No idea what I should be doing

Welcome to the forum Sandhya. What you are feeling is quite normal when first diagnosed but you have come to the right place. There are lots of caring people here and lots of helpful information and advice. I'm sure someone will be along soon who will tag Daisy for information but I'm not sure how to do it. Just wanted you to feel supported as soon as possible after your post.

I fail to follow the logic of the advice given to you - if you are a type 2 diabetic for any reason the things you eat are still going to have the same sorts of effects on you.
Your instincts about what you should be doing do seem to be correct. Changing what you eat is vital for many people, using a blood glucose tester to see what level they are at at different times of day shows your personal reaction to food, most notably the carbohydrate. High levels are dangerous, but by changing your diet to include fewer carbs you can reduce and control blood glucose - with any luck.
My personal history still surprises me, at 6 months from diagnosis I learned that my blood glucose levels were normal and had been for some time.
There are lots of recipes where the high carb elements have been removed and low carb ones substituted, so cakes are not forbidden, just different, chocolate is either the no added sugar, with polyols, or simply high cocoa and alcohol is possible - just not mixed with sugar. Fruit juices are included in the high carbs, by the way, as are sweet fruits, but many can eat berries in moderation - usually with cream.
I can do the tag thing for @daisy1

Hi. I feel your GP doesn't know much about diabetes. First it is believed your genes may make you susceptible to T2 but your lifestyle is the main determinant. Changing your diet should have a big effect. I wonder whether the GP suggested reducing your carbs - I suspect not. So, you do need to reduce the carbs in your diet but you can have proteins and fats to keep you feeling full as well as veg and some fruit etc. Exercise always helps but diet has the biggest effect. If you have excess weight, the right diet will reduce that and help reduce visceral and other fat so your insulin resistance is lowered. I'm sure you find success with the right diet. BTW at your next review and blood test ask for a lipids breakdown so you can check your cholesterol ratios. There are many arguments about statins and you need to ensure you don't take a higher dose than your really need to have reasonable lipids ratios. Also with Ramipril which I was on, it can be worth checking your blood pressure at home. I agreed with my DN to stop my Ramipril as my home testing showed my BP was fine and I was suffering the white coat syndrome when tested in the surgery. Hope I'm not overloading you with info but every little helps as they say!

@Sandhya13224

Hello Sandhya and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Ask questions and you will get more advice from knowledgeable members.


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 245,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

Technically, you don't *need* one, but I think getting one would be a good idea as it will let you see what your bloods are, and what foods raise you. That way, you will be able to keep your bloods low and avoid complications later. To be honest, managing T2 doesn't have to be that complicated: if you read through Daisy's post above and understand it, you shouldn't go to far wrong. Come back later and ask the forum about any specific issues.
The following link should be helpful RE using a meter

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/how-to-test-blood-glucose-levels.html

You do need to draw blood, but it is pretty painless and clean. I tested a lot while I was working out what different foods and activities did, but now I only really test if I'm doing/ eating something out of the ordinary

Sandhya13224 said:

Hi... What is a glucose tester? What is the best one to buy and from where? Does it mean I have to draw blood? Sorry for daft questions? Do I really need one....doc said no.

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Look on Amazon- you can buy the Codefree one for £12 and it's only a pin prick test to get the blood you need ( pruning roses is more painful-lol !) it really is the best way of staying in charge of the BG levels, otherwise you'd really be in the dark about how you reacted to food. Lots of helpful people here-welcome to the forum and good luck x

Hi and welcome,

I would say a glucose meter is essential if you want to learn which foods are causing you the problems. By testing before you eat and again 2 hours after starting, you can see instantly how much your levels have gone up. Virtually all type 2s not on insulin are told no need to test, but that is just money-saving. If they told you to test they would have to prescribe the means to do it.

I agree with everyone that it is carbohydrate (and most fruit) that cause problems for us. This is because all carbs convert to glucose inside the system, and glucose is what we already have too much of. This includes the wholemeal varieties of carbs. You could see for yourself what we mean if you get a meter. A healthy diet for a non-diabetic is not the same as a healthy diet for a diabetic.

Hi @Sandhya13224 .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here. Since joining this forum, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

You have already made a positive start in dealing with your diagnosis .. but the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

You have already received your welcome email from @daisy1 and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she has sent you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

It is a top priority that you get yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps

Once you know what you can eat you can stop testing - I have pretty much stopped testing after 6 months as I have run through all the things I eat now and got the portion sizes sorted.
The first few months are the most important to get your metabolism back on track, but you know yourself best - you might need to keep on checking to be sure your BG levels stay in the right range.

Hi and welcome to the forum @Sandhya13224
This is just the perfect place to be. I got diagnosed in December 2016. What I learned from this forum, everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable, it helped me reach the hba1c of 5.7 is:
1) get a meter to test the effect of food.
2) eat less carbs and sugar. You can however have small sweet things as treats sometime
3) exercise, walking helps a lot with lowering bg levels.

Sandhya13224 said:

been diagnosed a mth ago. Tablets changed already as bad tummy issues. Need to start statins soon and then ramipil. Scared about this. But main worry is what should I be eating? Doctors is great and said that my diet is pretty good already and no real need to change drastically but just a bit as T2D is due to hereditary and not my lifestyle. Initial blood tests were sky high though. I have nothing to test myself with so no idea if sugar level is still high. Still eating as I was before with odd cake, choc bar and alcohol too. But just feel that I should be doing more/eating differently now. I will start exercise too but going on holiday soon so wanted to start this when I know I can continue. And in some ways I am burying my head in the sand as don't want to deal with all this. Still a bit tearful at times too...and angry.

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Hi Sandhya13224 welcome, my T2 diagnosis is partly genetic (in the family) BUT I do love pasta, potatoes, rice and bread (all those 'carby' things) and not overweight (9st) but having cut out or seriously reduced this items I feel so much healthier and I do test my blood sugar so I know what raises my levels. I have refused to take statins and my doctor has not pushed it. When first diagnosed my HbA1c was 78 and three months on it was 44 and yes the medication has a lot to do with it but my determination in sticking low carb high fat has helped. I was in denial for a couple of weeks but then got to grips with it so stick with it because it will get easier.