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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Diagnosed Today
- Thread starter Rob1442
- Start date
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Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Rob1442, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I also didn't have any symptoms (at least none that I'd noticed), I read somewhere that 60% of people don't have. I appreciate it's a bit of a shock still, and it'll take you a while to get your head round it a bit better.
Are you on any medication, ie metformin? How did your doctor find out you were diabetic?
You can make modifications to your diet, and take walks after meals, as that helps with your blood glucose levels.
What sort of meals do you have now? Are you relatively active? (I'm not, and need to address this)
Also, and sorry for all the question, but do you know what the figure was that the doctor gave you for your blood HbA1c - it shows how far you are in over the diagnostic level of 48. Mine was 80mmol/mol, which isn't very good at all. They may not have told you yours though.
There's other stuff you can do too - like find out about diabetes by signing up to the Learning Zone , looking at book recommendations, and reading round the forums to see what other people eat for food ideas.
I was a bit like a zombie after I was diagnosed, for about a week, I couldn't tell anyone, and was a bit blank and starey. The shock wears off, then you can make a plan of action on how you want to manage your diabetes.
But I don't want to overload you. I hope you're doing ok, despite the diagnosis. It does get easier, the first few days or week are definitely the worst for messing with your head.
Best wishes, Sarah
Are you on any medication, ie metformin? How did your doctor find out you were diabetic?
You can make modifications to your diet, and take walks after meals, as that helps with your blood glucose levels.
What sort of meals do you have now? Are you relatively active? (I'm not, and need to address this)
Also, and sorry for all the question, but do you know what the figure was that the doctor gave you for your blood HbA1c - it shows how far you are in over the diagnostic level of 48. Mine was 80mmol/mol, which isn't very good at all. They may not have told you yours though.
There's other stuff you can do too - like find out about diabetes by signing up to the Learning Zone , looking at book recommendations, and reading round the forums to see what other people eat for food ideas.
I was a bit like a zombie after I was diagnosed, for about a week, I couldn't tell anyone, and was a bit blank and starey. The shock wears off, then you can make a plan of action on how you want to manage your diabetes.
But I don't want to overload you. I hope you're doing ok, despite the diagnosis. It does get easier, the first few days or week are definitely the worst for messing with your head.
Best wishes, Sarah
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Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
@Rob1442 Hello and welcome.
Although you might have no definite symptoms, if you can reverse the diagnosis then you might feel a lot better.
If you are an ordinary type two then reducing carbohydrates in your diet might be the way to go.
If you tot up what your usual intake is and then start to make changes which reduce it, you could see our blood glucose levels falling week by week.
I just went back to the 50 gm of carbs a day which I knew was good for me but some people are unlucky enough for a sudden reduction of that sort to have unwanted consequences and to bring on false hypos as levels drop rapidly. It si therefore advised to lower intake slowly.
I was no longer diabetic in 80 days, which was a bit quick and my GP has been sulking ever since, so a more cautions approach could help in various ways.
Using a blood glucose tester might help you with decisions about foods.
Although you might have no definite symptoms, if you can reverse the diagnosis then you might feel a lot better.
If you are an ordinary type two then reducing carbohydrates in your diet might be the way to go.
If you tot up what your usual intake is and then start to make changes which reduce it, you could see our blood glucose levels falling week by week.
I just went back to the 50 gm of carbs a day which I knew was good for me but some people are unlucky enough for a sudden reduction of that sort to have unwanted consequences and to bring on false hypos as levels drop rapidly. It si therefore advised to lower intake slowly.
I was no longer diabetic in 80 days, which was a bit quick and my GP has been sulking ever since, so a more cautions approach could help in various ways.
Using a blood glucose tester might help you with decisions about foods.
Hi Sarah
Thanks for your reply and for making me feel welcome.
Yes, I’m on Metformin. I think I read that it’s been around since 1922! I took my first dose earlier.
