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Hi and thanks for letting me in.

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AlanC

AlanC

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
5 days ago diagnosed with T2D. A bit bewildered, but very positive to get to grips with it all. This web site looks amazing, full of great help - so trying to see this as an adventure rather than a hindrance. I am also looking forward to losing weight - something I should have done years ago. So lets get going...... 😉
 
Hi @AlanC
Welcome to the forum, glad you have found your way here. You’ll get plenty of support, tips and encouragement here. Post any questions you need to, the more you ask the more you learn and plenty of people have experience of being where you are now.
🙂
 
Hello ALANC, and welcome to the Forum

I think the easiest for me to do would be to ask you to read Lucy's comment, and to say that mine's the same

But perhaps you could tell us how you came to be diagnosed; any problems you had leading up to that; and what medication and advice you've been given

"an adventure rather than a hindrance"
That's a good attitude to have!
Many people take diagnosis as the opportunity and motivation to make changes like losing weight, doing more exercise, cutting out booze, fags, junk food, and all the rest of it
Besides controlling their diabetes, it improves things like blood pressure, circulation, cholesterol levels, and they generally feel better

Don't be nervous or embarrassed about asking questions, remember that we were all Newcomers once
 
zuludog said:
Hello ALANC, and welcome to the Forum

I think the easiest for me to do would be to ask you to read Lucy's comment, and to say that mine's the same

But perhaps you could tell us how you came to be diagnosed; any problems you had leading up to that; and what medication and advice you've been given

"an adventure rather than a hindrance"
That's a good attitude to have!
Many people take diagnosis as the opportunity and motivation to make changes like losing weight, doing more exercise, cutting out booze, fags, junk food, and all the rest of it
Besides controlling their diabetes, it improves things like blood pressure, circulation, cholesterol levels, and they generally feel better

Don't be nervous or embarrassed about asking questions, remember that we were all Newcomers once
Click to expand...
FYI, I had a blood test for a skin problem (unrelated) and the GP called me in to diagnose T2D. Unfortunately due to Covid19, I am not able to access the usual NHS help such as a diabetes clinic/nurse at the moment so slightly unsure of things, especially dietary stuff.
Prescribed 2 x day Sukkarto (500 mg Metformin Hydrachloride).
No real symptoms to speak of though.
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

Obviously I don't know your skin problem but they are often indirectly related to diabetes in the sense that high BG levels can allow bacteria and fungal infections to thrive, so an existing complaint might flare up or a minor scratch or spot which would otherwise heal, may not respond to normal treatments.

I love your attitude and it will go a long way to you being successful in managing your diabetes and hopefully pushing it into remission. There have certainly been several positives to come out of my diagnosis, so there are usually silver linings to be found even if it is a frustrating condition sometimes.

Best tips I can give you are take the Metformin mid meal with a substantial amount of food as it can cause digestive upset ( it is not unaffectionately referred to as Metfartin for nothing!)

and

Get yourself a Blood Glucose Meter and test strips. These are unlikely to be prescribed or recommended by your health care professionals but are an invaluable tool to help you tailor your diet to manage your BG levels. Here on the forum, for those self funding, we recommend the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 as these have the cheapest running costs.... ie the test strips. These basic meters will set you back about £15 but you will go through a lot of test strips In the first few months of testing before each meal and then 2 hours afterwards in order to build up a data base of which foods you can get away with and in what quantity and which you need to avoid. Test strips for the meters mentioned ar £8 for a pot of 50 as compared to 2 or even 3 x that for some other meters. Get at least 2-3 extra pots of strips with your meter as you only get 10 strips with the meter itself.

and

Keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink, particularly rough portion sizes of high carb foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals etc, so that you have a reference point for reducing them. Recording your BG readings in your food diary along with the food will help you to see where adjustments need to be made. The before meal and 2 hours after will show you how that food affected your levels and you are looking to increase by less than 3mmols as a result of a meal or snack but ideally no more than 2.

Hope that helps you form a plan of action. Increasing activity levels is also important but it doesn't have to be anything strenuous. A brisk 20 min daily walk is as good as anything or a cycle ride or a couple of hours in the garden. Being active after a meal, rather than sitting watching TV etc can be particularly effective.
 
Welcome to the forum Alan from a fellow T2
 
We all recommend the 'Test, Review, Adjust' method with regard to testing your blood - and I'll say it - unless people intend to review and adjust after seeing the results on their meter - they are only wasting their own time bothering to test.

Here's another 'take' on how to do it, which shedloads of T2s have been using since Alan Shanley wrote it -

Test, Review, Adjust

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

If you find that useful, also read, 'Painless Pricks' - the best way of bodging holes in diabetics' fingers!

Type 2 Diabetes - A Personal Journey

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

If there's any difficulty with paying for the strips, read his 'Testing on a Budget' which he wrote after discovering on UK forums that the NHS no longer prescribe them for T2s in the main.
 
Hi and welcome from me too.
 
Hello and welcome. 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum @AlanC

Good luck with your weight loss attempts - lots of folks here to encourage you along the way!

If you’ve not already found them and wanted a bit of an overview into diabetes and its management, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter which is available free, and for a bit more detail Gretchen Becker’s book, which is written in a clear and accessible style.

Good luck, and keep asking questions!
 
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