Just Diagnosed T2 & Confused!!

[Anil]

Hi all,

Sorry in advance for the long post!!

My name is Anil and I was diagnosed T2 by my GP on Monday of this week!

This was part of a routine blood test when registering with the surgery.

I am 5ft 4" and weighed 10st 2lb - my GP has said I need to lose weight (nearly a stone!), ideally via food - i.e. not rely on exercise without changing eating habits. I've already started to do this - by making better choices even though my diet was pretty healthy anyway. I've also started running again after a little layoff. I feel I will be pretty thin if I take this up to a stone in weight!

Both my parents have T2 and high blood pressure so it was very likely that I would too have these.

He has suggested another blood test in 2 weeks and a appointment with the diabetes nurse after that.

I am really confused - I have been reading this forum with interest and following some of the posts done the following:

- Read Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter
- Reading Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker

My confusion is that I do not believe I present any of the usual symptoms - the only one maybe a large appetite - but I always have had that from being a teenager - so I am sort of in denial about the diagnosis - so cannot wait for the next blood test.

Also - there seems to be conflicting advice about diet. But am I right in thinking the consensus is a balanced diet, reduce carbs, more oily fish and other lean protein and reduce sugar.

Many thanks for listening - well reading!

Anil.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Anil, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis It's not uncommon for the diagnosis to come out of the blue when you are being tested for something else - unless blood sugar levels are particularly high the body can adapt quite well to gradually increasing levels over a long period of time, so the symptoms may be far less apparent or even completely absent. Do you know what the results of the test were?

Basically, I would say you have a good idea of what it is all about from your research so far 🙂 Sugar is always the first thing mentioned, and unfortunately a lot of people think that sugar is the only thing that needs to be considered, but in reality it is just another form of carbohydrate, like bread, potatoes, rice etc. Sugar is something that will hit your blood sugar levels particularly quickly, but actually white bread will usually hit them faster, because there are fewer chemical processes it needs to undergo in the body! 😱

I'm presuming you don't have a blood glucose meter? If that is the case then I would highly recommend getting one. People have very individual tolerances for things e.g. for some people porridge is fine, but for others it will raise their levels quickly. To discover your own particular tolerances you need to be able to measure the effects on your blood glucose levels before and after eating - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how this works. If you have to buy your own meter and strips (many GPs are reluctant to prescribe on misguided grounds of cost) the cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50 (High St strips can cost up to £30 for 50 strips 😱)

Great that you have taken up the running again, that will really help with all aspects of your health, not just your blood glucose levels! I would say don't be too focused on the weight loss aspect - the main thing is to work on adjusting your diet to suit your tolerances and bring your levels under control - if the weight needs to come off, it will happen naturally as your control improves and your insulin sensitivity increases with the exercise 🙂

Please let us know if you have any questions - nothing is considered 'silly'! 🙂 There's no reason why you can't get this under good control and feel happy and healthy! Oh, and blame your parents for the diabetes - there is clearly a strong genetic component involved, which is often the case, so don't go blaming yourself! 😉

 

[Stitch147]

Hi Anil and welcome to the forum. I had no symptoms when I was diagnosed last year and so it came as a shock to me when I was diagnosed. Do you know what the actual results of your blood tests were?
And yes there is a lot of conflicting advice about diet, I reduced sugar (including the amount and types of fruit I was eating) and reduced the amount of carbs that I was eating.

 

[Anil]

Hi Anil, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis It's not uncommon for the diagnosis to come out of the blue when you are being tested for something else - unless blood sugar levels are particularly high the body can adapt quite well to gradually increasing levels over a long period of time, so the symptoms may be far less apparent or even completely absent. Do you know what the results of the test were?

Basically, I would say you have a good idea of what it is all about from your research so far 🙂 Sugar is always the first thing mentioned, and unfortunately a lot of people think that sugar is the only thing that needs to be considered, but in reality it is just another form of carbohydrate, like bread, potatoes, rice etc. Sugar is something that will hit your blood sugar levels particularly quickly, but actually white bread will usually hit them faster, because there are fewer chemical processes it needs to undergo in the body! 😱

I'm presuming you don't have a blood glucose meter? If that is the case then I would highly recommend getting one. People have very individual tolerances for things e.g. for some people porridge is fine, but for others it will raise their levels quickly. To discover your own particular tolerances you need to be able to measure the effects on your blood glucose levels before and after eating - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how this works. If you have to buy your own meter and strips (many GPs are reluctant to prescribe on misguided grounds of cost) the cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50 (High St strips can cost up to £30 for 50 strips 😱)

Great that you have taken up the running again, that will really help with all aspects of your health, not just your blood glucose levels! I would say don't be too focused on the weight loss aspect - the main thing is to work on adjusting your diet to suit your tolerances and bring your levels under control - if the weight needs to come off, it will happen naturally as your control improves and your insulin sensitivity increases with the exercise 🙂

Please let us know if you have any questions - nothing is considered 'silly'! 🙂 There's no reason why you can't get this under good control and feel happy and healthy! Oh, and blame your parents for the diabetes - there is clearly a strong genetic component involved, which is often the case, so don't go blaming yourself! 😉

Hi,

Many thanks for the advice.

