Newly diagnosed

Hello and welcome.

The results of a blood draw are a different measurement to those of a finger prick test.

Tagging @daisy1 for her fab introductory post which is well worth reading through a couple of times. Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.

IMW said:

My blood sugar was 8.4 a few months ago. Told on phone I was probably type 2 diabetic. I changed my eating, cutting out the sweets, biscuits etc I loved. Next test 5 weeks ago was 7.6. Told again on phone I was new diabetic Started on 500 Metformin in morning after that test.Cut well down on carbs.
My latest test( just a finger prick this time) showed 7.6 again.
I am really disappointed, and don't understand why it hasn't improved.
I am shocked at diagnosis,and feel out of my depth.

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Hi!
It might be worth really studying what you are eating and drinking if you haven’t already done so. I know I used to think that diabetics only needed to avoid sweet things like sweets and biscuits but it was only when I became diabetic myself that I learned the things I thought were good healthy and recommended choices, did not apply in the same way to a person with diabetes. Things such as breakfast cereals, rice, pasta and fruits like grapes, oranges and bananas are all able to contribute to higher glucose in your blood.

I can understand the shock of the diagnosis but don’t be paralysed by it into inaction. This is one of those conditions where what you do next affects your outcome. I would say learn all you can going forward. Asking for help here is a great start because there are so many people to ask who have been where you are.

You aren’t alone and as you learn more about your health and the condition I’m sure things will get better for you.

How about giving us a typical day's menu so we can maybe point to what could be causing problems?

@IMW
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.

IMW said:

My blood sugar was 8.4 a few months ago. Told on phone I was probably type 2 diabetic. I changed my eating, cutting out the sweets, biscuits etc I loved. Next test 5 weeks ago was 7.6. Told again on phone I was new diabetic Started on 500 Metformin in morning after that test.Cut well down on carbs.
My latest test( just a finger prick this time) showed 7.6 again.
I am really disappointed, and don't understand why it hasn't improved.
I am shocked at diagnosis,and feel out of my depth.

Click to expand...

Hi @IMW

i found that my scores seem to come down i plateaus almost.
first month (oct 18) all 8', next month 7, then a smattering of 6's and then jan/feb 19 a host of stable like 5's with the odd low 6.
which is where i normally sit, with most morning FBG checks.

As stated the HBA1c is a completely different measurement, so try not to compare it so early on.
( tho many apps will, given enough data 'predict' your HBA1c..though this does seem to have a good margin of error)

Our bodies/blood doesn't seem to like to work in a linear fashion, preferring to be more like a stroppy teenager or over bearing parent, insisting we ARE wrong in what we are doing and then tries to hold on to the status quo.

A steady nerve and a consistent approach usually convinces it we safe doing what we are doing and ARE serious about it, and then it belatedly drops into line and i think sets a new BAR, as a marker for where it THINKS we should be on any scale.

It will then go back to type and defend that new bar, (as it did before, above) to protect us and itself from harm, and it does that until we convince it, that we once again are safe with it, but serious in our intent,

so don't be too despondent if you break your back doing something and the meter shows little improvement.
the score are important, but it's the trend that really tells the whole tale.
so just keep on the righteous path of LCHF, ....you will get there.

Not many replies yet so let me jump in.This board leans largely towards low carb/high fat (LCHF). This isnt the only choice but its been very successful for a whole lot of people here.

What you do is cut out the high carbs,carbs are sugars,we dont need sugars as type 2's.
Soooo.....no bread.No cake,no biscuits.No pasta,no rice,no starchy veggies.No grain,hence,no grain cereals.No added sugars,pretty much no refined grains or processed foods.A lot of fruits are high sugar,they need to be avoided and learn what the lower sugar fruits are that you can eat.Blackberries ok,grapes are sugar grenades.

Good carbs are mostly the above ground veggies.

Sounds draconian,its not.You get to eat eggs,high fat sausages,bacon,chicken with skin on,steaks with fat,plain yogurts (add your blackberries,yum!!) Cheese is good!

Can snack on pork scratchings,wont hurt sugars a bit.85% dark chocolate is acceptable.Zucchini,yellow squash,cauliflower,broccoli,green beans...some examples you can load your plate up with,added butter,olive oil,all good things.Avoid corn and peas,green beans much lower carb than peas for example.

