Very newly diagnosed and confused!

Yummyyorksmummy · Jun 23, 2012

Had the diagnosiis confirmed finally Thursday and trying to find out as much as I can , feeling confused and a little lost as GP apot isn't til the 3rd July so no meds at present

Defren · Jun 23, 2012

I bet you felt like you had been hit by a steam train? Don't worry, I think we all feel like that. Daisy will be along at some point to give you the initial information to get your started. You need to cut down sugar, obviously, but also reduce your carbs.

What can you eat? Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, veg and some fruit.

Veg; your best choices are veg that grow above ground, they are less starchy.

Fruit; Most of us find banana's, melons and grapes are a no no, but most of us can tolerate fruit ending in berry; strawberry, raspberry, blueberry etc. You need a glucose meter, you may be luck and score one from your GP most of us invest in out own as GP's rarely prescribe them (Mine does, I am one of the few lucky ones). The best meter economy wise is the SD codefree, you can get it from Ebay or Amazon. The test strips are the absolute cheapest at between £4.99-£6.99 for 50.

Cut out or at least down on bread, potato's, rice, pasta, ready meals, and foods containing wheat. These are all high in carbs, and will effect your BG. Eat and test is the only way to know what you can and can't tolerate.

Keep asking questions, we were all newbie's once and all scared and unsure, there is always someone around, who will be able to help.

Take care - Jo.

Terminator 2 · Jun 23, 2012

Lose yourself in the forum YYM, knowledge aplenty for the newly diagnosed.

Welcome to the forum :wave:

Yummyyorksmummy · Jun 23, 2012

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, have been looking through the site and lots of initial questions and fears answered. Thankyou

xyzzy · Jun 23, 2012

Hello Yummyyorksmummy and welcome to the forum.

I started out the same as you and didn't get to see anyone after my initial diagnosis for a month and like yourself arrived looking for what to do. Here's basically what I did so hope this will help. I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on the people on the forum I got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost over 3 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. Not a cure as I still have to be very careful what I eat but I feel loads better than I did.

Diet wise its really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.

The above diet is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you have already seen what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.

Did your doctor give you a blood meter and strips as some do and some don't. It's a bit of a post code lottery and we find the progressive surgeries are pro testing and others anti. I'll warn you the anti ones can sometimes be very vocally anti! If you find your surgery is really anti then many of us would recommend getting a meter and strips yourself. If that turns out to be the case then just ask and lots of members can help.

The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.

As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

Regards

Steve

PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.

First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden

http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in

Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

daisy1 · Jun 24, 2012

Hi Yummyyorksmmmy and welcome to the forum
It is very confusing just after being diagnosed but it will soon become clearer in your head. To help you, here is the information we give to new members. Ask as many questions as you like, as I am sure you will have some, 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 well over 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.

Very newly diagnosed and confused!

Yummyyorksmummy

Newbie

Defren

Well-Known Member

Terminator 2

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Yummyyorksmummy

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xyzzy

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daisy1

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Very newly diagnosed and confused!

Yummyyorksmummy

Newbie

Defren

Well-Known Member

Terminator 2

Well-Known Member

Yummyyorksmummy

Newbie

xyzzy

Well-Known Member

daisy1

Legend

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