Hello - new and overwhelmed!

[helsbells]

Hi all - I am new to all this, and very very confused. Not sure where this post sits best so I will just stick it all here and maybe someone will direct me to the right place! So, I have just been looking at my online medical notes to check when an appointment is and I have seen a note went on saying I am diabetic and have been made aware. I haven't! Not properly. I've been having some tests done for other stuff and as part of that one of the times they did my bloods they did the HBAC1 thing and it was 48. They retested and again it was 48 - but I was not contacted about it. I have chased up my other bloods (which is seems they forgot to do!) and the doc was very sketchy and said I should have an appointment with a specialise that she would arrange for me, but was vague about what the specialist was. This appointment is the one I logged on today to check the time - turns out this specialist is the diabetic nurse.

So, my appointment is at the end of the month, and the notes say 'patient aware she is diabetic' - but I am only aware cos I have read this! What does a diabetic nurse do? What should I be doing? I have no idea and worried that this has been sat on my notes for 2 weeks and I haven't been told any of it really.

I know I need to lose weight - this is one of the reasons I went to my GP last august as I was struggling to lose weight, and I was struggling to maintain exercise because I seem to fall ill every couple of weeks and think my immune system is knackered - which was the reason for my asking for help in the first place, and a year on, we are still here... having endless blood tests - could T2 Diabetes have been the reason all along? I know very little about it and don't know where to start. Is there anything I should be doing before this appointment? What should I expect? I am so run down, and stressed - it doesn't take much to confuse me at the moment - any help would be gratefully received!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

So, my appointment is at the end of the month, and the notes say 'patient aware she is diabetic' - but I am only aware cos I have read this! What does a diabetic nurse do? What should I be doing? I have no idea and worried that this has been sat on my notes for 2 weeks and I haven't been told any of it really.

You're only just diabetic (the cutoff is 48) so it's not a disaster that nobody told you earlier, though obviously it's an error.

The DSN will talk to you about your life, in particular your diet and what exercise you do (how much walking is in your day, that kind of thing). Likely other things. There are a number of checks that should happen annually and probably they'd do some of those (like BP, measuring your weight).

Looking after your diabetes

Managing your diabetes, making changes and fitting the demands of diabetes into your lifestyle can be challenging at times.

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[Vonny]

Hi @helsbells and welcome to the club no one wants to join! It can be very overwhelming at first, I remember the sheer panic when I was diagnosed...like a rabbit caught in headlights. Luckily I've had a lot of support from my DN and more than anything from this lovely forum. When the going gets tough, here is the place to be. No one will judge you, there are no stupid questions, just lots of support and help.

As @Bruce Stephens says, you are only just into the diabetic range so the good news is that you can probably get back to healthy ranges by a few tweaks to your diet and lifestyle. Cutting down carbs is the biggest single thing you can do to help your body. Not only does this reduce your blood glucose, it loses weight as well. What's not to like? I dreaded cutting out carbs as I was a massive carb monster, but I quickly found that as I reduced them, the cravings for them also reduced and I hardly ever have potatoes, rice, bread or pasta now. Best to reduce carbs slowly as cutting them out completely to start with (as I did) can cause complications with your vision.

You will also probably be sent for a retinopathy scan, and have your feet checked for neuropathy. You shouldn't have any problem with either of these at just 48. There are people on here who started out in 3 figures and have successfully reduced to under 48.

Remember, no question is silly so fire away with any burning issues x

 

[Leadinglights]

With an HbA1C of 48mmol/mol then you are just over the threshold so with some modest dietary changes you should be able to bring it down to normal of below 42mmol/mol (42-47 is referred to as 'at risk' or prediabetic).
This link is a straightforward explanation of a low carb approach which has been successful for many in losing weight and reducing blood glucose. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

 

[Julian1968]

Hi @helsbells and welcome to the club no one wants to join! It can be very overwhelming at first, I remember the sheer panic when I was diagnosed...like a rabbit caught in headlights. Luckily I've had a lot of support from my DN and more than anything from this lovely forum. When the going gets tough, here is the place to be. No one will judge you, there are no stupid questions, just lots of support and help.

As @Bruce Stephens says, you are only just into the diabetic range so the good news is that you can probably get back to healthy ranges by a few tweaks to your diet and lifestyle. Cutting down carbs is the biggest single thing you can do to help your body. Not only does this reduce your blood glucose, it loses weight as well. What's not to like? I dreaded cutting out carbs as I was a massive carb monster, but I quickly found that as I reduced them, the cravings for them also reduced and I hardly ever have potatoes, rice, bread or pasta now. Best to reduce carbs slowly as cutting them out completely to start with (as I did) can cause complications with your vision.

You will also probably be sent for a retinopathy scan, and have your feet checked for neuropathy. You shouldn't have any problem with either of these at just 48. There are people on here who started out in 3 figures and have successfully reduced to under 48.

Remember, no question is silly so fire away with any burning issues x

Bruce , i only just registered and not sure how to reply to you? Can you help me? Just what do i replace a potato with???I have had them all my life , new potato , mash , jacket , chips , crisps - literally in my life everyday! I'm now told i'm pre diabetic - 44 ? and am freaking as i have a carb and over sugar diet - sugared everything all my life , cakes , biscuits , fizzy drinks - i'm trying to cut down but spent 2 days without anything with sugar and felt really ill! I am a fussy eater with IBS so radish etc onions no use , just what goes with meat and fish if no potato or would cutting down , not out help me?????????

 

[Vonny]

Hi @Julian1968, I'll reply in case Bruce isn't around on the forum at the moment. Just cutting down not out is recommended, at least to start with. As you are only pre-diabetic, just cutting some of your sugary intake, plus maybe halving your carbs to start with? I too had potatoes in any form, plus bread in any form every day of my life up to the age of 61 when I was diagnosed.