There are even low carb cheesecakes and carrot cakes you can make,pizza made with a cheese crust thats doggone good! Taco shells made of cheese even.How cool is that?

Why so much fat? There are three nutrients we eat.Protein,fats and carbs.The first 2 are essential,carbs are not.Since you are eating fewer carbs,you will eat more fats.Cant eat just protein,you will most likely die if you do,you must have fats.Carbs (chains of sugars) we dont need.World class athletes tolerate carbs,type 2 diabetics who arent world class on our exercise programs.....we dont, for the most of us.Some folks do,they are rare,we are all different.

This regimen has lowered sugars and weight for many folks.Yes,you eat fat and lose weight.To lose weight just look at your portions.You already know what a small or large portion looks like.Dont even need to count calories,how easy is that??

Also fat will not whack out your cholesterol,many find it improves it.And it wont give you a heart attack either.We now know this,50 years ago we didnt.So they said...fat kills,eat carbs.Now we are fat and diabetics.New science studies show high carb/low fat is very detrimental to a lot of us.

Food testing.You really should get a meter,even if you self fund,(they can be had very reasonably priced if you shop around) You need to EAT TO YOUR METER.

A typical start is test every morning before eating or drinking.Thats your fasting blood glucose.
Then test prior to eating,and 2 hours after.That will show your spikes.Generally its said to be OK if you dont rise more than 2 (UK numbers) after 2 hours from eating.You make a journal and record every meal and results.You will quickly learn what doesnt raise glucose,and what does.

Thats enough to get you started tonight,others will tweak what Ive written or forgot to add.Im not a good educator,many here much better than me.So you will get lots of really helpful and supportive advice.

The carb thing is easy.Just dump the really bad guys and you should start seeing results in days as most have.

Never fear asking lots of questions,its how we learn.You will be welcomed,tons of questions and all.

IMW said:

Breakfast- cereal. I have porridge, corn flakes , weetabix and special k in my cupboard. Would have with semi skimmed milk. maybe half a banana , or some blueberries or grapes cut into it
Mug coffee or tea. Like a lot of milk in it

Lunch(IF any)- 3 ryvita with butter and cheese, or scrambled or poached eggs x2. Might just eat 3 tea biscuits and butter for quickness. Mug tea or coffee again with a lot of milk.

Mug tea in afternoon

Main meal. -salads, or lots of veg with any meat, chicken , fish, sausages. Once week fish in batter with chips and mushy peas as treat.
occassionally eat some potato as I miss it. fruit, mainly oranges or apples cut up

Snacks thro day and evening-an odd extra strong mint,couple of tea biscuits or ginger nuts, home made soup lentil or veg.A few slices of thin packet cold meat.Will sometimes have 2 slice of toast and cheese blowout when I am starving.Eat plain yogurt as snack most days.Water or diluting juice, tea or coffee.

I was on holiday in halfboard hotel for 5 days. Ate cereal and cooked breakfast each day. During day ate small pack crisps and a banana, drank water. Had soup,roll and butter, main course and a pudding each evening meal, but this was served to me and was much smaller portions than I would have given myself!!

I have 1of 500 metformin after breakfast.

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Hi @IMW
Warm welcome to the forum.
Wishing you well on your journey ahead .

IMW said:

Breakfast- cereal. I have porridge, corn flakes , weetabix and special k in my cupboard. Would have with semi skimmed milk. maybe half a banana , or some blueberries or grapes cut into it...

Mug coffee or tea. Like a lot of milk in it..

Lunch(IF any)- 3 ryvita* with butter and cheese, or scrambled or poached eggs x2. Might just eat 3 tea biscuits and butter for quickness. Mug tea or coffee again with a lot of milk.

Mug tea in afternoon

Main meal. -salads, or lots of veg with any meat, chicken , fish, sausages.
Once week fish in batter with chips and mushy peas as treat.
occasionally eat some potato as I miss it. fruit, mainly oranges or apples cut up

Snacks thro day and evening-an odd extra strong mint,couple of tea biscuits or ginger nuts, home made soup lentil or veg.A few slices of thin packet cold meat.
Will sometimes have 2 slice of toast and cheese blowout when I am starving.Eat plain yogurt as snack most days.
Water or diluting juice, tea or coffee.

all the above..BOLD would not be in my breakfast, plate, meal menu OR cupboard, sorry.
*ryvita i do use..but only 1 and a half..my limit is 30 grams carbs per meal...x2 meals a day
ryvita hits me for 5 carbs each, which adding in other carbs, can tip me over my limit
less gives me a little safety margin.