I’m quite active, but my diet could do with improving. I’m looking at that now.
my GP told me over the phone this morning based on the results of a routine blood test last week. The figure was 69. Not sure what that means.
Still feel a bit stunned.
Best wishes
Rob
Hi
Thanks for your advice. It’s just what I need! Can I ask what is an ordinary type 2? I’m aiming to eat fish and vegetables with a few brown carbs. Does that promising?
I’m seeing a nurse on Tuesday- hopefully he/she will be understanding.
So glad that you’re in remission.
Best wishes
Rob
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That would be your HbA1C which is the average blood glucose over a 3 month period and is used as a diagnostic test, anything over 48mmol/mol being diabetic. So from the number you have you are well into the zone but by no means as high as some people but still warrants some serious attention to your diet in reducing ALL carbohydrates.
Have a look at the Learning Zone to get a better understanding of managing your condition, please do come back with any questions you may have and I expect you will have plenty.
Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
That's ok Rob. Mine was picked up at a routine test too. There's some information on HbA1c here. Yours is over the threshold to be diabetic, but you can work on that with your diet, and there's people on the forum who had much higher figures than yours, and have got theirs down. I'm working on mine with diet changes.
Drummer's given some good advice on carb reduction. You don't have to do everything at once. Maybe focus on one meal, like breakfast, and swap something like toast or weetabix for bacon and omelette, or kippers, maybe with a slice of lower carb bread like Burgen bread (Sainsbury's and other supermarkets sell it). When you've got that meal sorted, move on to the next one. If you're going for reduced carb, do it gradually over a few weeks, ie by reducing by a third or so each week, rather than going straight into low carb eating. Your body will be shocked by the change otherwise and you can feel quite poorly and damage your blood vessels, so gently does it at first.
Keep asking questions if you have any, we're all happy to help, Sarah
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ordinary Type 2 rather than people who may not respond to dietary changes or oral meds and therefore turn out to be other Type like 1.5, LADA or MODY or even Type 1 and have been misdiagnosed.
I assume you do not eat meat as that is a good option but yes fish, full fat dairy, cheese, nuts, non starchy veg, salads and fruit like berries.
Even brown are better treated with caution as they are just as high in carb as the white variety.
Bread, potatoes, cereals, pastry, and obviously cakes and biscuits are better cut out or kept to small portions.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Well - I eat a lot more than fish, but it is a good safe option, and your Hba1c is quite a bit lower than the 91 I was diagnosed with. I have cauliflower, celeriac, swede or courgette rather than carbs, as even brown carbs can be high carb, and I find them boring anyway. I have colourful veges, stir fries and casseroles with mixtures of veges, excluding sweetcorn which is a grain. I used a blood glucose tester at first to check what I could eat, which helped me to determine that beans and peas were not good choices.
I have a dessert of sugar free jelly berries and cream a couple of times a week, as I would far rather have berries than brown carbs.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Oh - an ordinary type two just implies that there is nothing much else than an intolerance of carbs in the diet. I got to 65 years old before diagnosis but I suspect that I never had a normal response to carbs all my life - it runs in the family.
An ordinary type 2 reduces carbs and sees lower blood glucose and a return to normal levels, normal Hba1c, reducing waistline and more energy.
Atkins is the ideal way to eat for a type 2 - I have eaten low carb as per Atkins even before I heard of Atkins
An ordinary type 2 reduces carbs and sees lower blood glucose and a return to normal levels, normal Hba1c, reducing waistline and more energy.
Atkins is the ideal way to eat for a type 2 - I have eaten low carb as per Atkins even before I heard of Atkins
Sounds perfect for stir fries! Actually, I find a lot of carbs boring too. Is alcohol best avoided?
Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I don't know much about the Atkins diet, but from what Drummer says, potentially.
There's lots of conflicting advice about diets for T2 diabetics, the NHS suggests a third of your plate should be bread/potatoes/rice etc. but I don't think I could cope with that much.
