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elsbells

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Type 2
Hi everyone, so glad I've found this forum.
I was diagnosed with T2 last September and have been rumbling along with it. Help and advice from NHS seems pretty non-existent!
I'd started having blurred vision, dizzy and constant fatigue over a month ago so got bloods done and my HBa1C was 8.2. I've been put on metformin and hoping it helps.
I've been testing my sugars and they seem all over the place - keeping track of them in my fitbit app so can hopefully see if there is a pattern.
I find the dietary advice from the nhs really confusing and opposite to the advice I had 15 years ago when I had gestational diabetes. Feel like I'm stumbling along and getting nowhere fast. I do have a fair bit of weight to lose but it's very stubborn to come off, damn you menopause!
 
Welcome to the forum @elsbells

Sorry to hear you’ve not had much support from your surgery this time round, and the advice you’ve found is different than you had before.

What has your monitoring approach been? Have you tried checking BG immediately before a meal, and again 2hrs later to see the effect of various meals? (primarily portions and sources of carbohydrates). That can give structure to your results and help you experiment one meal at a time until you find choices that seem to work fairly consistently - only giving you a ‘meal rise’ of 2-3mmol/L
 
Thank you. I've only started tracking my levels as the practice nurse told me not to bother and they were only going to look at my hba1c result every 6 months. I'd bought a monitor a few months ago and have just started tracking my levels.
I was started on metformin just over a week ago as I actually managed to see a gp who was concerned about my rising levels even though previously the practice nurse had said they were fine!
 
Gosh it does sound like you are getting all sorts of mixed messages @elsbells

Hopefully with a little experimentation, and comparing notes with other members here (and the varieties of things they are told by their GP / nurse / clinic) you’ll be able to settle on a set of strategies and approaches that work for you and keep you reassured.
 
The strategy for managing GD is probably rather different as tighter control is required and your treatment may have been more focussed to manage that.
Good that you have bought a monitor as many find that is a valuable tool to help you make better food decisions.
The book or app Carbs and Cals is very useful as it gives carb values for various portions of a whole range of foods and meals.
Many find a low carb approach is successful at both losing weight which I think you mentioned you wanted to do and reducing blood glucose. This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
This is a program designed by a GP surgery and controversially strays from the standard NHS Eatwell Plate which is too high carb for many.
 
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