hi newbie here

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dremell

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all

My name is Jeff, and I have been just diagnosed as a diabetic and released from hospital after being taken in when my blood sample was showing 33 on 1/2/13 released from hospital with reading of 14.2 now showing reading of 17.9.
Still trying to get my head around what I can or cannot eat as no information given directly only hospital leaflets. Seeing GP nurse today about dietry needs and type of treatment but holding no hopes tbh.
I am at present a HGV driver but my boss knows what has happened and so far is supporting me in job at present.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring I dont still in shock of possibly losing everything licence, job and home if unable to work.
 
Hi Jeff, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear what you have been through, I can imagine how confused and worried you are feeling. The good news though is that, now you are diagnosed you will be in a position to make big improvements to your health and how you are feeling. Your license should not be at risk, as this only applies with certain medications and insulin, and it is unlikely you will be started on these - more likely you will be given metformin which will not impact on your driving.

I would recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter as a good introduction, and would also highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. These will all help to put you in the picture 🙂 Although diabetes is a serious condition, knowing what you are dealing with and how to manage it will mean that it has minimal impact on your life. You may need to make changes to your diet and lifestyle, but usually people find that these improve quality of life and you may end up feeling much happier and healthier than you have for some time!

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - nothing is considered 'silly' - and we will try our best to help you out. I hope your appointment goes well, please let us know how you go on 🙂
 
Thanks for reply

I have been placed on metformin 500mg x2 and gliclazide 80mg x1 daily, I also have been given the testing kit for bg levels and ketostix sticks as i have been passing high levels of ketones which has resulted in me also having to take nystan for oral thrush with cream as it is also there at the outlet......lol, there did advise me not to drive until all have been leveled off but it seems like it is a roller coaster to me at present
 
dremell said:
I have been placed on metformin 500mg x2 and gliclazide 80mg x1 daily, I also have been given the testing kit for bg levels and ketostix sticks as i have been passing high levels of ketones which has resulted in me also having to take nystan for oral thrush with cream as it is also there at the outlet......lol, there did advise me not to drive until all have been leveled off but it seems like it is a roller coaster to me at present
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I believe that being on gliclizide might affect your license. This drug stimulates your pancreas to produce more insulin and as such can carry the risk of a low blood sugar (I don't drive so am not sure whether it would affect an HGV license). You might want to get this clarified.

Hopefully, now you are diagnosed, you can start to make changes to your diet and activity levels that will help bring your blood sugars under control. I would recommend starting a food diary and noting down, in particular, the amount of carbohydrates in anything you eat and drink. This will help you build a picture of your daily carb intake and highlight areas where you might be able to make adjustments, either by reducing portion sizes or substituting carb-heavy items with more diabetes-freindly alternatives. All carbohydrates convert to glucose and raise blood sugar levels so these are what you need to watch. Also, if you can get some regular daily exercise in this will help a great deal in bringing your blood sugar levels under control. Exercise helps to make you more sensitive to the insulin you are producing.

Good luck - let us know how things go! 🙂
 
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