New diabetic

[ScottM]

Hi all, I’m just starting out on my Diabetes journey.
I’m 38 years old and was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes on 13th January this year – my HbA1C was 110!! My head is still spinning a bit with it all and I have to say my anxiety is pretty high!

My GP has advised me to lose a significant amount of weight and I’ve gotten myself an exercise bike and picked up a blood sugar monitor too. I started Metformin on Friday (sadly a bit of stomach discomfort today and an urgent trip to the loo which I'm hoping is just a side effect that'll pass!).
So far since 4th Jan I’ve lost 9lbs and since I started testing my Blood Sugar 4 days ago, I’ve been averaging 6.6mmol/L so feeling a bit more upbeat.

Any advise and wisdom from those of you more experienced is welcome! 🙂

 

[Vonny]

Hi @ScottM and welcome to the forum 🙂 It is hard to get your head round the diagnosis to start with isn't it. You've made a great start by losing 9lb and monitoring your blood sugar. You may find it useful to keep a food diary: mark down what you eat, the calories and carb content and before and 2 hour after blood sugar readings. I don't do my blood tests as regularly now as I'm pretty much clear on what I can and can't eat, but I've got several months' worth of data to look back at if I'm unsure. If I'm eating something new I still monitor.

Re the metformin, I had a dodgy tum for a couple of weeks but since then (touch wood!) it's been ok. 110 was a high figure to start with, but there are lots of people here who started out in 3 figures and are now within "normal" levels.

Any questions, just fire away and there will someone who will know the answer! I've picked up so much knowledge since I joined this lovely forum 🙂

 

[PluckyPen]

Hi all, I’m just starting out on my Diabetes journey.
I’m 38 years old and was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes on 13th January this year – my HbA1C was 110!! My head is still spinning a bit with it all and I have to say my anxiety is pretty high!

My GP has advised me to lose a significant amount of weight and I’ve gotten myself an exercise bike and picked up a blood sugar monitor too. I started Metformin on Friday (sadly a bit of stomach discomfort today and an urgent trip to the loo which I'm hoping is just a side effect that'll pass!).
So far since 4th Jan I’ve lost 9lbs and since I started testing my Blood Sugar 4 days ago, I’ve been averaging 6.6mmol/L so feeling a bit more upbeat.

Any advise and wisdom from those of you more experienced welcome! 🙂

Hi ScottM! It is a shock and your anxiety is bound to be high but it looks as though you are tackling the issue in the right way. This forum is very encouraging and friendly so don't ever feel that you are on your own. Congratulations on the weight loss. That's brilliant!

 

[trophywench]

If the tummy issues don't resolve after a couple of weeks, there is a slow release version which is kinder to the tum - but it's a fair bit more expensive (though still not exactly very expensive) so they don't prescribe it immediately unless they think they need to, for anyone. See how it goes anyway, but don't avoid ringing the doc and telling them, if you need to.

 

[Gwynn]

Yes, been there too. I started out overweight, terrible diet (I mean TERRIBLE) and an HbA1c of 130 two and a half months ago.

I joined this forum by chance, looking for support and helpful advice. And got it. They are so good, positive and helpful. But most important is their experience and insight.

I keep a digital food diary, test my BG twice a day, went on a self imposed strict diet to reduce my carb intake.

Two and a half months later I have lost over 20Kg, HbA1c (prematurely done) 46, BG consistently in the 5's, stopped taking all insulin meds, feel really well.

So, yes, it can be helped a lot by taking personal control, losing some weight, and reducing carb intake.

Metformin did cause me a few minor problems but I no longer take that too (with the diabetic nurses blessing).

What has stunned me is that I feel so well now.

 

[Toucan]

Hello @ScottM and so good that you have joined the forum.
As you can see from the replies you already have there is a lot of information and experience here, and I hope that you find it helpful.
You look to have made an excellent start, and I'm sure will be seeing some good results
It will be 100% worthwhile. I have ended up feeling so much better and with more zest for life than I ever had before.
It is a bit of a wake up call, but please try to stay positive, and there are many of us here that will try to help with any worries and questions

 

[cameron]

Welcome to the forum @ScottM. 🙂

It's great you're already seeing improvements with your sugar levels. Congratulations with the weight loss too.

There's plenty of support here, so you've come to the right place! Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @ScottM

Well done on the great start you’ve made with your weight loss and exercise.

Hopefully your metformin tum settles down soon (many forum members get on well with it eventually, but it is well known for causing gastric upheaval to start with, and actually a smaller number of members have a more severe reaction and never get on with it). Hopefully within a week or so you should be seeing it settle. If not it can help to ask for the ‘slow release’ version.

Hope your weight loss and exercise plan continues to provide encouraging results.

Keep asking any questions you have, we have lots of friendly folks on the forum with literally centuries of lived diabetes experience between them 🙂