I’m new to all this

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CathyFP

CathyFP

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Type 1.5 LADA
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Hi,
Having worked really hard on diet, weight loss and exercise over the last few years trying to avoid type 2 diabetes the numbers kept creeping up and I was finally diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in September. I feel really sad about this and a bit scared. I have just started taking Metformin. I’d love to hear from others with a similar experience about what they do next.
Thanks
 
Welcome @CathyFP 🙂 I’m sure your hard work wasn’t wasted. You’ve done well losing weight and you can be proud you’ve worked to maximise your health. Do you know what your HbA1C (blood test result) was at diagnosis?
 
Hi @CathyFP and welcome to the forum 🙂 It's a club no one wants to join, but believe me, it will help! Did your weight loss programme involve reducing carbs significantly? If not, then there's a good place to start. I always assumed it was sugar which caused diabetes and didn't realise that carbs turned to glucose immediately. It's ok to feel sad and scared...I was terror stricken when I was diagnosed! I thought my life had changed forever...and indeed it had because I took control and am now back to my old self.
You've already made a great start by losing weight and exercising more, keep on at it! Metformin will help. Expect a dodgy tum for a couple of weeks. Anything longer, you may want to ask your GP for a slow release version which is easier on the tum.
 
Hi @CathyFP Welcome to this lovely forum. Just popped on to say hello and that as a fairly recently diagnosed type 2 I understand your feelings, I share them. If there is anything you need advice or support on this is the best place x
 
Sometimes people think they are having a healthy diet but what may be ok for a non diabetic sadly is not so if you are diabetic. Reducing your intake of carbohydrates not just 'sugar' is what will help in reducing blood glucose. If you have seen your HbA1C go up then it suggests you are eating more carbs than your body can tolerate.
Have a look at this link which may help you with some ideas for where you can reduce your carb intake whilst still having tasty filling meals. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Welcome to the forum @CathyFP

Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, You’ve already been making positive changes, and well done for the weight loss you’ve achieved. There is a growing body of work which suggests that quite a significant proportion of a person’s likelihood of developing diabetes is genetically based (anything from hunger / food predispositions, to metabolic response and what the body does with the energy available from different foods). So it may well be that you‘ve been living with a sort of ‘diabetes in waiting’ for some time.

Often you don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually. Making getting support to keep your BGs in line can give you more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook. Plus the regular checks you get after a diagnosis with diabetes mean that any potential problems may be spotted earlier, and can be sorted out sooner.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy.

Ask away with any questions you have, and keep us posted with how things are going.
 
CathyFP said:
Hi,
Having worked really hard on diet, weight loss and exercise over the last few years trying to avoid type 2 diabetes the numbers kept creeping up and I was finally diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in September. I feel really sad about this and a bit scared. I have just started taking Metformin. I’d love to hear from others with a similar experience about what they do next.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Hi Cathy
I was diagnosed back in July with T2 after feeling weird with a high heart rate and high blood pressure.
Like you after a couple of blood tests and the rest of it I was told I had T2. Like you I was full of apprehension and not knowing. Scared to death of what was coming next I was given a handfull of Metformin and told to adjust my diet accordingly. I was advised to attend three presentation by a diabetic nurse which was very helpful especially meeting up with others in a similar situation.
Anyway long story short after 4 months I have managed to get my blood sugars down the diet at first was a killer. No more chips mashed or roast spud. No more door step sarnies, fish and chips from the chippy and chinese nosh. Gloom I thought but hey it ain't half as bad as first thought. I have lost 2 stone in weight and feel a whole heap better.
Don't despair it ain't as bad as you think and you'll certainly feel the benefits.
 
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Thanks for the reply. As a new user of these forums I realise now that I should have given more information about my test results which have been as follows:
08.10.22. HbA1c 59
30.09.22 HbA1c 59
14.09.22. HbA1c 56
28.03.22 HbA1c 46
06.12.21 HbA1c 45
15.08.20. HbA1c 40

My weight is 8st 4 Lbs and I am 4’11”.

I have now been taking 500g Metformin after breakfast for about six weeks. I think it makes me feel a bit queasy. Is this normal? I have been told to have another HbA1c test 12 weeks from the start of medication. I am continuing to limit my carbohydrates and eat nothing sweet apart from a little fruit and to exercise regularly (HIIT for two hours a week) and daily walks. I’m not sure what else I should be doing? Should I be testing my blood glucose?

I’d love some more advice as I feel a bit in the dark
 
CathyFP said:
Thanks for the reply. As a new user of these forums I realise now that I should have given more information about my test results which have been as follows:
08.10.22. HbA1c 59
30.09.22 HbA1c 59
14.09.22. HbA1c 56
28.03.22 HbA1c 46
06.12.21 HbA1c 45
15.08.20. HbA1c 40

My weight is 8st 4 Lbs and I am 4’11”.

I have now been taking 500g Metformin after breakfast for about six weeks. I think it makes me feel a bit queasy. Is this normal? I have been told to have another HbA1c test 12 weeks from the start of medication. I am continuing to limit my carbohydrates and eat nothing sweet apart from a little fruit and to exercise regularly (HIIT for two hours a week) and daily walks. I’m not sure what else I should be doing? Should I be testing my blood glucose?

I’d love some more advice as I feel a bit in the dark
Click to expand...
Certainly testing your blood glucose would be a useful addition to the tools you have to reduce your blood glucose as it will tell you if the amount of carbs you are having is tolerated. Metformin only helps alongside dietary changes.
Some people can find it gives them stomach issues but taking with a substantial meal can help so breakfast may not be the best time.
The suggested maximum carbs per day is 130g but some find they need to go lower than that. Keeping an honest food diary of everything you eat and drink estimating the amount of total carbs would help you see how far you are from that. Some fruits are deceptively high in carb so many do limit what and how much they have.
Don't forget it is all carbs that convert to glucose not just 'the sweet' stuff.
Have a look at this link for suggestions for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Thanks for the advice. I haven’t been given any information about testing my blood glucose. Where do I start?
 
CathyFP said:
Thanks for the advice. I haven’t been given any information about testing my blood glucose. Where do I start?
Click to expand...
You can purchase on line a blood glucose monitor, they will tend to have cheaper strips than the ones at the pharmacy. The GlucoNavii or Spirit TEE2 are two that are a good choice, you get a few strips with the kit but should buy more at the outset, you can unofficially reuse the lancets but they are cheap anyway.
Testing before and 2 hours after you eat will tell you if your body has coped with the amount of carbs in the meal by seeing if the increase is within a guide of no more than 2-3mmol/l or no more than 8-8.5mmol/l depending on where your starting level is.
Otherwise people test first thing in the morning to get a fasting level to keep track of progress day to day or week to week.
If you feel unwell it is also a good plan to test.
Keeping notes of your readings alongside your food diary will be very informative.
You should quickly build up a repertoire of meals which are safe and shouldn't need to test those again.
 
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