Scared half to death- with mini update

[Defren]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes today. My Doctor said that my glucose levels were very high, and there is a good possibility I have eye problems as well as the leg and hand problems I have been complaining about for a very long time. Around 6-8 months ago I had blood tests and my cholesterol was fine, now that is also sky high. I have been put onto Metformin and Simvastatin. I am so scared as I know now the problems with my eyes are likely diabetes related and I am going to make an appointment to see the optician tomorrow, and have them checked.

I know I need some one who I can just sit and talk too. Get all the worries and fears out into the open. My Doctor today was brilliant, and gave me longer than my allotted time, but there really are just so many more questions.

I have a feeling I am going to be around this forum a lot, but the first question I have, and it's bothering me a lot is, I don't have a glucose testing kit, so how do I keep a close watch on my blood glucose levels? Will I have to buy my own, or will the Doctor give me one? If I have to buy one, which is the best, and where do I get it from? I need to be able to understand this condition, and at the moment I feel like I am at sea with no life jacket.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ladybird64]

Re: Scared half to death

Hi Defren

Our mod Daisy usually comes alomng with a link for the newly diagnosed but she's not here so you will have to put up with me for the time being.

Don't be frightened, I know it's a overwhelming thing at first but there is a heck of a lot you can do to make changes to your health, promise it's not all doom and gloom.

You can talk to us here. There is a wealth of info from those recently diagnosed and those that have lived with diabetes for years. If your doc hasn't given you a blood glucose meter then the SD codefree one mentioned in this thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27258&start=15, seems to be the way to go. The meters themselves aren't usually that expensive but the test strips cost a fortune so anything that is relaible and the strips are cheap has got to be a good thing!

There are varying opinions re diet on the forum but I think the thing we all agree on is the importance of cutting your carb intake. Try and reduce your portions of rice, pasta and spuds to start with, brown versions of the pasta and rice are better and burgen bread (easy to get hold of and fairly cheap) is often tolerated quite well.

There are just some ideas to get you started, Im sure others will be along soon to add their advice.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Scared half to death

Defren, huge (((hugs)))

We're ten days further along from you, hardly problem free, but after joining this forum I've realised the light at the end of the tunnel is not the train coming to get us.

Ask your doctor for a meter - my husband had his virtually thrust up his nose. We get the strips on prescription. Also, ask if there are any education days in your area. OH got his date through today, it's in April, so quite a while away but at least he's going to get some education. I just hope the Metformin has worked on his woolly-mindedness by then so he can remember it all!

Julia

 

[Defren]

Re: Scared half to death

Thank you so much ladybird. I am sitting here in tears, crazy isn't it? I honestly don't care about the cost of the kits, I know I just have to have one to make me feel like I am in some kind of control. My Doctor has referred me to a dietician and hopefully I will see her soon. I have to have more blood tests in 6 weeks, and then see my Doctor the week after, but 7 weeks with a condition I know very little about, or how to keep it under control seems a looooooooooong way ahead. I rarely eat carbs, at most a couple of slices of wholemeal bread a day, but I will check out the one you recommended. I will also check out the glucose testing kit, as I am sure once I have that, I will feel a bit more empowered - thank you so much for being kind, I wish I could just cry on your shoulder right now.

 

[chocoholicnomore]

Re: Scared half to death

My heart goes out to you Defren. It can all be overwhelming at the beginning and there is loads of info on this forum. Just take your time with it all and don't panic. After all, you've had diabetes for a while without knowing it so a few days or weeks to get it under control shouldn't make that much difference. Also, I know it's hard at the moment, but diabetes can be life changeing in a positive way. Once you've got your BG under control you will feel much better physically.

One of the symptoms of high BG levels is blurred vision so you may also find that your vision returns to normal once BG lowered. The problem might not be as serious as you think. You should be referred by your GP for eye screening very soon, also a dietician and a podiatrist (to check no problems with your feet.)

There is a wealth of experience here so any time you need advice or support or encouragement just come on to the forum and you'll get plenty. Most of us have also used it for a rant when feeling low so feel free to do same.

Good luck with it all

 

[Defren]

Re: Scared half to death

Thank you so much Julia. I need those hugs.