My GP didn't give me the actual test results - so no way to gauge what my levels were. I was going to ask the diabetes nurse when I see her.

I don't have a BG monitor - but have that model and strips in my Amazon basket - I hesitated buying in case the nurse was going to provide me with one. I might take the plunge anyway as I would sooner rather know what my levels are and as you suggest how different foods affect my BG. I'd like to reduce bread, potatoes rice etc. but I'd still like to have some and I guess the BG monitor will help in determining how my body copes and if that is possible.

The upside - it's really given me a kick up the backside to really focus on my diet and exercise even more that I was doing before diagnosis as part of trying to be healthier and lose a little weight.

I'm seeing my parents this Bank Holiday so will thank them for my genetic present!! 😉

 

[Ljc]

Hiyer Anil, I am sorry I you have had to find us but glad that you have as their is a lot of understanding and support here.
I was diagnosed you might say by accident, I had a urinary tract infection and some sugar was found in the urine sample, apart from that I had no symptoms I associated with diabetes. Oh I did get a bit tired but who wouldn't when doing 10-12 hours a day in a demanding job.
I believe their may be a genetic link to T2 as well. I sincerely hope your next blood test shows all is well

 

[Stitch147]

The chances of you getting a monitor from your nurse are pretty slim, unless you are on blood glucose lower medications, as you would need to test before driving. I have found that I can tolerate porridge very well, sweet potato not a problem, new potatoes still in the skin and a small amount of pasta. Testing is definately key to finding out what works and what doesnt for you. We are definately all different when it comes to how our bodies react to certain foods.

 

[Northerner]

Hi,

Many thanks for the advice.

My GP didn't give me the actual test results - so no way to gauge what my levels were. I was going to ask the diabetes nurse when I see her.

I don't have a BG monitor - but have that model and strips in my Amazon basket - I hesitated buying in case the nurse was going to provide me with one. I might take the plunge anyway as I would sooner rather know what my levels are and as you suggest how different foods affect my BG. I'd like to reduce bread, potatoes rice etc. but I'd still like to have some and I guess the BG monitor will help in determining how my body copes and if that is possible.

The upside - it's really given me a kick up the backside to really focus on my diet and exercise even more that I was doing before diagnosis as part of trying to be healthier and lose a little weight.

I'm seeing my parents this Bank Holiday so will thank them for my genetic present!! 😉

Yes, without testing you are really just guessing, and also might be excluding things that you enjoy but mistakenly believe to be harmful. You don't need to test a lot once you know where you stand with your common meal choices, but knowing you are on the right track can be a real boost to your motivation. A frequent reason for refusing to prescribe strips is that high results might make you anxious and depressed, but on the contrary, the information is useful and you can act on it - simply crossing your fingers and hoping for the best might make you even more anxious, especially if your next tests didn't show the improvement you had hoped for - you wouldn't know where you had been going wrong!

I can honestly say that my efforts to take better care of my health because of my diabetes (and what I have learned because of it) have resulted in me being much healthier than I would otherwise have been, so there is a silver lining - don't be too hard on your parents! 😉

 

[Anil]

Yes, without testing you are really just guessing, and also might be excluding things that you enjoy but mistakenly believe to be harmful. You don't need to test a lot once you know where you stand with your common meal choices, but knowing you are on the right track can be a real boost to your motivation. A frequent reason for refusing to prescribe strips is that high results might make you anxious and depressed, but on the contrary, the information is useful and you can act on it - simply crossing your fingers and hoping for the best might make you even more anxious, especially if your next tests didn't show the improvement you had hoped for - you wouldn't know where you had been going wrong!

I can honestly say that my efforts to take better care of my health because of my diabetes (and what I have learned because of it) have resulted in me being much healthier than I would otherwise have been, so there is a silver lining - don't be too hard on your parents! 😉

Thanks!

I'll buy that BG monitor and strips - I'll be better informed by the time I see the nurse!

 

[Northerner]

Thanks!

I'll buy that BG monitor and strips - I'll be better informed by the time I see the nurse!

Be prepared to get told off! 😉 Actually, showing how you are using it to help you manage things might be an encouragement to prescribe 🙂

 

[Lynn Davies]

Be prepared to get told off! 😉

Hahaha! I was just going to say the same - I got told off for testing so when they ask me now I just say 'type 2's don't need to test!'

