Hi

[cruddy]

Hi I'm newly diagnosed today and feeling a bit lost. Doctor literally told me 'you have diabetes, make an appointment with the nurse' and that was that. Nurse can't see me until end of October apparently so I have no idea where to start. Just taking a look around this forum for advice I suppose xx

 

[Northerner]

Hi I'm newly diagnosed today and feeling a bit lost. Doctor literally told me 'you have diabetes, make an appointment with the nurse' and that was that. Nurse can't see me until end of October apparently so I have no idea where to start. Just taking a look around this forum for advice I suppose xx

Hi cruddy, welcome to the forum 🙂 How did your diagnosis come about? Try not to worry - although diabetes is a serious condition, it can be managed well and does not have to have a negative impact on your life. In many cases, once people understand it more and are able to manage it well, they start to feel happier and healthier than they have for some time, so there is a lot you can do to help yourself and get to grips with things. There are lots of friendly, knowledgeable people here who will support you all they way - we've all been where you are now 🙂

I'd recommend having a read of Maggie Davey's letter for starters, which should help put you in the picture. Also, you can't go wrong if you get a copy of the excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which is a very positive, and proven, guide to these early months.

Please ask any and every question you may have - as I said, the more you understand, the easier it becomes 🙂

 

[cruddy]

Thanks so much for your reply, I'll take a look at those.

I'd been to the doctors with stomach pain and vomiting only I knew it wasn't a bug because nobody else was getting it in my household. I was sent for full bloods to be done and then was asked to get the hba1c re-rested. She told me that below 41 was normal, 42-48 was pre diabetes and 48+ was diabetes and that my first was 50 and the repeat was 49. Told me I definitely had diabetes and to make an appointment with the nurse. She didn't say what type but I'm presuming type 2? xx

 

[Ljc]

Hi Cruddy , welcome though I'm sorry to hear you've joined our select club.
Like @Northerner has a,ready said,diabetes is a condition that can be managed well and does not have to have a negative impact on your life, in fact if you get stuck in and work at it, it's most likely it will have a positive impact on your life, but right now as newly diagnosed as you are things must seem very black to you right now.
It's good that you have found us so soon after dx (diagnosis). Because we can help get you started on controlling your diabetes. An Hb1ac of 50 though higher than it should be , is actually not very high, I was much higher at dx some 22+ yrs ago 115 😡 and I'm still here to tell the tale🙂

October is a long time to wait to see the nurse, unfortunately. this is not unusual.

Ask as many questions as you need to ok, we'll do our best to help

 

[Bubbsie]

Thanks so much for your reply, I'll take a look at those.

I'd been to the doctors with stomach pain and vomiting only I knew it wasn't a bug because nobody else was getting it in my household. I was sent for full bloods to be done and then was asked to get the hba1c re-rested. She told me that below 41 was normal, 42-48 was pre diabetes and 48+ was diabetes and that my first was 50 and the repeat was 49. Told me I definitely had diabetes and to make an appointment with the nurse. She didn't say what type but I'm presuming type 2? xx

Hi Cruddy...I'm not surprised (although disappointed) to hear you've been given little support from your GP...a very similar start to many of us here...however...I would echo what has been said above...diabetes is a perfectly manageable condition...once you get your head around your diagnosis...it does initially come as a shock...can be overwhelming...that said...positively your HbA1c result of 50 is not that high...with a little work...some adjustments to diet & lifestyle you should not have too much difficulty in bringing that within range...I'm presuming since you have to wait until October to see the nurse you have not been started on medication?...many here are able to manage their diabetes with diet & exercise only...hopefully by the time you have your appointment...you'll know a reasonable amount of how to control/manage your blood sugars...although you will have to wait for confirmation of which type...it does seem you are being treated as type 2...I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes The First Year by Gretchen Becker...herself type 2 ...she takes you through her first year...from diagnosis...month by month...explains exactly what diabetes is...how/why it develops...is it our fault (the answer is a firm no)...do we need to test our blood sugars (the answer is a firm yes)...as said it really is a positive read...well written...I can't recommend it highly enough...it changed my whole perspective on managing my diabetes...there is a wealth of information available on controlling our blood sugars...it can be information overload at times...the real advantage of joining the forum is the advice you have available from many experienced type 2s...who I'm sure will be more than happy to share that with you...if you have any specific questions...anything at all...post them here...one of us will be able to help...good luck...keep us updated when you can.

 

[cruddy]

Thank you. It's great hearing from people who have been there. Will I be able to buy a monitor, strips and lancets for testing from the chemist or do I need a prescription? Xx

 

[Northerner]

Thank you. It's great hearing from people who have been there. Will I be able to buy a monitor, strips and lancets for testing from the chemist or do I need a prescription? Xx

It's worth asking your nurse/GP, explaining why you wish to test and how you would use the information. Otherwise, if they say you don't need to test, I wouldn't go to the High St as the brands sold there have very high prices on test strips - up to £30 for 50! 😱 The cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50 (amazon links) - many of our members use this meter 🙂

 

[cruddy]

Oh ok thank you, I'll take a look at that one then because I won't get to see the nurse until late October.

 

[Pine Marten]

Hi @cruddy (great name!), I use the SD Codefree which you can also get from Home Health, and if you click the diabetes option you don't pay vat.

