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Newly diagnosed

JohnD54

JohnD54

Well-Known Member
Messages
627
Location
Manchester
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Rice
Good day,

As header I have been newly diagnosed as being a type 2 diabetic, 2 weeks ago.

I have been put on Metformin 500 twice per day, but have not started taking it yet, since I wanted more information before starting.

Mhbalc reading was 80, which I realise is high

Total Cholesterol 5.1

Hdl .9

Triglycerides 6.1

Gfr >60

It's all a bit confusing, with the information the nurse gave me and the information on here, I don't think dieting will be a problem for me,
Have been eating differently since being diagnosed, basically as shown below.

Breakfast 2 slices brown seeded bread toasted with a little butter.

lunch sandwich of brown seeded bread, with salmon or small amount of cheese with a salad and fruit to finish.

Evening meal of chicken or fish small amount of new potatoes, and vegetables.

I also eat apples, grapes and other fruit during the day.

During the course of the day 3/4 cups of tea with milk not sugar.

I have lost 4 lbs and am not having a problem with sticking to it.



I exercise twice a day walking and have taken up an exercise bike to additional exercise.

My question is rather simple, is the above a suitable diet?

Should I take the Metformin?

Should I get a blood monitor.

I would be grateful for any further information you can put my way, I do appreciate it can be different for everyone and the diagnosis
Was a bit of a shock to me, as I am sure it is for most.

Thanking you kind people in advance

confused John
 
The only way to really know if it is suitable is to test your blood glucose levels after eating.

I expect you will be going fairly high but you need to get a meter and test. @daisy1 will be along to provide you with basic information for people who are newly diagnosed.
 
Hi, welcome.

You ought to be reducing your carb intake as this is the diabetic's enemy (as well as sugar of course). So less toast, sandwiches, potatoes, rice, pasta and so on. Grapes are also high in sugar, for diabetics berry fruits are best. Apples OK in moderation.

When you have a meter you will quickly learn what spikes your BG and what doesn't.

Read around, ask questions, and good luck!
 
sanguine said:
Hi, welcome.

You ought to be reducing your carb intake as this is the diabetic's enemy (as well as sugar of course). So less toast, sandwiches, potatoes, rice, pasta and so on. Grapes are also high in sugar, for diabetics berry fruits are best. Apples OK in moderation.

When you have a meter you will quickly learn what spikes your BG and what doesn't.

Read around, ask questions, and good luck!
Click to expand...

I'd second all of that ..........

No need to go hungry, though, as there are numerous other foodstuffs that you can eat instead, with lots having been written on this site about what they are.

However, as many of these affect each of us in different ways, it's best to learn what's best for you, by checking how they affect your BG with your meter.

Regards,
 
I echo all that has been said above. You need a meter and you need to test before you eat and 2 hours after starting to eat. Only then will you know what you can cope with, and I doubt all those carbs will be helping you. Please also be very careful with fruits.
 
Hi John and welcome to the Forum. Have a good look round the site and some of the other posts and forums, you will soon pick up lots of tips and information. We are all different which is why it is important to test your bg before and after food. Your Doctor/DSN will probably tell you that you don't need to test, because most surgery's don't provide a meter/strips on prescription for T2 diabetics, so you will need to buy your own. Most people on here buy the code free meter from Amazon, as the strips are much cheaper.

Good luck

Marilyn
 
Hi. I agree with the other posts. Reduce the bread. Eggs and bacon or similar for breakfast. Cheese is always good as well as meat. Do take the Metformin. It's a good, safe drug. It won't work miracles but does help a bit if you are overweight. If you have stomach problems with it ask the GP for the Slow Release (SR) version
 
Andrew Colvin said:
The only way to really know if it is suitable is to test your blood glucose levels after eating.

I expect you will be going fairly high but you need to get a meter and test. @daisy1 will be along to provide you with basic information for people who are newly diagnosed.
Click to expand...

Hi John and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I think you will find it answers some of your questions. Ask anything else you need to know and someone will help.

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 over 100,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.
 
sanguine said:
Hi, welcome.

You ought to be reducing your carb intake as this is the diabetic's enemy (as well as sugar of course). So less toast, sandwiches, potatoes, rice, pasta and so on. Grapes are also high in sugar, for diabetics berry fruits are best. Apples OK in moderation.

When you have a meter you will quickly learn what spikes your BG and what doesn't.

Read around, ask questions, and good luck!
Click to expand...


So I am so confused because I was told that you must have carbs with every meal!! Limited obviously but I was told that seeded bread for toast (breakfast) and having a sandwich for lunch was ok?!?


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
ejstonier said:
So I am so confused because I was told that you must have carbs with every meal!! Limited obviously but I was told that seeded bread for toast (breakfast) and having a sandwich for lunch was ok?!?
Click to expand...

That's the NICE/NHS guidelines but it's poor advice for diabetics I'm afraid - best to limit bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or better to avoid them altogether. You might tolerate a slice of toast or a couple of new potatoes but test to see what their impact is. Egg and bacon, or Greek yoghurt and berries is better for breakfast, and salad or tapas-type concoctions for lunch.
 
