Newly Diagnosed

emz89 said:

They didn't mention that. I feel a little deflated personally. I don't feel much the wiser. They gave me a booklet which is 6 years old which tells you to take your readings to all appointments

I feel abit like I am at the bottom of a shipwreck with a rubber ring with a puncture for survival. I know I will have to do lots of research myself and meal planning etc.

I just don't have the energy for it right now. I am also really struggling with blurry vision which is making too much reading difficult.

Due back to work Monday too which is worrying me

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So you didn’t ask either? Please be proactive and have the conversation at the next appointment. If you feel particularly unwell don’t ignore it, seek help immediately just in case. And if you can the sooner you get a test kit to keep an eye on levels the better you’d be able to spot anything going south before it’s drastic. Again just in case, not that I want to panic you.

Unfortunately your experience is all too common. And you’ll have to largely self manage this condition if type 2 and be your own advocate. The good news is lots of us have trodden the path ahead and this forum will help you follow the path more easily than if you were alone.

Have you read this as a starting point?
Intro to T2 and low carb. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html
All the things I wish I’d been told earlier https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/th...ish-i’d-been-told-at-type-2-diagnosis.173817/

re the blurry vision, it’s really common when you start dropping your levels. The eyes have got used to their sugar bath and have adapted to cope with it. Reduce the glucose and they need to re adapt back to normal. They should in the next few weeks. If not or you are worried go see an optician but make sure to tell them about reducing glucose as it’s very relevant. Don’t buy new (expensive) glasses for now though as invariably they’ll need changing again in a matter of weeks. Cheap readers from the chemist might help temporarily if it’s close up stuff you need help with til things settle.

emz89 said:

Hi Everyone, I am 33 and was only diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes yesterday. I have my first appointment with the Diabetes team tomorrow.

It was rather unexpected although both parents have Diabetes. I thought it would be something that may affect me much later in life.

My Hab1c is 76. The Dr told me to expect medication.

I've been such an emotional mess. The tears just keep flowing. I have have taken a few days off work to try and get my head around it all.

I have such terrible fatigue but always assumed I am a tired person. Regularly get headaches and just feel meh. Worried about my vision and blurry eyes. Had an eye test a year ago and they said i just had dry eyes.

The Dr did say I may not realise how unwell I feel until I feel better. My GP has been amazing. Diagnosed Wednesday and in with the Diabetes team 2 days later.

I am hoping the feelings pass

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Hi emz,

I had a recent Type 2 diagnosis too. My first thought was, "how could I let that happen?". My second thought was, "I'm going to go into remission"

I'm not there yet, but have cut right down on the carbs. I miss carbs, sure, but it's something I need to do.

My HAB1C reading was 68 and I felt incredibly tired before and after diagnosis. Don't beat yourself up too much. You took some time off work, as did I - it's a lot to take in.

But I firmly believe it can be beaten, with a bit of effort. I've seen a few videos which give me hope too.

My doctor has been good too, I've also seen a Diabetes nurse. The feelings will pass, as will the tiredness.

Good luck, and take this as an early wake-up call.

emz89 said:

I am due back to work Monday but just feel I need a few days. I will see how I get on with the Metformin over the weekend

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I'm back on Tuesday. I stopped taking Metformin - too much flatulence and bloating. And it was like trying to swallow a bar of soap - way too big.

All the best with whatever happens, but we'll be here for support.

emz89 said:

They didn't mention that. I feel a little deflated personally. I don't feel much the wiser. They gave me a booklet which is 6 years old which tells you to take your readings to all appointments

I feel abit like I am at the bottom of a shipwreck with a rubber ring with a puncture for survival. I know I will have to do lots of research myself and meal planning etc.

I just don't have the energy for it right now. I am also really struggling with blurry vision which is making too much reading difficult.

