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A new journey

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trish1406

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Diagnosed with Type 2 on Tuesday and given a prescription for Metformin. Currently still finding my way around the whole issue. Have been given an appointment with one of our practice nurses, I believe she is the specialist in the field at the practice. Appointment is about 2 weeks away.

I am also currently waiting for an appointment with a neurologist owing to having some balance problems. My GP doesn't think the balance problems are related to the diabetes issue.

Going to be keeping a food diary for the next few weeks which will hopefully mean i can spot some of my bad areas. I actually sometimes struggle to eat 3 meals a day so that is going to have to change!! I have already tried to cut back on some of the not so good things i enjoy such as chocolate and cakes. I don't drink (or very, very rarely) and have never smoked so i suppose that is going to work in my favour. We grow a lot of our own vegetables which will be an advantage.

I am 62, married to my lovely hubby for almost 40 years and i am his carer as he has several health issues. Mum to 2 lovely sons. Nanny to 3 wonderful grandchildren. I have been a Beaver Scout Leader for over 25 years, I am a member of our councils Tenants Forum, help to run a scale model club and enjoy knitting, cross stitch and other crafty type stuff.
 
Hi @trish1406 and welcome to the forum.

A lot of people don't realise that T2 Diabetes isn't just about sugars, but about all carbohydrates - starches as well as sugars, and whole/brown ones as well as refined/white ones.
This means that what is generally thought to be a healthy diet for the general population isn't healthy for a Type 2 diabetic. For example, bread, breakfast cereals, whole grains (even porridge), potatoes, rice, pasta and tropical fruit are things many/most of us either cut down on or avoid.
Those of us who self fund a Blood Glucose meter to test our reaction to food soon discover that we are all different and so carbohydrates in foods/quantities which are OK for my body may have a worse effect on some other Type 2 person.

The NHS doesn't seem to understand this and so you may find that you are advised not to test your BG.
 
Welcome from me also.
You have a great advantage growing your own vegetables as including them in your new dietary regime will help. Just avoid the starchy ones like potatoes, I used to grow lots but now replace those beds with ones growing squashes as they are a good substitute.
This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet, however there is no reason to have 3 meals a day if you don't want to.
https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/. This is a low carb approach which many find successful.
Keeping a food diary is a good idea with an estimate of the Total carbohydrates and see how close you are to the suggested no more than 130g per day total carbs, but it often comes down to what people can tolerate as a maximum per meal.
 
Welcome to the forum @trish1406. It's lovely to have you here 🙂

Thank you for sharing a bit about yourself.

A new diagnosis can be confusing when you get given so much new information, but I'm sure many of us here on the forum will be happy to try and answer any questions you have!

Many of us on here have a creative eye, if you feel comfortable, I would love to see some pics of what you have knitted or cross-stitched!
 
trish1406 said:
Diagnosed with Type 2 on Tuesday and given a prescription for Metformin. Currently still finding my way around the whole issue. Have been given an appointment with one of our practice nurses, I believe she is the specialist in the field at the practice. Appointment is about 2 weeks away.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum @trish1406

Sad to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you’ve found us 🙂

For an introduction to T2 you might like to dip into the Learning Zone, which is packed with helpful modules that you can work through at your own pace.

Landing Page | Diabetes UK Learning Zone

learningzone.diabetes.org.uk learningzone.diabetes.org.uk

Or for a more personal account you might like Maggie Davey’s Letter to the Newly Diagnosed and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which give overview 🙂
 
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