Another n00b

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gavint2

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Type 2
Hello forum members,

My name is Gavin, 37 from Coventry. Recently diagnosed T2 with HbA1c of 93. Attended a DESMOND course recently.

I'm currently being treated with 2000mg Metformin and 25mg Empagliflozin. Looking to improve my understanding and get a handle on things. Weight is a big issue for me as I'm at about 188kg at the moment which is really affecting my mobility. Considering WLS and am under the NHS pathway for this.

Yesterday I got in touch with a old friend from work from years ago who's a member of this forum under the username goodybags, we had a great chat and he's been very supportive. I am going to ask my GP about Ozempic following our chat. He recommended this forum as a friendly spot.

I'm wanting to start self testing but have been told this isn't available to me by my GP surgery. I want to really get to grips with how my body is coping with my food choices and will hopefully have a BG test kit sorted soon.

Not sure what else to say but if you have any pearls of wisdom or thread recommendations please let me know.

Thanks!
 
Hello Gavin,
Whereabouts are you in Coventry? I'm in Earlsdon.

Interesting you are on two drugs - my hba1c was 83 and I was only put on 1000mg of Metformin.

I was overweight at diagnosis (Late 2021) and just told to lose weight. I used low-carb/low-calories recipes and lost 3 stone in 3 months and have managed to keep it off. I'd check the books out by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi and see if you like what they do - I tend to stick to non-starchy veg and fish and chicken these days.

I didn't get a testing kit, but I bought a few and also got a few free Contour meters by filling in an online form. You'll probably have to self fund this.
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

@goodybags mentioned that he had had a good chat with you and said you might be joining us. I hope you find being a member of our community inspirational and motivational and that we can help you find a way to manage your diabetes well. Most clinicians really don't understand the benefit of testing when used to make dietary changes and believe that testing will make some people anxious but the vast majority of people here find it an invaluable tool in managing their diabetes and using the info it gives them to decide what is OK to eat and what is best avoided. It effectively allows you to "see" your diabetes and how your body responds to different foods. When I dot some really bad results in the beginning it really discourages me from eating the food that did that to my levels and seeing my levels steadily coming down when I ate mostly the right stuff was really motivational especially when I hit little milestones. I hope you will find a meter equally beneficial. Dietary changes have more power than almost any diabetes medication, so it really is a very important part of your diabetes management. Walking a bit more is also really helpful, even if you start off with just a few minutes after each meal initially and build it up as you start to feel fitter. Both diet and exercise are about starting where you are and making slow sustainable changes.

Good luck with your diabetes journey and keep us updated with progress and most of all, ask whatever questions you have. Knowledge is power and we are only too happy to share what many of us have learned from others here on the forum and our own experience.
 
gavint2 said:
Hello forum members,

My name is Gavin, 37 from Coventry. Recently diagnosed T2 with HbA1c of 93. Attended a DESMOND course recently.

I'm currently being treated with 2000mg Metformin and 25mg Empagliflozin. Looking to improve my understanding and get a handle on things. Weight is a big issue for me as I'm at about 188kg at the moment which is really affecting my mobility. Considering WLS and am under the NHS pathway for this.

Yesterday I got in touch with a old friend from work from years ago who's a member of this forum under the username goodybags, we had a great chat and he's been very supportive. I am going to ask my GP about Ozempic following our chat. He recommended this forum as a friendly spot.

I'm wanting to start self testing but have been told this isn't available to me by my GP surgery. I want to really get to grips with how my body is coping with my food choices and will hopefully have a BG test kit sorted soon.

Not sure what else to say but if you have any pearls of wisdom or thread recommendations please let me know.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Hi @gavint2, and welcome to the forum 🙂

Sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis - we're all here to support as best we can.

Thanks for sharing some details about how you're managing - how did you find the DESMOND course?

Also glad to know you have someone on the forum you know already. The forum is a really friendly, supportive community, so please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

As for a thread recommendation, as you've mentioned wanting to see how your body copes with your food choices, you may find Food/carb queries + recipes a good one to take a look at 🙂
 
harbottle said:
Hello Gavin,
Whereabouts are you in Coventry? I'm in Earlsdon.

Interesting you are on two drugs - my hba1c was 83 and I was only put on 1000mg of Metformin.

I was overweight at diagnosis (Late 2021) and just told to lose weight. I used low-carb/low-calories recipes and lost 3 stone in 3 months and have managed to keep it off. I'd check the books out by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi and see if you like what they do - I tend to stick to non-starchy veg and fish and chicken these days.

I didn't get a testing kit, but I bought a few and also got a few free Contour meters by filling in an online form. You'll probably have to self fund this.
Click to expand...
Hey harbottle,

I am Holbrooks area, was put on 1000mg Metformin by my GP when they got the test results. Within a couple of days of this the UHCW Diabetes & Endocrinology Dept called me and asked me to increase to 2000mg and add in the Empagliflozin.

The hospital had done the blood test as part of a weight management review. I was feeling pretty nauseous with the sudden increase of meds at the time but this seems to have mostly settled now.

Will certainly check out the book, thanks for the recommendation!

