What happens next?

[corker]

Hi all

I started a new contract 18 months ago & had a pee sample taken, anyway, the short story is that I ended up in the Dr's office last week, and she said I was diabetic, type 2, with a reading of 7.3, whatever that means.

I am now on a strict 1500 cal / day diet, and have packed in my 2 sugars / cup tea & coffee routine. In fact a real low carb & healthy diet. I had a blood sample taken last week and have to go back & see the Dr tomorrow.

Couple of questions,
1. What happens next with the Dr & NHS?
2. Does this Type 2 Diabetes affect my insurance policies?
3. Can I be cured f this or am I labelled as Diabetic for the rest of my natural?

I'm 47, and run a small business, and if this Diabetes is going to be a bad thing, need to consider my future...

I'm very positive really, and think Diabetes has me, rather than I have Diabetes.

Cheers

A.Corker!

 

[dawnmc]

Hi Corker, no its not the end of the world. Diabetes can't be cured, but you going the right way with low carb, read around the site, it's very welcoming and full of useful information. 7.3 is not too bad.
Docs will test your feet - just a plastic thing to jab em to check if you have feeling. You will have an eye test that is with some drops in to enlarge everything, then they will take a photo annually, take some sunnies when you go - it does make everything brighter for a bit, and another driver to drive you home.
Other folk will be along soon to tell you more.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Couple of questions,
1. What happens next with the Dr & NHS?
2. Does this Type 2 Diabetes affect my insurance policies?
3. Can I be cured f this or am I labelled as Diabetic for the rest of my natural?

1. See the post above. My surgery put me in for everything. I went for a lecture on diabetes, saw a dietician, had my eyes photographed and, of course, the foot tickling and blood tests.

2. I reported mine to the DVLA and my insurance broker for my car. The DVLA have changed the rules and I believe that you don't have to notify them on type 2 anymore. It made no difference to my car insurance.

3. There is no cure although some people have been known to improve their condition. You won't do any of that unless you eat sensibly and in accordance with your meter. You are a diabetic for life but if you control your diet you can live the same sort of life as if you didn't have diabetes.

One point I have made before is that the word diet is taken amiss by some people. They assume it means starving and eating things you don't like. In this case the diet for diabetes doesn't mean that at all. You can eat lots and have some wonderful meals but you have to make sure that they don't make your sugar levels high. Your future diet will be changed and not necessarily cut.

The thing to remember is that if you try to do things you don't like doing then you won't be able to keep it up for life. So try some new meals, cut out the ones that harm you and continue enjoying (possibly different) food.

 

[Mushroom]

Hi Corker, just keep reading information on this forum.
Not the end of the world. In fact, for me, has proved to be a wake-up call to look after myself better. Previous post appeared while I was writing mine, so advice is similar.
I was diagnosed in May, at age 51 with 7.1 so near to yours. Relatively low on diagnosis scale. Had had a blood test because had tingling hands and feet since Vasculitis last year. I feel that I was diagnosed early before too much damage, as doctor and nurse haven't confirmed whether tingling is diabetes or the Vasculitis.
I then had an appointment to discuss diagnosis with Diabetes nurse. Given Metformin prescription which I have decided not to take (despite alleged heart benefits) because I needed to lose weight. The Metformin is given with the lure of making weight loss easier but I need the incentive of doing it on my own. Don't worry if the nurse asks you if you are depressed - they have got to do it and if you need help - ask.
Went to first Desmond education session, but didn't go to second. Had read books, been on here and decided low carb was way to go not just reducing some carbs. Other reason for not seeing an NHS dietician.
Given eye appointment at local hospital, all clear. definitely take a driver to take you home. Test doesn't hurt. Done yearly.
Second appointment with nurse in June, had feet checked. She jabs them to see if you can feel it and check she pulses. All OK. Then weighed. Had lost 1 stone by then so blood pressure down. Given prescription for statins/high cholesterol. Not taking this as feel the weight loss will help with this and blood pressure too. Read up on the whole cholesterol issue.
Have now lost 2 and a half stone. Started on low GI on day of diagnosis and then read up on low carb and am now between 15g - 50g carb a day, not on purpose but just but avoiding sugar and starch (no bread, potato and pasta). Am on around 750 - 1200 calories a day and losing around 2 -3 pounds a week. The low carb seems to be keeping my sugar levels down (testing after meals).
Have second blood test this month (3 months since first)and then a third appointment with nurse to discuss results. Optimistic blood results and blood pressure will be down from diagnosis.
You are labelled as diabetic and as you may remember, it is on most forms you fill in which ask about health issues. My travel insurance were OK as long as I am not taking more than two types on tablets. Car insurance the same. Don't know what happens if you decide to take meds but make sure you keep the insurance companies informed. Same with DVLA - as long as not taking meds, I think they don't need to be informed. Check their website.
I feel I am in control because I test and know my blood figures and I now make decisions about what to eat. As previous poster says, there is plenty of food out there. I love steak and salad and don't miss potatoes or toast at all.
You don't say how your work/business may be a problem. I used to teach full-time and I now think the pressures and stress of that contributed to the development of the diabetes. Fight or flight! I now run my own business from home and work on my own so stress almost nil.
Well, this is the point I am at. Someone else will come along and tell you what happens after the 4 month mark!
All the best, Mary