I thought it was the end of my world giving up potato and bread, but it was actually quite easy in the end. I used to hate veg like broccoli, now I eat it like it's going out of fashion. It's just re-training your way of eating which is easier than it sounds. With fish I have peas and a few carrots (carrots aren't the best for diabetics) and with meat I have broccoli, green beans, sprouts, carrots and peas. With chilli and curry I have broccoli and green beans!

I use lo dough to make pizzas and if I fancy something sweet, something like an eclair or choux bun is better for diabetics than muffins or cakes.

 

[Julian1968]

Hi thanks for the reply but isn't it all so contradicting! Doctor said no root veg but another site says swede is good swap for potato? Some say sweet potato is ok. How is a cream cake with chocolate better than say a fairy cake? I love carrots but told not to use so with fish for example , it'd just be peas , sweetcorn but nothing of slow dissolving carbs - i feel like i'm going in circles and quite fatalistic as i had other bad blood results on the same day ie thyroid.Im hungry all the time , don't know what to replace cakes and biscuits with as i have sweet tooth , i guess no such thing as a diabetic cake range! Dizzy on n off just cutting small amount of sugar ie 5 spoons in tea during day , 1 chocolate bar and 1 cake- it seems to be affecting me but i do need to cut down

 

[Mariam Agha]

Hi all - I am new to all this, and very very confused. Not sure where this post sits best so I will just stick it all here and maybe someone will direct me to the right place! So, I have just been looking at my online medical notes to check when an appointment is and I have seen a note went on saying I am diabetic and have been made aware. I haven't! Not properly. I've been having some tests done for other stuff and as part of that one of the times they did my bloods they did the HBAC1 thing and it was 48. They retested and again it was 48 - but I was not contacted about it. I have chased up my other bloods (which is seems they forgot to do!) and the doc was very sketchy and said I should have an appointment with a specialise that she would arrange for me, but was vague about what the specialist was. This appointment is the one I logged on today to check the time - turns out this specialist is the diabetic nurse.

So, my appointment is at the end of the month, and the notes say 'patient aware she is diabetic' - but I am only aware cos I have read this! What does a diabetic nurse do? What should I be doing? I have no idea and worried that this has been sat on my notes for 2 weeks and I haven't been told any of it really.

I know I need to lose weight - this is one of the reasons I went to my GP last august as I was struggling to lose weight, and I was struggling to maintain exercise because I seem to fall ill every couple of weeks and think my immune system is knackered - which was the reason for my asking for help in the first place, and a year on, we are still here... having endless blood tests - could T2 Diabetes have been the reason all along? I know very little about it and don't know where to start. Is there anything I should be doing before this appointment? What should I expect? I am so run down, and stressed - it doesn't take much to confuse me at the moment - any help would be gratefully received!

Your HbA1c is low enough to be in Pre-diabetes and not diabetes eventually. All you need to do at this stage is just lose 5 to 10% of your body weight and you will return to normal 😉. Take it easy, no need to panic...

 

[Felinia]

My diabetic nurse gave me some good advice - moderation, not abstinence. Just reduce the portion size of carbs, and fill up with extra veggies. Above ground veggies are best, but I do have a tablespoon of carrot/swede puree occasionally. I also have cauliflower rice, or cauliflower cheese instead of potato, or roasted squash with a sprinkling of paprika. I tried soybean pasta and actually prefer it to ordinary pasta - it is firmer and has a nutty flavour. And the funny thing is, as I slowly cut down on sugar, the cravings reduced, and now I find lots of things far too sweet.

 

[Leadinglights]

Bruce , i only just registered and not sure how to reply to you? Can you help me? Just what do i replace a potato with???I have had them all my life , new potato , mash , jacket , chips , crisps - literally in my life everyday! I'm now told i'm pre diabetic - 44 ? and am freaking as i have a carb and over sugar diet - sugared everything all my life , cakes , biscuits , fizzy drinks - i'm trying to cut down but spent 2 days without anything with sugar and felt really ill! I am a fussy eater with IBS so radish etc onions no use , just what goes with meat and fish if no potato or would cutting down , not out help me?????????

Your post is a bit mixed up in another thread but it is useful if you read around some of the replies as that may answer some of your questions.
The main thing with diabetes is everybody is different in how their body tolerates carbohydrates so there is no one size fits all and you as an individual have to find out what suits you. The main big hitters are things like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and the obvious cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks including fruit juices. But things that would be considered healthy for non diabetics are sadly not so if Type 2 diabetic.
Basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables, salads and fruit like berries can still give you options for tasty meals.
Check this link for some ideas and principles for a low carb approach. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

Many people find that reducing carbs improves their symptoms of IBS

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Bruce , i only just registered and not sure how to reply to you? Can you help me? Just what do i replace a potato with???I

I think I agree most with @Felinia's advice: go for moderation and see if that works. So keep eating potatoes, just reduce them a bit (and bulk up meals with other vegetables (and eggs, fungi, etc.). And drop the fizzy sugary drinks (nobody's going to recommend those as a good thing); the diet versions are fine, after all, so that should be an easy improvement.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @helsbells and @Julian1968

Hope you find it helpful to compare notes and experiences with our friendly forum members. We have all sorts of folks here, with all sorts of different types and durations - all trying to manoevre their way though the maze, and finding out how best to balance their blood glucose levels with a range of different strategies and tactics.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ with diabetes - it’s a matter of working out what works for each member’s individual diabetes, metabolism, gut biome, tastebuds, aspirations and wallet!

Good luck - the Learning Zone (orange tab above) is a great starting point 🙂