i have been diagnosed with type 2 , to be honest it is a wake up call for me , I went to the doc for a test , my sugar was 14 , next morning after fasting a full set of bloods were taken , results were a shock , sugar still 14 , cholesterol was only 4.5, blood pressure spot on despite age and weight ? , anyway , put on two metformin a day and started dieting and exercise , was then sent to the practice nurse , I expected a blood monitor and a q and a session , but all I got was a urine sample tube to return with in six months and a bunch of pamphlets . been speaking to friends who have the same condition , they were referred to a dietician , returned for more tests after six weeks and were issued a blood sugar monitor , so what is the normal procedure and where do I go from here ??
what support should i expect from my gp ?
- Thread starter hotblack desiato
- Start Date
There's a list of 9 things your doctor should check at least once a year. It's on the Diabetes UK website. They rarely give out blood glucose meters nowadays and don't prescribe test strips unless you are very lucky.
You'll get more help from this forum than pretty much anywhere else. Diabetes Specialist Nurses are rare and most Practice nurses with an interest in diabetes, tend not to know very much. Some will admit it and work with you, others hide behind a dictatorial manner. Most dieticians advise "a normal healthy balanced, low fat diet". Whatever that really means. Most of us experienced folks would say. Get a meter. Contact a supply company. they often give them away free.They cost too much at a retail pharmacy!; then control your carb intake and check bg stays within the range you choose for yourself. Diabetes UK has a list of recommended targets on the website. I personally aim for near normal blood sugar [ around 5 at all times]
Hana
You'll get more help from this forum than pretty much anywhere else. Diabetes Specialist Nurses are rare and most Practice nurses with an interest in diabetes, tend not to know very much. Some will admit it and work with you, others hide behind a dictatorial manner. Most dieticians advise "a normal healthy balanced, low fat diet". Whatever that really means. Most of us experienced folks would say. Get a meter. Contact a supply company. they often give them away free.They cost too much at a retail pharmacy!; then control your carb intake and check bg stays within the range you choose for yourself. Diabetes UK has a list of recommended targets on the website. I personally aim for near normal blood sugar [ around 5 at all times]
Hana
douglas99
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,572
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Other
Usually you have to push for it.
I have received excellent care, but had to ask for everything.
I have been referred to diabetic specialist clinics, dieticians, nhs gym, ophthalmology consultants, weight loss clinics, but only after I asked after finding out about them myself.
I can also show up in the surgery and they're do whatever blood tests I request whenever I want to.
What they don't do though is send me any reminders for anything, no annual foot clinic, no regular review, no regular blood tests, etc.
So depending on your point of view, they're either very good, or very bad.
But push yours, they may be better than they appear.
I have received excellent care, but had to ask for everything.
I have been referred to diabetic specialist clinics, dieticians, nhs gym, ophthalmology consultants, weight loss clinics, but only after I asked after finding out about them myself.
I can also show up in the surgery and they're do whatever blood tests I request whenever I want to.
What they don't do though is send me any reminders for anything, no annual foot clinic, no regular review, no regular blood tests, etc.
So depending on your point of view, they're either very good, or very bad.
But push yours, they may be better than they appear.
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi hotblack and welcome to the forum 
Here is the sort of information you probably won't get from your GP. We give this to new members and it will be useful to you I hope. Ask as many questions as you like 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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Here is the sort of information you probably won't get from your GP. We give this to new members and it will be useful to you I hope. Ask as many questions as you like 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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
ok folks thanks a bundle , now , recommendations re which type of meter I should be getting , so many on the market , ( see amazon) lots of good and really bad reviews , especially regarding accuracy , now I have this condition I intend to beat it to a pulp , so if it is a major lifestyle change , so be it , but I would like to know what is actually happening to me through the progress of the day , so I can equate how I feel to what my blood is doing , we at present have a very Mediterranean diet , I just need to lower carbs and up the veg , booze and sweeties are gone forever (personal choice), thanks a gain HBD
douglas99
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,572
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Other
hotblack desiato said:
I've had a variety.
Usually I use whichever has the cheapest test strips, although I am prescribed them now, so it's whichever meter the surgery issues at the time.
All seem to be similar.
