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Diagnosed today

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M

Mynxie

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Type 2
Hi all

Ive just received a diagnosis by text from the doctor today - apparently I’m just over the threshold. I’ve gone into panic mode and am almost afraid of eating anything at all at the moment!

Im sure I’ll talk to a professional as soon as one can fit me in, but looking for support and reassurance in the meantime please

I’m not overweight and have no symptoms so it was a big surprise. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke or even drink caffeinated drinks - though I do really enjoy a bar of chocolate now and again. I’m feeling really upset that that will have to go as I really don’t like the dark chocolate that I see I’m allowed …..
 
Sorry to read about your diagnosis.
Some others with type 2 will be along soon ( I have Type 1 so the advice may be different).

I prefer not to think of whether I am “allowed” or “banned” from food and activities. I think of it as how it affects me and whether I am ok with it.
 
Hi @Mynxie I'm a type 2.
Sorry to hear that you're at risk of diabetes.
Please don't panic! You're not diabetic yet and you can do something about that. There's a referral you can do to get support in some health authorities, and some information here on pre diabetes.
I appreciate you're not overweight, but you can have slim type 2 diabetics as well as less slim ones (I'm in the latter category!), you just have to be carrying too much weight for your own body to cope with it, and this varies from person to person. If you google Michael Mosley, he was a slim T2, and lost a bit of weight and got his diabetes into remission by changing his diet to a Mediterranean one. I bought a couple of his books, second hand from Amazon and the recipes in there are good.
You don't have to do massive changes to your diet, just lose a bit of weight, cut back on the sugary food (sorry, I love chocolate too :(, the trouble is I can't stop when I've started) and when you go back to the doctors for your next blood test, hopefully you will have dropped out of the prediabetic range.
I'm sure there'll be other type 2s along in a bit, but you can make changes and there's no need to panic.
Best wishes, Sarah
 
Thank you both for your kind words.

I am actually Diabetic rather than pre diabetic. I think what’s panicked me is seeing all the posts from people saying what they eat in a day - counting carbs etc - that’s a whole new world to me and it’s scary! My BMI is within the green range though like many of us, I wouldn’t mind losing a stone! I cook all our food from scratch and have already modified my diet to cut out potatoes and bread. I never eat after 7pm. I’m just feeling so down at the moment though I’m sure I’ll bounce back once I’ve got my head round it all. Lyn
 
Hi Mynxie, welcome to the forum.

I felt exactly the same when I was first diagnosed, I think I had a spoon of porridge the whole day! It does ease as you learn more about your situation and how you can manage things yourself.

It's natural to feel down so be gentle with yourself, take some time to digest things and then have a read through the forum. We're here every step of the way so if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to let us know and we'll do our best to help.
 
Ah, sorry, I thought you were pre, my apologies Lyn. I know it's a shock and it messes with your head. You can get through it. We're all happy to support you.
Do you know what your HbA1c figure was? This is the blood test that the GP/nurse would have used to find out that you are diabetic. The threashold is 48mmol/mol, so I'm guessing yours was only a bit over that. Mine was way over that, at 80, and I'm hoping to get that down so I can get remission, though there's no guarantees.
If it's not too much when you speak to the doctor next, ask them what your HbA1c was, but I appreciate you head's probably spinning and it might not be possible to ask.

There's all sorts of different approaches to eating for your diabetes - some people go low carb, some moderate, and others eat a regular diet, but swap some of the starchier/carby foods out for veggies or lower carb foods, and make sure they don't eat sweet stuff too often. There's no "right" answer, just the right answer for you.
If you've cut out potatoes and bread, that'll cut a fair bit of carbs from your diet. What sort of foods do you enjoy eating normally? Can you adapt them so they're a bit less carby than they were before? There's some diet plans on the Diabetes UK main site if you want to see if there's a weight loss or other diet that you could consider, but you don't have to make changes any until you're ready.
I'd recommend just keeping a food diary for a week or so, recording what you like to eat before you make any real changes to your menu - get your head steady and talk to the GP first and find out what they say.

Keep your chin up, and be kind to yourself. This bit between diagnosis and knowing what's going to happen after that was the worst for me, I had all sorts of visions of being whipped into hospital and connected to beeping machines. Instead, I was given a prescription for metformin and they said they'd see me in 3 months. You can get through this bit and we'll all try and answer any questions you have.
Sarah
 
Hi @Mynxie
welcome to the forum, it’s great that you found the forum so early on upon you being identified as Diabetic

did your Dr tell you what yours Hba1c score is ?
From that you will know how hard you need to work to bring it down,

often a small change in diet and an increase in exercise for some people is all that’s required.

im not sure I will ever put my diabetes into remission myself,
but many people have,

definitely worth keeping a food diary,
and seeking advice as to what changes can be made as necessary.
 
