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Hi

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HenryBennett

HenryBennett

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all,

Newly diagnosed with Type 2. I’ve been worried for some years as there’s a family history.

I had a massive heart attack around six weeks ago. Emergency angioplasty at the Royal hospital in Belfast and then another (angioplasty) prior to release nine days later. Four stents in all. I was diagnosed with Type 2 whilst in hospital.

My local hospital, the Ulster, has a good cardiac care unit (CCU) but due to the Coronavirus the cardio rehab unit is closed.

My GP is supposed to be helping me to manage my diabetes but again, due to the Coronavirus, this isn’t happening.

So, it’s up to me to get myself fit - I do feel surprisingly well.

That’s me.

Henry
 
Many people find that type two can be controlled by eating a low carb diet.
I got a meter so I could check my levels after eating but I did have the advantage of having wanted to eat low carb for decades (my GP never agreed with me though). Are you on any medication? You need to take that into account when deciding on diet.
 
Hi Drummer,

Thx for the reply. Yes, I’m on Metformin 500 twice a day. I’ve not been advised that this should be taken into account. I’m on a low card diet and will appreciate your advice.

Thx

Henry
 
If you are only on Metformin then the low carb is fine - there are other tablets which could result in hypos when combined with a reduced intake of carbs, so we need to be careful with advice.
The low carb should change things for the better and quite quickly. I felt so much better once I began to get normal blood glucose levels, it made such a difference. The high carb diet I had been instructed to follow made me feel so old and feeble, so it was a relief to stop it and there was the added advantage of not feeling hungry all the time. These days I only need to eat twice, morning and evening.
 
Thanks for that. I was also advised by the diabetes nurse that I didn’t need a BG meter but have just bought one and will be using it regularly.
 
Very wise - not having a meter like driving a car without a speedometer and checking your driving by the number of speeding fines you need to pay.
 
Hello @HenryBennett and welcome to the forum.
You certainly sound to have been through a difficult time with your Cardiac problems, and hope that you are feeling much better now,

I see that you are interested in following a low carb diet, and I'm sure this will help you. If you would like to read more about this then it may help to read Maggie Davey's letter, which says how this lady went about it.

It is good that you have got yourself a meter, as this will enable you to test the effects of different foods on your blood sugars, as well as keep track of progress.
There is some information on how to use this on test-review-adjust

Please keep posting, and let us know how it goes and we will always try to answer any questions.
 
Welcome to the forum @HenryBennett

You have already been given useful links to resources that can help you in making a good start with your Diabetes. As questions arise just ask. There is plenty of help and support available on here.
 
Thank you all.
 
Welcome to the forum @HenryBennett

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and to hear about your heart attack.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened by your diagnosis, many people later reflect that it was a sort of catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active version of themselves.

When it comes to managing your diabetes, it’s best to make changes to your menu and activity levels gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels can actually cause problems with some parts of the body including eyes and nerves.

If you’d like a little more background, you could consider this highly recommended book which has helped many members of the forum: Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker
 
Many thanks for all that.
 
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