It is a very useful little gadget both for finding out what is going on and for keeping you accountable 😉

Oh yes - welcome to the forum

 

[Copepod]

Welcome to the forum, Anil. Can I guess from your name that you're of South Asian heritage? If so, that makes it more likely that you presented slightly differently medically than if you were of majority UK background. Genetics plays a big part in determining your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even if your parents didn't already have T2D. However, as you're already discovering, there's lots you can do to control your condition. As you're running, you might like to try parkrun, free 5km timed runs at 0900 on Sat in England & Wales or 0930 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. There's time to register and print your barcode ready for tomorrow morning. After working the last 2 weekends, I'll be at my home parkrun tomorrow 🙂

 

[Anil]

Welcome to the forum, Anil. Can I guess from your name that you're of South Asian heritage? If so, that makes it more likely that you presented slightly differently medically than if you were of majority UK background. Genetics plays a big part in determining your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even if your parents didn't already have T2D. However, as you're already discovering, there's lots you can do to control your condition. As you're running, you might like to try parkrun, free 5km timed runs at 0900 on Sat in England & Wales or 0930 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. There's time to register and print your barcode ready for tomorrow morning. After working the last 2 weekends, I'll be at my home parkrun tomorrow 🙂

Hi - yes I am of Indian origin so I am blaming genetics as the main cause!! Just been for a run today, I've done half marathons in the past but it's been a little while so just been doing 5k's as it's been hot too. I plan to increase that next week. I've never done a park run but I know they do them in Bristol where I live - so might give it a go. Just had a healthy lunch including sardines, not something I would have really considered before. I really enjoyed it!!

 

[trophywench]

There's shedloads on the web about the S Asian connection Anil if you want to know more - and Copepod has said exactly what I was going to, about it.

We notice things like this cos of course, once you are diabetic, it becomes interesting LOL

 

[Copepod]

Hi - yes I am of Indian origin so I am blaming genetics as the main cause!! Just been for a run today, I've done half marathons in the past but it's been a little while so just been doing 5k's as it's been hot too. I plan to increase that next week. I've never done a park run but I know they do them in Bristol where I live - so might give it a go. Just had a healthy lunch including sardines, not something I would have really considered before. I really enjoyed it!!

That's good, Anil. Sadly, Little Stoke parkrun had to stop due to an unfriendly parish council in South Gloucestershire, but there are plenty more parkruns in the Bristol / Bath / Avon area. In fact, many people do parkrun tourism as well as having a home parkrun. I find it helpful to be timed and have your results recorded online.

 

[Anil]

I have started to use mapmyrun a free app on my smartphone. It's great, it times your run, displays on a map and a cool feature is when you're listening to your music when running it speaks to you after every kilometre to tell you your time, speed, split etc. Worth a try if you've not used it before!

 

[bilbie]

Anil said, "the only one maybe a large appetite"

@Anil, your Dr is right, fix by diet and also home blood testing, not exercise. You exercise because it is generally good for you.

If you are overeating, you may have what's being called a 'carb addiction'
This gives a simple overview to how it works for me. The more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. They don’t give up easy and it’s biochemical
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEayi6IBjZw&list=PLCD72F4109EDC4BD8&index=6

It's counter intuitive to lose weight and it goes against the last 40 years of low fat. But when you cut the Sugars and Starches carbs, you eat lots of LC veg and salad, a normal/moderate amount of protein and add fats to replace the lost energy.

a long page and a few good video’s
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

what to expect the first week, besides being starving hungry for the first 36 hours, then it stops
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

 

[Northerner]

@Anil, your Dr is right, fix by diet and also home blood testing, not exercise. You exercise because it is generally good for you.

Hmm...not quite the whole story. Exercise causes an increase in insulin receptors on the body's cells, helping to overcome insulin resistance which is the primary problem with Type 2 diabetes. This leads to reduced insulin production by the pancreas and a much-improved endocrine system which will help consolidate any weight loss due to changes diet. Both diet and exercise are important components 🙂

 

[bilbie]

@Northerner, the reason I reinforced what the Dr said is because Anil seems to have put the exercise into top gear and doesn't seem that focused on diet yet. I'm sure that will come with reading about diabetes.

Exercise is good for you and helps diabetes in a few ways. I don't know about actually increasing the numbers of receptors though. Unless you mean more muscle cells = more receptors? Exercise does help with insulin resistance and letting the insulin receptors to get the glucose into the cell. The increased muscle mass has a place to store more glucose. There would be a few other good things it does too. 😉
I think the recommended is 3-5 x half hour walks a week, isn't it?

My opinion is that it is still second to diet, where you don't put the glucose in in the first place, that reduces insulin need and insulin resistance, rather than trying to fix it afterwards.

 

[Northerner]

Exercise is good for you and helps diabetes in a few ways. I don't know about actually increasing the numbers of receptors though. Unless you mean more muscle cells = more receptors?

No, not new cells, but an increase in each cell's capacity to utilise insulin. Put simply if you consider a receptor as a 'lock' on each cell (and there are numerous locks, some 'damaged' and therefore resistant to insulin) and insulin as a 'key', the increase in receptors caused by exercise is an increase in the number of 'locks' on the cell. By increasing the proportion of undamaged receptors on the cell, glucose is more readily absorbed 🙂 Put another way, the door on the cell may be jammed, but exercise causes the cell to open all its windows 🙂

 

[Anil]

I am looking at this as a lifestyle change - so both diet and exercise. I'm now looking into diet too and researching LCHF - which does seem counter-intuitive to how I have always eaten and more like Atkins. If you're following a LCHF diet is it still key to be testing BG levels - I presume so, also to ascertain which carbs have the most effect on BG. Thanks for the links bilbie I'll check them out!