• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

'Mild' diabetes

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Sparkle

Sparkle

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello, I have just been told by phone that I have 'mild diabetes type 2' I didn't know there was such a thing as 'mild' and am confused. Also I wasn't expecting to have diabetes at all! Doc said nothing to worry about, cut down on sweet things a bit. Telephone with diabetic nurse next week. He is going to write me a prescription for a med to start immediately, can't remember exact name - metaforlin? Something like that. Will I have to test my blood every day?
 
Last edited:
There is indeed no ‘mild’ diabetes. Your GP may have meant that your glucose levels are right at the top of the normal range, or just above, and that is the term he uses for this. If so I is great that yours has been picked up early.

It is important to realise that it is not just sugar that will be converted to glucose once inside you. This applies to ALL carbohydrates. This includes pasta, potatoes, rice, ... I knew nothing about this when diagnosed but soon learnt. It is worth familiarising you urself with what the carbs are in different foods, you can then choose what swaps to make where needed.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life.

Many on here choose to test their glucose levels. You can use a BG meter, taking a reading before and 2 hrs after eating to see how food is affecting you as an individual (everyone is different, and it’s important to understand your own tolerances and ‘safe choices’). The numbers themselves don't matter so much at the beginning, it is the difference between them - the ‘meal rise‘ which you want to keep as near to 2-3mmol/L as you can. If you happen to identify any carbs that seem to be making your BG rise quickly after a meal you can then experiment with reducing amounts or swapping types (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference).

If you are interested in this apporach you may find test-review-adjustby Alan S a helpful framework.
If you have to fund your own meter, a key factor is the ongoing cost of the stips - One of the most affordable meters members here have found is from SD, and has been recently updated to the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50

For a bit more background information, the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information - useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes

Members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letterand Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.
 
Hi @Sparkle, I got told exactly that when I was diagnosed after a routine blood test in 2007! I knew nothing about diabetes, was given some diet sheets and that was about that... in 2013 I discovered this wonderful forum, so you are fortunate in finding us so quickly!

Do you know what your HbA1c is? This is the test used for diagnosis, and is a number: 42-48 is what's called pre-diabetic, anything over that is diabetic (I was something like 108!). They should give you this information if they haven't already, and I suspect that if they've prescribed Metformin already you may be in the diabetic range. However, there is plenty you can do to help yourself, including having a read around the different parts of this forum 🙂

Most of us type 2s here have found that cutting down on starchy carbs like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals (not just the obvious sweet things) have a remarkable effect in lowering our BG (blood glucose) and so helping control our condition. Another good thing is increasing exercise a bit (no need to go mad) and losing a bit of weight if necessary. With a few tweaks here and there it is amazing what can be achieved.

I'll leave it there at the moment, but no doubt others will be along to welcome you and give some links to reading matter, etc.
 
Hello @Sparkle and welcome to the forum.

The symptoms of Diabetes are not always obvious, so diagnosis can come as something of a shock.
As the Doctor has described it as mild, I am guessing this means that your blood sugars are not too far above normal.
What is surprising though is that they are putting you on metformin immediately, as it is sometimes worth trying to try to adjust by dietary changes first. When you have contact with the nurse, try to find out what your measurement is. Anything above 48, is considered to be in the diabetic range.

Diabetes is a serious disease, but it can be positively managed and in many circumstances, you can do a lot to help yourself and there is a help and support available. You will need to make a few changes though, and these need to be sustainable, as this is for the long term.

There are 3 main things to consider:
Firstly, healthy eating, and the right solution for you to lower your blood sugars, and if you are overweight, loosing weight will help a lot. Secondly increasing exercise, and thirdly medication which may be necessary depending on what your HB1ac readings are.

For me, a new way of eating, and increased exercise, plus some metformin has worked. As well as cutting out all the sugary things, I cut down on the carbs particularly the ‘white’ ones (white bread and flour,rice,pasta,etc ) and mainly eat fish, poultry, yoghurt, some cheeses, nuts and seeds, and have learned to love vegetables . I also try to avoid too much processed food.

In answer to your question regarding daily blood tests. You don't have to do this, but many of us do as it is helpful with monitoring and finding out which foods affect us most.

If you want to know more about the Low-Carb way of eating then Maggie Davey's letter, shows how this lady approached the problem.
If you are considering getting a glucose meter then SD Gluco Navii is one that many people use, and test-review-adjust gives information on how to go about testing.

