Just Diagnosed Type 2

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snow-white

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Type 2
Hi, I have just been officially diagnosed as type 2 diabetes - I had an idea before the tests due to my symptoms.

Is it normal to feel angry and scared? My cholesterol and bp are also high. My hba1c result was 80 which I thnk equates to 9.5%.

I am really struggling to think of suitable breakfast and lunch ideas for my work that are low in carbs especially since I am not a lover of salads and vegetables.

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

Thanks:confused:
 
Hi snow-white, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but the good news is that, now you have been diagnosed you can begin receiving the correct treatment to help you get your levels under control. Although it isn't great to be diagnosed with diabetes, it is a manageable condition with the right determination and application, and many people find that they actually end up fitter and healthier than they were prior to diagnosis (it's true!).

Have you been given any medication to take? Also, if you haven't been given a meter then it is worth asking for one, as this is the best tool for discovering what does and doesn't suit your blood sugar levels as an individual.

There is lots of information available in our 'Useful Links' thread, so do have a look. I would particularly recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and also getting hold of a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - many of our members have found this to be a great help in coming to terms with their diagnosis and explaining the ins and outs.

A very useful guide to selecting food suitable for good diabetes management is using the GL (Glkycaemic Load) system - have a look at The GL Diet for Dummies for a good introduction.

You are bound to feel angry and upset at the loss of your health, but you can learn to live well with diabetes and we are always here if you have any questions or just want to have a good rant! I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
 
Hi Northerner,

Thanks for your reply.

I will have a look at the information you suggested.

Thanks
 
Hi Snow-white.

Some people do feel angry etc and even a sence of failure when first diagnosed. As for not liking salad stuff, I don't think its just me, but once you have control of your diabetes, I think you will find that your tastes change (well mine did), there are things pre diabetes that I wouldn't even look at, but now I love them.

John.
 
Hi Snow white and a warm welcome to the forum
 
Welcome to the forums snow-white 🙂

Some times it's a case of finding suitable substitutions rather then cutting something out completely. An example is that lots of diabetics use low GI bread, such as Burgen, in place of white bread.

Breakfast is usually the biggest challenge. Egg and bacon is actually a lot better in terms of carbohydrate then a bowl of cerial. How do you feel about natural yoghurt?
 
I was diagnosed in Jan with type 2 (after 12 hours fasting some glucose measure showed 16, whatever that means)... also very high BP (199/140 - something like that!) and high cholesterol. My doctor is still adjusting my tablets to see what works. However, I'm really struggling with changing diet, but I will.

I wouldn't say I got angry at any time, just very p***ed off :-S

At the moment I'm just in a "I don't really care" phase. I'm sure it will pass
 
Hello Snow-White, welcome to the forum.

I too found breakfasts a nightmare, but thats because we think with our pre diagnosis head. I tried everything to try and maintain a normal type of white or wholemeal toast and whatever breakfast, but found in the end that tastes do change and I now enjoy a slice of Burgen Soya and Linseed bread, with a slice of ham. Or as suggested, bacon or ham and an egg is very tasty.

You will find what suites you, just try different ideas and test your BS to see what effects you.
 
Thanks everyone!

I have been eating Burgen bread but finding that my bg's are still going up. My bg last night was 7.4 - 2 hours after dinner with no carbs, but then at 10pm before bed (having had nothing else to eat) it was 9.9. Any idea what would cause it to rise so much with no food intake?

I'm still trying to get an appt for my doc to get all the other checks done, although she did say there would be no meds for the first 3 months to see if I could control it with diet, but I am constantly worrying that I am not getting the results with diet and excersise alone and that I am doing myself more harm in the long term because I'm not on meds :sad:

Today after one sandwich with Burgen bread, a muller light yoghurt and some fresh pineapple my reading was 12.4.

Suppose I just have to keep trying and testing.

Snow-White
 
It's very early days still, so it will take a while for things to settle. When you don't eat for a long time, your liver will sometimes respond by releasing extra glucose into your blood as it thinks you are starving! Of course, when you have diabetes this isn't very helpful!

Remember also that it is the relative rise in blood sugar levels you are interested in - do you know what your levels were before you had the sandwich and yoghurt? If they were around 9 beforehand, then a rise to 12 isn't as bad as it might seem as it is only a rise of 3 mmol/l. If, however, you had been 5 before eating and 12 after then that would be quite a big rise, if you see what I mean.

As you begin to adapt to your new diet and hopefully get some good, regular exercise, then you will become more sensitive to the insulin your body is producing and your blood sugar levels should improve. As is often said though, it is a marathon, not a sprint, so keep trying your best and hopefully you will start to see and feel improvements 🙂
 
Dont stress about it Snow-White, easier said than done I know, but try and relax a little about it and take one step at a time. You will be surprised how much you learn and before too long you will likely understand better what is happening.
 
Welcome to the forum snow white
 
Hi Snow-white, welcome to the boards. I find low GI really helps my levels. Best advice would be test test test and see how different foods effect you. Maybe try keeping a diary so you can record the different foods. Good luck! 🙂
 
Thanks everyone!

Was back at the doc last week and also have high bp - what next! I'm still waiting to see the nurse to be referred for the eye test etc and hopefully some advice on diet!

Because this is all very new to me I don't know what are good readings and what is bad, and feel frustrated that I'm expected to control the diabetes with diet when I don't really know what I'm doing!

For example, I am avoiding most fresh fruit because I was told by someone that it is high in carbs and sugar, so I can't even snack on fruit when I'm hungry. Is this correct?

Very confused :confused:
 
snow-white said:
Thanks everyone!

Was back at the doc last week and also have high bp - what next! I'm still waiting to see the nurse to be referred for the eye test etc and hopefully some advice on diet!

Because this is all very new to me I don't know what are good readings and what is bad, and feel frustrated that I'm expected to control the diabetes with diet when I don't really know what I'm doing!

For example, I am avoiding most fresh fruit because I was told by someone that it is high in carbs and sugar, so I can't even snack on fruit when I'm hungry. Is this correct?

Very confused :confused:
Click to expand...

Some fruits are better than others - it can be useful to look up the GI (Glycaemic Index) of fruit you enjoy to see how it compares. Berries are generally lower GI than things like citrus fruits and grapes. Also, by eating fruit with a meal, this helps lower the overall GI (which is a measure of how quickly food is converted to glucose and thus raising your blood sugar levels).

What did the doctor say about the high BP? It's possible that you have 'white coat syndrome', where your BP goes high purely because you are anxious about it being measured at the doctor's. I get this problem, so I bought a home BP monitor so I can test it regularly myself in more relaxed settings. They are quite cheap these days, and if you get a clinically tested one then they are as accurate as the one the doctor has. I got an Omron M2 Basic Blood Pressure Monitor and it shows that my BP is actually quite good most of the time. I have shown my readings to my GP and this persuaded her that I didn't need to increase my medication.
 
Hi Northerner,

The doc said she has put me on a waiting list to get a home bp monitor on loan just in case it was nerves with being at the doc! I did think about buying one but I would probably worry myself even more 😉

I'll keep that in mind about the fruit, although I've just eaten a bunch of red grapes - but they were good 🙂

Thanks for all your help

Snow-White
 
Step away from the grapes! 😱 Seriously, it is worth finding an alternative to them - strawberries are better for your levels 🙂

Aerobic exercise is very beneficial in helping to lower blood pressure, so if you can do some brisk walking or running, or swimming, that would really help and also really help with your blood sugar levels 🙂
 
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