HELLO

[Cornwall1964]

Hi
I'm a newbie just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes scared the life out of me for awhile. Lots of other health issues going on at moment waiting for results. I was so good with my eating and drinking to start with but with all my other worries I've slipped. On metaformin which sent me into a panic as I have heart issues but was reassured by doc would be okay? I have checked my sugar levels regularly and they've been in the right range. Need to get my mind focused but finding it tough any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
Your feelings are not unusual when diagnosed, metformin is the first medication that is prescribed which along with dietary changes will reduce blood glucose levels. If you levels are in the right range then what you are doing must be having some impact, how are you testing that they are in range.
Try to take it day by day as stress will not help glucose levels.
You may find this link helpful with some ideas for meals and some do's and don'ts but also good explanation about managing Type 2 diabetes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

 

[Cornwall1964]

Well I'm doing the finger prick test 6 times a day maybe I'm being a bit naive thinking it's in a good range it's anywhere between 4.5 to 11.5

 

[Leadinglights]

Well I'm doing the finger prick test 6 times a day maybe I'm being a bit naive thinking it's in a good range it's anywhere between 4.5 to 11.5

11.5 is rather high, it all depends on when you are doing your testing. 4-7mmol/l morning /fasting or before meals and no more than 8.5mmol/l 2 hours after meals is what people suggest as being well managed.
Testing the effect of food and meals is a good way of knowing if your food choices are good, testing before you eat and after 2 hours the increase to aim at is no more than 2-3mmol/l, as if levels are still high then it might not be possible to achieve the no more than 8.5 post meal but as you get better management then that would be a reasonable target.
It is better to have a testing regime which gives information which you can act on, like reducing carbohydrates in your meal either cutting out or reducing portion size of high carb foods eg potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, pastry, tropical fruits being the main culprits as well as the obvious cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks.

 

[Cornwall1964]

Thank you that is very helpful information I see my nurse again next week so fingers crossed I'm going in the right direction

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Cornwall1964

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It is very understandable that you’ve found it a scary and slightly overwhelming time.

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to various foods are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself - which is why so many forum members find having access to a BG meter is so immensely helpful.

As @Leadinglights says, checking before and after foods and meals can really help you see how your unique gut biome and metabolism reaponds to different things. Many members have adopted this sort of test-review-adjust approach to tweaking and tailoring their menu towards better glucose outcomes.

Test, Review, Adjust

Managing blood glucose levels for type 2 diabetes. Learning how to achieve long term control by testing and diet.

loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk

If you would like a good overview of T2 diabetes, to add to the knowledge you’ve already picked up, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which you can work through gradually and will give you a solid starting point.