Well I'm happy that I have been having a small amount of strawb/rad/blueberries with Greek yog but I have been having that for lunch after my sandwich or whatever.

Not sure how I will cope with no carbs. Time will tell I suppose.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
You will still get some carbs in fruit and veg, many choose to eat more fat to compensate for the lost carb calories, so you can eat cheese, butter, cream etc. Avoid low-fat products, they mostly have excess sugar. Have a look at www.dietdoctor.com/LCHF .

Reduce your carbs, do more exercise and your meter should show your blood sugar levels decrease quite soon.

Good luck!
 
I would to thank everyone for their advice, still confused, but muddling through.

Have lost 7lbs in weight in 3 weeks, by a combination of diet and exercise.

Returning to the Doctors in the next 7-10 days to discuss the right way forward.

Still confused by the different advice given both on here and in a couple of books
That I have read.

Only other question I have is type 2 reversible?




Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
With good control from diet and exercise you can get back to 'normal' blood glucose levels, and there is some evidence that in some circumstances the pancreas can heal to a degree and recover some of its insulin production capabilities. But you would still be diabetic, meaning that if you stop doing what you did, BGs could easily go out of control again.
 
To continue, started today with the metformin, spoken to my Dr about monitoring blood glucose myself and was told
This was not required since they will check again in 2 months time. I shall buy my own kit any recommendations?

Advised by doctor not to continue with LCHF diet, how can he make this decision without knowing how my bloods are?
Cant say I am feeling any better or worse than when diagnosed, but certainly more informed, largely due to the posts on here.

Will continue on the LCHF and monitor BG's.

Will post on here when I have some further statistical information.

Once again many thanks for the advice so far, doubtless will be a long journey and hopefully a good one.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
SD Codefree meter, strips and lancets from Amazon.

You've made the right decision. We can gain control thro metering/food diary-ing. Who wouldn't want control? Go for it.

Good luck from another newbie.


Newbie, age 55, from London, living in Denmark, 3 children in teens.
Diagnosed 13 June 14 fasting BG 16 :-(
After one week, fasting BG 10/11 :-)
Doing LCHF + exercise + Metformin working up to 2g/day, + metering and food diary
 
I followed the doctors advise on eating a balance plate, meat, veg and potatoes or similar for several years and just saw my sugar levels slowly rising and subsequently the Metformin dose increasing alongside. When I saw the nurse about 6 weeks ago, the sugars had gone up again and as I couldn't think of anything specific to cause the rise (looking back too many After Eight mints certainly didn't help, but I had no way of know how bad they must have been), she upped the dose to the maximum. It told me something was going wrong and I did not like not knowing what, so I took it into my own hands and ended up here.

Two weeks later having bought a meter and started monitoring myself, and browsing the forums I now know more about what is happening with body then at any time in the last few years. I have opted for moderate carb rather than low carb, but by using the meter I can tell just how much carbs I can eat, and what effects me badly.

If you have very high cholesterol the doctors are quite happy for you to virtually cut out all fats, just having tiny amounts of 'good' ones. Unfortunately the same message hasn't got through to them about carbs and blood sugar yet.

So from my experience, short as it is, test yourself and find out what you can eat and what gives you the spikes and tailor your diet to that.
 
Update, now been a few weeks since diagnosed? Exercise increasing on a weekly basis, down just about 1 stone in weight. Eating low carb less than 50g per day plenty of meat,veg, salad, fruit mixed nuts & berries.

Dr would not play with a meter, expecting delivery of my own in next couple of days.

Let's have a guessing game my BG was 80, what might it be now.

Should add getting super support from my wife and elder children.




Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
JohnD54 said:
Update, now been a few weeks since diagnosed? Exercise increasing on a weekly basis, down just about 1 stone in weight. Eating low carb less than 50g per day plenty of meat,veg, salad, fruit mixed nuts & berries.

Dr would not play with a meter, expecting delivery of my own in next couple of days.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...

John, the diabetics best friend (and I mean, BEST friend) is his/her own meter. The only way you can check how certain foods affect you is by checking your blood before a meal, and then one and two hours afterwards. Initially your fingers may look like pin cushions, but you will soon learn what you can eat and what spikes your blood sugar. Once you know this, you only need to check when you eat food you don't normally touch.

The Codefree strips are fairly cheap. I buy them also and use about 50 each week (or thereabouts), but that is a small price to pay for knowing what's going on in your body.

Good luck, and keep on reading the posts here. There is a lot of wisdom (and practical experience) to be found here.
 
Gudrun,

Thanks for your comments and indeed all that post on here, obviously we can only post our personal experiences, but if it wasn't for this site I for one would have found my diagnosis a lot more difficult to deal with.

Knowing there are many people with the same problem helps immensely, reading some of the good stories is great , to read the sad stories is sobering.

One day I may be able so help other people with this problem at the moment I am taking the help and assistance offered here.




Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
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