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NEWLY DIAGNOSED
- Thread starter Raione
- Start Date
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Raione and welcome to the forum 
Here is some information for new members which should get you started. Keep reading as much as you can and ask questions when you need to as there is usually someone here to help.
Here is some information for new members which should get you started. Keep reading as much as you can and ask questions when you need to as there is usually someone here to help.
Grazer
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,115
Hi and welcome to both raione and jezcrazy. Any questions, just fire away. Jezcrazy, I'm sure your health trainer is great, but just remember that what's healthy for a non-diabetic can be decidedly unhealthy for a diabetic. Do read about diet on this forum as well.
xyzzy
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,950
- Type of diabetes
- Other
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Undeserving authority figures of all kinds and idiots.
Hello Yvonne and welcome
Grazer makes a good point as usual. Just make sure your health trainer understands what is a safe diet for diabetics. In the meantime here's what I did.
I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on the forum got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost nearly 4 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. You can normalise your blood levels but that isn't the same as a cure I'm afraid. What it means is that you will need to be very careful about what you eat from now on.
What you should eat diet wise is really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.
The above regime is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you may find what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.
Next most members would recommend you test your own blood sugar levels. Did your doctor give you a meter and strips? Some do and some don't. It's a bit of a post code lottery and we find some progressive surgeries are pro testing and others anti. I'll warn you the anti ones can sometimes be very vocally anti! If you ask and get told no then if you can afford to most members will get a meter and test themselves anyway. A meter that many people are buying at the moment is called as SD CodeFree. The meter and 50 strips will cost under £20 then new strips are just £5 per 50 which is a lot cheaper than most other meters. The cheapest place to buy is the healthcare.co.uk shop on eBay but make sure you get a UK mmol/l model and not a US mg/dl one or the numbers it shows will be confusing.
The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.
As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.
Good luck and keep asking questions.
Regards
Steve
PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.
First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden
http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in
Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
Grazer makes a good point as usual. Just make sure your health trainer understands what is a safe diet for diabetics. In the meantime here's what I did.
I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on the forum got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost nearly 4 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. You can normalise your blood levels but that isn't the same as a cure I'm afraid. What it means is that you will need to be very careful about what you eat from now on.
What you should eat diet wise is really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.
The above regime is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you may find what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.
Next most members would recommend you test your own blood sugar levels. Did your doctor give you a meter and strips? Some do and some don't. It's a bit of a post code lottery and we find some progressive surgeries are pro testing and others anti. I'll warn you the anti ones can sometimes be very vocally anti! If you ask and get told no then if you can afford to most members will get a meter and test themselves anyway. A meter that many people are buying at the moment is called as SD CodeFree. The meter and 50 strips will cost under £20 then new strips are just £5 per 50 which is a lot cheaper than most other meters. The cheapest place to buy is the healthcare.co.uk shop on eBay but make sure you get a UK mmol/l model and not a US mg/dl one or the numbers it shows will be confusing.
The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.
As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.
Good luck and keep asking questions.
Regards
Steve
PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.
First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden
http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in
Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
Hi all.
Recently diagnosed in the last 3 months to Type 1 and have been put onto Insulin injections. Lantus at about 20 units in the morning and then Novo Rapid of about 8-12 units before Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Blood Sugar is stupidly high all day (15 at 6am through to 30 around 3PM) and I am naturally tired and losing focus with my work - My Vision is getting slightly worse on the VDU also to a noticeable level.
My Diet is not too bad. Cereal for breakfast, Ham Salad on Granary and a banana at lunch and usually chicken or fish with spuds and veg for dinner (very repetitive I must say). Lots of Tea and Coffee, some water and say 1.5 pints of beer a day (averaged).
I have a check up on 27 July but wanted some comfort as to whether it is within my control to increase the Lantus to reduce the overnight reading. I have so many questions and find that exercise is a great source of reducing the suagr levels, but when they get below 5 I really get the shakes, run for a slice of bread and jam and the sugar levels spike instantly. I dont veen have to be that active. Simple tasks like housework or a round of golf has me in bits.
Who is the best person to discuss next steps with - Diabetic Nurse, Consultant or perhaps just a Dietician ??
I am committed to doing as I am told...
Thanks in advance
Shaun
Last HBA1C = 13.2 / 14d Ave BG = 18.2
Recently diagnosed in the last 3 months to Type 1 and have been put onto Insulin injections. Lantus at about 20 units in the morning and then Novo Rapid of about 8-12 units before Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Blood Sugar is stupidly high all day (15 at 6am through to 30 around 3PM) and I am naturally tired and losing focus with my work - My Vision is getting slightly worse on the VDU also to a noticeable level.
