Hello

[vonny007]

Hi

I'm Yvonne, newly diagnosed on in Oct 2019, I've been prescribed metformin and just getting used to taking the medication and changing my lifestyle. More exercise,increase water intake and lose weight which is no easy feat.

54mmol

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome to the forum. 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Yvonne and welcome

Good luck on your diabetes journey. Members here on the forum know the challenges you face and understand the difficulties and frustrations, so feel free to ask anything you get stuck with or just vent when you need to.

Many here self fund blood glucose monitors (not expensive at about £15) and test strips (can run the costs up if you test regularly so buying a meter which has the cheapest test strips is a good idea and for that reason, the SD Codefree meter is recommended) and find that extremely helpful in identifying foods which cause them the most problems, so that they can adjust their diet to manage their diabetes most efficiently. Many newly diagnosed diabetics don't realise that it is not just sugar and sweet stuff which is the problem but also starchy carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice even the "healthy" brown, wholemeal versions as well as fruit juice and fruit. I know it took me quite a while to get my head around it all and learn to eat a low carb diet, but it can be quite enjoyable once you get your head around it.

Do you know what your HbA1c reading was at diagnosis. This number is the starting point on your diabetes journey and gives us an idea of where you are on the diabetes scale.... ie just over the threshold in the 50s or 60s or perhaps dangerously high in the 80/90/100+ range. If you are just over the 48 diagnosis point, then minor adjustments to your diet may be enough to put you into remission whereas a higher figure usually suggests more drastic dietary action would be beneficial.

Increasing your exercise is always a good idea even if it is just a brisk 10-15 min walk each day.

Anyway, I know there is a lot to take in in the early stages, so I will leave it there and encourage you to read through the forum to get some ideas. It almost seems like a foreign language at first but you will soon get used to it.

 

[Toucan]

Hello Yvonne, welcome and pleased that you have joined us.
It looks as if you are making a good start with the challenges. Many of us here on the forum are facing similar issues. It can all seem a bit daunting at first, but there are rewards. You are likely to end up with a healthier lifestyle, and I hope. like me, you end up feeling so much better with more energy and zest for life. Another fringe benefit is all the extra health checks that you will get.
As Barbara says there is a lot to take in, but we are all here to provide help and ideas if you want. Just ask

 

[Drummer]

You can do those things later - though getting into the habit of drinking more water is good - what you need to do is lower your blood glucose levels, which many type twos can do simply by reducing their intake of carbohydrate.
Avoiding the dense carbs, testing after meals and aiming for normal glucose levels will begin to reverse diabetes and get rid of the symptoms.

 

[CathyB]

Hi and welcome