Hello and please help from an anxious newly diagnosed :)

[Rachel81]

Hi all. My name is Rachel and I've not long turned 49. On Friday of last week after months and months of me saying how unwell I felt I was finally diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I've been started on metformin 500mg with breakfast for a week, then 500mg breakfast and dinner the following week, followed by one 500mg tablet 3 times a day with meals for the third week. It's making me feel a little nauseous, bloated and I'm burping a lot but it's nothing that I can't cope with. I should also say that I suffer terribly with anxiety and bouts of depression and taking any new medication sends my anxiety to stratospheric levels! I've read such a lot about type 2 over the weekend that my head is spinning and I'm really confused about diet. I do tend to like my carbs especially potatoes and rice, and I don't as a rule eat very much meat. I'm now trying to cut out anything sugary from my diet and just being more aware of what I'm eating. Any advice would be so gratefully received as I'm really frightened of becoming ill (I live alone and sometimes don't see anyone for a couple of days so at the moment I'm feeling a tad vulnerable) and want to change my lifestyle and be in control of this....the diagnosis has been a huge wake up call for me! Thank you so much for your time and any advice you can give me.

 

[Northerner]

Hi all. My name is Rachel and I've not long turned 49. On Friday of last week after months and months of me saying how unwell I felt I was finally diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I've been started on metformin 500mg with breakfast for a week, then 500mg breakfast and dinner the following week, followed by one 500mg tablet 3 times a day with meals for the third week. It's making me feel a little nauseous, bloated and I'm burping a lot but it's nothing that I can't cope with. I should also say that I suffer terribly with anxiety and bouts of depression and taking any new medication sends my anxiety to stratospheric levels! I've read such a lot about type 2 over the weekend that my head is spinning and I'm really confused about diet. I do tend to like my carbs especially potatoes and rice, and I don't as a rule eat very much meat. I'm now trying to cut out anything sugary from my diet and just being more aware of what I'm eating. Any advice would be so gratefully received as I'm really frightened of becoming ill (I live alone and sometimes don't see anyone for a couple of days so at the moment I'm feeling a tad vulnerable) and want to change my lifestyle and be in control of this....the diagnosis has been a huge wake up call for me! Thank you so much for your time and any advice you can give me.

Hi Rachel, welcome to the forum 🙂 I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis However, the good news is that this is something that you can learn to manage well, and most likely you will end up feeling much happier and healthier once you get the hang of things 🙂

There is an awful lot to take in, especially at the beginning, but try not to become overwhelmed by everthing. Take things at your own pace and don't try to change everything at once - nothing drastic will happen to you overnight 🙂 I'd suggest starting by reading Maggie Davey's letter and getting hold of a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. These will help to give you an understanding of how to approach things, where the problems might lie, and a good sort of diet you can adopt. The Gretchen Becker book will help guide you though these early months, and is written in a very positive style, so an easy read 🙂

As you have worked out it's the carbohydrates that you need to be careful of, but you don't need to cut them out completely, just try and limit your portions to ones that your body can cope with well. Ideally, you would use a home blood glucose monitor so you can test your tolerances for your different food choices - these can vary considerably from person to person, so you need to know how you are personally affected. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S in order to understand how to do this. If you haven't been given a monitor (many healthcare professionals are reluctant to prescribe unless you are on certain medications) then it's really worth funding your own for a while whilst you discover your tolerances and tailor your diet to improve you blood glucose levels 🙂 The cheapest option we have come across is theSD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50 (High St brands can cost up to £30 for 50 test strips) - many of our members use this monitor.

Please let us know if you have any questions and we will be happy to help 🙂 Try not to worry, you've made an excellent first step by joining the forum, and you are most definitely not alone - we understand just how you are feeling because we were there too 🙂

 

[Alister]

First take it slowly - you are in this for the long run. I am 2 1/2 months in myself & can confirm it does get easier.
second it is carbs that are the problem not just sugar (carbs turn into sugar during digestion).
wholemeal rice tends to be better that white rice - the same goes for pasta, bread can be especially difficult form many, many here recommend Bergen bread as being quite low carb.
if the metformin becomes too uncomfortable there is a slow release variant available that is more gentle on the system.
Have you been given a meeter & prescription for test strips?
if not bully your doctor fro them & if that dosn't work seriously consider purchasing one (the code-free meter on Amazon is generally recommended as it is probably the cheapest to run) at this early stage there really is no substitute to self testing to identify what foods work best for you.
As to the lifestyle change, treat this as good news. I am now eating lots of health food that is much tastier thn the junk I used to consume 🙂

