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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
- Thread starter Bonnie23
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rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi Bonnie and welcome from me too.
I'm just 6 months ahead of you and starting to feel like I am getting the hang of managing it a bit now.... there is lots of trial and error involved as we are all individual, so as Martin suggests a Blood Glucose meter is really helpful so that you can figure out what works for you. Meters are relatively cheap if you haven't been provided with one. The cost of test strips is what makes the on going use of them more expensive, so buying one which has the cheapest test strips makes sense and the general consensus on this forum is that the CodeFree model is best in that respect. There will be a link on the site somewhere.
The other question to ask is "Do you know what your HbA1c reading is?" This is the blood test result which is used to diagnose Diabetes and the number will indicate where on the diabetic scale you are. It is the starting point of your journey with diabetes and helps experienced forum members tailor the advice they give you. If you don't know what it is, ask your practice nurse. It can very anywhere from 48 to 100+ Mine was 112 at diagnosis which is pretty bad but there are other members here who were even higher.
Many of us here advocate a low or very low carbohydrate diet to control our BG (blood glucose) levels and keep them in the normal range. It takes a bit of getting your head around when you have spent your whole life piling carbs on your plate as a main source of sustenance.... ie bread, potatoes, pasta. rice. cous cous etc. as well as the obvious sweet stuff. Once you get the hang of it, it is quite enjoyable though.
Feel free to ask if you don't understand anything or get stuck or just need a bit of emotional support. The first few months after diagnosis are a bit of a rollercoaster and we have all been through it, so we really do understand. Good luck!
I'm just 6 months ahead of you and starting to feel like I am getting the hang of managing it a bit now.... there is lots of trial and error involved as we are all individual, so as Martin suggests a Blood Glucose meter is really helpful so that you can figure out what works for you. Meters are relatively cheap if you haven't been provided with one. The cost of test strips is what makes the on going use of them more expensive, so buying one which has the cheapest test strips makes sense and the general consensus on this forum is that the CodeFree model is best in that respect. There will be a link on the site somewhere.
The other question to ask is "Do you know what your HbA1c reading is?" This is the blood test result which is used to diagnose Diabetes and the number will indicate where on the diabetic scale you are. It is the starting point of your journey with diabetes and helps experienced forum members tailor the advice they give you. If you don't know what it is, ask your practice nurse. It can very anywhere from 48 to 100+ Mine was 112 at diagnosis which is pretty bad but there are other members here who were even higher.
Many of us here advocate a low or very low carbohydrate diet to control our BG (blood glucose) levels and keep them in the normal range. It takes a bit of getting your head around when you have spent your whole life piling carbs on your plate as a main source of sustenance.... ie bread, potatoes, pasta. rice. cous cous etc. as well as the obvious sweet stuff. Once you get the hang of it, it is quite enjoyable though.
Feel free to ask if you don't understand anything or get stuck or just need a bit of emotional support. The first few months after diagnosis are a bit of a rollercoaster and we have all been through it, so we really do understand. Good luck!
SueEK
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Bonnie and welcome. I agree with the above and unfortunately diabetes is not ‘one size fits all’. We all react differently to foods and it is a case of finding out what suits you best. It can be somewhat overwhelming to begin with but we are all here to help you so ask any questions at all, no matter how big or small as we have all been there.
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