wanipuk
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Hi everyone I'm 27 from Nottingham UK was diagnosed type 1 diabetes last week been started on insulin 4 times a day my readings are always high here to make friends and talk about the issue!
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Type 1 newly diagnosed!
- Thread starter wanipuk
- Start Date
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@wanipuk
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to 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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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 bloodglucose 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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to 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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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 bloodglucose 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.
- Messages
- 9,270
- Location
- Worcestershire
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
- Dislikes
- Hypos, rude people, ignorance and grey days.
Hi @wanipuk - welcome.
It will take a few weeks for your body to adjust and settle down, testing is key to good control, so write down your results and keep your consultant updated. I found when I was diagnosed that I was hungry for knowledge so read as much as I could, it really is down to you to 'expertly' manage your diabetes and you certainly will become an expert in time. You are amongst friends here so shout if you need anything, we are all here to help
It will take a few weeks for your body to adjust and settle down, testing is key to good control, so write down your results and keep your consultant updated. I found when I was diagnosed that I was hungry for knowledge so read as much as I could, it really is down to you to 'expertly' manage your diabetes and you certainly will become an expert in time. You are amongst friends here so shout if you need anything, we are all here to help
Jubblyjo1601
Well-Known Member
Hello @wanipuk ! Welcome to the forum.
As I was only seven when I was diagnosed (now 29) things were very different back then so I can't really provide much info on the newly diagnosed bit. But what I can tell you is that on this forum there is always someone with a friendly ear (or eye as the case may be) to give you advice and support! Things will settle down soon and you'll soon get into the swing of it. As @Juicyj says, it's a great idea to keep those blood sugar testing records. Even if you can't fathom a pattern your diabetes team will be able to, which in turn will help them identify your insulin requirements much more easily
All the best! Look forward to hearing about your progress.
Jo
X
As I was only seven when I was diagnosed (now 29) things were very different back then so I can't really provide much info on the newly diagnosed bit. But what I can tell you is that on this forum there is always someone with a friendly ear (or eye as the case may be) to give you advice and support! Things will settle down soon and you'll soon get into the swing of it. As @Juicyj says, it's a great idea to keep those blood sugar testing records. Even if you can't fathom a pattern your diabetes team will be able to, which in turn will help them identify your insulin requirements much more easily
All the best! Look forward to hearing about your progress.
Jo
X
Daibell
Master
Hi and welcome. Are you yet carb-counting? This means adjusting the Bolus insulin (the rapid one) to the carbs in your meal. Newbies are sometimes started on a fixed dose. Do discuss this with your nurse. Your nurse may also have started you on a low'ish Basal dose to start with to avoid hypos. This will need to be adjusted over the coming weeks. Note also that keeping the carbs down can help to avoid blood sugar swings. Big changes here will affect the insulin you take. Increase protein and fats to compensate.
Edited by a mod
Edited by a mod
Last edited by a moderator:
wiserkurtious
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 368
- Location
- hull
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
- Dislikes
- diabetes :P having to eat food in moderation
Hi bud you've joined the right place for advice.you ll get your sugars under control so don t worry
you ll get used to things in time and things will come as second nature to you with experience
Annie86
Active Member
- Messages
- 38
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
Hi @wanipuk
You're in the right place to ask any questions. I'm sure as time goes on you will get more training and advice. Carbohydrate counting is key to most of us with type 1 as we can calculate insulin doses according to what you eat.
In this initial period it will take time for your body to readjust.
The mistake most people make (or maybe just me???) Is eating fruit as healthy snacks. It's great to eat fruit but just be aware most has a high sugar content.
Have you been given any advice regarding diet yet or Carbohydrate counting etc?
Wishing you all the best in this very difficult period of readjustment
Annie
