Hi. I was diagnosed with Type 2 four weeks ago. Apparently since 2015 I was pre-diabetic but the doctors omitted to tell me. Too late to go back now otherwise I could have done something about it. Because of COVID and eating a lot of chocolate and cakes during lockdown, I have said I would like to try diet rather than immediately taking medication. The pharmacist rang me, told me he would refer me for an eye test which I will have every year but that was it, I was not referred to a diabetic nurse or anyone else. I have picked up some advice from the internet but to be honest I feel like I am wading through mud. I saw the chiropodist the other day and he seemed to think I should have a foot check every year too. Is this correct? I'm sure now I have joined this site I will get my head around things a little more but I am such a chocoholic. I don't drink and am only about half a stone overweight. I exercise every day when I walk briskly with my dog for a couple of hours. How much sugar am I allowed every day? Normal people can have 90g I think but not sure if that applies to me now too. Looking forward to reading all your stories and keeping up with all the other newbies on here to see how we all get on. Thanks for reading.
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Hi everyone
- Thread starter grannie
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Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
You should be referred to various people for checks on feet, eyes and bloods but it can take a while to filter through the system.
The amount of carbohydrate - that is starches and sugars - is what you can cope with and keep to the normal range. Many people buy themselves a meter with low priced strips (which are the main cost) and test after meals to discover what they can eat.
The amount of carbohydrate - that is starches and sugars - is what you can cope with and keep to the normal range. Many people buy themselves a meter with low priced strips (which are the main cost) and test after meals to discover what they can eat.
Thank you for your reply. I thought it was just sugar I had to avoid. Don't even know what the normal range is. Shows how naive I am about all this. I didn't ask what my sugar level was. Is there a number I should stick to? I clearly need to take this thing more seriously now and get a lot of reading done. I think I might phone the surgery and ask to see the diabetes nurse (which I find out we have by listening to the receptionist on the phone
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Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
It depends on where you are starting from.
It can cause problems to drop down quickly, so taking a few tests, then assessing the rise after eating - compare a test done just before starting to eat and then two hours later.
Start out easing down to no more than 3 whole numbers higher, as that ought to take the pressure off your metabolism. That is assuming that you are a plain ordinary type 2, nothing more interesting as that can require more intervention.
It can cause problems to drop down quickly, so taking a few tests, then assessing the rise after eating - compare a test done just before starting to eat and then two hours later.
Start out easing down to no more than 3 whole numbers higher, as that ought to take the pressure off your metabolism. That is assuming that you are a plain ordinary type 2, nothing more interesting as that can require more intervention.
Cherrelle DUK
Much missed Online Community Coordinator
Hi grannie, welcome to the forum.
I'm glad that you've been able to talk to health care professionals regarding the next steps as it helps to gather as much useful info so you can plan how you'll manage things moving forward. were you given your HbA1c number? It's usually a number higher than 48 which shows your blood glucose levels over the last 3 or so months.
Eye tests and getting your feet checked along with a review of your HbA1c number are often done every 3-6 months depending on how you health care professional operates.
We're often told that it's just sugar to watch out for but carbohydrates also need to be taken into consideration which you can find out more about here https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/i-have-type-2-diabetes.
Let us know if you have any questions of concerns.
I'm glad that you've been able to talk to health care professionals regarding the next steps as it helps to gather as much useful info so you can plan how you'll manage things moving forward. were you given your HbA1c number? It's usually a number higher than 48 which shows your blood glucose levels over the last 3 or so months.
Eye tests and getting your feet checked along with a review of your HbA1c number are often done every 3-6 months depending on how you health care professional operates.
We're often told that it's just sugar to watch out for but carbohydrates also need to be taken into consideration which you can find out more about here https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/i-have-type-2-diabetes.
Let us know if you have any questions of concerns.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That was good of them not to tell you when you would have had opportunity to look at your diet. However you are where you are now.
You among others when first diagnosed are under the misapprehension that it is just sugar that you need to cut down on, not helped by referring to blood sugar rather than blood glucose level. It is ALL carbohydrates which convert to glucose which somebody with diabetes has a problem with processing either because the insulin they produce cannot work properly or they are not producing enough insulin to cope with the amount of carbohydrates they are eating.
By cutting out or reducing carb you can have a pretty immediate positive effect on your glucose levels.