Fingers crossed I can sort something out on the cheap, @goodybags has said he may be able to send me a 'goodybag' haha.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome from me too.

@goodybags mentioned that he had had a good chat with you and said you might be joining us. I hope you find being a member of our community inspirational and motivational and that we can help you find a way to manage your diabetes well. Most clinicians really don't understand the benefit of testing when used to make dietary changes and believe that testing will make some people anxious but the vast majority of people here find it an invaluable tool in managing their diabetes and using the info it gives them to decide what is OK to eat and what is best avoided. It effectively allows you to "see" your diabetes and how your body responds to different foods. When I dot some really bad results in the beginning it really discourages me from eating the food that did that to my levels and seeing my levels steadily coming down when I ate mostly the right stuff was really motivational especially when I hit little milestones. I hope you will find a meter equally beneficial. Dietary changes have more power than almost any diabetes medication, so it really is a very important part of your diabetes management. Walking a bit more is also really helpful, even if you start off with just a few minutes after each meal initially and build it up as you start to feel fitter. Both diet and exercise are about starting where you are and making slow sustainable changes.

Good luck with your diabetes journey and keep us updated with progress and most of all, ask whatever questions you have. Knowledge is power and we are only too happy to share what many of us have learned from others here on the forum and our own experience.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the welcome @rebrascora!

I plan to try and check in with the forum with my progress. I think seeing the numbers day to day will help motivate me as without that kind of feedback it is too easy for me to ignore, I don't think I've totally come to terms with the diagnosis yet.

Walking is difficult for me, I struggle with lower back and knee pain when standing. I need to try and be more active in general as my overall health is pretty bad. I have some dumbbells I need to dig out for seated exercise and I will be trying to stand more and increase my movement little by little, perhaps using my creaky stairs as a home gym.

I'm know that a huge diet change is also needed as my current diet is way too carb centric. That is another huge challenge. It is all quite overwhelming to be honest.

Hoping the motivation and inspiration of the community will help me out.
 
Ciara DUK said:
Hi @gavint2, and welcome to the forum 🙂

Sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis - we're all here to support as best we can.

Thanks for sharing some details about how you're managing - how did you find the DESMOND course?

Also glad to know you have someone on the forum you know already. The forum is a really friendly, supportive community, so please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

As for a thread recommendation, as you've mentioned wanting to see how your body copes with your food choices, you may find Food/carb queries + recipes a good one to take a look at 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you as well @Ciara DUK,

I found the DESMOND course reasonably helpful at explaining how type 2 affects the body, sugar levels etc.. I did hope for more inspiration on what meals to actually eat though. I chose to do it online over 2 evenings as having to do a whole day in person seemed a lot to me.

Yes I used to work with @goodybags, it is really handy having someone I know to chat to aswell. Glad to get back in touch, I reached out as we were still connected on Facebook and I by chance remembered him saying he was diabetic years ago.

I'll check out the thread you suggested, I do need meal inspiration!
 
Hi @gavint2 and welcome to the forum.
The reason for the interest in how you found the Desmond course, is that like the NHS treatment of T2 Diabetes itself, courses tend to be vary variable ranging from good to truly awful!
For example many courses only mention sugars and hand out biscuits a break time! Apparently their presenters have never heard that ALL carbohydrates digest into sugars!
 
Welcome to the forum.
I found the Desmond course very useful, and it also helped me connect with the network of support the NHS provide.
A brilliant dietician, a physiotherapist and NHS gym, and a lot of different exercise groups among them.
Overall they supported me in losing over 5 stones, reversing my diabetes, and generally turning my life around.
 
I'm also in Coventry and did a face to face Desmond course a few years ago and again did the it on line, the basic modules in your own time then addons released every week, I was on the chat for a long time but then I seemed to be excommunicated, I think you lapse after 2 years. It did suggest more carbs than many can tolerate.
Dietary changes are going to be really important, reduction of your carbs which you can replace with protein and healthy fats.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Welcome to the forum @gavint2

Small world! I was at the art college of Cov Poly (as was) when I was diagnosed and sent off to UHCW for 5 days.

Glad to hear you have a friendly contact in @goodybags and were recommended to join us. Hope you find it a friendly and supportive space to ask questions and be among folks who ‘get it’.

If you would like a good overview of T2 diabetes, to add to the knowledge you’ve already picked up, you might want to register for an account with the Learning Zone (the orange tab in the main menu) which is packed full of informative bite-sized modules. Additionally, for a more personal take, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter to the Newly Diagnosed and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which you can work through gradually and will give you a solid starting point.

Good to hear that you are interested in trying self-monitoring of blood glucose as a way of checking how your body is coping with your menu. Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for people to be told they can’t have one on prescription unless they are on meds that can cause hypos (this doesn’t often see, to happen on the combination of meds you are on). If you decide to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £10 for 50, whereas some meters cost nearly £30 for a pot! 😱
 
If you haven't already found it, we have a daily general chat thread where those who check blood glucose often say their first morning reading (for congratulations, support, or just to share) and we tend to have a little chat about our days. It's a great way of getting to know other forum members who use it, and you quickly learn how to tell whether posts are serious or joking. And giving a blood glucose reading is absolutely not essential to join in there
 
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