Support

[Ali006]

Hi. I'm 63 , diagnosed type 2, 9/3/23. Apparently, I was pre in 2020 but not told. I guess Covid played a part. Assumed no news after the blood tests was good news. Dr. thinks I could well have been type 2 for maybe a year after seeing her. My HbA1c was 7.7. Told it was high and to take Metformin 3 times a day. That was it. Oh, except for making an appt with Diabetic nurse.
Saw her today, and felt it was rushed. Asked questions. Told to use link she would send me. Which was for Diabetes.co.uk. Hence joining the forum. May need another medication as well as Metformin. She's going to talk to my Dr. As I walked out, I felt unsupported. Still confused, and totally miserable. I've looked online for diet tips and do's and don'ts. Lost 10lbs so far. Struggle to drink enough water and have no idea if I should see her again. Told to ask for blood test in 6 mths. Is that how it should be?

 

[Lobsang Tsultim]

It’s not how it should be, but not that uncommon these day unfortunately. The good news is for type 2s, the best intervention available is one we control: what we eat.
Putting it simply, there are 3 macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Food that is high in carbohydrates raises our blood sugars a lot, protein raises our blood sugars a bit, and fat has almost no effect. And high blood sugar levels make us ill. So we cut right down on carbohydrates, we have moderate amounts of protein and we eat enough fat so we don’t feel hungry.

So no bread, biscuits, cakes, pasta, noodles, potatoes, root vegetables in general, most fruit, ordinary fizzy drinks. No rice of any colour. Porridge made with oats should also be off the menu.
Plenty of leafy above ground vegetables, courgettes, cauliflower, broccoli, berries in moderation, full fat Greek yoghurt, full fat milk, butter, olive oil, nuts, olives, cream
if you eat meat and fish, then enjoy but avoid breadcrumbed or battered options also those that come in a prepared sauce (it’s often laced with sugar, add your own herbs, spices and low carb sauces instead). Eggs prepared any which way are also good.
Feel free to add a good dollop of proper mayonnaise to your meals.

So in this tipsy turvy world, sausage bacon fried eggs and mushrooms cooked in some butter, with coffee and cream = healthy breakfast
porridge made with skimmed milk with a glass of orange juice and a slice of wholemeal toast with low fat margarine = unhealthy breakfast

Ask any questions you need to, we were all where you are now. It does get better. Oh, if you’re overweight, you’ll probably lose weight too and feel less tired.

 

[Mini Dachs Mum]

Hi. I'm 63 , diagnosed type 2, 9/3/23. Apparently, I was pre in 2020 but not told. I guess Covid played a part. Assumed no news after the blood tests was good news. Dr. thinks I could well have been type 2 for maybe a year after seeing her. My HbA1c was 7.7. Told it was high and to take Metformin 3 times a day. That was it. Oh, except for making an appt with Diabetic nurse.
Saw her today, and felt it was rushed. Asked questions. Told to use link she would send me. Which was for Diabetes.co.uk. Hence joining the forum. May need another medication as well as Metformin. She's going to talk to my Dr. As I walked out, I felt unsupported. Still confused, and totally miserable. I've looked online for diet tips and do's and don'ts. Lost 10lbs so far. Struggle to drink enough water and have no idea if I should see her again. Told to ask for blood test in 6 mths. Is that how it should be?

Her advice to join here was great you will get lots of support and help where to find information. Lobsang Tsultim gave you great advise as well.

 

[Ali006]

It’s not how it should be, but not that uncommon these day unfortunately. The good news is for type 2s, the best intervention available is one we control: what we eat.
Putting it simply, there are 3 macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Food that is high in carbohydrates raises our blood sugars a lot, protein raises our blood sugars a bit, and fat has almost no effect. And high blood sugar levels make us ill. So we cut right down on carbohydrates, we have moderate amounts of protein and we eat enough fat so we don’t feel hungry.

So no bread, biscuits, cakes, pasta, noodles, potatoes, root vegetables in general, most fruit, ordinary fizzy drinks. No rice of any colour. Porridge made with oats should also be off the menu.
Plenty of leafy above ground vegetables, courgettes, cauliflower, broccoli, berries in moderation, full fat Greek yoghurt, full fat milk, butter, olive oil, nuts, olives, cream
if you eat meat and fish, then enjoy but avoid breadcrumbed or battered options also those that come in a prepared sauce (it’s often laced with sugar, add your own herbs, spices and low carb sauces instead). Eggs prepared any which way are also good.
Feel free to add a good dollop of proper mayonnaise to yo

So in this tipsy turvy world, sausage bacon fried eggs and mushrooms cooked in some butter, with coffee and cream = healthy breakfast
porridge made with skimmed milk with a glass of orange juice and a slice of wholemeal toast with low fat margarine = unhealthy breakfast

Ask any questions you need to, we were all where you are now. It does get better. Oh, if you’re overweight, you’ll probably lose weight too and feel less tired.