Many people find a low carb approach successful, reducing carbs to less than 130g per day. Cutting down gradually from what you currently have gradually is safer for your eyes and nerves.
You may find this link explains a lot and give you some ideas for a low carb dietary regime.
lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk
You among others when first diagnosed are under the misapprehension that it is just sugar that you need to cut down on, not helped by referring to blood sugar rather than blood glucose level. It is ALL carbohydrates which convert to glucose which somebody with diabetes has a problem with processing either because the insulin they produce cannot work properly or they are not producing enough insulin to cope with the amount of carbohydrates they are eating.
By cutting out or reducing carb you can have a pretty immediate positive effect on your glucose levels.
Many people find a low carb approach successful, reducing carbs to less than 130g per day. Cutting down gradually from what you currently have gradually is safer for your eyes and nerves.
You may find this link explains a lot and give you some ideas for a low carb dietary regime.
Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home
lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk
TheClockworkDodo
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi @grannie and welcome to the forum 🙂
Sorry to hear your doctors didn't tell you you were prediabetic years ago, that must be so annoying x
You were asking about ranges and what numbers you should stick to. It takes a while to get your head around this at first as there are two lots of numbers you need to be aware of. The first are the numbers you get if you test your own blood sugar, which show what your blood sugar is doing at that precise moment - they're supposed to be between 4-8.5 (though most healthy people get readings up to about 10 from time to time). The second are the numbers the surgery gets when they do your annual blood test, which show what your blood sugar has been doing over the last 3 months - this test is called an HbA1c and for this under 42 is healthy, 42-48 is prediabetic, and over 48 is diabetic.
Here's some more info for you about testing your own blood sugar, and what the normal range should be: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing#HbA1c
If you decide to get a meter (or can persuade your surgery to supply you with one - though to be honest, they are unlikely to supply one for a type 2) don't worry if your readings are above the 4-8.5 range to start with, because as people have said it's best to bring your blood sugar levels down gradually.
There are some useful links here for people new to diabetes, which tell you more about testing, and recommend a couple of possible meters to get if you have to buy your own - https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...for-people-new-to-diabetes.10406/#post-938458
And here's a conversion chart which tells you how the numbers you'd get from a test on a meter (bottom line of each row) compare with the numbers the surgery get for your HbA1c (top line of each row) - https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/attachments/image-png.22968/
It's worth asking the surgery to tell you your HbA1c, as then you know where you are starting and how much work you need to do to get it back in range.
If you can have chocolate in the house without eating it all at once 😉 then very dark chocolate (85% cocoa or more) is relatively low in carbs, so a couple of squares of that as a treat every now and then might help you to give up the more sugary stuff without feeling you're being deprived of chocolate altogether!
Sorry to hear your doctors didn't tell you you were prediabetic years ago, that must be so annoying x
You were asking about ranges and what numbers you should stick to. It takes a while to get your head around this at first as there are two lots of numbers you need to be aware of. The first are the numbers you get if you test your own blood sugar, which show what your blood sugar is doing at that precise moment - they're supposed to be between 4-8.5 (though most healthy people get readings up to about 10 from time to time). The second are the numbers the surgery gets when they do your annual blood test, which show what your blood sugar has been doing over the last 3 months - this test is called an HbA1c and for this under 42 is healthy, 42-48 is prediabetic, and over 48 is diabetic.
Here's some more info for you about testing your own blood sugar, and what the normal range should be: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing#HbA1c
If you decide to get a meter (or can persuade your surgery to supply you with one - though to be honest, they are unlikely to supply one for a type 2) don't worry if your readings are above the 4-8.5 range to start with, because as people have said it's best to bring your blood sugar levels down gradually.
There are some useful links here for people new to diabetes, which tell you more about testing, and recommend a couple of possible meters to get if you have to buy your own - https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...for-people-new-to-diabetes.10406/#post-938458
And here's a conversion chart which tells you how the numbers you'd get from a test on a meter (bottom line of each row) compare with the numbers the surgery get for your HbA1c (top line of each row) - https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/attachments/image-png.22968/
It's worth asking the surgery to tell you your HbA1c, as then you know where you are starting and how much work you need to do to get it back in range.
If you can have chocolate in the house without eating it all at once 😉 then very dark chocolate (85% cocoa or more) is relatively low in carbs, so a couple of squares of that as a treat every now and then might help you to give up the more sugary stuff without feeling you're being deprived of chocolate altogether!
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