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Diagnosed today...

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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bluebellwood

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi,

My name is Sue and I have been diagnosed this morning with diabetes type 2.
I feel like I am in a bubble, it has been an overwhelming day.....
 
Hi @bluebellwood and welcome to the forum.
It is a lot to take in with at the beginning, but we are a friendly bunch, so any questions you have just fire away🙂
How did you come about being diagnosed and have they put you on any medication?
 
Welcome to the group, sorry you had to join....

As GG says, it's very overwhelming at first but you have come to an amazing self help group. First thing to note is that with some simple lifestyle changes you can get this under control.
 
bluebellwood said:
Hi,

My name is Sue and I have been diagnosed this morning with diabetes type 2.
I feel like I am in a bubble, it has been an overwhelming day.....
Click to expand...
Hi Sue, welcome to the forum 🙂 A diagnosis of diabetes can be a shock, but try not to panic, there is a lot you can do about it, with the right knowledge and a bit of application 🙂 Many people find that the adjustments they make, particularly to their diet, but also activity levels, often lead them to feeling much healthier and happier than they have for some time (it's true - many of our members are testament to this 🙂)

Firstly, try not to get overwhelmed. There's a lot to learn to begin with, but don't try to make drastic changes overnight that you can't sustain - this is a marathon, not a sprint, and small steps will add up to big improvements over time 🙂

I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which will help you get through these early months 🙂 Also, have a read of Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a good idea of what it's all about.

Were you given any medication, and/or a blood glucose meter and prescription for test strips so you can monitor how your body copes with your meal choices? Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how this can really help 🙂 If you weren't given a meter and strips, then do ask for them next appointment, once you understand how it will help you. Doctors can be reluctant to prescribe these, but it's the best tool you can get in order to understand things better right from the start. Also, start a food diary, recording the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate in everything you eat and drink each day - this will give you an accurate record of your diet and how many carbs per day you are consuming. All carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels, so it's a case of finding out the right amount and types that work best for you.

Please ask as many questions as you wish and we will be happy to help 🙂
 
Welcome Bluebell, from a fellow T2
 
Hi Bluebellwood. Welcome to the forum . Yes it is a shock when you first find out. I bet one of the things your thinking is, what on earth can I eat. Well we eat plenty of nice tasty grub. If you eat meat Meat is fine as are high meat content sausages and burgers, fish, mushrooms , veg that grows above ground, eggs cooked anyway you like, butter , cheese, Tea, coffee, sweeteners,diet drinks, some nuts are low in carbohydrates.
The list above is not exhaustive, I put it to give you a starting point on what we can eat.
Their is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation out there ok , but you’ve come to the right place to learn from the horses mouth, so to speak.

Feel free to ask questions
 
Last edited:
Hello Sue

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you have found the forum.

Yes a diagnosis is often a shock and takes a bit of getting used to. But many members say, a while later, that they are proud of the changes they have made, and feel so much fitter and healthier for it.

Plus a diagnosis with T2 means that you will be kept a close eye-on so any health problems will be picked up sooner.
 
Northerner said:
Hi Sue, welcome to the forum 🙂 A diagnosis of diabetes can be a shock, but try not to panic, there is a lot you can do about it, with the right knowledge and a bit of application 🙂 Many people find that the adjustments they make, particularly to their diet, but also activity levels, often lead them to feeling much healthier and happier than they have for some time (it's true - many of our members are testament to this 🙂)

Firstly, try not to get overwhelmed. There's a lot to learn to begin with, but don't try to make drastic changes overnight that you can't sustain - this is a marathon, not a sprint, and small steps will add up to big improvements over time 🙂

I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which will help you get through these early months 🙂 Also, have a read of Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a good idea of what it's all about.

Were you given any medication, and/or a blood glucose meter and prescription for test strips so you can monitor how your body copes with your meal choices? Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how this can really help 🙂 If you weren't given a meter and strips, then do ask for them next appointment, once you understand how it will help you. Doctors can be reluctant to prescribe these, but it's the best tool you can get in order to understand things better right from the start. Also, start a food diary, recording the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate in everything you eat and drink each day - this will give you an accurate record of your diet and how many carbs per day you are consuming. All carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels, so it's a case of finding out the right amount and types that work best for you.

Please ask as many questions as you wish and we will be happy to help 🙂
Click to expand...
 
bluebellwood said:
Hi,

My name is Sue and I have been diagnosed this morning with diabetes type 2.
I feel like I am in a bubble, it has been an overwhelming day.....
Click to expand...
Hi and welcome to forum
 
Hi, thank you so much for your message, it really helped me today. I am going to read the Gretchen Becker article. I have been prescribed Metformin but there was no mention of the blood glucose meter or strips. I think they would help me a lot as I like to stay on top of things. I do not know where to get them from? It is going to be weeks before I see the GP again. I was thinking of going back to Slimming World as it was a good healthy eating plan. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I am frightened to eat. What am I allowed? What can I drink?

I do feel really overwhelmed. I need all the 'tools' before I embark on this new journey.
 
bluebellwood said:
Hi, thank you so much for your message, it really helped me today. I am going to read the Gretchen Becker article. I have been prescribed Metformin but there was no mention of the blood glucose meter or strips. I think they would help me a lot as I like to stay on top of things. I do not know where to get them from? It is going to be weeks before I see the GP again. I was thinking of going back to Slimming World as it was a good healthy eating plan. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I am frightened to eat. What am I allowed? What can I drink?

