Feeling a bit lost

[AndyPHiggins]

I was diagnosed with 'what we are assumingis type 2' diabetes last week and I'm feeling a bit lost.

I went to the doctors for an unrelated query and a blood test was done which revealed my HbA1c was 71.94. It was then repeated to make sure and the result was the same.

The doctor put me on Metformin, told me to watch what I eat and come back in three months.

I was a quite shocked at the time as I have been completely unsymptomatic so I didnt really have any questions, but now i've got all these questions running around my head

Could I suffer from hypo's/hypers? - If I do, how will I know? What are they like?
Do I need to get one of those blood sugar monitors and test my levels?
Watch what I eat, what does that mean? I've read I need to cut out carbs and sugar, is that right?

According to the BMI calculator I'm overweight but I wouldn't call myself fat. I'm 6'1 and weigh 15dt 9lb. The BMI caluculator says I need to lose at least 2 stone but I genuinely dont believe I've got that much to lose.

So I'm just a bit lost and dont know where to go from here or what to do,.

 

[Mark Parrott]

Hi Andy & welcome to the forum.🙂 I shall answer your questions. If you are just on Metformin, you are unlikely to suffer from hypos (low blood sugar). Hypers are high blood sugar & you have probably been hyper for a long time, as this is what gets you the diagnosis of diabetes. Some people have no physical affects of high blood sugar whist others feel very tired or lethargic or just generally unwell. GP's generally tell us type 2's not to test, but we all advise on this group to test as we are all different & tolerate foods differently. It gives you a good guide of how well you are controlling your blood sugars. I recommend the SD Codefree meter as it has the cheapest test strips & can be bought from Amazon or Home Health. Test before food & 2 hours after and look for no more than a rise of 2-3mmol/l. You also need to watch carbs as well as sugar. All carbs raise our blood sugar levels, so this means cutting back on bread, rice, pasta, potatoes (and other starchy veg) & anything made with flour. Most fruit is also bad though berries are the lowest in sugar & most can tolerate them OK. And what a silly thing for your GP to say. Watch what you eat? If I didn't watch what I ate, I'd miss my mouth!

 

[Pine Marten]

Hi Andy, welcome.

I didn't have any symptoms either, but (as in your case) it was picked up in a routine blood test. I second what Mark has already said about cutting back on starchy carbs and replacing them with more green leafy veg - you can also have good quality meat, cheese, butter, cream. If you're into cooking there are loads of tasty recipes on the other threads, so have a read around this site and you should find answers to some of your questions. Many of us have become fitter and healthier than we were before, so it's not all bad news!

Testing which foods have a bad effect on you is vital to taking control, so I also recommend the Codefree meter as it's dead easy to use and is perfectly adequate. Let us know how you get on, and ask anything you like, as someone is bound to know!

 

[Stitch147]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Great advise there from Mark. This forum is a great place for help and advise. But we are all different and what one person can eat another might not be able too.

 

[Bubbsie]

I was diagnosed with 'what we are assumingis type 2' diabetes last week and I'm feeling a bit lost.

I went to the doctors for an unrelated query and a blood test was done which revealed my HbA1c was 71.94. It was then repeated to make sure and the result was the same.

The doctor put me on Metformin, told me to watch what I eat and come back in three months.

I was a quite shocked at the time as I have been completely unsymptomatic so I didnt really have any questions, but now i've got all these questions running around my head

Could I suffer from hypo's/hypers? - If I do, how will I know? What are they like?
Do I need to get one of those blood sugar monitors and test my levels?
Watch what I eat, what does that mean? I've read I need to cut out carbs and sugar, is that right?

According to the BMI calculator I'm overweight but I wouldn't call myself fat. I'm 6'1 and weigh 15dt 9lb. The BMI caluculator says I need to lose at least 2 stone but I genuinely dont believe I've got that much to lose.

So I'm just a bit lost and dont know where to go from here or what to do,.