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Welcome to the large world of diabetics! In addition to the helpful advice already given, although you should tell the DVLA and car insurer if you are on tablets it doesn't affect anything. You will be given an Hba1C blood test at least annually together with urine sample to check 3-month blood sugar average plus fasting blood test plus liver function etc and cholesterol. All this is a useful form of annual check-up. Even having a good, low-carb diet your diabetes may slowly progress and tablets may need to be taken starting with Metformin which is a good drug and helps a bit.

 

[corker]

OK,

Thanks all.

I'm on a diet to loose weight. The Dr said that my Blood Pressure was fine, and that my Cholesterol was up, slighly, although I could do with loosing 3 or 4 stone.

So my wife has me on a 1500 Cal / Day diet, no sugar (I like the Xylitol) maybe a piece of bread a day, low carbs (because of the hidden sugars) and mainly green dinners & fruit. As I'm away from home most of the week, I'm going for the dieters type of meals, but checking the packets for contents. This week (number 1) has been difficult, but I havn't slipped off the wagon.

Exercise during the week is difficult (12 hour working days) although at the weekend I get a good 2 - 3 hours a day of hard work (doing the house up, so I'm a part time builder).

I have an appointment tomorrow, for the results of a blood test last week, but I am not happy about taking drugs. Not that I view my body as a temple (more of a garden shed) but I don't trust the crud that comes out of drug companies.

So, I guess what I am getting at is this, can I reverse this Type 2 thing, is it actually a mistake or is it possible to live with it, without resorting to drugs & chemicals? Could it be that my previous high sugar intake pushed the score over the edge, and in fact, if I eat sensibly, I am not actually diabetic...?

Although I run a small business, I havn't told my customer until I get some concrete statement from my GP that I am diabetic, although I do think I will have to (its the nature of the business) and that may effect my contract...we'll have to see.

Regards to all.

A.Corker

 

[Squire Fulwood]

So, I guess what I am getting at is this, can I reverse this Type 2 thing, is it actually a mistake or is it possible to live with it, without resorting to drugs & chemicals? Could it be that my previous high sugar intake pushed the score over the edge, and in fact, if I eat sensibly, I am not actually diabetic...?

Being a type 2 diabetic means that your pancreas is producing less insulin or possibly faulty insulin. It is unlikely in the extreme that this will get better. Your previous high sugar intake could be what caused the problem in the first place and continuing high sugar levels might make it worse.

Eating sensibly does not mean that you are not diabetic. It means that you eating in a manner to not exacerbate your condition.

I have been told that losing weight can be helpful and in other cases pills help but none of it is any good if you don't sort your diet out.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Corker and welcome to the forum

In addition to all the information which you have already received from many members, here is the information which we give to new members. I hope you will find it useful.


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.

 

[Mushroom]

Can't reverse diabetes but can slow and delay. I don't want to take tablets either as I feel they all cause side effects and lead to increased meds to counteract the ones you are taking but know that I may need to make a decision at some point in the future. I am sure if we had been around several decades ago we would have been grateful if we thought there was something to help. I have around 9 stone to lose and think it would better to do this with moderate exercise and minimal/no tablets than stay the size I am, with tablets and the diet I used to have. Fat cells are active in a negative way in the body so the less around the waist the better.
Best of luck, Mary

 

[Squire Fulwood]

My nurse had a slightly graphic way of dealing with the fat question. She said that when your pancreas is all squidged up in the middle of a bunch of fat it don't work so well. That may be true but it is possibly also true that fat people are pre-disposed to eating the sorts of food that make you fat i.e. processed foods that contain high fructose corn syrup and not a lot of fat. This food will give you high blood glucose and wreck most things including your pancreas even if you are not overweight yet.

Whatever your analogy just stop eating the things that raise your blood sugar and if you can lose weight then that can't be a bad thing can it?

About pills. I have been convinced for some time that some of them should be avoided. My opinion (not everyone's) is that statins are dangerous, Metformin gives you gas and I don't know why I take blood pressure pills since they put me on a 24 hour monitor and proved I didn't have high blood pressure.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. If you are overweight then you may have the most common T2 problem i.e. insulin resistance. Weight reduction plus possibly Metformin will all help. I'm afraid you are stuck with diabetes but particulalrly if it's due to insulin resistance then you may be able to delay any real problems for many years.

