hi everyone

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charlenebrown

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Type 2
hi everyone,
my names Charlene I'm 26 and been told I'm type 2 diabetic.
I am overwight (currently 123kg) diabetes run in both sides of my family. Today I was started on metformin.
as im new to this I would appreciate any advice! I have already made some changes i.e exercising and eating better.
as I work in orthopaedics I can give ppl advice regarding feet/bone problems for example charcot foot.
thanks in advance for any help
xxxx:confused:
 
Hi Charlene, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you found us - there are lots of friendly, experienced people here who will be able to answer any questions you may have. I would suggest having a look through our 'Useful Links' thread. Particularly useful are Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and the book Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which is highly recommended by many of our members 🙂

Ideally, you need a meter so you can test to discover how different foods affect you. Diabetes can be a very individual condition, where people's tolerance of different things can vary considerably. It would also be a good idea to start a food diary so you can record everything you eat and drink - particularly the carbohydrate content, since all carbs raise blood sugar levels to a greater or lesser degree. Our members will try and help with anything you are not sure about, so don't be afraid to ask! 🙂 You might also find our Weight Loss section useful for tips and support. I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
 
Hi Charlene and welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
Hi and welcome Charlene. Depending on the level of support you get there's a few things to get sorted out when you have got around the diagnoses of being diabetic.

As you are on meds to control your diabetes, you now qualify for free prescriptions. You need to get a form from your doctor and get them to sign it to confirm you are diabetic, then send it off to the relevant address for your area.

You get free eye tests at the opticians, think you need another form 10, been so long since I filled it in I don't know if this is still required.

Check that you get added to the annual eye screening which is done at a local hospital, your doctor or diabetic nurse should refer you for this to happen.

Also check you are added to the annual foot screening programme, again you should be referred by your doctor or nurse.

As northerner says its worth getting a meter, which you normally can get free from the likes of Bayer, Abbott Medisense, Accu Chek, Life Scan, etc, the companies make their money on the test strips.

There is a problem for some type 2's to get strips on prescription depending on the post code lottery. By monitoring your blood sugar you can identify which food or groups of food affect you the most. It not always the same food that effects people in the same way. Bananas are an example with me and some others we can tolerate them, while with others it sends their BS high. My big problem is food made with white floor, and even some whole meal breads, which you can put forward to your doctor or nurse to get your test strips.

If your doctors are like mine, they continually tell me to loose weight around 14 kg's in my case, which would probably put me back to the weight I was around 20, (now an oldish codger).
 
Welcome to the forum Charlene 🙂
 
Hello Charlene, welcome. Thanks for the offer of advice re: foot stuff, I'm sure it will be very helpful.

You're not far off my highest weight ever (128kg), and I've managed to get down to 84kg in two waves of effort with a lapse in between. I'm also on metformin, and now that I've dumped 6 stone (the latest wave of effort) my blood glucose levels are within non-diabetic range. It doesn't work quite that well for everyone, but all you've got to lose is pounds! Come and join us in the Weight Loss thread for inspiration.
 
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