Andy one of the things you can do is to get yourself a copy of the best book I have read on T2 diabetes...Type 2 Diabetes The First Year by Gretchen Becker...she is T2 herself and takes you thought her first year as T2 month by month...she explains what diabetes is...how/why it develops...details why we should test our blood sugars & what benefits we gain from doing that...there is a section on carbs/diet...most importantly she dispels many of the myths surrounding type 2..asks .is it our fault (the answer is a definite no) … it is available on Amazon for preview before you decide whether to buy it or borrow it from your library … it's well written & easy to follow...its a great comprehensive guide to type 2 diabetes...I cannot recommend it highly enough...there are so many threads on what to eat to control our diabetes on the forum...I suggest you start with the 'What did you eat yesterday' thread...if you have any specific questions post them here...I'm sure there are many T2's willing to give you the benefit of their experience...as for BMI ranges...if I got myself down to the recommended BMI for my height...I'd look skeletal...so I'm with you on that...good luck

 

[AdeleTurner72]

Hello Andy and welcome. I'll second everything already said here. I was diagnosed by accident too, and had no symptoms at all. It is a huge shock, so I totally understand how you feel. You'll find lots of help and support on here. Ask as many questions as you need to. Good luck and let us know how you are getting on 🙂

 

[Alister]

You have certainly found the best place for totally biased advice (we are all affected by D and are absolutely biased towards telling you what work's in practice for us not just the latest theoretical fad 🙂 )
Having been here since Feb I can totally endorse every thing above.

The book recommended is well worth the read.

for diet definitely reduce carbs (rice bread, potatoes etc.) Wholemeal option generally seem to be better that refined white varieties, Burgen bread is often recommended here. chances are that change alone will result in some weight loss as well 🙂

Testing - The NHS don't normally recommend it for Type 2's but how are you going to know what foods are doing what if you don't test.
I do know that there is no way I would be achieving my current test results if I had not been testing regularly & noting what I had been eating (fortunately my diagnosis was so bad I was put straight on insulin & provided with a meter & test strips). again the recommendation here appears to be the Codefree meter as it is one of the most cost effective to run, if you order through Amazon don't forget to say you are diabetic & qualify for VAT exemption!

Metformin on its own is unlikely to lead to Hypos as it odes not directly lower blood sugar (it does something to reduce glucose production I think).

finnaly remember you are no in this for the long hall, don't expect to understand everything instantly (if ever!) but take it slowly (one of the big messages from the recommended book)

 

[AndyPHiggins]

Thanks to everyone for you welcome and advice. I've been on Amazon and bought a meter and strips and the book, which will all be arriving in the next few days.

In my head I'm thinking, i'll just lose a bit of weight, six months and then I wont be diabetic anymore. But I'm guessing that is probably an unrealistic expectation..?

 

[Pine Marten]

Hi Andy, well done on ordering the meter and book so quickly!

You should certainly lose a bit of weight by giving up the starchy carbs (exercise helps too 🙂) but I'm afraid that once diagnosed with D you do stay diabetic. But the good news is that if you get it under control then you can definitely come down to 'normal' ie non-diabetic levels. You can also come off medication - I've been off Metformin (Metfartin as it is known 😱) for some time now and don't intend to go back to it.

As Alister said above, this is a long haul, but we are here to help and support each other, so if you feel like a good rant, or query something, come here and let it all out!

 

[Bubbsie]

Thanks to everyone for you welcome and advice. I've been on Amazon and bought a meter and strips and the book, which will all be arriving in the next few days.

In my head I'm thinking, i'll just lose a bit of weight, six months and then I wont be diabetic anymore. But I'm guessing that is probably an unrealistic expectation..?

Andy for me I found it got easier with time...initially it's just such a shock...particularly since we get little information...there's not enough support...now I'm almost two years in what I do to manage my diabetes has become like second nature...losing weight will help...any activity will help...fast work ordering the testing kit & the book...they are such valuable tools in T2 control...ask whatever you need to here...one of us will be able to offer support...make the right suggestions...good luck...keep us updated when you can.

 

[Ljc]

Hi , welcome to the forum. It’s good to hear that you will have a glucose meter and that book soon.

Thanks to everyone for you welcome and advice. I've been on Amazon and bought a meter and strips and the book, which will all be arriving in the next few days.

In my head I'm thinking, i'll just lose a bit of weight, six months and then I wont be diabetic anymore. But I'm guessing that is probably an unrealistic expectation..?

Sadly their is no cure for diabetes atm, the reversals that some dietary regimens talk about are basically great control, if we start eating a high carb diet again our bodies simply cant handle it so our glucose levels will go high again.
Have a read through these threads
We have some good innovative cooks who put their recipes here .

To see what we’ve been eating
what-did-you-eat-yesterday

A good way to find out how the various carbohydrates affects us so we can make informed choice test-review-adjust by Alan S

And
painless-pricks also by Alan S

Hope you find them helpful

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome to the forum Any from a fellow T2.
Hypo's: you are not at particular risk of these. It depends on medication.
Try keeping a food diary. Along with your BG readings, testing before and 1-2 hours after eating. This will show what affect your food has, along with any changes you make. Hopefully after a couple of weeks you will start to see a pattern.
As diabetics it's carbohydrates we have to manage. It's not food in general that affects our BG. It's carbohydrates. We can eat some. It's a question of which and how much. The food diary and self testing will help you with this.

then I wont be diabetic anymore

Medical people say that's not possible. Once we're diabetic, we're diabetic. No matter our sugar lebels. There are diabetic people who's levels are in the "normal" range.

