Hello, a slightly confused newbie

[Kopiert]

Hi there.
Firstly thank you for this resource, my GP recommended I should join, it is a fantastic source of information.

I was diagnosed with type 2 about a week ago. The news was broken to me over the phone, so I took in very little information. The one figure I remember was 88 HbA1c. I have an appointment with the nurse early next month. In the meantime I have been reading an awful lot!

I am now on 2x500mg Metformin per day.

I have cut out all sugar, and I am trying to cut my carbs - but that is an absolute minefield...fruit is good, fruit is bad...you can have whole grain rice...all rice is bad etc.

I do have a three of questions.
Firstly should I be investing in a BG testing monitor now, or wait until I have seen the nurse - or indeed invest at all?

Secondly are there any good books on diet and carbs? There is one advertised in the Diabetes UK ebook Enjoy Food called Carbs ad Calorie Counter by Chris Cheyette - is that any good.

Thirdly Are there any apps (android or iOS) that you would recommend?

Overall feeling overwhelmed, and a little bit scared.

PS I am 56
Nick

 

[SueEK]

Hello Nick and welcome, you have definitely come to the right place. Everyone is very helpful and if someone doesn’t know the answer to one question then someone else will. It is very overwhelming when you are first diagnosed. Like you I am pretty much the same age, had roughly the same HbA1c but as you can see over 3 months I have managed to get it down a lot so take heart, although it is confusing and a bit scary to begin with it is surprising how quickly you adapt. I know nothing about apps but someone else will. I would highly recommend you go low carb so potatoes, rice, pasta and bread are basically out or very small portions. All carbs turn to sugar so that is why. I would suggest you do get a meter, most GP surgeries do not provide them for type 2, thou I was one of the lucky ones, it may be worth asking first. Testing allows you to find out what foods do and don’t like you because we are all different and what one person can have, another can’t. I won’t give you any more info at the moment or you get overloaded but everyone on the forum will be happy to answer any questions you may have. All the best

 

[Karen68]

Hi there.
Firstly thank you for this resource, my GP recommended I should join, it is a fantastic source of information.

I was diagnosed with type 2 about a week ago. The news was broken to me over the phone, so I took in very little information. The one figure I remember was 88 HbA1c. I have an appointment with the nurse early next month. In the meantime I have been reading an awful lot!

I am now on 2x500mg Metformin per day.

I have cut out all sugar, and I am trying to cut my carbs - but that is an absolute minefield...fruit is good, fruit is bad...you can have whole grain rice...all rice is bad etc.

I do have a three of questions.
Firstly should I be investing in a BG testing monitor now, or wait until I have seen the nurse - or indeed invest at all?

Secondly are there any good books on diet and carbs? There is one advertised in the Diabetes UK ebook Enjoy Food called Carbs ad Calorie Counter by Chris Cheyette - is that any good.

Thirdly Are there any apps (android or iOS) that you would recommend?

Overall feeling overwhelmed, and a little bit scared.

PS I am 56
Nick

Hi Nick, I’m also newly diagnosed a couple of days ago! I’m 51, and like you confused! However I have been following the threads on here and feeling a little more positive .
You have asked the questions I was also curious about, and agree with view on low carbs, now here’s to do it it!
Good luck!

 

[Ljc]

Hello @Kopiert welcome to the forum . Their is an awful lot of misinformation out there as well a confusing info ie fruit is good for you / fruit is bad for you etc. Is that we are all different in what as individuals we can tolerate .
Yes fruit is good for us, but which ones and how much is another matter. Many of us tolerate berries better .
Really the only way of finding out how the various carbohydrates affect us is by testing.
Sadly most gp practices will not provide a glucose meter unless we are on medications that can cause hypo’s (low blood glucose)
Many here buy the SD Codefree meter as it has the cheapest test strips we know of £8 for a pot of 50
Others are over £15 , when you are testing just before eating and two hours later, cost is an important factor.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-Glucose-Monitor-Monitoring-Testing/dp/B0068JAJFS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1506485682&sr=1-1&keywords=sd+codefree+meter+mmol/l&linkCode=sl1&tag=xfm-21&linkId=f39210144fdc26c27738e45b6d957003&th=1

Take your time in reading through these very informative threads and blogs

maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s

test-review-adjust by Alan S

teting-on-budget by Alan S


2009/04/test-test-test.

You’ll find the above and more on a thread called
*Helpful info for people new to diabetes* which is at the top of the newbies forum
And most importantly ask all the questions you you need to about diabetes, we’ll do our best to help.

 

[Ljc]

Hello @Karen68 . Welcome to the forum . I hope you find the links I have given on My previous post helpful

 

[Leonora]

Hello kopiert. I use the Blood Glucose Tracker app that I downloaded from Google play. It's free and you can use it to set your targets. I couldn't do without it. By the way the logo for the app is a red circle with a white heart embedded. There are so many of them. Good luck.

 

[Drummer]

There is some seriously damaging misinformation around.
Basically - a type two diabetic cannot deal with carbs like the 'normals'.
Carbs are the starches and sugars - sugar is not a separate category.
When I was diagnosed with Hba1c of 91 I switched back to low carb foods (I had been on a so called cholesterol lowering diet for almost two years, very high carb) and in 80 days was no longer in the diabetic range, it is that effective for those who are lucky enough to be able to reverse diabetes by diet.
These days I could eat carbs - and I would immediately start to put on weight - I have seen it so often during my experiences with doctors and nurses who think they know better than I do about how my body deals with carbs.
At six months I was at the top end of normal, but I already understood that carbs were the problem and always had been.
If you push your levels back to normal eating low carb foods then you can get a meter and experiment with other foods as you get further along the way back from type two diabetes.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.
I'm just ahead of you on a similar journey. Was diagnosed in Feb and my reading was 112. Going low carb has taken some getting my head around but a 3 egg mushroom omelette with salad leaves and avocado sets me up for the day and then a meal with meat or fish and veg and a small portion of tatties on an evening with some Greek yoghurt and raspberries or blueberries does my evening meal. In between I snack on cheese or nuts or veggie sticks if I am peckish. Not saying this will work for you but just to give an idea of how you can go low carb.