I have just ordered the testing kit on the link you gave me ladybird, thank you so much. I also added extra strips and lancets. I have them on express delivery, so with a bit of luck they will be here Wednesday which will give me at least an idea of how to keep my condition under control. I was also so relieved to read that Metformin won't cause hypoglycemia, I have asked a friend to pick my up a couple of packets of glucose tablets just to keep in my bag, but it seems I won't need them, what a relief that is.

I'm sure that as I gain more knowledge I will feel much better, but at the moment life seems to have a course all of it's own and I don't like it one bit!

 

[ladybird64]

Re: Scared half to death

Course it's not crazy and you can have my virtual shoulder to cry on. In fact, have one of these.

Just a wee note of caution. Dieticians have a tendency to advocate carbs with every meal and some even advise basing the meal around them. Probably not the best idea as they turn to glucose so try and cut them down if you can, your levels will thank you for it!
On the subject of the meter, Julia.. :shock: There are probably in excess of 70-80% of the users here who have asked for a meter and been refused so sounds like hubs has got a forward thinking HCP.

UNtil you get your meter Defren, try and cut your carbs in general. Halve the potions of rice, spuds etc and up the veggies instead. Meat and fish are ok, I'm not getting into the debate about fat on or off the meat..just concentrate on the carbs.

Fruit in small quantities should be ok but berries tend to be better than pears etc. Bananas are a bit of a no-no for a lot of us as they send the sugar levels soaring.

Main thing is-don't panic! No question is stupid (you should see some of mine :lol: ) and no amount of questions are too many. You will be ok x

 

[Defren]

Re: Scared half to death

Chocoholic no more, you have made me cry again. Your absolutely right in all you say. I honestly think it's the shock of it all. My Doctor did suggest I have been Diabetic a long time and didn't know it, so when I have the blood work last year, why was it not picked up then? Already I have sensory neuropathy, my Doctor knew about this months and months ago. I just want the tears to stop now and me feel better and stronger. Thank you all so much, you're so kind.

 

[xyzzy]

Re: Scared half to death

Right Defren

Can't have you in tears so here's my normal welcome to the forum bit and a batch of info. Daisy should be along soon with the official welcome. Hope it helps until you get your meter sorted out.

There are many ways of getting control of your diabetes but many of us like to try to do this using changes to what we eat and combine that with a minimum of drugs usually an effective and safe drug called Metformin.

If you want to try and control using what you eat as the primary way then a good place to start is cut down on carbohydrates especially the starchy ones rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry and cereals. Cutting drastically or better still stopping completely anything sweet with a high sugar content is taken for granted. Sugar is just a refined form of carbohydrate. This would also include things like pure orange and fruit juices and non diet forms of things like Coke.

You may find the advice I've given you will conflict with later advice you may get from your NHS dietitian or nurse but you will have to believe that the vast majority of people on this forum believe that cutting carbohydrates is the key the only real debate we have is by how much. If you were Swedish or German or in a number of the more enlightened countries this advice would be told to you on diagnosis however the NHS still relies on diet info that is now nearly 40 years old and is very out of date. In fact there was a Radio 4 program today which was talking about the same thing.

To start with try halving all of the starchy carbohydrates you currently eat. That's bound to make you hungry so replace what you drop with meat, cheese, eggs, fish and especially vegetables. Try to eat vegetables that grow above ground rather than below although many of us find carrots to be ok. If you like fruit then a small amounts are fine and the ones ending with "berry" are the best. Things like yoghurt should be fine in moderation as well.

On the half you have left try the following

Change white rice to brown basmati rice
Change white bread to wholemeal or better Burgen soya bread
Change white pasta to brown or green or the tri colour stuff

Never eat mashed potatoes it's the one form of potatoes that nearly all diabetic have real problems with. Believe it or not the best potatoes for diabetics are roast ones.

I was diagnosed just 3 months ago with extremely high blood sugar levels and by following the great advice I found on this forum I now have my blood sugar levels back to nearly being in a non diabetic range at all times of the day and have lost just under 40lbs in weight. Cutting carbohydrates is not a cure but will allow you to get control of things and will certainly make you feel a lot better.

