newly diagnosed

999Angel · Oct 7, 2011

HI recently diagnosed with diabetes type 2 diet controlled, went into hospital as felt dizzy, had very high blood sugar reading 24 then before i came out was 17 and a few days after came down to 8 , then back up to 12 consultant at the hospital gave me metformin, went to my GP who said he does not want me taking the metformin yet as he wants to see if it can be controlled via diet alone and if needs be then i will have to go on tablets later. he reckons metformin should not begiven on one high blood sugar reading that they got at the hospital.
when i was at the hospital, some of the staff were excellent one or two looked at me as if well its your own fault, the consultant i was under really upset me he said what he would like to do with peple like me is to lock them in a room for 12 months with just water and vitamins i did not think about this at first but when i got home i was very angry and upset, in the year and a half i had lost quite a bit of weight myself i used to be 18 stone but now im down to just under 16 stone, i was pleased with that, dont drink much and i dont smoke and contary to belief i do not sit all day eating cakes, i have as much right to live as anyone else, consultant told me to stop all sugar, cant have bread, potatoes, pasta, rice etc whats left, i cant just live on veg and salad, of course now i know everything in moderation, but since i come out of hospital 3 weeks ago i have had no sugar at all, apart form natural sugars in foods of course, but i am feeling like all food is a killer and i sometimes feel like i dont want to eat,ive been told i will go blind and loose limbs, i have a great husband but im finding it really hard i work 12 hour shifts for the ambulance service in control and find it really hard on nights for eating, i have a diatician appointment with my practice nurse next week but i feel so down and hope some of you can understand how i feel sorry to blurt it out, but i feel confused.

999angel

))Denise(( · Oct 7, 2011

Welcome to the Forum angel999. Daisy1 will probably be along in the morning to welcome you properly and give you the advice that is given to new members.

Unfortunately bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are the worst foods for Type 2's and will increase your blood sugar levels. There are things that you can eat, although it probably means you will have to re-think your diet. Have a search around the forum and have a look at Viv's modified Atkins Diet and the low carb recipes.

I don't know what planet that consultant was on, maybe he thinks that shock tactics are the best way to go, but I would have been upset too. I wouldn't rule out the metformin, but you do need a meter and strips to know what is going on.

Feel free to ask any other questions on the forum, we are here to help.

Daibell · Oct 7, 2011

HI. Yes, Daisy will probably give you a range of links to advice for the newly diagnosed. You appear to have been treated very badly by that consultant. Whilst high weight can be a cause of many Type 2s, with so much junk food on sale wherever you go it's not surprising. You probably will need to modify your diet as you have been doing which includes as you know keeping away from too much carb. However there are low-GI carbs and if you are selective you can still eat enjoyably but perhaps not as much as before. For example I have 85% Green & Blacks dark chocolate most days and it's very low carb. Beans & pulses are very good and so on. NICE Diabetes guidelines which you can find on the NHS Diabetes website advise GPs to get the newly diagnosed to try diet & exercise alone for 3 months and then go onto medication if needed; I went through this 8 years ago. Do get hold of a Blood Glucose meter if you can (they are free if you contact the manufacturers) but you will have to pay for test strips. By testing yourself you can find out what foods are best for you. BTW if your dietician suggests you have 'starchy carbs with every meal' ignore that advice and look for low-GI carbs and not necessarily at every meal. I have fried egg and bacon for breakfast which is very acceptable for a diabetics so don't worry too much about fats in moderation depending upon the effect on your weight. Good luck - you are not alone.

daisy1 · Oct 8, 2011

Hi Angel and welcome to the forum Some good advice from Denise and Daibell there. Don't think that getting diabetes is your fault - it isn't. The majority of overweight people haven't got diabetes. What the consultant said to you was dreadful and unethical and you should try to put it out of your mind. But now that you've got diabetes you've got to manage it as best you can. Here is the information mentioned above which we give to new members and I hope it helps you.

As Daibell said, testing is very important and you need a testing kit. You need to test just before a meal and 2 hours after. If these figures are similar this means that what you have eaten is OK for you. If the after-meal reading is higher then you need to rethink what you have eaten - cut down the portion or if necessary cut out that particular food (the one that seems to be the culprit). That way you might find that you can have small portions of the foods you particularly like. Everyone is different so you have to find out how each food affects you personally. Ask as many questions here as you like as there is usually someone who knows the answer.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.