I do feel really overwhelmed. I need all the 'tools' before I embark on this new journey.
Click to expand...
If you want to get started on the testing, then the one we usually suggest is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50. Most of the High St pharmacies can charge up to £30 for 50 strips, so there can be quite a difference in price, but all have to conform to the same levels of accuracy, and many of our members have found the Codefree perfectly fine 🙂 Make sure you get the 'mmol/l' version as this is the one we use in the UK 🙂

It can actually be helpful in getting a prescription later when you go to the doctor, as you will be able to demonstrate how it is helping you learn about your diet, and how it affects you 🙂 As for things to eat, I have found the GL (Glycaemic Load) diet helpful. It describes how to choose and combine foods that will release their energy slowly and steadily, reducing the possibility of 'spikes' - rapid rises and drops in levels. The GL Diet for Dummies is a very good introduction 🙂

Finally, get a free copy of 100 things I wish I'd known about diabetes from Diabetes UK, full of useful tips from people with diabetes passing their knowledge on 🙂
 
Welcome bluebellwood from me also. I was diagnosed some six weeks ago now and although I had an inkling that it was diabetes because of various seemingly unconnected symptoms it still came as a shock. Even more so once you start to research the food thing and everything else! Testing, as others have said is really useful as it indicates for you if certain foods spike you or not. My biggest challenge was breakfast as I was used to cornflakes or white toast. Neither of which I can tolerate now! So I discovered Hovis lower carb bread which is widely available and they do it in a wholemeal version and a lovely seeded one. Smaller slices I grant you but pretty nice toasted with marge or butter. In six weeks I have lost sixteen pounds without really trying and have a lot more energy these days. I even managed to have my two granddaughters who are 7 and 4 for three nights and didn’t run out of energy! Not bad at 61! I have fallen off the wagon a couple of times for family occasions when I couldn’t avoid it but compared to my levels when first diagnosed they have come down quite a bit. So as others have said, take it slow, don’t panic, research these forums with all their invaluable advice and keep asking the dumb questions. I certainly have and everyone has been most helpful and encouraging. 🙂
 
Welcome @bluebellwood . Yes the initial diagnosis does comes as a shock to us all, but your T2 diabetes is a condition that you, yourself can have a very large degree of control of once you start to understand how your body responds to what you put into it. It does take a little while but it isn't rocket science! I was 70 when diagnosed and felt perfectly well but my blood sugars were OTT but now my GP reckons I'm in remission and it's largely due to how and what I eat and do rather than medication.
As well as some of the suggestions already posted, another excellent primer on diabetes is Reverse Your Diabetes by Dr David Cavan. It's an easily read and comprehensive book and helped me to understand the condition and what I could do to improve it.
Another source of information and support is Diabetes (dot) co (dot) UK. My GP recommended the site and I've found it invaluable as it has around a quarter of a million contributors around the world.
 
Flakie said:
Welcome bluebellwood from me also. I was diagnosed some six weeks ago now and although I had an inkling that it was diabetes because of various seemingly unconnected symptoms it still came as a shock. Even more so once you start to research the food thing and everything else! Testing, as others have said is really useful as it indicates for you if certain foods spike you or not. My biggest challenge was breakfast as I was used to cornflakes or white toast. Neither of which I can tolerate now! So I discovered Hovis lower carb bread which is widely available and they do it in a wholemeal version and a lovely seeded one. Smaller slices I grant you but pretty nice toasted with marge or butter. In six weeks I have lost sixteen pounds without really trying and have a lot more energy these days. I even managed to have my two granddaughters who are 7 and 4 for three nights and didn’t run out of energy! Not bad at 61! I have fallen off the wagon a couple of times for family occasions when I couldn’t avoid it but compared to my levels when first diagnosed they have come down quite a bit. So as others have said, take it slow, don’t panic, research these forums with all their invaluable advice and keep asking the dumb questions. I certainly have and everyone has been most helpful and encouraging. 🙂
Click to expand...
Hello and welcome to forum. Well done on what you have achieved so far
 
Welcome to the forum.🙂
 
Dave W said:
Welcome @bluebellwood . Yes the initial diagnosis does comes as a shock to us all, but your T2 diabetes is a condition that you, yourself can have a very large degree of control of once you start to understand how your body responds to what you put into it. It does take a little while but it isn't rocket science! I was 70 when diagnosed and felt perfectly well but my blood sugars were OTT but now my GP reckons I'm in remission and it's largely due to how and what I eat and do rather than medication.
As well as some of the suggestions already posted, another excellent primer on diabetes is Reverse Your Diabetes by Dr David Cavan. It's an easily read and comprehensive book and helped me to understand the condition and what I could do to improve it.
Another source of information and support is Diabetes (dot) co (dot) UK. My GP recommended the site and I've found it invaluable as it has around a quarter of a million contributors around the world.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much. Regards, Sue. Alias bluebellwood.
 
Hello bluebellwood, welcome to the forum 🙂
 
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