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

Type 2. New to forum.

T

Teammidwife

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, it has taken numerous attempts for me even to get logged on! I am new here and was diagnosed type 2 in March. I am on metformin 1g twice daily. Due to have HbA1 checked again in the next couple of weeks.
 
Teammidwife said:
Hi, it has taken numerous attempts for me even to get logged on! I am new here and was diagnosed type 2 in March. I am on metformin 1g twice daily. Due to have HbA1 checked again in the next couple of weeks.
Click to expand...

Hi Teammidwife and welcome to the forum.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. I will tag @daisy1 for the welcoming info that new members receive. Please ask any questions you might have. Folks are very friendly here.
 
@Teammidwife

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. This contains info about carbs and levels and also a link to the Low Carb Program which you might like to try. 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 well over 220,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 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.
 
Hello @Teammidwife and welcome to the forum. Have you changed what you eat or just taking the metformin?
 
mo53 said:
Hello @Teammidwife and welcome to the forum. Have you changed what you eat or just taking the metformin?
Click to expand...
Hello. I can't seem to get the hang of the forum which is why you've not had a reply! I have changed my diet, though am not strictly following the LCHF programme. My last HbA1c had reduced and I have lost some weight. I am having my HbA1c checked again on Monday as the practice nurse (quite rightly) thinks I will have made poor choices over Christmas and that it will be higher again. My trouble is lack of will power and I know it! Am feeling a bit down at the moment and finding it difficult to accept that I am stuck with this for good. However, I don't want to bring anyone else down, so will persevere.
 
Hi, @Teammidwife .
You have managed to log in and post now, so don't go away. Oh and don't give up or give in. Read some of the success stories as a way of boosting your confidence in your ability to succedd in being in control.
Poor choices at Christmas will be almost 3 months ago, and HbA1c measures around last three months. Never to late to start making the small changes that will make a difference.
Have you read the info provided by daisy1? You say you have poor willpower, and I guess in your profession there are lots of chocs and stuff from grateful patients? How about giving yourself an incentive by testing your blood glucose before and after eating to see what foodstuff does.
 
Hello again @Teammidwife as @Pipp rightly says your here now so please stay with us. We all go through a down period but it Doesn't last and once you start to have successes it gets easier.
 
Hello @Teammidwife - Well Done on the weight loss . Just take take one day at a time and in your own stride, try not to overload your mind with too much information. You didn't say what your last HBA1C was?
 
It is your choice, but my medical team have lost interest in me as I went onto LCHF from the moment I was diagnosed - my numbers after 80 days were no longer diabetic. I stopped taking the tablets - they made life unbearable, but don't seem to need them. The only downside is that all my clothes are too big and I'm having to find a complete new wardrobe - even my feet have shrunk in both width and length, but I have shoes put away from years ago - I just need to find them and sort them into pairs.
 
My GPs won't prescribe strips to type 2s, I use them sparingly due to cost (got the cheapest ones, which I found on Amazon, not sure how accurate they are, though they seem the genuine article) I am trying - I started to do park run a couple of years ago (slow, but never last!!) a knee operation then a fall in 2014 in which I broke my ankle and 3 metatarsals put paid to that and I put weight on - I have signed up to a beginners running club, first session on March 29th, so hoping to get some exercise, if I can manage to run. Thank you to all who replied to me with encouraging comments
 
Liam1955 said:
Hello @Teammidwife - Well Done on the weight loss . Just take take one day at a time and in your own stride, try not to overload your mind with too much information. You didn't say what your last HBA1C was?
Click to expand...
Had got it down to 48, we'll see what Monday brings
 
Hi, when were you diagnosed? You seem to have got your HbA1 down really quickly. Thank you for responding to my post
 
When I post a reply, do I need to put @ before the name of the recipient?
 
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately my husband still likes to have the dessert things and biscuits in the house and still wants chips with everything ( I haven't had a portion of chips for years - am not fussed). I have found a soya ice cream which isn't bad in terms of carbs and sugar. Sorry to everyone, I'm just in a mo any mood I think
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…