Type 2 newly diagnosed and scared

caesarella said:

I would recommend you read the book that we use that has been very helpful. Trouble is that I am from the US and not sure if it is available there. We restrict our carbs to 15g of fast-acting carbs per meal with very good success. But I do have a question. Why isn't monitoring equipment given with new diabetes diagnosis?

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Probably due to a combination of the cost of the teststrips and the fact that most type 2 diabetics don't know how to get useful results fron the readings.

lucylocket61 said:

I have seen the practice nurse. Came back with a diet sheet telling me to have carbs every meal. And a booklet from DiabetesUK. And come back in 3 months for another HbA1c test.

Thats it.

Thanks to this site i was able to ask to be referred to a DESMOND course, but whether that will happen or not I dont know. I forgot to ask about blood pressure or cholesterol - and she didnt mention it. Should I be being referred to a dietician and optical person and foot person?

I feel like I am going to have to fight the surgery for any treatment or referrals. And I dont want to fight. I shouldnt have to fight.

I'm tired, and scared and feel abandoned by the NHS.

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Blood pressure is seldom especially important an diabetes. Here in the US, buying your own blood pressure meter is fairly cheap. However, if you do, I'd recommend three readings within a short time as one of the first things you should try with it - once while standing, once after you have been sitting at least 5 minutes, and once while lying down. This should tell you if there are enough differences in those three positions that you need to avoid comparing readings from different positions.

Staying on a low-carb diet long enough to control your BG will also reduce your cholesterol, although not especially fast. One of the things your liver does with any excess carbs is convert them into a mixture of saturated fats and cholesterol so you can store most of the energy in them for use later. But I suspect that you have more than enough stored already.

Referral to an optical person is seldom a good idea for the first three months after you start anything to control diabetes - your eyeglasses prescription will keep changing during that time. You may need to consider cheap eyeglasses during that time.

The need for a foot person depends on whether you have started losing feelings in your feet yet. If you have, mention that as a reason why you need such a referral.

A referral to a dietician is probably useful only if you get one who recommends the newer low-carb method of type 2 control instead of the older low-fat method.

Lucy locket I feel your pain. There are courses available that will help you no end, the courses I attended are, Healthy, Desmond, and I attended a SWEET course yesterday which reaffirmed what I knew and taught me new things.

I was diagnosed 2 years ago or more maybe and have been really stupid and igored my diabetes. Well now I am paying the price and have been giving a red card by the hospital that I am currently out of control, SO STICK TO CARBS FROM COMPLEX CARBS and reduce your portions of starchy carbs.

I was shown that pricking the forefinger and thumb should be avoided and use the top and side of your 3 other fingers.

Good luck and don't weaken like me.

Cheers