Wow. Thanks for all the info. I had cut down on the fat and thought brown bread, rice would be ok. Well that's food for thought. Lol. Lots of stuff I like I can eat. Whoohoo. Can I eat cheese. I love cheese.

 

[catinahat]

Welcome @Ali006
Lobsang Tsultim’s reply has pretty much covered most of what you need to know.
I just thought I would chip in with a little mention of testing. We use glucose meters to test our levels before and after our meals, the test just before our meal gives us a base level, then the second test 2hrs later show's what that meal has done to our blood sugar.
By keeping a record of your meals and the test results it soon becomes obvious what meals/foodstuffs we need to limit or cut out in order to get our blood sugar levels back to normal. Many of us have managed to lower our Hba1c and find we no longer need any medication. Unfortunately our cash strapped NHS don't usually provide the meters or test strips so we have to self fund our testing. If you are interested let us know we can with help some info on the meters and cost of strips.

 

[Ali006]

Welcome @Ali006
Lobsang Tsultim’s reply has pretty much covered most of what you need to know.
I just thought I would chip in with a little mention of testing. We use glucose meters to test our levels before and after our meals, the test just before our meal gives us a base level, then the second test 2hrs later show's what that meal has done to our blood sugar.
By keeping a record of your meals and the test results it soon becomes obvious what meals/foodstuffs we need to limit or cut out in order to get our blood sugar levels back to normal. Many of us have managed to lower our Hba1c and find we no longer need any medication. Unfortunately our cash strapped NHS don't usually provide the meters or test strips so we have to self fund our testing. If you are interested let us know we can help some info on the meters and cost of strips.

Thank you. I did wonder if testing would be beneficial tbh. This is going to take some getting used to, but once I have and in the swing of things. I would like some info on what reasonably priced meters are out there and the strips.
You know it still doesn't feel real. I don't think I've come to terms with it properly and what it means to have it. I've had more info and support in the last hr that I've had to date. It will go long way in helping me to. I'm grateful to you and Lobsang. Thanks so much.

 

[catinahat]

It's a very steep learning curve, that's for sure, take your time, read up on what T2 is, knowledge gives you the power to take responsibility for your own health. Ask any questions you can think of, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. I guarantee that in a few months you will understand your diabetes better than your Dr does.
Here's a little light reading to get you started https://www.bloodsugar101.com/diagnosing-diabetes

 

[Rachox]

Hi @Ali006 and welcome to the forum.

You have had some good advice so far, but I just thought I’d give you a few suggestions for home testing meters.


Here’s some info, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.



HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/



Links to the strips for future orders:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/



Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + which is quite popular:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793



The strips are to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Wow. Thanks for all the info. I had cut down on the fat and thought brown bread, rice would be ok. Well that's food for thought. Lol. Lots of stuff I like I can eat. Whoohoo. Can I eat cheese. I love cheese.

Cheese is your new best friend.

Have a read, maybe this'll help: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

Keep in mind it all goes probably against everything you ever learned about nutrition, but if you test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite, you'll see what your blood sugars are doing.... (Aim for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l or less) If they're headed in the right direction, you're doing an excellent job. Listen to your meter, it'll never ever steer you wrong, unlike the thousands of contradictionary dietary advices you may find. There's so many ways to tackle diabetes.... But you won't know which is right for you unless you test. So give it a go and see what works for you. Low carb/high fat is highly likely to work. Which means potentially, lots of cheese!

You're going to be fine. The bulk of us got little to no support, and we turned out alright. Any questions, throw them out there. There's always someone around with answers.

Hugs,
Jo

PS: It does feel a little like the world is ending right now, probably. But you'll get a handle on this and eventually, wonder why you got so upset about it in the first place. I have a whole slew of conditions, and T2 turned out to be the easiest one to manage, much to my surprise! Same'll be true for you. Breathe.

 

[Caz141]

Hi ali006
Only been in this club that no one wants to be in as i was quoted when joining a few months ago lol.

just thought i would add that the codes for the navii glucose monitors still works on the test strips of navii10 for 20% off and navii20 for @25% off. I Have just ordered this one and is by far the cheapest I’ve found so far.
Testing is great advice given by all on here. It was really an eye opener for me on the foods that i could and couldn’t do. As many have found on here as I’ve read through this forum that they are not the healthy foods that we are told to start out with..
yes you can eat cheese.

The other thing that has always been suggested to me is read the nutritional values on the back of all foods. The front of the packet and the traffic light system means nothing really. It is amazing the foods that have added sugar in them that you would not expect it to be in.

My HbA1c started out at 10.3% and in 3 months i lowered it to 6.3% on following the diet advice on here and asking all those questions in your head wether they sounded stupid or not. They never are on here.
It was a nurse that also introduced me to this site with the advice of don’t look at the NHS site for information!
You are definitely in the right place.