 

[eggyg]

Hi Andy and welcome. If you read the posts re the recent TV programme about ‘ curing’ type 2, you will see mine about exactly what has happened to you. Told you are diabetic, shove some pills at you, tell you to loose weight and they will deign to see you sometime in the future which is convenient to them! It makes my blood boil! And they wonder why type 2 Diabetes is costing the NHS 10% of their budget. You have certainly come to the right place to find out what is the best thing to do. Was the metformin side effects mentioned? Probably not. They can upset your stomach initially, but should settle down, if it doesn’t don’t give up on them, return to your GP and asked for the slow release kind. Also I would make an appointment much earlier than the requested three months and go armed with a list of questions. They just don’t take into account the shock a diagnosis can be and of course you can’t think of any questions. Take heed of the above posts and recommendations and keep asking questions. Nothing is too daft or simple. We really want to help. Also look at the food and recipe section. Both @Mark Parrott and @Bubbsie have some great low carb recipes to keep hunger at bay. Good luck.

 

[Martin Canty]

In my head I'm thinking, i'll just lose a bit of weight, six months and then I wont be diabetic anymore. But I'm guessing that is probably an unrealistic expectation..?

Sorry to tell you, Andy, that this is a lifetime condition..... However there are positives, many of us can get good control of our D & with positive lifestyle changes can actually improve our health significantly... Remember that the lifestyle changes we need to make will be for life, it's not just a case of "Oh, I have reached my target (weight/A1c etc) time to go back to the old ways".
My daily FBG (Fasting Blood Glucose) reading is an accountability check to myself & I share it with small group of friends who help keep me on track.

Could I suffer from hypo's/hypers? - If I do, how will I know? What are they like?

I wouldn't stress about this, just being on Metformin does not put you at risk for Hypo's....

 

[JMyrtle]

Unfortunately your blood glucose meter will show you in stark reality what even the slightest "fall from grace" will do.
I achieved a spectacular eight point seven eating a packet of Doritos when all my other readings for the day were under six, unfortunately you cannot hide from the dreaded D and at the end if you try to ignore it the only person you are fooling is yourself!
On the good side most sauces made with flour such as cheese or pepper can be thickened with cream cheese instead so all is not lost, it's all a matter of substitution and what suits you best.

 

[Bubbsie]

Thanks to everyone for you welcome and advice. I've been on Amazon and bought a meter and strips and the book, which will all be arriving in the next few days.

In my head I'm thinking, i'll just lose a bit of weight, six months and then I wont be diabetic anymore. But I'm guessing that is probably an unrealistic expectation..?

Andy you can have a great life even with type 2 diabetes...I am enjoying food more that I ever have...eating better than I ever have...it may be difficult to believe but there have been many positive aspects to my diagnosis with type 2...just have a good read...do your research...then when you are really ready to get going ask any questions you have here...there are several members who have got their BG levels down to non-diabetic range...put their diabetes into remission...not everyone can do that...however any improvement is beneficial...you will (hopefully) find you have more energy...take care of yourself better than you have for a long time...those for me are hugely positive...it does take a while to get your head around all of this...you will get there...it will at some point make absolute sense honestly...take your time to find what is best for you...don't rush...there's no need to as this will be a real change of lifestyle for you...a long term plan...take your time to get things right.

 

[CathyB]

Welcome Andy, I completely endorse what the others have said, the only thing I would add is to keep a food diary for a few weeks when you start testing, it makes it easier to track what foods might be best reduced or avoided. I’m three months in now and my bg is a steady 5.5, weight loss has been an added bonus rather than something I’ve had to work at 😉 I’m happier, healthier, eating better and feeling better than I have in a year

 

[Drummer]

Yes - in six months my readings were normal, no problem, no great effort and my clothes were all too big - it did mean not eating all the things which are recommended as healthy carbs, but they had been making me feel ill for ages even though my GP insisted they would lower my cholesterol. They did not and I got up to 264lb eating the stupid diet.
As soon as I was diagnosed I went back to a maximum of 50 gm of carbs a day from low carb foods rather than trying to eat tiny amounts of high carb ones. In 80 days I was no longer diabetic, and felt a lot better.