Hi all! Been teaching about diabetes for years, bit different now I have it.

[AntonLew]

Hi. I’m Tony. I’m a 46 year old A Level Biol teacher from South Wales. I’m very overweight but amazingly always had a normal blood glucose level in my yearly medical.
last October I was hospitalised with Covid and fortunately a few days on oxygen etc sorted me out. However I’ve since had real issues with breathlessness and then a few weeks ago found I was drinking loads but still thirsty and felt tired all the time. At first I put it down to the heatwave but as it continued and as someone who teaches about it I thought- diabetes! I got a meter off Amazon and found my blood glucose was 18+ so booked an appointment with the GP and it’s now a couple of days later and my home diagnosis was confirmed and I’ve just taken my first metformin with dinner. Anyway, I’m a bit anxious as I guess everyone is at first. Apparently about 5% of Covid sufferers are developing type 2, so I guess there will be a lot of newbies. Anyway, that’s me. Hi to you all and look forward to chatting.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Tony and welcome

Sorry to hear you have developed diabetes as a result of Covid. It is something which we are seeing occasionally with new members here on the forum. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the diabetes was detected as a result of the Covid or caused by it, but sounds like the latter in your case. It might be worth bearing in mind that the test for diabetes is an HbA1c test and a result of 48 or over gets you a diagnosis. After that, it is a judgement call as to what type you are. Middle aged and overweight you are likely to be assumed to be Type 2 but bearing in mind that Type 1 diabetes can be triggered by a virus causing your immune system to get a bit uppity and kill off some of your own useful insulin producing cells, it is worth keeping that at the back of your mind particularly if you don't respond to Type 2 lifestyle changes and oral medication.

I assume as a biology teacher that you will be aware that it is not just about sugar but all carbs get broken down into glucose and are absorbed into your blood stream, so reducing all your carbs, not just the sweet stuff, is important.

Great that you have a BG meter but do be aware that some over the counter models can become expensive to run. In the long run, it might be cheaper to buy a less expensive meter Like the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 or the Gluco Navii because the test strips for them are just £8 for a pot of 50 whereas over the counter meter test strips can be double that or more.
Here on the forum, we advocate a system of testing before a meal and then 2 hours afterwards to see how your body coped with the carbs in that meal and if you get a rise of more than 3mmols then you ate too many carbs for your body to cope. By keeping a food diary along with your readings you will soon be able to identify foods which cause you most problems and decide whether to ditch them or whittle the portion size down until the rise is less than 3mmols. It's a nice scientific approach so you should enjoy being your own test guinea pig. If you need more info about testing like this to tailor your diet to your own body's tolerances and of course your tastes, then just ask. Most people here find it is an invaluable way of managing their diabetes.

 

[AntonLew]

Hi Tony and welcome

Sorry to hear you have developed diabetes as a result of Covid. It is something which we are seeing occasionally with new members here on the forum. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the diabetes was detected as a result of the Covid or caused by it, but sounds like the latter in your case. It might be worth bearing in mind that the test for diabetes is an HbA1c test and a result of 48 or over gets you a diagnosis. After that, it is a judgement call as to what type you are. Middle aged and overweight you are likely to be assumed to be Type 2 but bearing in mind that Type 1 diabetes can be triggered by a virus causing your immune system to get a bit uppity and kill off some of your own useful insulin producing cells, it is worth keeping that at the back of your mind particularly if you don't respond to Type 2 lifestyle changes and oral medication.

I assume as a biology teacher that you will be aware that it is not just about sugar but all carbs get broken down into glucose and are absorbed into your blood stream, so reducing all your carbs, not just the sweet stuff, is important.

Great that you have a BG meter but do be aware that some over the counter models can become expensive to run. In the long run, it might be cheaper to buy a less expensive meter Like the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 or the Gluco Navii because the test strips for them are just £8 for a pot of 50 whereas over the counter meter test strips can be double that or more.
Here on the forum, we advocate a system of testing before a meal and then 2 hours afterwards to see how your body coped with the carbs in that meal and if you get a rise of more than 3mmols then you ate too many carbs for your body to cope. By keeping a food diary along with your readings you will soon be able to identify foods which cause you most problems and decide whether to ditch them or whittle the portion size down until the rise is less than 3mmols. It's a nice scientific approach so you should enjoy being your own test guinea pig. If you need more info about testing like this to tailor your diet to your own body's tolerances and of course your tastes, then just ask. Most people here find it is an invaluable way of managing their diabetes.

Thanks Barbara.
I’ve downloaded an app to track things initially. Hopefully I’ll start to get on top of things. To be honest I’m trying to look on this positively as it’ll force me to track my diet more and depending on how things go initially I may be able to access some of the treatments that also help with weight loss. My weight consultant had mentioned about one previously but it was only OKed for diabetics so I’m trying to be positive and hope the diagnosis gets me to sort out my portion control which is generally my issue more than the foods given I’ve been vegetarian since I was 15. Anyway, thanks for the support.

 

[Leadinglights]

It is a bit more challenging if you are vegetarian as the foods which are pretty free from carbohydrates are meat and fish. But there are plenty of other foods which you can base your meals on like eggs, cheese, dairy and vegetables. Many of the normal veggie meals are pretty high in carbs as they are often pasta and rice based which are both a problem for diabetics. Alternatives to normal pasta are edamame bean of black bean pasta and cauliflower rice instead of rice.
There are quite a few veggie people on here so you are not alone. Have a look for low carb or keto vegetarian recipes to give you ideas.

 

[Drummer]

I had a blood test last year which showed my Hba1c had gone up, but no one told me. It was soon after I had been ill with what I thought was flu.
This year I seem to be back to normal, so it might be just a blip and will reduce - however, I manage my type two by eating a maximum of 40 gm of carbs a day, often fewer, which might be a problem if you need to go that low to get control.
I eat a lot of low carb veges and salad stuff, and enjoy it - a curry with cauliflower rather than rice seems tastier than a 'real' one - though I make them aromatic rather than hot.

 

[helli]

Many of the normal veggie meals are pretty high in carbs as they are often pasta and rice based which are both a problem for diabetics.

As someone who primarily eats a veggie diet and is concerned about eating enough protein, I would say veggie meals are no more carb based than meat ones.
My non veggie meat eating partners eats more pasta, rice, bread than I do. And that has nothing to do with diabetes.
As long as you eat a good level of protein such as cheese, eggs, nuts, tofu, seitan, veggive diet is not carb heavy.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Have you looked at the Newcastle Diet?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @AntonLew

Sorry to hear your brush with Covid has lingered on a bit. And that you‘ve since been diagnosed with diabetes.

Good to hear you’ve got yourself a BG meter - that can be a very immediate and direct way to observe how your body reacts to different amounts, types and portion sizes of carbohydrates. Checking BG before, and again 2hrs after the first bite of food will show you the ‘meal rise’ from the total carbohydrate content (not just sugars).

Ultimately tweaking and experimenting with meals to try to see a rise of 2-3mmol/L or less will see your overall levels gradually reduce over time, which is much gentler on the fine blood vessels than a rapid wholesale change.

Sounds like you’ve been well versed in the theory for years, and now it’s time for the practical 😉