Hi I'm new to the forum, 28 with three children and no family history of diabetes. I was borderline gestational diabetic during my last two pregnancies (one weighed in at 9lbs 4 and the other 10) my youngest will be 3 next month. Over Christmas my sight began to blur and together with other symptoms I asked to be tested for diabetes. My first fasting blood result came back as diabetic 7.6. They repeated the test and it came back as 6.3 (boarderline according to what I can find on the internet) when I called for these second results the receptionist told me there was a note saying not diabetic bit at increased risk of developing type 2. I asked what do I do now and she said nothing. No follow up appointment no advise on how to try and keep it at bay- just nothing. I've brought some books and am trying to follow the suggested recipes. I do have a sweet tooth and have cut down completely on chocolate. I am very petite so the advice on loosing weight is lost on me as if I loose to much I'll waste away! Also my diet is good despite the sweet tooth. I could exercise more but the kids ensure I get enough running around! I don't really know what I should be doing to be honest. Help!
Where do I start?
- Thread starter Lilyroo
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Forgot to add I had the test ( forgotten the name!) which shows how your body has been handling glucose over 6 weeks that was also boarder line.
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That nothing was exactly what I got when I was diagnosed with type 2 in December. It isn't unusual and you are left stunned and don't know where to go (my doctor did contact me later but still was a big shock even though I expected it). It is good you found this forum as there are many who will give you helpful advice as well as Daisy who will pop in any minute with basic info that you should read. I do not know how active you are but with young children I expect you run off of your feet or if you have some weight you would like to lose but by doing either of these can help to stop you developing further.
Additionally there are different dietary lifestyle changes you can take: the low carbohydrate route that many follow, or the low GI which the NHS and some follow as well. I tend to sit in the middle of the two! There is information on the site for both approaches as well as the diabetes.org.uk site for the low GI
I would also recommend you book yourself into the doctor and ask to get on the diabetes course and get some advice from him/her. It is irresponsible not to follow up.
Additionally there are different dietary lifestyle changes you can take: the low carbohydrate route that many follow, or the low GI which the NHS and some follow as well. I tend to sit in the middle of the two! There is information on the site for both approaches as well as the diabetes.org.uk site for the low GI
I would also recommend you book yourself into the doctor and ask to get on the diabetes course and get some advice from him/her. It is irresponsible not to follow up.
Scandichic
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The receptionist is just that - a receptionist and not a doctor! I would book an appointment with the doc. If you are diabetic you will need to get rid of the sugar. If you are pre diabetic you probably should get rid of the sugar or you'll become diabetic t2.
As Andrew says, there's more than 1 approach. I would recommend LCHF - see Dietdoctor.com
I like it because it allows me to have sausage and egg for brekkie, cheese, cream, fish, veggies and meat. I also have a small amount of very dark chocolate and the occasional glass of wine. Bread, pasta, potatoes and rice are essentially sugar.
Good luck with whatever you do!
As Andrew says, there's more than 1 approach. I would recommend LCHF - see Dietdoctor.com
I like it because it allows me to have sausage and egg for brekkie, cheese, cream, fish, veggies and meat. I also have a small amount of very dark chocolate and the occasional glass of wine. Bread, pasta, potatoes and rice are essentially sugar.
Good luck with whatever you do!
daisy1
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Hi Lily and welcome to the forum
Here is the information which Andrew mentioned and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 70,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.
