New diabetic

[sunhillow]

Just been told 20 minutes ago I am now a diabetic!

My name is Chris, I am 70 years old, weigh too much, but will now definitely do something about it.

Very poor lung function so exercise is extremely difficult.

My main worry though is my feet, very dull feeling and pins and needles, cracked heels and an Achilles tendon break which will not heal.

 

[Vonny]

Hi @sunhillow and welcome to the forum 🙂 There are quite a few people here with feet problems. I'm tagging @Flower because I'm sure there will be some advice forthcoming. I am fortunate that I haven't yet developed (and hopefully won't) any problems with my feet.

It's never too late to start losing weight by cutting down the carbs. I feel years younger after ditching my beloved bread and taters, and I don't miss them at all now.

Did the doctor give you your hba1c? It is likely to be over 48 if you've been diagnosed with diabetes.

There are people on here with multiple problems, including the inability to exercise much. I'm sure there will be some along soon to let you know how they get on.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum.

Just popping in to say hi. So sorry to hear about your health complications. Exercising is a challenges for many of us with multiple health issues but the right diet can really help.

Did the doctors give you any advice re your feet?

 

[Flower]

Hi @sunhillow and welcome 🙂

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the problems you're experiencing. Have you been able to discuss your feet with your gp or a practice nurse? I would try and get an appointment if possible.

Often blood glucose has been elevated for a while before a diabetes diagnosis so it can take a time to get blood sugar back in range and stable. The feet are vulnerable in diabetes to circulation and potential nerve damage problems and high glucose impairs healing and slows down any mending and repair that needs to happen. As your diagnosis is recent hopefully as you get your blood sugar lower and stable that will have a good effect on the problems in your feet (assuming they are related to diabetes).

There are some excellent creams for very dry cracked skin on feet and heels, Flexitol is available in chemists - you need something with a high urea content as that helps to moisturise skin and is efficient on cracked heels and hard skin.

These are the checks and tests you should get annually with a diabetes diagnosis but things are disrupted because of Covid. It does include a check of pulses/circulation/feeling in the feet.

Diabetes health checks (annual review)

Diabetes can cause other health problems that can become serious if not picked up and monitored or treated in the early stages. So regular diabetes health checks – sometimes called your yearly or annual review – are part of your routine NHS treatment. What diabetes health checks should I be...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[AdrianBollans]

Having just very recently been diagnosed T2 myself I can't offer much advice but what I do know is that you are in the right place, there is so much advice and information willingly given by a lovely group of people. Good luck.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum, and to the club that no one wants to join @sunhillow

Sorry to hear about the troubles you are having with your feet. As @Flower suggests, Flexitol has an excellent reputation, though I’m having success with cracked knuckles by using O’Keefe’s Working Hands - not sure if that is suitable for feet?

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a food diary for a week or two. Be brutally honest! Note down everything you eat and drink. Along with a reasonable estimate of the amount of carbohydrate in the meals and snacks (the nearest 5-10g of carbs is close enough). This will give you an idea of which foods and meals are the main sources of carbs in your menu, and these will be the ones most likely to be raising your BG levels.

If you would like a good overview of T2 diabetes, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which you can work through gradually and will give you a solid starting point.

Good luck, and keep asking questions here 🙂

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome. 🙂