 

[Grace04]

Could I hop on here (I‘ve been reading with interest as new to all this myself) and ask about oat milk. I drink oat milk in coffee for environmental reasons, but health wise would full fat milk in coffees be better for me as a boarder line predibetic?

 

[Caz141]

Hi ali006
Only been in this club that no one wants to be in as i was quoted when joining a few months ago lol.

just thought i would add that the codes for the navii glucose monitors still works on the test strips of navii10 for 20% off and navii20 for @25% off. I Have just ordered this one and is by far the cheapest I’ve found so far.
Testing is great advice given by all on here. It was really an eye opener for me on the foods that i could and couldn’t do. As many have found on here as I’ve read through this forum that they are not the healthy foods that we are told to start out with..
yes you can eat cheese.

The other thing that has always been suggested to me is read the nutritional values on the back of all foods. The front of the packet and the traffic light system means nothing really. It is amazing the foods that have added sugar in them that you would not expect it to be in.

My HbA1c started out at 10.3% and in 3 months i lowered it to 6.3% on following the diet advice on here and asking all those questions in your head wether they sounded stupid or not. They never are on here.
It was a nurse that also introduced me to this site with the advice of don’t look at the NHS site for information!
You are definitely in the right place.

Correction the codes were navvi5 and navvi10 for 20% on 5 packs of testing strips and 25% on 10 packs

 

[Ali006]

Hi @Ali006 and welcome to the forum.

You have had some good advice so far, but I just thought I’d give you a few suggestions for home testing meters.


Here’s some info, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.



HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/



Links to the strips for future orders:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/



Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + which is quite popular:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793



The strips are to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

Thanks. I appreciate it.

 

[ajbod]

Full fat milk is better than Oat milk, but cream is even better. But it rather depends on how many drinks a day you have.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Could I hop on here (I‘ve been reading with interest as new to all this myself) and ask about oat milk. I drink oat milk in coffee for environmental reasons, but health wise would full fat milk in coffees be better for me as a boarder line predibetic?

Depends... Like @ajbod said, proper cream is best. But if it's important to you, check whether your brand has had sugar added, and how many carbs are in there when you add it up for the day. I'm quite low carb, but I can get away with some watered down coconut milk with cocoa powder mixed in, or a shot of espresso, or both. Just check the nutritional info. If it's just a splash, no harm done. If it's a whole lot of splashes a day, it may need rethinking.

 

[ajbod]

I drink an awful lot of coffee, and was horrified when i worked out just how many carbs a day came from the skimmed milk. That's when i switched to black coffee, ditching something stupid like 120g a day carbs

 

[Lobsang Tsultim]

I find I don't have trouble using oat milk, but then, I only have around 4 hot drinks a day, so those small splashes don't add up to a lot If it's available, I tend to use full-fat cow's milk since it's lower carb. Cream would be even better, but I don't use enough to make it economical - it almost always goes off before it's finished. Black coffee and tea are another option, but even though I'm presently in Italy, my tastebuds are stubbornly English when it comes to coffee - I swear Italians would inject their caffeine if it were easier.

 

[ajbod]

Why not freeze the cream in ice cube trays, just remove what you need each day.

 

[Ali006]

Cheese is your new best friend.

Have a read, maybe this'll help: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

Keep in mind it all goes probably against everything you ever learned about nutrition, but if you test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite, you'll see what your blood sugars are doing.... (Aim for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l or less) If they're headed in the right direction, you're doing an excellent job. Listen to your meter, it'll never ever steer you wrong, unlike the thousands of contradictionary dietary advices you may find. There's so many ways to tackle diabetes.... But you won't know which is right for you unless you test. So give it a go and see what works for you. Low carb/high fat is highly likely to work. Which means potentially, lots of cheese!

You're going to be fine. The bulk of us got little to no support, and we turned out alright. Any questions, throw them out there. There's always someone around with answers.

Hugs,
Jo

PS: It does feel a little like the world is ending right now, probably. But you'll get a handle on this and eventually, wonder why you got so upset about it in the first place. I have a whole slew of conditions, and T2 turned out to be the easiest one to manage, much to my surprise! Same'll be true for you. Breathe.

Hi Jo.
Oh yey! I thought I was going to have to forgo cheese. It does seem weird to have butter and cream and full fat stuff. I'd gone to low fat foods thinking it would help with the weight loss and brown rice, pasta and bread would be better. I'm not a cake eater but did like the odd biscuit or two or three. The advice I'm getting is so helpful. I will definitely get a meter. That makes a lot of sense to me.
I'm sure I'll have more questions and it's great to know I'll get answers from those who've been there. Cheers Jo.

 

[Grace04]

I drink an awful lot of coffee, and was horrified when i worked out just how many carbs a day came from the skimmed milk. That's when i switched to black coffee, ditching something stupid like 120g a day carbs

Wow, that’s a lot of carbs! I generally only have one a day, two sometimes if I’m out and about. I will have a look at the difference between cow and oat milk from a carb PoV.