Due back to work Monday too which is worrying me

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Is your GP and/or nurse available online? Can you e-mail them? I've found that when I can't get the words out for whatever reason (usually, in my case, because I am very busy hiding a panic attack), I can just get in touch with whomever I need at the practice and ask online. More than once I've had bloodwork forms or referrals sent to me via e-mail. You can write about what's bothering you quite eloquently here, nothing is stopping you from attempting the same with your GP. Via regular post if need be! (Which worked with specialists at the hospital for me.) The tests required to check whether you're a T1/Lada are pricy and they're not offered unless someone shakes things up a little. You would have to ask.

Get to typing, voice your concerns. They're valid.
Hugs,
Jo

emz89 said:

They didn't mention that. I feel a little deflated personally. I don't feel much the wiser. They gave me a booklet which is 6 years old which tells you to take your readings to all appointments

I feel abit like I am at the bottom of a shipwreck with a rubber ring with a puncture for survival. I know I will have to do lots of research myself and meal planning etc.

I just don't have the energy for it right now. I am also really struggling with blurry vision which is making too much reading difficult.

Due back to work Monday too which is worrying me

Click to expand...

And get yourself some cheap reading specs! The blurry vision will only last a week or two, but in the meantime, you do need to be able to read, so get some +1, +1,5 or 2.0's higher than what you usually use for the interim. Otherwise you'll get headaches as well, and anything that's avoidable with small measures is good, right?

Your emotional reaction is absolutely normal, and it will pass. The most important thing is to not let it get in the way of getting a handle on your eating and management of your condition. Feeling the feelings doesn't have to paralyse your actions.

JoKalsbeek said:

And get yourself some cheap reading specs! The blurry vision will only last a week or two, but in the meantime, you do need to be able to read, so get some +1, +1,5 or 2.0's higher than what you usually use for the interim. Otherwise you'll get headaches as well, and anything that's avoidable with small measures is good, right?

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Good advice. I did just this. The inability to see was driving me bonkers. Got me over the hump and allowed me to function.

emz89 said:

Thank you everyone. I already wear glasses. Just discovered I can make the font much much bigger on my phone

I've started the metformin. Once a day for 2 weeks. Then twice a day for a week then a review.

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I already wear glasses too, but couldn’t see a thing out of them. Got a cheap pair from boots just so that I could read. But was 2 months before I could resume driving.

emz89 said:

My Dad has just given me a glucose monitor. He had a brand new one. Mum uses the same one so has given me strips and lancets. Her gp prescribes them.

At my appointment in 3 weeks I am going to let them know I am using one too .

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They might well tell you to stop, ignore them. When are you testing? It needs to be structured so you can use the data. Testing immediately before food and then 2hrs later gives an indication how well you manage those foods compared to a non diabetic who would usually be back to baseline in that time. If you rise more than 2mmol then you didn’t cope well and need to reduce the carb element. Less is even better. Ideally the latter figure will be under 7.8mmol. Remember meters aren’t precise or perfect so don’t stress over decimal points too much and loot at the bigger picture.

My diabetes nurse was quite disparaging about home testing and suggested I only do it maybe once a week. She did also give me eating advice that added up to taking on lots of carbs though!

emz89 said:

She didn't really give much eating advice. Just said to eat more often. I often only have 1 meal a day which is my evening meal. I know this 100% needs to change.

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Why? Nothing wrong with fewer meals and in fact it’s useful to help lower insulin resistance. Just make sure you get enough food at some point in the day and aren’t accidentally doing a starvation diet or missing nutrients you need.

niblue said:

My diabetes nurse was quite disparaging about home testing and suggested I only do it maybe once a week. She did also give me eating advice that added up to taking on lots of carbs though!

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I could be quite disparaging about her lack of knowledge. What on earth is testing once a week going to tell you? Nothing. Her other advice proves how damaging her advice is.

HSSS said:

I could be quite disparaging about her lack of knowledge. What on earth is testing once a week going to tell you? Nothing. Her other advice proves how damaging her advice is.

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The healthy eating advice, which I followed for the first week after diagnosis, pushed my blood sugar levels up. I've had much better advice from here, especially on low-carb.