I was on holiday in half board hotel for 5 days.
Ate cereal and cooked breakfast each day.
During day ate small pack crisps and a banana, drank water.
Had soup, roll and butter, main course and a pudding each evening meal,
but this was served to me and was much smaller portions than I would have given myself!!

I have 1 of 500 metformin after breakfast.

Your on holiday. who wants to be monitoring everything you eat as closely....
but i would probably have ditched the crisps and banana..puddings is a definite holiday treat..

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i have edited some comments into the above @IMW

purely as someone newly diagnosed (i was that person 6 / 7 months or so back )
it's so hard to know what TO eat and what to CUT out.

check out dietdoctor website for the foods in bold...(see sugar and carbs as the same thing re food.)
for me the CARBS is ALL i look at and most of those items are higher in carbs then needed.

you could swap for lower choices, and at this stage for you, it is just a massive learning curve.
as it was for me, so its good to ask questions and seek advice.

I think personally, to give yourself the best chance of lowering the HBA1c as much as possible in the early months you have to eliminate quite a few of the bad food choices we all used to make.

it then allows you the luxury of enjoying your FBG going down over each monthly period, hopefully
with the realistic prospect of getting into pre diabetic or even safe/normal numbers in the quickest time possible.

that also has the benefit of allowing you to re-educate your palate to accept / appreciate items with a less sugary tastes then before.

but we are all adults and each of us must decide for ourselves what is possible and how much we will do, to improve our diabetes.

good luck, my friend.
the road is long, and we all stumble,
but there are many willing hands on here,
more then ready and willing to pick us up when
we take a tumble.

Those are some really high carb foods - I think you really need to take stock of just how many carbs you are consuming.
It might help to have a meter to test your blood glucose so you can see just how high your meals are taking your levels.

IMW said:

Breakfast- cereal. I have porridge, corn flakes , weetabix and special k in my cupboard. Would have with semi skimmed milk. maybe half a banana , or some blueberries or grapes cut into it
Mug coffee or tea. Like a lot of milk in it

Lunch(IF any)- 3 ryvita with butter and cheese, or scrambled or poached eggs x2. Might just eat 3 tea biscuits and butter for quickness. Mug tea or coffee again with a lot of milk.

Mug tea in afternoon

Main meal. -salads, or lots of veg with any meat, chicken , fish, sausages. Once week fish in batter with chips and mushy peas as treat.
occassionally eat some potato as I miss it. fruit, mainly oranges or apples cut up

Snacks thro day and evening-an odd extra strong mint,couple of tea biscuits or ginger nuts, home made soup lentil or veg.A few slices of thin packet cold meat.Will sometimes have 2 slice of toast and cheese blowout when I am starving.Eat plain yogurt as snack most days.Water or diluting juice, tea or coffee.

I was on holiday in halfboard hotel for 5 days. Ate cereal and cooked breakfast each day. During day ate small pack crisps and a banana, drank water. Had soup,roll and butter, main course and a pudding each evening meal, but this was served to me and was much smaller portions than I would have given myself!!

I have 1of 500 metformin after breakfast.

Click to expand...

I ate meat pie once because my car broke down and I wasn't prepared for lunch. When I checked my bloood glucose, it was 10 mmol - I might as well have eaten cake. There are lots of nasty blood glucose spikers hiding in cereal boxes and deep fried in hot oils too. The only safe way to eat seems to be a bit like your dinner: meat, fish or eggs with salad or vegetables on the side (you'll have to start a love affair with cauliflower and bump the potatoes. Fortunately cauliflower does enjoy baking with cheese and sour cream melting over it and it's pretty yummy too. And if you really make friends with cauliflower, when raw, it almost crunches like biscuits used to

jjraak said:

that also has the benefit of allowing you to re-educate your palate to accept / appreciate items with a less sugary tastes then before.

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Thats so true.I can really taste the sweetness of raw carrots now.Couldnt do that before.I now have occasional carrots when I have a sweet craving.