My Diet is not too bad. Cereal for breakfast, Ham Salad on Granary and a banana at lunch and usually chicken or fish with spuds and veg for dinner (very repetitive I must say). Lots of Tea and Coffee, some water and say 1.5 pints of beer a day (averaged).
I have a check up on 27 July but wanted some comfort as to whether it is within my control to increase the Lantus to reduce the overnight reading. I have so many questions and find that exercise is a great source of reducing the suagr levels, but when they get below 5 I really get the shakes, run for a slice of bread and jam and the sugar levels spike instantly. I dont veen have to be that active. Simple tasks like housework or a round of golf has me in bits.
Who is the best person to discuss next steps with - Diabetic Nurse, Consultant or perhaps just a Dietician ??
I am committed to doing as I am told...
Thanks in advance
Shaun
Last HBA1C = 13.2 / 14d Ave BG = 18.2
Hi shaun and welcome to here.
First of all, having symptoms of hypoglycemia is normal at slightly higher blood levels if you have been running high for a while. If you can avoid over-doing your 'treatment' to get the symptoms to go away, you will get used to it in time. If you have symptoms, try with half a slice of bread with ham instead of jam for instance.
Your diet is not too bad for a type 1 - your insulin should be able to cope with it, that is, if your insulin dose is correct for your meals. Do you test before eating and afterwards so you have a basis for telling whether the dose you inject is correct for your amount of carbohydrates in your food? Ideally, you would want to see your levels before eating rise by 2-3 mmol at the two hour mark after the meal. If it goes up by more than this, you would need another unit or two for that meal.
If you have excess blood sugar in your blood from the meal time insulins not working enough (determined by method above - testing it), I would not touch the basal first, but rather try to make a better guess of your meal. In this situation you may find your basal is fine but your body 'accumulates' meal time sugar.
However if your after meal readings are in the 3 mmol range, I would talk to the diabetes nurse about adjusting the basal.
It is normally recommeded to adjust only by about 5-10 percent, which for you means 1-2 units of Lantus adjustment, then wait 3-4 days to see the full effect and then assess from there. If you are not entirely comfortable with this on your own, that is understandable and I would discuss it with the health care pro that you're most comfortable with who also has a sensible knowledge. It could be the Diabetic Nurse or your GP.
Really though, you need a few tests.
The other way to test your basal is to not eat anything from you wake up till lunch and not take your NovoRapid. If your blood glucose rises more than about 2 mmol in this interval this indicates you need to adjust your basal. If it falls, your basal is too high. If it stays around 1 mmol from where it was, the level will be right. This test is only really good if your starting level is somewhat sensible though, so I would discuss it with them - and get the meter and pen and paper out and jot down what you ate, what you injected and how the blood sugars were.
Good luck.
First of all, having symptoms of hypoglycemia is normal at slightly higher blood levels if you have been running high for a while. If you can avoid over-doing your 'treatment' to get the symptoms to go away, you will get used to it in time. If you have symptoms, try with half a slice of bread with ham instead of jam for instance.
Your diet is not too bad for a type 1 - your insulin should be able to cope with it, that is, if your insulin dose is correct for your meals. Do you test before eating and afterwards so you have a basis for telling whether the dose you inject is correct for your amount of carbohydrates in your food? Ideally, you would want to see your levels before eating rise by 2-3 mmol at the two hour mark after the meal. If it goes up by more than this, you would need another unit or two for that meal.
If you have excess blood sugar in your blood from the meal time insulins not working enough (determined by method above - testing it), I would not touch the basal first, but rather try to make a better guess of your meal. In this situation you may find your basal is fine but your body 'accumulates' meal time sugar.
However if your after meal readings are in the 3 mmol range, I would talk to the diabetes nurse about adjusting the basal.
It is normally recommeded to adjust only by about 5-10 percent, which for you means 1-2 units of Lantus adjustment, then wait 3-4 days to see the full effect and then assess from there. If you are not entirely comfortable with this on your own, that is understandable and I would discuss it with the health care pro that you're most comfortable with who also has a sensible knowledge. It could be the Diabetic Nurse or your GP.
Really though, you need a few tests.
The other way to test your basal is to not eat anything from you wake up till lunch and not take your NovoRapid. If your blood glucose rises more than about 2 mmol in this interval this indicates you need to adjust your basal. If it falls, your basal is too high. If it stays around 1 mmol from where it was, the level will be right. This test is only really good if your starting level is somewhat sensible though, so I would discuss it with them - and get the meter and pen and paper out and jot down what you ate, what you injected and how the blood sugars were.
Good luck.