Testing is the way to go, but as has been said many GPs don't advise it - it is very shortsighted of them as there is no better way to control diabetes than testing different foods to see what effect they have. It can be quite an interesting thing to discover, and after a while you won't need to test so much as your knowledge grows.

I hope that the nurse is supportive when you see her! In the meantime have a look around the different threads and get to know us. All the best 🙂

 

[Steff]

Hi Cruddy a warm welcome

 

[Maz2]

Hi Cruddy and welcome to the Forum. You must be feeling very lost. I was diagnosed pre-diabetic last year following some medical research where they found a high fructosamine level. They alerted my GP who took an hba1c which came in at 42. She did another one 3 months later and, despite cutting the carbs and going underweight (I was not overweight to start with but lost it due to cutting carbs), it had gone up to 43 - officially pre-diabetic.

I had to see another doctor as mine was not available in the time required. I had been to the lifestyle nurse and I was advised to see a GP within 7 days as, although all the other tests were fine, the hba1c was abnormal and it required a GP input. Lifestyle nurse sent me on a diabetes prevention course. i duly saw the other GP who was very kind to me and said he had no idea why my hba1c had gone up despite my changing my diet. He was concerned about me being underweight as I should not have been losing weight in the first place. He said not to beat myself up about it and that I was not doing anything wrong.

I have since had 3 tests on the prevention programme which have come back normal but go up every time by a little bit. This concerned me so, against advice, I have started testing as I need to k now what certain foods do to me.

I have learned a great deal on here and also from reading recommended books. I like Dr David Cavan's book "Reverse your Diabetes" (he means get better control) and Michael Moseley's Blood Sugar Diet Recipe book. Tom Kerridge's Dopamine Diet. There are some great recipes in these.

Without this Forum I think I would have been very lost though. My surgery refers patients to the diabetes nurses on diagnosis and follows up regularly with hba1cs every three months. Not for pre-diabetes though as NHS guidelines are hba1cs only once a year. I am getting them as I am on the prevention programme. I am enjoying my food more now though if I am honest because I am always looking at recipes on different websites which are diabetes related and also there are some lovely recipes on here.

 

[cruddy]

Thanks Maz2 it's all a bit overwhelming, I feel worse about it all than I did yesterday, I suppose I just need to get my head around it all and keep reading, there seems to be so much differing advice with regards to diets though. I think I'm going to go with the testing and seeing how I react to different foods eliminating anything that sends my readings high. That is as soon as I get the equipment to test with. Is fruit a big no no? Or again is it just try it and see?

 

[Maz2]

Hi Cruddy. My GP advised me to cut down fruit to 3 per day max as I was having 6-7 and dried fruit too. Diabetes prevention said 2. I tend to stick to berries and apples. Pineapples, mangoes and grapes are the worst and, surprisingly, I believe watermelon is bad too.

I suppose the best thing is to test and see what happens after you have eaten some fruit.

 

[Ditto]

Hello Cruddy and welcome to the Forum. 🙂

 

[cruddy]

Thank you, I'm fuming with my doctors, just spoke to them and they have refused to give me a prescription for a monitor etc as apparently testing in type 2 diabetes is not recommended wtf??? 😡 Just ordered the codefree from amazon xx

 

[HOBIE]

Thank you, I'm fuming with my doctors, just spoke to them and they have refused to give me a prescription for a monitor etc as apparently testing in type 2 diabetes is not recommended wtf??? 😡 Just ordered the codefree from amazon xx

The info you will get is well worth it. People don't spend money on themselves .but if it was a car ( new tyre etc). Welcome & good luck 🙂

 

[Pine Marten]

Thank you, I'm fuming with my doctors, just spoke to them and they have refused to give me a prescription for a monitor etc as apparently testing in type 2 diabetes is not recommended wtf??? 😡 Just ordered the codefree from amazon xx

Unfortunately this is the usual response from doctors. It is unbelievably shortsighted, as to take control and bring your numbers down you need to test and find out! It is baffling how they expect us to do well without the knowledge needed in order to do well...

The Codefree is pretty easy to use (even I can do it 😱) though you might waste a few strips at first getting the hang of it! Good on you for not listening to the silliness from GPs. Regular testing, and reading these forums, have made a world of difference to me - I only wish I'd found this place years ago!

 

[Bob1967]

Hi Cruddy, I'm newly diagnosed as well, still don't know if type 1 or 2! Just joined this forum last week and the people here are amazing, very generous with their advice, you will be very welcomed

 

[Radders]

Thanks Maz2 it's all a bit overwhelming, I feel worse about it all than I did yesterday, I suppose I just need to get my head around it all and keep reading, there seems to be so much differing advice with regards to diets though. I think I'm going to go with the testing and seeing how I react to different foods eliminating anything that sends my readings high. That is as soon as I get the equipment to test with. Is fruit a big no no? Or again is it just try it and see?

Hi Cruddy, just to add that if a food increases your level too much you wouldn't necessarily need to remove it completely from your diet, it might be that you can eat it at certain times of day (a lot of people are more carb sensitive in the morning), or eat smaller portions or eat it with something that would reduce its GI. For example I can eat a small banana for breakfast if I eat it with flax seeds but a large banana on its own would give me a big spike in blood sugar despite taking enough insulin to cover it.

 

[cruddy]

Thanks everyone. I've just enrolled on a 6 week kickboxing/fitness course, terrified about that! Hope I don't make a show of myself by not being able to keep up 😱 it is for beginners though so we'll see xx