbA1c level was 111 which was abnormally high. Then again it was at the end of around 8 tournaments in a 5 month stretch eating all manner of **** and ironically it is the ONLY time I tend(ed) to drink fizzy drinks. I don't tend to have them at home, but in between tournaments in that stretch I was guzzling a lot of water, and a lot of squashes/fruit juices, which need to go by the wayside.

Fasting blood glucose level also abnormally high (18.5).

ETA: Aha - I see Abbot (who do the Libre scanner) do testing strips but I need a meter? It might be better to just get the lot from Boots as they seem to suggest using that as a meter.

Bluetit1802 said:

Have you ordered the Libre starter kit? That includes the sensor monitor and you can use that for both the sensor and with strips as a glucose meter. Otherwise you will need to buy a separate glucose meter, but beware of the cost of the test strips. You only need one meter but you need many thousands of strips. Prices of strips vary from about £7.50 for 50 up to a whopping £30, so do check the cost of the strips before you buy. The ones with cheapest strips are the Codefree and the Tee2, both of which are popular on here because of this. I can give you details of where to order these if you wish. (not available from pharmacies).

You will find the Libre very convenient when you go on your travels. (any room for me in your suitcase? )

Your diagnostic levels are high, but there have been higher ones reported on here. However, they can be brought down to normal with dietary changes and some exercise. Many on here have done just that. Metformin only helps to a limited extent, so don't rely on it without serious dietary changes. As for cholesterol, do ask for print outs or at the very least ask what the levels were (full breakdown - HDL/LDL/Triglycerides). The total cholesterol is meaningless without this information. Do a lot of research on statins!

You should be referred for the eye retinal screening annually, plus be invited to a diabetes education course (not compulsory) and should have annual foot checks, normally done by the diabetes nurse who you will be assigned to in due course. It is normal for GPs to devolve all diabetes care to a nurse.

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Hi again - yeppers I ordered the full starter kit, and I was told when I got my metformin that because I am now a diagnosed diabetic I am exempt from all prescription charges (!) for ever apparently! I can't believe that's true and when I trot back to the surgery to get enough for the US (and yes, for that trip I will be taking my 'body-bag' suitcase so by all means jump in!) I will ask for what I need to get the full exemption.

And yes please to the information about the strips if it looks as though I need both.

I feel a little relieved that while it is abnormally high, it is not the worst you have seen!
Like I said, this is pretty much my first time with a stocked fridge since... wait for it... April. I had a few days in between trips so I basically noshed takeaways or whatever was in the freezer.

I guess what I am struggling with is what works with T2, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. What overwhelms me is what's good for one is bad for the other and you just feel, well what the hell CAN I eat.

Guzzler said:

Hi and welcome. My first HbA1c was 98 and I was put on four metformin per day. Within a month of low carbing that had fallen to 73 so I can highly recommend the diet. It has been a learning curve since I was diagnosed a couple of months ago but my numbers are going in the right direction and I have lost weight. I have been assured that on the LCHF diet my cholesterol will fall a little but I have been researching about the whole stroke/heart attack risks of high cholesterol and learned enough to stop taking the statin that my gp prescribed apart from the fact that it caused horrible muscle pain. Excercise is important in controlling your numbers so the gym is a good idea and it is resistive excercise that is most beneficial.
Good luck to you.

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Hi - and thanks for replying. I just tried to register for the low carb diet in the link in the 'Read This' but my HbA1c was too high and it kicked me from the registration!!!

My Dr friend warned against Statin and because I was already suffering from cramps over the last two weeks the Doc agreed to leave that decision until the next blood test.

I guess with the sudden weight drop of about a stone and a half over this 4 month period, I need to lose the spare tyre around my waist but be careful I don't go too much in the opposite direction, but being able to hit the gym/work out at home in the next month are my priorities - thank god for duff tournaments straight after Wimbledon!!!