999Angel · Oct 11, 2011

Thank you everyone i am starting to get my head round it, i see my practice nurse who is a diatician next tuesday so will see what happens then what i have been doing up to now is still have had no sugar i mean as in cakes chocolate, crisps biscuits i could kill for one but i have not, i have cut my portion of potatoes down, instead of half of plate say a quater, although not had them everynight, and had half plateful of green beans or broccoli instead, no sweet afterwards, finding it hard in between meals and when im on nights, but i have not picked, like i say i will see if i can get one of those blood sugar metres, and i have had my eyes tested, although i need reading glassed my eyes are healthy which im pleased about, i just find myself checking my feet everyday thinking there going to go black or im going to go blind, i have to get to think sensibly, i will i just think ive been scared, thank you i appriciate your replies and it does help knowing im not alone .

MsVelvet · Oct 7, 2014

Well, I am a little over 3 weeks from diagnosis and today I went to my first appointment and also got weighed. Since I have started LCHF I have lost 22kg, this may sound like a lot of weight, and it is, but I started at nearly 195kg. Needless to say I am very happy.
Also, needless to say the dietician was not overly excited by my LCHF and wants me to add more carbs including those things that grow below the ground and grains, bread etc, plus use low-fat products and limit butter to 1 tspn a day. I am just starting to feel really good on the LCHF so I don't think I will change much, maybe I will add some more veggies, but LCHF is working for me and I want to keep going.

jack412 · Oct 7, 2014

999Angel said:
Thank you everyone i am starting to get my head round it, i see my practice nurse who is a diatician next tuesday so will see what happens then what i have been doing up to now is still have had no sugar i mean as in cakes chocolate, crisps biscuits i could kill for one but i have not, i have cut my portion of potatoes down, instead of half of plate say a quater, although not had them everynight, and had half plateful of green beans or broccoli instead, no sweet afterwards, finding it hard in between meals and when im on nights, but i have not picked, like i say i will see if i can get one of those blood sugar metres, and i have had my eyes tested, although i need reading glassed my eyes are healthy which im pleased about, i just find myself checking my feet everyday thinking there going to go black or im going to go blind, i have to get to think sensibly, i will i just think ive been scared, thank you i appriciate your replies and it does help knowing im not alone .

what a terrible time you have had from ignorant people, I think if you want to lose weight and get your BG right, you really need to cut your carbs, you can replace the energy with healthy fats/oils, it wont be like a calorie restricted diet where you have no energy, you will be bouncing off the walls after a week to a fortnight but the starving hungry after just eating you may have now...stops in 3 days

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf it’s a long page and a video
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm because carbs don’t give up easy.

testing
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
food count
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Newcastle diet aims in 8+ weeks, to mimic the gastric surgery rate of ~80% T2 remission
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2010/mar/weight-loss-surgery-and-type-2-diabetes.html

http://diabeticmediterraneandiet.com/low-carb-mediterranean-diet/
http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com/blog/carbohydrate-restriction-an-option-for-diabetes-management

http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
if you buy extra boxes of strips there is a discount code
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

sanguine · Oct 7, 2014

999Angel said:
the consultant i was under really upset me he said what he would like to do with peple like me is to lock them in a room for 12 months with just water and vitamins

That is totally outrageous and should be the subject of a formal complaint in my view. But I understand how at the time you can just be taken aback and only really consider the situation later.

Loobles · Oct 7, 2014

I certainly know what you mean when you said you feel like you don't want to eat! But really, it's not a road you want to go down, trust me. I'm going down it and trying to pull myself out of it.

In my view, the best thing you can do is get yourself a new consultant (seriously), put in a complaint about him and then...

My way - it's just ONE way...
1. Buy a meter if you haven't got one
2. I'd recommend this eating your normal diet for a couple of days and see what readings your getting - this is your baseline
3. Cut out (temporarily) all carbs that don't come from veggies and lower carb fruits like berries - give it a few days and watch your BG reduce. that should give you some much better readings
4. Time to reintroduce carbs in small amounts. I was told to start with 10g at a time and increase by 10g with each dose. Make sure your BG stays within a target value. Your target value may want to be lower than that set by your care team. I can't expand on that as I need to go out now.

But just before I go, remember that ALL carbs are converted to sugar in the body, so you need to look at total carb content on foods.

Gotta go! Back later x

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999Angel

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sanguine

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Loobles

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newly diagnosed

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