Hello

[JenniJ]

Hi, I got diagnosed with diabetes 8 weeks ago following a hospital stay in January where I had sepsis . My levels increased from then and obviously with corona I couldn’t have my repeat test done until then. I have been on metformin for 8 weeks now, I have also lost 5 stone 9lb since mid October last year following a total food replacement diet (I started this before I knew) my doctor gave me the go ahead 4 weeks ago to go back on my total food replacement diet as she wanted me to settle into taking metformin etc.
I have been for my repeat bloods this morning and they tested for everything not just sugar, I also need to take a urine sample in tomorrow morning before the diabetic nurse calls me early next week. I was ok up until this point, obviously I was very upset at the beginning but I’m determined to reverse it. I am so anxious today, I can’t concentrate on work I just feel in a total panic. I’m scared that my levels wouldn’t have dropped and what will happen next. Did anyone else feel like this? I don’t know who to talk to as I don’t know anyone else with diabetes? Thank you

 

[Drummer]

Have you not been testing you blood glucose levels?

 

[JenniJ]

Hello, no my GP hasn’t even mentioned that to me. I’m literally on metformin and today was my first follow up after 8 weeks for bloods and urine. Will get my hba1c results on Wednesday and the rest next week when I speak to a diabetic nurse.

 

[trophywench]

Hi Jenni

I presume from what you've told us about the weight loss, that the meal replacement diet was specifically to lose weight which you still need to continue doing, BUT - were you ever diagnosed as being diabetic or pre-diabetic before the sepsis and hospital stay? What actually caused the sepsis, what started it off?

Presumably from the Metformin they've diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, but do you know whether they did any specific tests to prove you are type 2 apart from the HbA1c they would have done in hospital in order to diagnose you in the first place? I'm trying to establish whether they've just gone Oh she's overweight so it's Type 2, or whether they've actually proved that, with the specific tests they can do - C-peptide and GAD antibodies.

Anyway - we recommend that whatever 'Type' you happen to be, that you do get yourself a meter and test your blood glucose at home, so you can see day to day what's happening to your Blood glucose levels and thus adjust both diet and activity in response to those meter results.

 

[JenniJ]

Hello, no test before hospital. I decided to do the diet myself as I want to be healthy before starting a family. Sepsis was caused by an abscess which led to my body reacting to the infection and sepsis. I was very run down following a miscarriage and the flu aft Xmas time. Yes bloods in hospital and my level was 64. As I said bloods 8 weeks ago my level was 113. No other tests apart from blood sugar when I was in hospital where all my levels were normal apart from one test following where I had eaten a sandwich. (All I could stomach in hospital)

 

[JenniJ]

Hello, no test before hospital. I decided to do the diet myself as I want to be healthy before starting a family. Sepsis was caused by an abscess which led to my body reacting to the infection and sepsis. I was very run down following a miscarriage and the flu aft Xmas time. Yes bloods in hospital and my level was 64. As I said bloods 8 weeks ago my level was 113. No other tests apart from blood sugar when I was in hospital where all my levels were normal apart from one test following where I had eaten a sandwich. (All I could stomach in hospital)

Blood glucose sorry, the finger prick tests. I’m new to all of this terminology

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @JenniJ

Sorry to hear you are feeling so anxious and worried about your diabetes. I think this anxiety (partly perhaps from ‘not knowing’?) is often underestimated by healthcare providers. It is perfectly natural to feel upset, and worried after a diagnosis with diabetes, but do pay attention to your mood and and state of mind, because diabetes can carry a mental burden with it.

Self monitoring (checking your blood sugar / blood glucose / BG / whatever you want to call it!) can be a very practical way of seeing how the foods you are eating are suiting your particular body and metabolism. Everyone is very individual and checking your BG just before, and again 2hours after your first bite, will allow you to see the ‘meal rise’. Ideally this will be 2-3mmol or lower.