I hope this doesn't all sound too confusing, but please ask about anything you would like to know more about and we are always here to try and help.
There is also a TAB at the top of this page 'Learning Zone' which you may also find helpful
 
Thank you so much everyone. Such kind and helpful responses. I didn't realise until I read the comment above about it being a shock that I AM shocked and more upset than I realised! I know absolutely nothing about it at all. I thought it was just things like sweets and desserts I shouldn't eat.
I am a wheelchair user and can't exercise at all but had already been trying to loose weight (about 2 stone) and be healthier by eating brown bread, pasta, jacket potatoes and rice and fruit which I thought was a good thing to do but if I understand correctly now it seems they are all things that maybe I shouldn't be eating? I have ready meals quite often too like lasagna and ready to cook things like fish fingers as my husband does not like cooking and quite honestly is not very good at it!
I have swallowing and GI issues so am already fairly limited. I can't eat nuts and seeds, lettuce or a lot of salad things, some fruits, spicy food, acidic food, peppers - the list goes on.
I am partially sighted so not into reading books but I will check out the links and try and find out as much as I can from all the advice given here.
Please don't think I am stupid but do I need to immediately make complete changes or can I try and work something out over the next few days? It looks like I will have to throw away a lot of my freezer contents.
Also, I get an online shop once a week so I will have to sort that out and incorporate changes but can't get any shopping before that as I am sheilding and my husband is self isolating.
I will make some notes of questions to ask nurse next week, if anyone has suggestions to add to my list I would appreciate it. So far from you comments I have 'ask my HbA1c level,' which I have never heard of.
Oh dear, reading that back it looks like a load of excuses but truly it isn't, I am just overwhelmed and not sure what to do first! Thanks again for your kind and helpful comments.
 
Don't worry, Sparkle, we've all been there! No, you don't have to change everything immediately, it's an ongoing process - a marathon not a sprint, as they say...

It's very useful to find out your Hba1c number to establish how 'mild' you are, and you have every right to have access to your records. And yes, my diet sheets advised jacket spuds, pasta, rice, and I thought yum yum, this is a bit of alright! result: I put on a couple of stone and was prescribed Metformin. If you can, try changing to lower carb versions, eg., Burgen bread or Hovis Low Carb loaf, sweet potato instead of spuds (some people find these better, but some don't), and limit fruit to the berries like strawbs, rasps, blackberries.

Also, there are many good cooks here who can suggest recipes or suitable foods, and there are posts on the Food & Recipes thread, or the What Did You Eat Yesterday? one which might interest you.

Above all, don't think you are silly for asking any questions, no question is daft and someone here is bound to have the answer! We have all had to go through the learning process, but it is entirely worth it to take control of your condition and hopefully see much improvement.
 
No such thing as 'mild' diabetes or 'pre' diabetes - diabetes in my book (and Alan Shanley's FWIW) is similar to pregnancy - you either ARE or you AIN'T !

Given therefore that you ARE - cut the carbohydrates down generally any way you can because of the 3 food groups (ie carbs, protein and fat) carbs are the non-essential one for all human beings since the body can make glucose (which all our bodily cells require in order to function) out of all 3 food groups, but converting the carbs is easiest so when we're getting enough carb it just stores up the glucose from the other 2 sources as body fat either the sort you can see outwardly or internally around the organs (heart. kidneys, liver etc|) and also excretes some of the spare via the bladder. Because this latter means the spare glucose has to be filtered via the kidneys and the kidneys aren't primarily designed to filter glucose - this damages the kidneys!
 
Once you get the hang of what you can and can't eat it is rather a doddle - I get packs of fresh and frozen stuff - though you;ll probably need to see what you can and can't eat.
Some things can seem rather odd, like cutting slices of cabbage and roasting them in a tray, or using cauliflower to replace rice, leek to replace lasagna, but they soon become quite normal.
 
Your Drs probably just trying not to scare you by saying its 'Mild'. I was diagnosed in March this year and my HBA1C was 116 and given medication.

At the time i had an accident at work which left me unable to walk or excersice and i would have switched to brown bread, brown rice, pasta, fruits etc thinking its healthy for me. Dieting was the only thing i could do but it made a huge difference.

Luckily i found this forum and learnt plenty of helpful information and i feel much better. If you start mesuring your Blood Glucose levels at the start they maybe high but dont worry. Once you change your diet slowly you will notice it go down and stay steady.

If you get a Blood Glucose reader keep a food diary. It will be trial and error on what foods give you a spike in levels and which dont so writing them down will help because its not always the same for everyone.

