Just diagnosed with T2: worried about the future.

[Purple_Panda]

Hi everyone.

So as the title suggests I was today diagnosed with Type 2, with my HBA1C reading being 102 mmol/l.

This has not come as a huge surprise as when I was admitted to hospital last December (an issue unrelated to diabetes) my blood glucose readings were very high. I didn't get this officially diagnosed as I attempted to try to lose weight and exercise to bring it down and hopefully "beat the diagnosis". However this proved futile due to a mixture of depression and other personal issues due to a sudden and unexpected bereavement, the COVID pandemic, and as such I slipped back into bad eating habits, junkfood, and sweets etc. I decided to finally bite the bullet and get the diagnosis to try and do something about it.

Some stats about me: I'm male, in my 30s, HBA1C is 102 mmol/l and BMI is 38. Of course my first priority is now to address my weight and diet issues, follow treatment and get my blood glucose down.

I had been at risk for some time and I fear that this might have been happening for about 5-6 years but due to my own fears and foolish pride I avoided getting it diagnosed. I am reading a lot of information about patients who have managed to send this into remission but I am worried I left the diagnosis far too late and that I am doomed. There's so much I want to do with my life and I don't want to lose my sight or limbs etc. I really don't know what to do at the moment. My GP has given me a prescription for metformin and upon my request has referred me to an Endocrinologist so I can discuss the Diabetes etc.

I'm desperate now to lose the weight and try to send this into remission just like Tom Watson and others have. Does anyone have experience of their T2 going into remission? Any advice?

Thank you.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome

It is a bit different for me as I turned out to be Type 1 which is unfortunately not reversible but there are plenty of success stories here on the forum and elsewhere and some people who had been long term diagnosed Type 2 and on insulin, who managed to come off the insulin and oral meds and control it just through diet so please don't feel despondent.

The thing to understand is that diabetes is not just about sugar but all carbohydrates which are turned into glucose in the digestive system and absorbed into the blood stream where for us diabetics they get stuck. If you eat less carbs, there will be less glucose in your blood.
The other problem is that carbs are broken down quite quickly so you get a sudden surge of glucose and then your levels drop. That feeling when your BG drops makes you want to eat more carbs. If you cut right down on your carbs and eat more fat and fibre in the form of leafy green veg, you stop feeling hungry because the fat takes longer to digest and provides slow release energy. You therefore eat less and weight loss often occurs without really trying too hard. Having more stable BG levels from fewer carbs can also help improve your mental health. Add is a brisk daily walk and you pretty well have it cracked.

Many people here on the forum find a BG meter an invaluable tool in working out how much carbohydrate their body will tolerate and which carbs are best avoided and which can be eaten and in what portion size.... so porridge, which is supposed to be a healthy low GI food may be fine for one diabetic, but spikes another's BG levels really badly, or they can only get away with a very small portion. Another person might manage a bit of pasta but potatoes send their BG into orbit. Testing before each meal and then 2 hours after will give you a good idea of how your body responded to that meal. Keeping a record of the meals and readings in a food diary helps you build up data of which meals and in what quantity your body can cope with. Some people set themselves a daily allowance of carbs.... usually under 130g but many people have to go significantly lower and occasionally as low as 20-30g carbs a day to keep their BG in range. Those people eat more protein and fat and follow a ketogenic way of eating but it is often not necessary to go that low unless you want to. Learning to read the nutritional info on the back of packets is key to figuring out how many carbs are in the food you eat. Ignore the "of which sugars" and the traffic light info on the front and just look for the Total carbohydrates which will be expressed as g per 100g and may also be shown per portion size.

Hope that gives you an idea of how to move forward with this. We are here to support you all the way and celebrate your successes with you.

 

[Drummer]

I'm a lot older, 70 next spring, female, decidedly plump, but my diabetes has been in remission for some time.
For me it is all about the carbs.
I started off with Hba1c of 91, and was back in the normal range in 6 months. Blood glucose was normal quite a bit before that.
I eat meat, fish and seafood, eggs and cheese, and I add in salad, stirfry or roasted veges, or just lately on dismal evenings, mashed swede - mashed with really thick cream.
A blood glucose meter was really useful in getting a good idea of what high carb foods I could eat - that would be none at all.
Ho hum - some people are not so constrained, but it seems to be working out for me.
At least I didn't need to be worried about losing weight. Somewhere I have lost almost 50lb and I wasn't even trying. I just realised none of my clothes fitted me. Even my feet were smaller and I had to go searching in the bottom of the wardrobe for something which did not slide around.
I suggest swapping out the really high carb things first - it can be amazing just how much there is to eat when you choose low carb options. I got no advice at all, so just went low carb, down to 50gm a day - that might be a bit of a shock for some - so something a bit gentler might be a good idea as if something did go awry you'd have to live with it longer than me.
Do not be at all surprised if you get told you need carbs and should not test - that is pretty standard, but there are some more enlightened HCPs around here and there.
So far for type twos the only thing I have ever known to beat type two is low carbing. Granted it is not a cure for the underlying problem of not being able to cope with carbs, but (very nearly) normal Hba1c and normal blood glucose is not being diabetic at all.

 

[Eddy Edson]

So I got to "remission" via weight loss, over about 6 months, starting from an HbA1c of 89, at the age of 57.

I would have been a full-blown T2 for several years, but my traditional "denial" strategy in response to health issues was not successful in this case 🙂 Eventually my optometrist telling me I was at risk of going blind did induce me to see a doctor for the first time in several decades, and get a diagnosis.

All this is just to say that I doubt things have gotten too far for you to achieve remission.

If you're looking at weight loss as your main strategy, which I highly recommend, do check out Prof Roy Taylor's stuff: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/

His book https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#lifewithoutdiabetes is excellent, particularly for a clear explanation of what T2D actually means as a metabolic disorder.

