Newly Diagnosed

Sancho panza said:

Wellcome to you both
It's very very rare that a Dr will issue a T2 diabetic with a meter most of us buy our own
Many Drs and diabetic nurses will tell you you don't need one but most on here disagree it's our best tool to help manage our condition.
Unfortunately the NHS dietary advice you will be given is also of little use
Another thing is that if you are diabetic and on medication you are entitled to free prescriptions however you must get a medical exemption card your Dr needs to sign the form .

Keep asking questions

Click to expand...

Sancho panza said:

No problem Carl
Diet can be a problem contrary to the NHS eat well advice you will be given the majority of follow some sort of reduced carb diet.
Have a good read around the forum and ask questions it's a great place and someone is always willing to help

Click to expand...

Bluetit1802 said:

Hi and welcome,

Diet is the key to controlling this disease. The fewer carbohydrates you consume, the lower your blood sugars will become and the more weight you will lose (if this is an issue). It isn't just sugar we have to cut out. The good news is we can eat as much fat as we wish! So bacon and eggs or full fat Greek yogurts for breakfast is the way to go, no more carb laden cereals. When you get your meter you will be able to work out how many carbs your pancreas can tolerate as we all have different tolerance levels.

@daisy1 will be along with some advice for newly diagnosed. Meanwhile, have a good read round.

Click to expand...

daisy1 said:

@carlsjones7

Hello Carl and welcome to the forum

I'm pleased to see that you have had a lot of good advice above. To add to this, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will be able to 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 130,000 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.

Click to expand...

Dibbles1 said:

Hi
I think we all pretty much get the same ****** attitude from the NHS GP's.
Telling us nothing and expecting us not to care about our own health.
There you go dearie, pop another pill.... not telling you it doesn't work :***:
Arrogance is a terrible thing
They're supposed to give you a meter and test strips for a while so you can learn to regulate your own blood sugar. NICE says so.
Most of us buy our own, usually a codefree because the strips are cheaper.
I cut my carbs, tiny portions of brown rice, potatoes and low carb bread, and only a few times a week.
Don't buy low fat anything, use full fat normal versions of everything.
No cereals, breads, cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks, or beer.
Basically low carb, normal fats. Proteins from meats, fish, eggs, and lots of veg. Fruits are usually a no no. Apart from berries, like blueberries, strawberries and blackberries.
Good luck x You'll get there. We all did
If we're not there yet, we're well on the way to success.

Click to expand...

catinahat said:

Hello Carl welcome
I was also diagnosed T2 just over a month ago, luckily I stumbled upon this forum while searching the internet
for information. I purchased a meter and have been testing for about three weeks now, I'm starting to get a good idea
of the foods I need to avoid or limit.
If you get yourself a meter don't make the same mistake I did, I ordered 50 strips thinking that would be enough to get me started.
They didn't last a week, so make sure you get plenty.

Click to expand...

Lynn1 said:

Please do follow the LCHF way of eating. It will work. Almost guaranteed.

Click to expand...

sanguine said:

Hi welcome

Have a read of the links below and also where I've got to since being diagnosed last March with similar numbers to yourself.

Good luck!

Click to expand...