I must be truthful and say doing this has been hard work but it gets easier everyday. I must also be truthful and warn you that cutting your carbs by half may not be enough as many of us on here have found. I still get to eat some of the things I've warned you about but in no where near the quantities I used to. Saying that 12 weeks down the line I hardly miss them now.

I see you've already been talking to people about a test meter. It is a really important thing that most of us recommend. Again you may well be told that it isn't necessary by your gp or healthcare team but like you say how else are you supposed to understand what foods are dangerous and what foods keep you safe. You will find lots of advice on testing and what are safe blood sugar levels on the forum. What you should be aiming for is to have blood sugar levels always below 7 prior to eating and then below 7.8 two hours after eating. Again you may get told this is not necessary but these are the internationally recognised safe blood sugar levels that all countries work to.

If you want to test yourself and your gp doesn't prescribe you a meter then currently the meter that is cheapest but is getting good reviews by forum members is called an SD CODEFREE. The cheapest place to buy it is on the health.co.uk shop on eBay where you can pick it up with a case a spikey thing and 60 test strips for around £18. People are buying that model because buying test strips for it are far cheaper than any other model currently £4.99 per 50 strips. If you can afford to I'd buy as many test strips as you can on the initial order as you'l save on P&P later on. Make sure you buy a UK mmol/l model and not the US mg/dl version or you'll get really confused by the numbers that come up!

I see you say your gp was brilliant which is great however I wouldn't assume your gp will prescribe you a meter and test strips. Around 95% of Type 2 people end of having to buy the meter and strips themselves. The UK N.I.C.E guidelines state that a Type 2 diabetic who both understands and shows they are reacting to meter readings should get prescribed strips but in reality it happens very rarely in practice in fact many newly diagnosed people are quite aggressively told not to test as it's pointless. The trouble is the guidelines can be ignored if a gp thinks they should be.

Take care and keep asking as many questions as you need to.

 

[lyn hathawy]

Re: Scared half to death

hi defren made my welcome to you on your other post.i would just like to tell you my pn told me not to bother getting new glasses from my optician till ive had my check up at hospital .this is in two weeks time

 

[dawnmc]

Re: Scared half to death

Hi defren, just add my hugs too. I was diagnosed just after xmas, and felt the same as you. But this is the rest of your life. Daft as it sounds I occasionally think its the best thing thats happened to me, I'm naturally lazy and now I have to get up off my butt and exercise. It works for diabetics. I'm not much overweight and I'm veggie but exercise is something I've done over the years now it has to become a habit.
Lots of useful and very friendly info on this site, I'm on every day.

 

[daisy1]

Re: Scared half to death

Hi Defren - I have answered you on your other thread where I attached some basic information written for new members which I think should help you. You have plenty of people to talk to here as you have already seen and if you have any problems/questions, just put them on here and people will answer you.

 

[Defren]

Re: Scared half to death

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I do feel a little calmer today. I have ordered a meter and paid express delivery so it should be here tomorrow. I feel until I can see my own blood glucose then I am watching a movie with a blindfold on. Today I plan to learn what all the acronyms mean, and what is a 'normal' BS for a T2, then I can be a tiny bit more informed. Today, I went into the kitchen to make toast, and just as I reached for the bread, had to mentally slap my wrists. I am going to have an omelette instead. I know this new diet will soon become second nature, but before I get to that point, I see a few more mental smacked wrists.

I am trying to see this as just a new path on my journey, but the old one was so much better. My eyes are really playing up today, spots infront of them and very dry. Roll on the eye check at the hospital.

 

[Defren]

Re: Scared half to death

I want to put a little update here, especially for newbies (not that I am much more myself :mrgreen: ).

This ^^^ was me a week ago, me today is a different person all together. I bought a meter and I test, test, test. I have my BG within reasonable control, still a work in progress but getting better. The tears are gone and in there place is a determination as strong as steel to control my diabetes, not it control me.

Already I have made major lifestyle changes. The day after I posted above, I dropped carbs and went onto a very low carb diet (less than 30g a day). I also found out I was Vit D deficient and my Doctor gave me a script, I am now taking that too. I had a problem with the Metformin, my own fault, I took it on an empty stomach and did I pay the price. I have also learned if I have one slice of burgen bread toasted with some spread and peanut butter before bed, my fasting levels are great. Over the week and a bit I have read thread after thread in here, and have gained such a clearer insight. I have asked questions, mulled things over in my own mind, and am now at a place where I am ok. I can't say good as I have a way to go, but this was important to me, to show that all the newbies who come here, frightened and scared, that a week is an enormous amount of time, and can make a huge difference. Like me, and all of us together, we will get there.