Be aware when food shopping that many diet foods are low-fat BUT high sugar/carb so do read the labels. Metformin isn't a problem drug. It's extremely commonly prescribed and has virtually no really bad side effects which statins can have. If you are put on it, do ask for the Slow Release (SR) version to avoid stomach problems. GPs often don't prescribe it first time as it's more expensive. The only side effect I've had in 8 years is a metallic taste for the first few months; a common side effect.

 

[Grazer]

So, I guess what I am getting at is this, can I reverse this Type 2 thing, is it actually a mistake or is it possible to live with it, without resorting to drugs & chemicals? Could it be that my previous high sugar intake pushed the score over the edge, and in fact, if I eat sensibly, I am not actually diabetic...?

Hi Corker and welcome!
You sound a bit like me when i was diagnosed - a bit in denial. As others have said, you are a diabetic and that's it. Best to just accept it. However, you CAN control it and get your blood sugar levels down to normal non-diabetic levels almost, which is similar to "curing" it except that you can't eat mars bars!! Try a couple, check your blood sugar, and you'll see.
Few observations; you said that you low carb to avoid hidden sugars. It's not really about that. There are carbs that have virtually no sugar that can affect your blood glucose levels MORE than sugar. Refined white flour products, such as white bread and pastry can send it rocketing. ALL carbs turn to glucose in the blood, it's just that some are worse than others.
You also mention fruit, which is fine to a degree. But all fruit has carbs, and most diabetics can't tolerate bananas. Some can. If it helps, this has been my approach:-
In general terms you will need to reduce the total number of carbohydrates you eat per day. All carbohydrates turn to sugar when we eat them, and no type 2 diabetic on diet only, or on diet and metformin only, can control their blood sugars (BGs) without controlling their carb intake. Even those on strong medication normally choose to control their carb intake to keep the level of medication they take down. The total number of carbs per day you can eat depends on how advanced your diabetes is. It’s perhaps worth starting at about 50% of normal levels for a non-diabetic then adjusting up or down according to how you get on. So that means eating 150 grams of carbs per day for a man, 125 for a woman. You can read the total carb content of food under “nutritional info” on the packet or wrapping, or look it up on the internet for loose food. Just google “carb content..”
You also need to stop or reduce the bad carbs; that is the starchy ones that make your BG go up quickly.
So obviously no sugar or glucose! But also no white bread, white rice, pasta, flour products like pastry, cake and batter. You can eat a little basmati rice, wholewheat pasta or the tri-color pasta fusilli ones in small quantities. Boiled new potatos (again not too many) are OK but not old pots mashed, boiled or in their jackets. (Roast is not so bad, the fat slows their absorption and conversion to glucose in the blood) Amongst other veg, parsnips are about the worst for BG, and carrots not great but ok in smaller amounts.
Multi grain bread (not wholemeal) is not SO bad, but lots of us eat Burgen soya and linseed bread from tescos and sainsburys, although all bread should be in limited amounts.
All fruit has carbohydrates, and needs to be included in the amounts of carbs you eat in a day. For most people, bananas are about the worst for pushing our BG up and berries (like strawberries, raspberries etc) are the least bad.
No sweeties!
Exercise is important. I tend to exercise about an hour after eating when I know my BG will be peaking. This helps to bring it down quicker and further. I do ten minutes hard work on an exercise machine, but you could run up and down stairs for ten minutes or go for a brisk walk.
Returning to types of food and quantities of carbs - you can only find out how many you can eat by testing. Most type 2’s are not given access to testing equipment, so you should get your own – although try arguing with your Doc that you want to manage to NICE guideline blood sugar levels, and can’t do that without testing! If you have to buy a meter, they are cheap and most manufacturers will give them away for free. They make their money on the strips you have to use! So go for the meter with the cheapest testing strips. The SD Codefree available on the internet is about the cheapest at the moment. Some people test before and after eating, on waking (fasting test) and before bed. But if you have limited strips because of cost, the key to me is testing 2 hours after eating. If your BG is above, say, 7.8 at that stage, you need to cut down on the carb content the next time you have that meal. Test after various different meals and you soon get to see a pattern of what you can and can’t eat, and in what quantities. Keep careful records of what you ate and when, together with the result, so you can refer back at a later date. You can then reduce your testing. I said “below, say, 7.8” because NICE guidelines are below 8.5 but most of us think that’s a little high. 7.8 is the max. level at 2 hours after eating that a non-diabetic normally gets to so is perhaps a better target. Some then set progressively lower targets.
Do ask lots of questions; there is normally an answer on here. The more you get to learn about your diabetes, the better it will be.
Good luck!