Hi, I am new to this site and have already found some gret information. I was diagnosed just over 3 weeks ago after 2 fasting glucose tests of 6.5 and 2 glucose tolerance tests that were both 6.5 and then 15 and 18 respectively after the sugary drink. HbA1c 6.9. Trying to go down the no meds route by a diet and lifestyle change. This will be assessed after 3 months when I will be having the HbA1c repeated. I am finding it all a struggle emotionally. I have been overweight for years and my diet has been dreadful so I blame myself. I already take BP meds and have raised cholesterol. GP now wants me to take statins too. I have been trying to go low carb and thought I was doing OK, have lost 9lbs in 3 weeks and greatly increased my exercise. But yesterday evening I started to feel very thirsty and woke up thirsty this morning with a 'pressure' headache. I have hardly eaten today because I am scared my glucose level has gone up. I am seeing the Practice Nurse tomorrow so will ask her advice but thought someone here might be able to set my mind at rest? I had no symptoms prior to diagnosis, I was having a cholesterol test done and the glucose test was done as an add on 'just to see'! My last fasting glucose test in February 2012 was 5. I have probably rambled on enough for my first post! Thanks for listening.
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Recently diagnosed Type 2
- Thread starter Dot27
- Start Date
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Dot and welcome to the forum 
Here is some information that we give to new members that you may find useful. I'm sure someone will be along to answer your questions soon and please carry on asking questions about anything that's bothering you.
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 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/
Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Here is some information that we give to new members that you may find useful. I'm sure someone will be along to answer your questions soon and please carry on asking questions about anything that's bothering you.
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/
Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Hi Mary
No, I am not testing BG - I did ask about it when first diagnosed but was told as I wasnt taking meds it wasnt necessary. I will be asking again tomorrow and have been researching BG meters this afternoon!
As for eating, I have been trying low carb and low fat as I need to lose quite alot of weight. If I am honest, Looking back at my food diary, most days my carbs are around 150-200 so I guess thats not rally low carb is it. And yesterday I did probably have more. Would that have caused this thirst? and how long before it goes back to normal? From today I am going to concentrate on low carb as that is probably the most important.
I just dont know enough about how serious high glucose is and it's all quite scary to me at the moment. Doesnt help that I tend towards health anxiety!!
Sara
No, I am not testing BG - I did ask about it when first diagnosed but was told as I wasnt taking meds it wasnt necessary. I will be asking again tomorrow and have been researching BG meters this afternoon!
As for eating, I have been trying low carb and low fat as I need to lose quite alot of weight. If I am honest, Looking back at my food diary, most days my carbs are around 150-200 so I guess thats not rally low carb is it. And yesterday I did probably have more. Would that have caused this thirst? and how long before it goes back to normal? From today I am going to concentrate on low carb as that is probably the most important.
I just dont know enough about how serious high glucose is and it's all quite scary to me at the moment. Doesnt help that I tend towards health anxiety!!
Sara
dawnmc
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,453
- Location
- Sheffield
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Don't bother with the low fat, you will just end up hungry. Eat good fats, like olives, mayo, cheese, nuts, avocados, eggs. Choose full fat greek yogurt with berries - low carb, good fat and satisfying.
Daibell
Master
Hi. Welcome to the 'club'. Most of us would recommend getting a meter even though you may have to buy one and the strips. I noticed an offer today for a free meter 'competition' on the Home page of this site? Get strips off the web and some suppliers will provide them VAT free to diabetics. Without meds your BS should reduce over a good few weeks if you low-carb enough. Like most of us you may well be prescribed Metformin as the first med. It's a good, safe drug but won't have a dramatic effect on your BS. If your Hba1c goes above around 7.5'ish you will start to suffer long-term damage. This can include damage to eyes, kidneys, heart, limbs and so on. I don't want to scare you but as you realise already it is a serious disease BUT if you manage your BS well enough then most if not all of the problems can be avoided. As you probably have diabetes T2 due to being over-weight then once you get it down, the insulin resistance you probably have will reduce and the health issues will recede, but like the rest of us, you will always have diabetes