A diagnosis is a bit of a shock to many but don't panic and take it slow and steady as it is better to bring your blood glucose down slowly to avoid eye and nerve issues
You might find this link helpful as it has clear explanation and advocates many of the principals which many people on here have found successful

Freshwell Low Carb Project – Real Food, Low Carb, Good ...https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk
 
I was a slim Type 2 Diabetic (now in remission). I actually prefer the Low Carb way I'm eating now to the supposedly 'healthy' low fat way I ate before. It was this Low Fat eating what gave me the diabetes since it was very carb heavy even though it was mostly whole grains and lots of tropical fruit (at least 1 banana per day) and starchy veg like parsnips and carrots.
Because of my 'normal' weight I decided to go Low Carb rather than diet or fast.
How many carbs and which carbs you can eat is completely individual, so it's best to get a Blood Glucose meter otherwise you are trying to drive by looking in the rear view mirror since the HbA1C test shows how things were on average over the last 3 months. With a BG meter you can test each meal to find out if it was OK for your body (and at that time of day- our carb tolerance can vary from morning to evening). Test just before a meal and then 2hrs after first bite, looking for a rise of 2.0 mmol or lower.

I found no need to increase my exercise, or to use any diabetes medication (not even metformin) since the reduced carbs made all the difference.
 
Thank you everyone. It does help to hear some positive stories. I’ve had a good look at the Freshwell site and that looks very interesting - lots to read there! Sarah, your kind words were much appreciated last night when I was in a right old panic.I’m 68 so have seen a lot of changes throughout my life and I guess this is just another one!

I think what made it worse yesterday was that my new blood pressure tablets, instead of lowering my blood pressure sent it sky high so I was feeling quite poorly. I’ve only been taking them 3 days so maybe it gets worse before it gets better….I am expecting a call back from the dr today so when it comes I’ll also ask what my Hb level is.

I find it easy to fast 18/6 so am planning to try that in conjunction with lower carbs and see how it goes. There’s been no mention of medication so I’m hoping to avoid it if I can.
 
Quite often people (correctly) say 'dont panic) but it is a natural reaction to something that might affect every single part of your settled way of life. It's a shock. However, before you received the diagnosis you probably hadn't exploded or dropped dead and guess what after diagnosis you won't either. You do have time to find out what you are going to battle and how you personally can engage in that battle....and win

I think I was very lost, confused, ill so I didn't panic (nor explode). I set about reading everything on this forum (once I had found it) and everywhere on the internet. This forum helped me understand the mis information out there and gave me pointers into a good direction.

Then I formed a strategy to go low carb and lose weight, changed my diet, and started BG testing and recording everything..

It seems to have worked and the possibility of exploding has receded.

Sorry about the jokiness I realise it IS all very serious. Good luck and I am sure everyone here will help where they ca,n
 
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So my Hba1c is 50

The thought is that the high blood pressure readings were caused by the worry from the diabetes diagnosis….. I have an appointment for a couple of weeks to chat to the HCP at the surgery but I feel much better now just for knowing a bit more about the condition.

Thanks Gwynn - your note hit exactly the right spot for me, you’ve got me completely! I cant get over what a helpful and friendly bunch you all are. Lyn
 
It is good that you now know your HbA1C and it really is just on the first rung on the ladder so with some modifications to your diet it should be very possible to get it down within a few months.
Blood pressure tablets when first taken or if the dose is increased can make you feel a bit odd, but there are a number of different ones so if they don't suit you then ask to have something else.
 
Eating Low Carb generally reduces the need for Blood Pressure medication. Dr David Unwin found he had to reduce and then de-prescribe both his own and his low carbing patients BP medication because on a low carb way of eating the medication was driving the Blood Pressure too low !
 
I am not on blood pressure medication, but I recently found that my watch had been recording my heart rate for the last few years. Before diagnosis when I went in for a health check, my heart rate/blood pressure was high and they made me do an ECG which was fine. Resting heart rate was generally high as well. Looking at the watch data, I can see this happened in May/June of 2021 (When I started to get leg pains) and at the end of November/December (2 months after I start low carbing.) it dramatically dropped...
 
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