Newly diagnosed

[Mitzi24]

I was diagnosed yesterday with type 2
All I was told was to follow the Mediterranean diet.
Feel worried as don’t know what I can eat or drink. Do I need to check my levels myself if so how. Afraid to eat anything and headache due to not eating

 

[jonathan183]

Try not to worry too much ... I know it's easier said than done

You will want a blood glucose meter. Start with checking blood glucose before a meal and 2 hours after. That way you will get a good idea what foods are causing your blood glucose to rise and by how much.

Lowering carbohydrates will help, lower the rise in blood glucose you get when eating.

I suggest you reduce or cut out sugar and highly refined carbs - including sugar rich drinks like regular fizzy drinks. How low you reduce carbs is something you will need to decide.

 

[Mitzi24]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Where can I order a glucose meter from?

 

[jonathan183]

I'm type 1 so got mine via NHS.
Others will be able to better advise on meter type and where to get one from - work out how much the test strips are going to be because the costs will soon add up.

 

[xfieldok]

@Rachox can advise on meters, the strips are your running costs.

Read the link in my signature. You have come to the right place, ask lots of questions.

 

[Mitzi24]

@Rachox can advise on meters, the strips are your running costs.

Read the link in my signature. You have come to the right place, ask lots of questions.

Sorry but can’t find the link

 

[xfieldok]

Sorry but can’t find the link

@Rachox will reply when she sees the tag, hang on in there.......

 

[Mitzi24]

@Rachox will reply when she sees the tag, hang on in there.......

Thank you so much

 

[catinahat]

Here it is
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/
Rachox has been tagged, when she comes on line she will give you the info she has on the glucose meters

 

[Rachox]

Hi @Mitzi24 and welcome to the club no one wants to join!

Remember this will be a marathon not a sprint so don’t worry about eating something til you get in more suitable food, don’t starve yourself, just avoid obvious sugar and carbs if possible, do you have eggs, bacon, cheese? These are all carb free, cheesy scrambled egg with a side of bacon maybe?

Here’s the link from @xfieldok ’s signature, don’t worry signatures don’t show on all devices.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/

Then here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.


HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews, links to the strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/

There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively.


Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/

Discount codes for the Code Free strips

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + found here:



https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793

with the strips found here:



https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097

Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423


With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.


Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

 

[Mitzi24]

It’s say the forum unavailable since I tried last night and today.

 

[catinahat]

Good morning @Mitzi24
I haven't noticed any problems myself but there are occasionall glitches with the forum, usually sorted pretty quickly. Anyway I can see your post so it must be working ok for you now

 

[Lakeslover]

Hi and welcome,

you have had some good advice from some very experienced people on here.

Often when we are given a diagnosis people spend time telling us what not to eat, and I remember that feeling of not knowing what was left! I think it can be helpful to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can’t. So I suggest you plan main meals around meat/poultry, fish, cheese, eggs, walnuts. Above ground veggies are fine. Breakfast can be full fat Greek yoghurt with a few berries, or any combination of bacon, good quality sausage, eggs, mushrooms, tomato, cheese, or even continental style meats and cheeses.

other foods may be ok for you in moderation so it is trial and error, which is why you need the meter. If you test before and two hours after a meal and the spike is around 2 that meal is ok for you. Personally I allow a spike of 2.5 or even 3 if it goes up then down again very quickly ie by 4 hours. You will eventually decide what works for you and what you will tolerate. I suggest getting a notebook and keeping a note of what works and what doesn’t.

meantime, start by keeping it simple and build/test from there once you are happy you have the basics. Plus keep asking questions here, plenty of knowledgeable people to help.

 

[KidDougi]

I was diagnosed yesterday with type 2
All I was told was to follow the Mediterranean diet.
Feel worried as don’t know what I can eat or drink. Do I need to check my levels myself if so how. Afraid to eat anything and headache due to not eating

@Mitzi24, don’t panic too much.

A single meal won’t harm you, in itself. You have the time to learn what you need to.
Start by simply recording your meals. I use ‘MyFitnessPal’ it’s free for the basic version and it will get you started. There are plenty of other app which can help you track your food, find one which suits you. Very quickly you will understand where the carb rich foods are and exactly how much of them you are eating. For now all you need to do is cut down. A few less potatoes, less or no sugar in your tee, etc. as you get into the swing of it you can consider more extreme lifestyle changes such a Keto diets.

Consider increasing your exercise. A regular walk will do for starters. Then, as long as your doctor is happy, you can move on to more energetic exercise program. The trick her is finding something that you will enjoy and/or you can do quickly. I found HIIT exercise work for me as I can get them done in 15 minutes, but they are high energy so check with your Dr first. You do not want to injure yourself.

Your GP should also be referring you onto a Desmond course. This will give you an introduction into Diabetes.

You’ll be fine.