I'm type 2 (with further investigations.)

[As I am]

Hello,
I was diagnosed with type 2 on Wednesday - it's been a crazy week! I'm on 500mg of Metformin x1 daily and then x2 daily from next Wednesday. My Hba1c is 67 and my blood sugar recording (at a pharmacy) is 14.2. I'm allowed 2 portions of fruit and 150gms of carbs per day. I'm Afro-Caribbean, female and 49 years old. Err.. what other info can I give? Ah yes, I'm 5ft 9inches, 73.93kg in weight and 24.5 BMI.

My Dr informed me after the Hba1c results, my hyperthyroidism* has returned and that maybe causing the increase in blood sugar. Has anyone else been in the same situation? Obviously I've been researching on the internet and it seems that even though my H/T has returned, I'll still remain type 2. It'll just be interesting to hear other people's experiences.

I've got the 'Carbs and cals' app and struggling to keep calories low along with not going over my 150gm carb per day target. Yesterday I managed 94gms of carbs, but 2000+ calories! I swim with a squad each week and like to run, so the exercise isn't a problem for me. There is a lot of 'brain dump' here - sorry. I feel overwhelmed at the moment.

*I was diagnosed with h/thyroidism a couple of years ago was was taking 5mg of Carbimazole. Levels were great and I didn't need to take the meds after a year.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @As I am 🙂 I’m afraid I don’t know much about thyroid conditions, but I’m sure someone here will. It’s often quieter on the forum at the weekend so do keep checking back.

Are you checking your own blood sugar at home? If not, that’s something many Type 2s find extremely helpful.

 

[SueEK]

Hi, like @Inka I don’t know about thyroid problems but know that others have them and am sure someone will be along to help you. However I would say don’t worry about the calories, they almost become irrelevant where diabetes is concerned, certainly for T2. Just concentrate on the carbs, that is the main problem. We usually find that we end up increasing our fat as we need to get our energy source from them instead of carbs. 150g is quite a generous amount and you may want to reduce that a little, see how you get on. The carbs and cal is a great help but I would also suggest you get a bg monitor if you can as it gives a great indicator of what carbs particularly affect you. I find pasta is really bad for me but can handle potatoes quite well, other peopl could have the complete opposite. This diabetes lark is a long journey so take it steady, ask lots of questions and don’t panic about any of it,there is an answer to most things even if they are a little difficult to adapt to. Take care. Sue

 

[Leadinglights]

It is not as if you need to lose weight so as SueEK says don't worry about the calories, when you reduce carbs you need to get energy from somewhere so increasing protein and fat is a good way to go. There are a few foods to be careful of as they are high carb but your Carbs and Cals should help you there. Avoiding low fat dairy is a good idea as they tend to be higher carb and be careful of tropical fruits as they are also high carb, the best fruits are berries of any sort to have either for breakfast or desert.

 

[Drummer]

To keep my blood glucose levels normal I can eat only a small amount of carbs - I stick to under 40 gm a day - so if you are finding higher numbers then it might be that the amount of carbs you are told you are allowed is more than you can cope with.

 

[As I am]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I'm trying to keep calm about it all, but failed badly last night with a lot of tears. You're right SueEK it defo is a journey. xx

 

[SueEK]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I'm trying to keep calm about it all, but failed badly last night with a lot of tears. You're right SueEK it defo is a journey. xx

Sadly it’s par for the course tears, also anger, the why me questions etc etc. You will get to a place when you know what you shouldn’t and shouldn’t do in time and this forum is so helpful. It’s best to take things slowly as it would be easy to become overwhelmed by it all. You can ask any questions on the forum, no matter how daft you may think they are, we’ve all been where you are now x

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi As I am, welcome to the forum.

I'm not surprised there were tears last night as it can be quite an overwhelming diagnosis. As Sue rightly pointed out, it is a journey and one that many have gone on before you so will be happy to help.

You seem to live a lovely active life which is half the battle. Managing your food will have a great impact so do try and get a blood glucose monitor so you can see how your meals effect your BS levels.

It's worth keeping a food diary and taking an honest account of what you're consuming and then use your BG meter to adjust accordingly.

If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know as we're here to support you along this journey.