Some T2s eat a moderate amount of carbs, and some eat very little. I'm probably somewhere between the last two.
I'm not a drinker, but beer, cider and similar drinks are full of carbohydrates, so best avoided. However, if you wanted a gin and slim line tonic, you'd probably be fine.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Red wine or dry wines, spirits with slimline or diet mixers but in moderation, Liqueurs, cider, fortified wines like port are high carbs. People have been mentioning a few low carb beers but normal beers are pretty high carb.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I drink very little alcohol as I am usually driving when it is on offer, but when I do take a drink it is usually spirit and something low in carbs - rum with sugar free coke, vodka with diet bitter lemon or even fizzy water and lemon juice. Even diluted, it goes to my head very quickly, but fortunately seems to be dispersed quickly as well. I have very modest amounts.
Felinia
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello and welcome
Lots of very helpful advice from other members. One thing I would add is to keep a food diary of everything that goes into your mouth - food, drink, snacks. You can do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper, or set up your own spreadsheet. I do it the lazy way with an app - there are several around. MyFitBit is popular and I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month. All you do is weigh everything, do a search and tap it in. It measures calories, carbs, sugars, fats, saturated fats, protein, fibre and salt by item, meal, day and week. I keep digital scales and a clear bowl on my kitchen worksurface and it takes just a few minutes every day. The app is on my phone so I can check when going round the supermarket.
Like others I experimented with my daily carb total and settled for 90gm a day. The other advantage of a diary is that you can compare it with your blood monitoring results, if you decide to get a blood monitor. That way you will see which foods most affect your blood glucose and you can adjust your diet accordingly. I test for new foods still, but have learned pretty much what I can and can't eat, and what a portion size is. Cauliflower is my best friend, for mash and rice. I have the occasional slice of wholemeal bread - Warburtons small loaf at 9gm carbs per slice, or a couple of new potatoes. I may have real rice or pasta once a month but don't miss them. It was trial and error at first.
Finally Metformin. It can have unpleasant side effects on your bowel, which can be difficult for a working person. If you get the side effects, and they don't settle after a few weeks, you can request the slow release version which is kinder on you inner workings. Metformin is best taken in the middle of a meal.
Best wishes
Lots of very helpful advice from other members. One thing I would add is to keep a food diary of everything that goes into your mouth - food, drink, snacks. You can do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper, or set up your own spreadsheet. I do it the lazy way with an app - there are several around. MyFitBit is popular and I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month. All you do is weigh everything, do a search and tap it in. It measures calories, carbs, sugars, fats, saturated fats, protein, fibre and salt by item, meal, day and week. I keep digital scales and a clear bowl on my kitchen worksurface and it takes just a few minutes every day. The app is on my phone so I can check when going round the supermarket.
Like others I experimented with my daily carb total and settled for 90gm a day. The other advantage of a diary is that you can compare it with your blood monitoring results, if you decide to get a blood monitor. That way you will see which foods most affect your blood glucose and you can adjust your diet accordingly. I test for new foods still, but have learned pretty much what I can and can't eat, and what a portion size is. Cauliflower is my best friend, for mash and rice. I have the occasional slice of wholemeal bread - Warburtons small loaf at 9gm carbs per slice, or a couple of new potatoes. I may have real rice or pasta once a month but don't miss them. It was trial and error at first.
Finally Metformin. It can have unpleasant side effects on your bowel, which can be difficult for a working person. If you get the side effects, and they don't settle after a few weeks, you can request the slow release version which is kinder on you inner workings. Metformin is best taken in the middle of a meal.
Best wishes
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
The annual option is way cheaper for nutracheck. I know you like the monthly version which is more expensive, but I notice you always tell people nutracheck is £7.99 a month. The annual app only option is £23.99 a year saving £71.89 over the way you like to pay for it. I think it’s worth you saying “£7.99 a month or £23.99 a year” whenever you’re telling people the price so they know there’s a more affordable option than the one you choose.
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