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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hi... Newly Diagnosed T2
- Thread starter Boatboy
- Start date
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Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Boatboy, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, how did it come about? It's not an easy thing to hear, but the good news is that, with the right knowledge and application, diabetes is a condition that can be controlled well, and can actually lead to you feeling happier and healthier than you may have done for some time whilst you were undiagnosed, so it's not all negative 🙂
I'd suggest starting by reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - these will give you a good start in understanding what it is all about, and what you need to start doing to tackle it. I'd also recommend getting a copy of the excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, highly recommended by many of our members.
Have you been given a meter and a prescription for test strips? If not, I would seriously recommend you ask for one, or get one yourself - a lot of surgeries will say you don't need to test, but this is because they think they can save a little money. Testing is one of the best tools available to help you get your levels under control. We all have individual tolerances for different things, and using a meter will help you understand where your own particular tolerances lie, and where the modifications to your diet should be applied. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand what I mean by this. If you don't test, then you are simply guessing, and if it turns out in a few months time that your guesses are wrong, you won't know which ones, and will continue to struggle. If you do have to buy your own meter and strips, the cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £8 for 50. Writing a food diary, recording the amount of carbohydrates in everything you eat and drink, along with the meter readings will help you see where you might need to make adjustments to your diet 🙂
Finally, bear in mind that it is all carbohydrates you need to take notice of, as these are what will raise your blood sugar levels. I'd suggest reading up on the GL Diet for a good method of selecting food that will have a smoother and gentler effect on your levels - The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction.
Please let us know if you have any questions - nthing is considered 'silly', so if it is confusing or worrying you, please let us know!
I'd suggest starting by reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - these will give you a good start in understanding what it is all about, and what you need to start doing to tackle it. I'd also recommend getting a copy of the excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, highly recommended by many of our members.
Have you been given a meter and a prescription for test strips? If not, I would seriously recommend you ask for one, or get one yourself - a lot of surgeries will say you don't need to test, but this is because they think they can save a little money. Testing is one of the best tools available to help you get your levels under control. We all have individual tolerances for different things, and using a meter will help you understand where your own particular tolerances lie, and where the modifications to your diet should be applied. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand what I mean by this. If you don't test, then you are simply guessing, and if it turns out in a few months time that your guesses are wrong, you won't know which ones, and will continue to struggle. If you do have to buy your own meter and strips, the cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £8 for 50. Writing a food diary, recording the amount of carbohydrates in everything you eat and drink, along with the meter readings will help you see where you might need to make adjustments to your diet 🙂
Finally, bear in mind that it is all carbohydrates you need to take notice of, as these are what will raise your blood sugar levels. I'd suggest reading up on the GL Diet for a good method of selecting food that will have a smoother and gentler effect on your levels - The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction.
Please let us know if you have any questions - nthing is considered 'silly', so if it is confusing or worrying you, please let us know!
Last edited:
Boatboy
Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Thanks for the welcome🙂. My diagnosis came about from a routine blood test followed by two fasting tests. Haven't been given much info by the surgery. The doc was going to put me on meds straightaway but I already take quite a lot so wasn't keen, he then said I could probably do it with diet and weight loss. Been referred to a desmond course which I'll book today.
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Great to hear that your GP sounds proactive and has referred you to the course, that's not something that happens often enough! There is quite a lot of information to take in, so take things at your own pace and always ask questions or for clarification if there is something you are not sure of - nothing catastrophic is going to happen overnight, it's more of a marathon than a sprint! There'll always be someone here if you have a query 🙂
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