His stuff is usually presented in terms of 800 calorie rapid weight-loss interventions, but he himself states that it doesn't matter so much how you go about losing the weight. A more "traditional" slower approach can work just as well. Eg: I went slower, grinding off about a pound a week, and it worked just fine. It's a personal issue as to which approach is easier to implement and develop into long-term sustained weight loss.

Good luck!

 

[Edwin Wine]

Yes. my Hba1c is down at 38 my average blood glucose is 5.5, almost never over 7 or below 4. Still on Metformin but probably come off it at next review. Covid stopped that.

Cut out all carbs after Lunch, don't snack, if you can start excercising every day. I simply started walking.

It's a slow grind back. The key is determination and sticking to a programme. Don't follow weird diet recommendations make your food boring and repetitive so eating isn't really a factor in your life. Just expend more calories than you consume all the time.

 

[Docb]

Hi @Purple_Panda and welcome to the forum. Read around the forum and you will find lots of members (me included) who have got their blood glucose back under control having got a diagnosis on the basis of a high HbA1c result. Call it reversal, call it remission, call it what you like but it can be done. You are not doomed but the longer it goes on unchecked, the greater the risk of developing complications that you do not want to have. So time to get things sorted.

As you have already worked out the first port of call is to get your weight down. Lots of evidence that this is the key thing for many diagnosed with T2. I am with Edwin Wine when it comes to "weird" diets and his simple assessment that all you need to do is to consume fewer calories than you expend. Easier said than done so you need to work out a plan to suit you. I don't agree with him about making food boring and repetitive, but that illustrates a basic point, there is no universal approach to getting the weight down, you have to work out a plan which will suit you.

So read around the forums, check out the learning zone and then ask questions. As I say we have a lot of members who have been where you are now and have got or getting to where you want to be. All are happy to share their experiences and to pass on tips of what has worked (or not worked) for them.

 

[Toucan]

Hello @Purple_Panda and welcome to our forum.

As you will see from the replies you already have to both of your postings, there are many members here that have successfully succeeded in reducing their blood sugar levels and sustaining them at a good level.
So you are a very long way from being 'doomed' because of your Diabetes diagnosis!

You have already taken the most important step of accepting your diagnosis and deciding to find a way to deal with it.
As you will also see from the replies there is no one answer on how to do this.
There is no 'one size fits all' and it is worth taken the time to try to find the route that suites you and your lifestyle and that will be sustainable for the long term.

There is a great deal of information on various threads on the forum, and also on the 'learning Zone' tab at the top of the page.
Others have mentioned that having a glucose meter for self testing as a very useful tool.
If you decide to do this then SD Gluco Navii is one that many people use, and test-review-adjust gives information on how to go about testing.

Best wishes and please keep posting, ask any questions and let us know how it is going for you.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Purple_Panda

I’ve merged your threads together to keep all your replies in one place 🙂

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and about all the other challenges you have been facing including grief and depression - which will have made self care significantly more difficult.

You’ve had some very helpful replies, and you seem to be very determined to use your diagnosis as a catalyst to spur you in to make some positive changes to food and activity, and to move towards a healthier and more fulfilled you. This isn’t unusual in the history of the forum - many members later reflect that since their diagnosis they feel healthier and happier than they have for years!

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. 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 are harder on the fine blood vessels, and changing things more gently will give your body time to adapt.

Maybe start with a food diary (be really honest with yourself). Not so that you can give yourself a hard time, but so that you can begon to see what you are actually eating and snacking on. keeping a note of where you are feeling hungry and weary, along with the carbohydrates in the different meals and snacks will all help you see the big picture of which foods actually make you hungry(!) and where the highest carb loads are - the higher carb meals are the ones which will be pushing your BG up.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

 

[alphagemini]

Welcome to the forum purple. I was verging on pre type 2 diabetes, my A1c level was normal but had glucose spikes. I have never been fat, but needed to lose belly fat.
I am 85.
Abandoned sugar, chocolates, white carbs. My weight went from 142 to 130 lbs. Fat fell off me quickly. The spikes have largely gone. My memory has sharpened remarkably. My waist is now 30". You can do this at any age.

Drinking vinegar heavily diluted with water will help to flatten spikes.

Beware testing meters. I have two. Kinetik and SpeedGUC. They are way apart in results. You will also get differing results from different finger pricks, and hands. Kinetic is always 20% higher than SpeedGUC. Don't know why. You will need to try the different brands. Hope this helps

 

[ianf0ster]

........
Beware testing meters. I have two. Kinetik and SpeedGUC. They are way apart in results. You will also get differing results from different finger pricks, and hands. Kinetic is always 20% higher than SpeedGUC. Don't know why. You will need to try the different brands. Hope this helps

I found it best to stick to 1 BG meter (unless you think it is way out of whack). The standard for BG meters sold in the UK is that their results should be within + or - 15% of the true reading. But be re-assured, that isn't a big problem because the best use of a BG meter is in measuring the pre-meal to post-meal BG spike you get from eating different foods in different quantities.
Find low(er) Carbohydrate foods which don't spike your BG by more than 2.0 mmol on your BG meter when measured 2hrs after first bite. That way you can eat what works for your own individual body and get your BG and HbA1C and weight under control very quickly.
If you focus on getting the BG spikes low and eating enough so that you don't need snacks, then your weight and your blood pressure will almost certainly drop too. I was BMI 26 when diagnosed with T2 and even I lost between 1 and 2 lbs per week on Low Carb without restricting Calories at all and even without additional exercise. Wheras if you starve yourself then your metabolism will slow making it harder and harder to lose weight and easier and easier to put it all back on (and more).