newly diagnosed

[Lynmi]

Hi
I was told last thursday by my nurse that i'm diabetic at the moment other than that i know nothing untill thursday when i have an appointment with her. I had to pick up a prescription for metformin so i'm presuming that i have type 2.

It come as a really shock to me i'm 37 and no-one else in my family is diabetic and at the moment i'm having trouble coming to term with it. But is seem everyone else esp my partner think i think should be pleased i know what is wrong and can treat it. i went to the doctors because i keep getting a rash all over my arms and legs.

I have no idea what I can and cant eat and ended up having an argument in the supermarket today because i told my partner that I could'nt have a particular meal beacuse the sugar level was 16. He thinks i'm being a drama queen about the whole thing.

I need to get a grip on this fast as it is casuing tension in the house and my 12 year old son is worrying about me.

an advice would be great , but please dont tell me " now you know what it is you can treat it" casue i feel i may punch the next person that does.

 

[josie38]

Hi lynmi,

Im gld you have a diagnosis. When you next see your nurse ask her for some advice on what you can eat and check out the diet section of the diabetes.co.uk webpage for some ideas and recipes.

i was told 12 years ago by a dietician that when you go shopping to look at the labels and if sugar is among the first five ingredients then not to have it because on the label they always put the ingredients list with the highest first eg if you were looking at say yoghurt and sugar was second on the list then it has a lot of sugar in it.

But i do suggest that you wait until you have seen the nurse before you do anything.

Also i remember when i was diagnosed and it is a lot of a change but hpefully with the right advice qand help you and your family should be able to get along with it.

Maybe you could explain it to your 12yr old after you have a bit more information. My 4 yr old was asking why i couldn't eat sweets and i told her that mommy cant eat sugar because when it goes into my tummy it doesnt come out again so she said does that mean you can't poo so you have to have medicine!!!!!!!!!!

Remeber you can get lots of support here because loads of people have been where you are.

Hope it goes well

Josie

 

[alcli01957]

Must admit, feel similar to post above. Got result diagnosis Fri night. Newly qualified doc given responsibility to tell me & info was not great. Told I can get free prescriptions as put on metaformin? but was unsure if just on prescription to get for free of fill in a form. Went to a Tesco pharmacy who kindly provided form & booklet. Now got to go back to docs to get signature on form. No idea when I'm supposed to see nurse for initial discussion. I hate needles so suppose d2 is a bit of a relief but no idea what I'm supposed to go thru from now on other than 1 week on one tablet a day then step up to 2. Confused or what?

 

[anniep]

Hi

While it is good to have a diagnosis, because yes when you know what something is then you can start to deal with it. But having a diagnosis like that dropped on you will be a real shock, and you are just at the very start.

There is alot to learn and you may find it helpful to look at the 'questions to ask at he diabetic clinic thread,before your appointment with the nurse, which is at the top of the greeting and introduction board.

Your partner is going to have to realise that diabetes is a serious condition and that dealing with it is going to mean changes in your lifestlye and you are not being a drama queen. You are being very sensible and proactive, maybe it would help if he had some literature or something to read so that he understands just what it is you are adjusting to?

But you are very new and this will all seem like it is overwhelming you, you will get to grips with it in time. Read around this forum and give yoruself time to take everything in.

xx

 

[Lynmi]

Hi
Thank for the reply's,

guess for now it's a case of a day at a time and wait to see what the nurse has to say on Thursday. I'm a bit calmer today but I think that's because i'm at work and have things to do to take my mind of it.

Could someone please tell me what is an expectable level in a pre-packed sandwich or salad

alcli if i was you i'd made a appointment with your practice nurse as soon as. It was my nurse that phoned me to say i was diabetic and the only reason I have to wait a week to see her is because she was just going on holiday for a few days.

thanks

 

[StevieBoy]

Lynmi,

I was diagnosed 2 months ago and bought this book from Amazon as I knew next to nothing about diabetes -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Type-Diabetes-E ... 587&sr=8-1

It's called 'Type 2 diabetes:the first year' and I found it very good at explaining some things especially some of the more technical aspects of diabetes.
You will also get a lot of good info from the people here (I did), and I have managed to get my Bg levels down from 17.9 to around 6 with all of this help, so basically don't panic! You will worry and you will feel down, but you will also get your head around it all in time.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Lynmi, not sure about all pre prepared sarnies but my carb book says that Boot's Shapers sandwiches range from around 40g of carbs to over 50g.

A salad should be pretty low if it is just leaves and a a few slices of peppers or onion.

Most T2's find that white bread sandwiches are pretty much off the menu, Burgen bread from most supermarkets is one of the lowest in carbs at around 12g a slice (off the top of my head) but it may be best for you to avoid shop bought sandwiches.

A salad with some cold meat or cheese will be very low in carbs even a salad with a slice of gala pie like the one I had for lunch today wont be too bad as the only carbs are in the pastry case.

You may find it useful to read the Information Given To Newly Diagnosed Diabetics The information given there is excellent and will give you a good start.

 

[Lynmi]

Thanks Sid

I'm not a morning person so it's already an effort having to make sure to eat breakfast in the morning before work without having to make a packed lunch as well. Found a chicken and pasta salad in the campus co-op that only had 11.8g carb and 0.3g sugar so guess i'll be eating that for lunch for a while until i work things out

Lyn

 

[Lynmi]

I saw my nurse yesterday and she doesn't want me to self test so I'm not sure but I think my levels may be high tonight. Is there anything I can do to bring them down

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Lynmi,
Sorry you didn't get an answer last night. Upping your fluids to remove toxins may help when your sugars are high. I find that a brisk walk also helps.
Your nurse does not seem to have your best interests at heart as you need to check your levels. How will you ever know what foods are affecting your levels if you do not test? You may have thought that they were high last night but you could not be sure so that surely proves that you need to test.
If you can afford it, I strongly recommend that you purchase a cheap meter and test strips as relying on your HBA1c is not a good idea.
Hope this helps even though it is belated.

Catherine.

 

[anniep]

And to add to what cherub said, if you test and are high then you will know causes your bg to rise.

And this may not be the same for you as for anybody else, you can get general ideas from other people and here, but we are all different. For instance I cannot eat wheat at all it causes highs but I can eat potatoes in resonable quantities. But i can't eat the processed overn chips while others here find them ok, A friend of mine was otld by her dietician to only eat oven chips not real potatoes. But without testing how do you know what your body will take?

A meter is your best weapon in this fight if you can manage to get one. It seems like some HCP's resent us getting involved in our own treatment. But mopst of us here find that being proactive is what is helping us in this fight.