Keeping a food diary for a week can be a good first step. Try to estimate the carbohydrate content of the meals and snacks (not just sugars, but total carbs including rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals, grains, bread, baked goods and many fruits) you are eating. Then the following week check BG before and after your meals. In the beginning the numbers don’t matter as much as the differences between them. If you find a meal give a big ‘spike’ at 2 hours, try reducing the carbohydrate portion, or swapping it for something else. Folks here can give you lots of swaps, ideas and handy hints.

But the important thing is that you work out your own tolerances to different foods, meals and sources of carbohydrate, because your diabetes will be unique to you, and before long you will be the world class expert in it!

If you’d like to try this method, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

You may also find the blog post test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework for using self monitoring to gradually and systematically improve your Bg outcomes around food.

And if you can begin to see your BG levels gradually falling into mostly single figures, you can be confident that your next HbA1c check will have come down nicely!

Well done on the weight loss, that is a tremendous achievement, amd will most likely be making you more sensitive to the insulin you are producing.

Good luck and keep us posted. 🙂

 

[JenniJ]

Welcome to the forum @JenniJ

Sorry to hear you are feeling so anxious and worried about your diabetes. I think this anxiety (partly perhaps from ‘not knowing’?) is often underestimated by healthcare providers. It is perfectly natural to feel upset, and worried after a diagnosis with diabetes, but do pay attention to your mood and and state of mind, because diabetes can carry a mental burden with it.

Self monitoring (checking your blood sugar / blood glucose / BG / whatever you want to call it!) can be a very practical way of seeing how the foods you are eating are suiting your particular body and metabolism. Everyone is very individual and checking your BG just before, and again 2hours after your first bite, will allow you to see the ‘meal rise’. Ideally this will be 2-3mmol or lower.

Keeping a food diary for a week can be a good first step. Try to estimate the carbohydrate content of the meals and snacks (not just sugars, but total carbs including rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals, grains, bread, baked goods and many fruits) you are eating. Then the following week check BG before and after your meals. In the beginning the numbers don’t matter as much as the differences between them. If you find a meal give a big ‘spike’ at 2 hours, try reducing the carbohydrate portion, or swapping it for something else. Folks here can give you lots of swaps, ideas and handy hints.

But the important thing is that you work out your own tolerances to different foods, meals and sources of carbohydrate, because your diabetes will be unique to you, and before long you will be the world class expert in it!

If you’d like to try this method, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

You may also find the blog post test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework for using self monitoring to gradually and systematically improve your Bg outcomes around food.

And if you can begin to see your BG levels gradually falling into mostly single figures, you can be confident that your next HbA1c check will have come down nicely!

Well done on the weight loss, that is a tremendous achievement, amd will most likely be making you more sensitive to the insulin you are producing.

Good luck and keep us posted. 🙂

Thank you for your kind reply. It is 100% the not knowing and the fact it is so new to me. I’ve researched etc.. but there’s so much out there it’s overwhelming. Probably not the best time to be diagnosed either during a global pandemic anyway, I’m currently following a total food replacement diet so on a minimal amount of carbs anyway. I am toying with the idea of starting the blood sugar diet as I’m finding I’m missing ‘real’ food. This is something I’m going to research more about anyway. I’m used to the scales going down quite quickly so I want to keep this up.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Ah yes! of course. sorry i forgot you were using meal replacements, and just slipped into ’general newbie advice’ mode 🙂

 

[JenniJ]

Haha no worries. I’ll take all the help I can get especially if/when I move into the blood sugar diet. I’ve ordered myself the book.

 

[JenniJ]

Haha no worries. I’ll take all the help I can get especially if/when I move into the blood sugar diet. I’ve ordered myself the book.

spoke with a doctor this morning, my doctor who Im under wasn’t in but the results are good thank goodness! Hba1c has dropped to 62 from 113 8 weeks ago and all other blood tests for functions are all completely normal. Got a phone call with the diabetic nurse on Monday so hopefully she will be pleased too, I’m doing something right! Next blood test in November now 🙂