I use the "Sugar Diary" app and find it excellent. I too would recommend a blood glucose meter and lots of testing. I was one of the lucky ones to get it supplied by my GPs surgery but I am on insulin now, so it is necessary.

Good luck with getting to grips with this. It is a bit of a roller coaster in my experience but there are some wonderfully kind and knowledgeable people on this forum to help us newbies.

 

[Kopiert]

Hello Nick and welcome, you have definitely come to the right place. Everyone is very helpful and if someone doesn’t know the answer to one question then someone else will. It is very overwhelming when you are first diagnosed. Like you I am pretty much the same age, had roughly the same HbA1c but as you can see over 3 months I have managed to get it down a lot so take heart, although it is confusing and a bit scary to begin with it is surprising how quickly you adapt. I know nothing about apps but someone else will. I would highly recommend you go low carb so potatoes, rice, pasta and bread are basically out or very small portions. All carbs turn to sugar so that is why. I would suggest you do get a meter, most GP surgeries do not provide them for type 2, thou I was one of the lucky ones, it may be worth asking first. Testing allows you to find out what foods do and don’t like you because we are all different and what one person can have, another can’t. I won’t give you any more info at the moment or you get overloaded but everyone on the forum will be happy to answer any questions you may have. All the best

Thank you - the great thing that I have found here is that I am not unique

 

[Kopiert]

Hi Nick, I’m also newly diagnosed a couple of days ago! I’m 51, and like you confused! However I have been following the threads on here and feeling a little more positive .
You have asked the questions I was also curious about, and agree with view on low carbs, now here’s to do it it!
Good luck!

At times it feels like an impossible task to get your head around all the data

 

[Kopiert]

Hello @Kopiert welcome to the forum . Their is an awful lot of misinformation out there as well a confusing info ie fruit is good for you / fruit is bad for you etc. Is that we are all different in what as individuals we can tolerate .
Yes fruit is good for us, but which ones and how much is another matter. Many of us tolerate berries better .
Really the only way of finding out how the various carbohydrates affect us is by testing.
Sadly most gp practices will not provide a glucose meter unless we are on medications that can cause hypo’s (low blood glucose)
Many here buy the SD Codefree meter as it has the cheapest test strips we know of £8 for a pot of 50
Others are over £15 , when you are testing just before eating and two hours later, cost is an important factor.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-Glucose-Monitor-Monitoring-Testing/dp/B0068JAJFS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1506485682&sr=1-1&keywords=sd+codefree+meter+mmol/l&linkCode=sl1&tag=xfm-21&linkId=f39210144fdc26c27738e45b6d957003&th=1

Take your time in reading through these very informative threads and blogs

maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s

test-review-adjust by Alan S

teting-on-budget by Alan S


2009/04/test-test-test.

You’ll find the above and more on a thread called
*Helpful info for people new to diabetes* which is at the top of the newbies forum
And most importantly ask all the questions you you need to about diabetes, we’ll do our best to help.

Brilliant, thanks - just starting to go through the links

 

[Kopiert]

Hello kopiert. I use the Blood Glucose Tracker app that I downloaded from Google play. It's free and you can use it to set your targets. I couldn't do without it. By the way the logo for the app is a red circle with a white heart embedded. There are so many of them. Good luck.

Thank you. I will have a look - it is android only by the looks of it, so it will go on my work phone....when I can find it again!

 

[Kopiert]

There is some seriously damaging misinformation around.
Basically - a type two diabetic cannot deal with carbs like the 'normals'.
Carbs are the starches and sugars - sugar is not a separate category.
When I was diagnosed with Hba1c of 91 I switched back to low carb foods (I had been on a so called cholesterol lowering diet for almost two years, very high carb) and in 80 days was no longer in the diabetic range, it is that effective for those who are lucky enough to be able to reverse diabetes by diet.
These days I could eat carbs - and I would immediately start to put on weight - I have seen it so often during my experiences with doctors and nurses who think they know better than I do about how my body deals with carbs.
At six months I was at the top end of normal, but I already understood that carbs were the problem and always had been.
If you push your levels back to normal eating low carb foods then you can get a meter and experiment with other foods as you get further along the way back from type two diabetes.

Some useful information there. I am looking at a low(er) carbs route. Scary just how many carbs a single slice of bread has.

 

[SueEK]

Some useful information there. I am looking at a low(er) carbs route. Scary just how many carbs a single slice of bread has.

In Sainsbury’s yesterday I noted that Hovis now do a low carb bread, great for the occasional sandwich

 

[SB2015]

Welcome @Kopiert
Very pleased that your GP recommended you jion us, and I hope that you find the help and support useful.

 

[Drummer]

I was in Asda, in Poole, Dorset yesterday and they have a very low carb protein bread - under 8 percent carbs - expensive but it means I can eat kippers.

 

[Kopiert]

I was in Asda, in Poole, Dorset yesterday and they have a very low carb protein bread - under 8 percent carbs - expensive but it means I can eat kippers.

Oooh kippers. I haven't had those in ages - I used to love them

 

[Drummer]

They were a staple breakfast food before cereals took off - but I find them too strong tasting to eat without bread.