 

[CathyB]

Hey Rachel, welcome! As has already been said, it’s not all bad, it does take time to adjust but when you get your head around it, there are some positives I was such a carbaholic but have actually found it quite easy, the trick is finding the right alternatives that work for you. The Bergen bread is really nice, I get it from Sainsbury’s so imagine all the main supermarkets will have it. Do read through some of the threads here, there is so much information 🙄

 

[Drummer]

I am now 17 months from diagnosis, but for the last year or so my BG levels have been normal. At 6 months I had Hba1c in the normal range and my HCPs seem to have lost all interest.
I used a meter and tested after eating, and by avoiding carbohydrates which spiked my BG I saw a gradual return to normal.

The only thing to do is to get a meter - so you know how you are progressing, and try out various things to see what suits you - some people find that not eating for long periods helps, others find that eating morning and evening is the way to get their BG nice and even - you just have to try things for yourself.

 

[Wirrallass]

Hello Rachel and a warm welcome to this friendly & supportive forum. I'm sorry to see you've been diagnosed but you have come to the right place to learn more about Diabetes ~ your Diabetes. Theres a wealth of knowledge and experience here so do feel free to ask as many questions as you feel you need to and we'll do our best to help you.

I always advocate a book to people newly diagnosed called CARBS & CALORIE COUNTER (£10.19 from Amazon) www.amazon.co It's a diabetics bible. It's the perfect support tool for Carborhydrate counting in Diabetes ~ Weight Management ~ Portion control and general healthy eating. The book contains over 1700 photo's of a wide range of popular food & drink items ~ and this highly visual approach makes it incredibly easy to see the nutrient content of Carborhydrate ~ Calorie ~ Protein ~ Fat ~ Saturated fat ~ and Fibre values that are clearly displayed in colour~coded circles below each photo.

I would also suggest you read a book called Type2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. www.amazon.co Gretchen was diagnosed in 1996 and educated herself re her diabetes. Written in an to easy to read format, she explains how she coped with her first year of living with Diabetes.

If you click on the following link Rachel you will find other useful links within this link which you'll find helpful too ~ then scroll down to the Type2 section:~
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes.10406

Please stay in touch as to your progress ~ and remember you're not alone with your Diabetes as we are here to accompany you on your Diabetes journey. Good luck and take care.
WL

.................................................
Dx Type2 April 2016
Diet control and exercise only

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Rachel81

Sorry you have to be here, but great that you have found us. Keep plugging away at it, keep asking questions from the helpful and knowledgeable folks here and you will get there. It's a marathon not a sprint 🙂

 

[Maz2]

Welcome to the Forum. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I am pre-diabetic at present. Did get back to normal but it has gone up again. Ask lots of questions. You will get lots of help on here. This has been a God send to me.

I cannot be as helpful as more experienced Forum members as am not yet living with diabetes. Hope I never do but will have to see. I do not have experience of the medications as I am not given any. I have a few friends who are diabetic and pre-diabetic. I believe slow release Metformin is supposed to be better.

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome to the forum Rachel from a fellow T2.
I go along with getting a meter and strips. You can always ask at your GP practice, though T2s not getting strips is common. Make sure they give you results to tests, including the first ones. This will include the HbA1c. This is an average of your blood glucose over 8-12 weeks. How often it is done varies.
If you test, do before eating and 1-2 hours after. This will show what effect any food & changes have. It's the difference between before and after that tells you about food.

 

[Grannylorraine]

Welcome to the forum. It is natural to be scared and anxious when diagnosed, I think most of us were. The bloating and burping may well be the side effects of the Metformin. Be careful of hidden sugars, I find they pop up in places you least expect them, but certainly in a lot of processed food and ready made sauces etc.

 

[Jeandp]

Hi @Rachel81 How is it going? Are you feeling any better?