Am looking forward to my next test with the nurse because am sure my HBA1C must have gone down a fair amount now.

Good luck on your new journey. Take it slow and steady. Its not a race. No need to throw away all the food you have at home You will be fine.
 
I've just read the open letter, there is a bit in it that says, "I would also decide how I was going to keep track of all this information - it's far too much, especially in the beginning, to remember it all. A notebook of some sort would do. If you have a computer, you can download the Health Diabetes software [see Resources], which makes it easier to keep track of it all and produces graphs of everything and is free." The link doesn't work, does anyone have any suggestions for recording stuff other than physically writing it down please?
 
Anitram said:
I set up a spreadsheet to record the results of my finger-prick tests (so that I could insert graphs and calculate trends) and the carbohydrate, calories, fat, protein and fibre of everything I was eating. I was diagnosed in March 2019 so I have over a year's data now and have found it invaluable in managing my diet and consequently my BG levels, so much so that I was able to come off medication and continue by diet alone.

Martin
Click to expand...
Thanks for responding Martin and wow, that is amazing! I was hoping to find something already made and simple that I could use like the author of the letter is talking about.
 
GonnaMissPizza said:
Your Drs probably just trying not to scare you by saying its 'Mild'. I was diagnosed in March this year and my HBA1C was 116 and given medication.

At the time i had an accident at work which left me unable to walk or excersice and i would have switched to brown bread, brown rice, pasta, fruits etc thinking its healthy for me. Dieting was the only thing i could do but it made a huge difference.

Luckily i found this forum and learnt plenty of helpful information and i feel much better. If you start mesuring your Blood Glucose levels at the start they maybe high but dont worry. Once you change your diet slowly you will notice it go down and stay steady.

If you get a Blood Glucose reader keep a food diary. It will be trial and error on what foods give you a spike in levels and which dont so writing them down will help because its not always the same for everyone.

Am looking forward to my next test with the nurse because am sure my HBA1C must have gone down a fair amount now.

Good luck on your new journey. Take it slow and steady. Its not a race. No need to throw away all the food you have at home You will be fine.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I forgot to say thank you.
 
There are apps which are really great. I use one called Blood Sugar Tracker powered by meL Studio which my sister downloaded for me from Google Play Store.... I am a bit of a technophobe but really find the app fantastic and I wouldn't be without it but many people here on the forum recommend the "My Sugr" app I think.I don't know if that is better than the one I use or not as I haven't tried it.
 
Lots of excellent advice here which I won't repeat. I was diagnosed with an HbA1c of 57 (that's blood glucose averaged over 90 days) in August 2019. I spoke to my diabetic nurse and she told me my GP practise gave everyone with a reading less than 60 a 3 month period to try and reduce their blood glucose by changing their eating and exercising only, rather than go thundering in with medication straight away. I got mine down to 48 in the 3 months, by reducing my daily carbs to 75-90 gm per day. I use an app called NutraCheck which is for food and exercise, not blood glucose monitoring. So depending on what your reading was it might be worth asking if you can try that first. Metformin has some nasty bowel side effects which being a wheelchair user you might find very awkward to handle. There is a slow release version which has less side effects. But if you have to take it, have it in the middle of a meal: food, pill, food.
As for exercising, in lockdown it is difficult. I was in the swimming pool 5 days a week but am now reduced to exercising on my bed, or seated (I have spine and hip issues). I do stretching exercises lying on the bed or sitting on the edge. Then I have a mini pedal bike which I have on the kitchen table where I do arm exercises when waiting for the kettle to boil. I then have it on the floor and do leg exercises, both whilst seated. Stretching keeps me more supple, and the bike gives me a cardio workout.
There is no such thing as a silly question - I asked lots at first. And the online training is full of information. Normally you would be offered a Training Course like DESMOND, but I expect that has been suspended for the time being, so DUK is the best place to learn.
 
When I needed to make shopping lists I just used two postcards - with two separate lists which I used alternately for variation - I still rarely buy tomatoes and mushrooms at the same time as they were in different lists back then.
 
Make sure to take them mid meal with a substantial amount of food to reduce the risk of digestive upset.
I would guess that your HbA1c was moderately high to start you on a dose of 2 a day which doesn't really tie in with calling it "mild diabetes" or the GP is hoping that hitting it hard with medication in the early stages might push it back. without knowing your HbA1c we are just guessing what the thought process is though. Shame that real discussions about treatment options are not happening in these first instances.
 
Hi, I'm not sure if I asked the right question, but the nurse said my number is 9
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top