Partner Newly Diagnosied Type 2 NEED HELP!!

gkent91

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi, My Partner has just been told 2 weeks ago he has type 2 diabetes. He hasnt had any help as of yet he is waiting appointments just told to cut everything out and wait to be seen. With this being no help what so ever I was wondering if anyone would be of help to give us some info on this? he is young only 23 not obese just slightley over weight since being told has cut out everything, drinks water, eats cereal for bfast, soup or sandwhich for lunch, fruit and veg as snacks, and either chicken plain pasta, or chicken salad for dinner, he is exercising everyday at work and coming home to exercise too. we dont know if this is going to be any help doing this for him or if we are making things worse.
HELP PLEASE. Not sure where too start. If anyone has any meal plans ect they use they would be very helpful.

Thanks
 

hallii

Well-Known Member
Messages
554
First off, don't panic! All will be sorted in due time.

The good news is that he has been diagnosed and now there is the treatment to be sorted out.

Without a doubt the best thing you can do is buy a test meter and strips, have a look at "Codefree" on ebay.

The next thing is to cut down on the carbohydrates, (Have a look at the info that will follow soon).

It will take a bit of time but things will soon be sorted out, then you can start the process of understanding what is going on and how to deal with it.

Diabetes is a condition that requires day to day management and you cannot rely on the doctors to do this. It is a personal responsibility and sucesss or failure is down tp you.

As I said, don't panic, just take a bit of time and learn what you can.

H
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. I have to say that although it's possible your partner has T2 I would think it likely that he is a late onset T1 (LADA) due to his young age and not being over-weight. Before his appointments I advise getting a blood sugar meter and checking his blood 2 hours after a meal until you find out what foods affect him. Occasionally LADA can progress quite fast, but not always, but be prepared to contact the GP or go to A&E if the sugar readings go into the 20s to 30s and keep rising. I don't want to scare you but better to be safe. He should drink plenty of water or non sugar added fluids but not fruit juice. Keep the carbs low and high fibre and low-GI. Proteins are fine so are veg and fats to a reasonable extent. Fruit is OK in medium quantity but avoid bananas, melons or other sugary fruit; berries are generally OK. I have egg and bacon for breakfast and a small portion of home made muesli. I have thin slices of multi-grain or low GI bread for lunch with cheese, meat etc. Just keep the carbs low for the main meal. Hopefully the appointments will go well. There are tests that can be done to help diagnose LADA but they can come out negative even though the body lacks insulin. I hope I haven't overloaded you with info. Do come back with more questions. Daisy should be along shortly with a lot of useful info and links
 

gkent91

Newbie
Messages
4
Thank you both for your reply. I can take that all in and think about it so it makes sense but I would rather this than worrying. You havent scared us so dont worry would rather be able to know what to look for. he has to lose weight so if he is dieting should he still be trying to eat a certain amount to keep his blood sugar levels up? since dieting he has been feeling dizzy shakey and weak a few times, we werent obv sure what to do but he had soup and felt abit better not much but it helped, should he be aiming for 3 meals a day with snacks aswell to keep him level?
thanks again for replying. so easy to get worked up its good to get advice.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Whilst not on tablets it is highly unlikely even dieting that your partner is going hypo (low blood sugar), but a meter will help guide you there. I wouldn't panic and three meals with minimal or no snacks should be fine.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi gkent and welcome to the forum :)

Here is some information that I think will be useful to you and your partner. Ask as many questions as you like as there is always someone who can 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 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.
 

gkent91

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi, was just wondering if anyone has any good ideas for low carb lunches? My partner works outside and needs to make it up the night before. any idea people? thanks :)
 

andie2212

Newbie
Messages
1
you should be able to get a free blood test meter from your practice nurse who will put the bits you need to use the meter on repeat prescription which you get free you dont pay for prescriptions if you are a diabetic. if this fails ring your local hospital to ask if there is a diabetic drop in center as they will give you a meter free too all the best
 

bigbenn

Member
Messages
16
Hi,
I am a Diabetic, but for the last 2 years, through diet and exercise, I have lost weight and I have had a blood sugar reading of 6.1 which is considered to be normal and my organs have regenerated and I feel healthy and happy again - I'm 66 and I don't want any Diabetes complications for the remainder of my life, no matter what I must do to achieve that.

If you read the blurb here: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php right through to the end and pay particular attention to the last paragraph and follow the links there, perhaps you can begin an eating regime which will reverse the beginnings of Diabetes and keep it under strict control for the rest of your partner's life, so that while he will be a diabetic, he won't have the complications of Diabetes and will be able to live his life as enjoyably as possible - with you.

Alternatively, you can send me an e-mail to [email protected] for my diet.

BigBenn
 

keeone

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Would love a copy of your diet

Peter

Sent from my Nexus S using DCUK Forum mobile app
 

mrawfell

Well-Known Member
Messages
97
First relax, this didn't happen overnight. I am not going to hazard a guess as to just how long this has been building up. There must have been a reason for the doctor to check his blood sugar. The doctor is not panicking so neither should you. In the mean time, yes get a meter and tests strips. In general keep the standard carbs out of his diet. This includes any white starch products. Sugar, potatoes, white bread, rice. We have a guide called a G.I. index. It simply indicates the rate of conversion of starch to glucose. In general, whole meal bread, is on the good side. Most leafy veg are good, and fruit in moderation.
Just relax.