• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Type 2 - diagnosed this week

srandall88

srandall88

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi All, I was searching though the web and this site popped up, I am due an operation sometime very soon and as a result had to go to a Pre -Op appointment.
I was asked by one of the nurses if i had had any blood tests recently so that she could check all was ok.
this is where she came back with, " when you were bought into resus they took blood and found your Glucose level was very high, where you told of this" of which i wasnt,
she suggested that i pop to Drs and get blood done.
went to Drs on the Friday, told him what was what, was told to stay off everything sweet and fizzy drinks, and get blood done asap. test done on Monday this week, Gp Phoned Tuesday told me I was Diabetic and he would have a prescription ready for me in the morning and to make appointment with nurse..she was very good and explained everything..what to do what to eat and what not to eat...i asked about monitoring and was told that it wasnt necessary as they will do this via blood tests.....my question is this surely it would be better for me to monitor my levels mainly to see if i am going in the right direction or not....what are others thoughts on this, all suggestions and thoughts welcome....many thanks for reading my waffle
 
Welcome to the forum first and foremost!

Buy yourself a meter and some test strips. Most of us do this. @daisy1 will be along soon enough to give you lots of great advice.

You have found the right place here!
 
VinnyJames said:
Welcome to the forum first and foremost!

Buy yourself a meter and some test strips. Most of us do this. @daisy1 will be along soon enough to give you lots of great advice.

You have found the right place here!
Click to expand...
Many Thanks Vinny, i have a free one on he way just in case Dr says no...
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.
I was diagnosed in September and found this a really supportive and informative site as almost everyone has personal experience of what it is like to live with diabetes.
I'm glad you are getting a monitor. Most of us here find it really useful.
Feel free to ask any questions you have here as there is always someone who can offer some advice or just be a listening, supportive ear.
Take care and keep posting.
Bee Gee
 
Thank you BeeGee, i am just still trying to get round it all,
what foods what drinks what sweetners, its all so much to take in ..
 
What foods were you advised not to eat? I ask as some advice out there (even from those who should know better) has been nothing short of dreadful. BTW, welcome :)
 
A great big welcome to you as well. No doubt soon you will get your head around diabetes, basics first like results, dietary advice and meds etc. It will soon become second nature to you and you will be the one helping others.
 
@srandall88

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 100,000 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

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 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!

Yes, you need a meter and plenty of testing strips. If you have ordered a free meter you may find the strips are very expensive - that's how they make their money. You may find yourself buying a different one with cheaper strips. Believe me, you need a lot of strips if you are going to get this right. Most of us Type 2's use the Codefree meter as the strips are about the cheapest going.

Do you know what your blood test results were? If not, I suggest you ring your surgery and ask for the HbA1c test results. You need to know where you are starting from. You can also ask for a print out as you will find this very useful in the future.

Have a good read round this forum, read what Daisy says in her post, and start to make some plans for a suitable diet for yourself. We are all different, different foods affect us all in various ways, which is why you need a meter. Cutting carbs is the key, not just cutting out sugar. Carbs convert to sugar once in the system.

Good luck, and ask as many questions as you wish.
 
Yep carb cutting is a major goal for me. I used to purchase pots of 10 test strips and had a meter which even though the strips are pricey they educate you on how your diet is affecting you and are a safety net in the unlikely event of diabetic emergencies. Now on insulin and get free meters and pots of 50 strips as I do multiple injections..ouch lol
 
Mike D said:
What foods were you advised not to eat? I ask as some advice out there (even from those who should know better) has been nothing short of dreadful. BTW, welcome :)
Click to expand...
Many thanks for the warm welcome. the only foods i hace been told to avoid are, sweets, chocolate, cakes and basically anything with to much sugar,was also told to only eat a coupe of small potatoes should they be on the menue...apart from that not a lot else, however my diabetic nurse is booking me on a 6 week diabetic course, covering all aspects.
 
eddie1968 said:
Yep carb cutting is a major goal for me. I used to purchase pots of 10 test strips and had a meter which even though the strips are pricey they educate you on how your diet is affecting you and are a safety net in the unlikely event of diabetic emergencies. Now on insulin and get free meters and pots of 50 strips as I do multiple injections..ouch lol
Click to expand...
Many thanks for the response Eddie, the self testing was a point i made to one of the practice doctors on friday, my question to him was, if i dont /cant test what my sugar levels are, how do i know if i am doing the right things, response from him was i get your point..luckily for me my own GP is well known in the diabetic field. so will be speaking to him tomorrow....i do however have a free meter coming.
 
daisy1 said:
@srandall88

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 100,000 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

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 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.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the welcome and response Daisy1, until you posted this i thought that most breads were off the menu now i know what to look for ...many thanks for the information ...very helpful indeed.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Hello and welcome!

Yes, you need a meter and plenty of testing strips. If you have ordered a free meter you may find the strips are very expensive - that's how they make their money. You may find yourself buying a different one with cheaper strips. Believe me, you need a lot of strips if you are going to get this right. Most of us Type 2's use the Codefree meter as the strips are about the cheapest going.

Do you know what your blood test results were? If not, I suggest you ring your surgery and ask for the HbA1c test results. You need to know where you are starting from. You can also ask for a print out as you will find this very useful in the future.

Have a good read round this forum, read what Daisy says in her post, and start to make some plans for a suitable diet for yourself. We are all different, different foods affect us all in various ways, which is why you need a meter. Cutting carbs is the key, not just cutting out sugar. Carbs convert to sugar once in the system.

Good luck, and ask as many questions as you wish.
Click to expand...

Hi Bluetit, many thanks for the info, hopefully the drs will sort me out with one tomorow and i will see what the one ordered will be like ..
cheers
 
Hi I was diagnosed last Thursday. I'm still in a state of shock and I'm still trying to get my head around everything too
 
I'm another newbie, diagnosed last week, so hoping to find this site helpful too! What I have seen so far looks promising, and everyone's looks friendly :)
 
I'm finding it all rather confusing at the moment. I've an appointment with the diabetic nurse next week.
 
Good to see you around MIdnight Star and Sandy B.
I still feel like a newbe and I'm still learning!
I suppose we also will be.
I've been very slow to get started on the HFLC - because my levels were so high when I was diagnosed I've sort of been lulled into a false sense of security as they have dropped so much... but still a significant way to go!
Do look at the High Fat Low Carb diet tho, it really is highly recommended and seems to work really well for people here.
Bee Gee
 
Hi thank you I'll have to take a look into it. I'm getting a little anxious that I won't be able to keep counting the carbs in various foods. It all seems rather daunting
 
sandy.b said:
I'm another newbie, diagnosed last week, so hoping to find this site helpful too! What I have seen so far looks promising, and everyone's looks friendly :)
Click to expand...

Hi & Welcome, you have sort have dropped in midway, scroll back up this thread you will see a wealth of information which @daisy1 posts for every newbie. You'll find the information there very helpful.

Ask as many questions as you want you have come to the right place here there are lots that want to help you.

Neil
 
Back
Top