 

[lucylocket61]

I was just like that. Came back from the doctors and cried and cried. Then someone on another forum suggested I come here...and I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Hugs to you. :wave:

 

[xyzzy]

Re: Scared half to death

I want to put a little update here, especially for newbies (not that I am much more myself :mrgreen: ).

This ^^^ was me a week ago, me today is a different person all together. I bought a meter and I test, test, test. I have my BG within reasonable control, still a work in progress but getting better. The tears are gone and in there place is a determination as strong as steel to control my diabetes, not it control me.

Already I have made major lifestyle changes. The day after I posted above, I dropped carbs and went onto a very low carb diet (less than 30g a day). I also found out I was Vit D deficient and my Doctor gave me a script, I am now taking that too. I had a problem with the Metformin, my own fault, I took it on an empty stomach and did I pay the price. I have also learned if I have one slice of burgen bread toasted with some spread and peanut butter before bed, my fasting levels are great. Over the week and a bit I have read thread after thread in here, and have gained such a clearer insight. I have asked questions, mulled things over in my own mind, and am now at a place where I am ok. I can't say good as I have a way to go, but this was important to me, to show that all the newbies who come here, frightened and scared, that a week is an enormous amount of time, and can make a huge difference. Like me, and all of us together, we will get there.

Absolutely brilliant Defren :thumbup:

 

[SweetHeart]

That's just how it was for us too! Three weeks down the line we know we can do this. We've started the low carb (it's as good for me as it is for MH - I'm not diabetic)

I thought this evening would be a bit hard - celebratory meal for our youngest, 15 today) but we managed very well to have a low carb version of schnitzel (it was naked without it's breadcrumbs but fab in a white wine & cream sauce) and we don't feel we've missed out.

I don't think we'd be where we are in the recovery process without this forum. :clap:

Julia

 

[Defren]

Re: Scared half to death

I want to put a little update here, especially for newbies (not that I am much more myself :mrgreen: ).

This ^^^ was me a week ago, me today is a different person all together. I bought a meter and I test, test, test. I have my BG within reasonable control, still a work in progress but getting better. The tears are gone and in there place is a determination as strong as steel to control my diabetes, not it control me.

Already I have made major lifestyle changes. The day after I posted above, I dropped carbs and went onto a very low carb diet (less than 30g a day). I also found out I was Vit D deficient and my Doctor gave me a script, I am now taking that too. I had a problem with the Metformin, my own fault, I took it on an empty stomach and did I pay the price. I have also learned if I have one slice of burgen bread toasted with some spread and peanut butter before bed, my fasting levels are great. Over the week and a bit I have read thread after thread in here, and have gained such a clearer insight. I have asked questions, mulled things over in my own mind, and am now at a place where I am ok. I can't say good as I have a way to go, but this was important to me, to show that all the newbies who come here, frightened and scared, that a week is an enormous amount of time, and can make a huge difference. Like me, and all of us together, we will get there.

Absolutely brilliant Defren :thumbup:

Thanks xyzzy. I didn't post for praise, just to give newly diagnosed posters a little hope and encouragement, but seeing as you offered :mrgreen:

 

[Defren]

That's just how it was for us too! Three weeks down the line we know we can do this. We've started the low carb (it's as good for me as it is for MH - I'm not diabetic)

I thought this evening would be a bit hard - celebratory meal for our youngest, 15 today) but we managed very well to have a low carb version of schnitzel (it was naked without it's breadcrumbs but fab in a white wine & cream sauce) and we don't feel we've missed out.

I don't think we'd be where we are in the recovery process without this forum. :clap:

Julia

Without this forum I wouldn't be feeling half as confident and happy as I am. This is a gold mine of help, advice and information. Well done MH we can do this <high five> :clap:

 

[MaryJ]

Great post

I'm sure it will be a great help for all newly diagnosed, we've all been there.

What a difference a week makes.