New Diagnosis This week

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emz89

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Type 2
Hi Everyone,

I am 33 and got very unexpectedly diagnosed this week with type 2. My hab1c was 76.

It was a complete shock although there is a strong family history. I expected it may come my way into my 40s.

I have had to take sometime off work. I just can't stop crying about it. I am so so fatigued and really struggling with blurry vision.

I saw the diabetes nurse yesterday who started me on Metformin. Once a day for a fortnight then twice a day. Then a review at the surgery in 3 weeks time. I asked about testing blood sugars and was told there isn't any need to. It kinda feels like driving a car without a speedo and the finding out you average speed in 3 months time.

I know I need to change my diet and eat proper meals. I tend to just eat a big evening meal and most of the time nothing during the day.
 
Last edited:
emz89 said:
Hi Everyone,

I am 33 and got very unexpectedly diagnosed this week with type 2. My hab1c was 76.

It was a complete shock although there is a strong family history. I expected it may come my way into my 40s.

I have had to take sometime off work. I just can't stop crying about it. I am so so fatigued and really struggling with blurry vision.

I saw the diabetes nurse yesterday who started me on Metformin. Once a day for a fortnight then twice a day. Then a review at the surgery in 3 weeks time. I asked about testing blood sugars and was told there isn't any need to. It kinda feels like driving a car without a speedo and the finding out you average speed in 3 months time.

I know I need to change my diet and eat proper meals. I tend to just eat a big evening meal and most of the time nothing during the day.
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The only issue with eating 1 meal is that if it is very high in carbohydrates it may be more than you can cope with all at once. A few people here only have 2 meals a day and as long as those consist of the foods which you can tolerate then it should not be a problem. The only thing is people are advised to take their metformin with food to minimise potential stomach issues.
I totally agree with you about the blood glucose monitor and many self fund. Inexpensive monitors can be bought on line, those with the cheapest strips are the GlucoNavii and Spirit TEE2 but worth shopping around as prices do seem fluid.
This link may give you some ideas for meals. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
As you reduce your blood glucose your vision should improve also the tiredness.
 
Leadinglights said:
The only issue with eating 1 meal is that if it is very high in carbohydrates it may be more than you can cope with all at once. A few people here only have 2 meals a day and as long as those consist of the foods which you can tolerate then it should not be a problem. The only thing is people are advised to take their metformin with food to minimise potential stomach issues.
I totally agree with you about the blood glucose monitor and many self fund. Inexpensive monitors can be bought on line, those with the cheapest strips are the GlucoNavii and Spirit TEE2 but worth shopping around as prices do seem fluid.
This link may give you some ideas for meals. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
As you reduce your blood glucose your vision should improve also the tiredness.
Click to expand...
My dad has given me a monitor which is good. I just wish if it was a case of cost saving just tell me to buy one 🙂
 
emz89 said:
My dad has given me a monitor which is good. I just wish if it was a case of cost saving just tell me to buy one 🙂
Click to expand...
That is good so make good use of it to test how you tolerate your meals. If you are sticking with your one meal a day then test before you eat and after 2 hours, you are aiming at no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase, as your levels start to come down then you would be aiming at no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal.
If you are seeing more than that increase then you have a couple of options, cutting out the high carb foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread or reducing the portion size depending on how far you are from that target.
Making some substitutions and basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese with plenty of veg and salads will still give you options for tasty filling meals.
 
If I do choose to still have some carbs what kind of level should I be aiming for? Or is it down to choice?

I have an appointment in 3 weeks and I am going to mention I am testing
 
emz89 said:
If I do choose to still have some carbs what kind of level should I be aiming for? Or is it down to choice?

I have an appointment in 3 weeks and I am going to mention I am testing
Click to expand...
People will often determine what they can tolerate by testing as everybody is individual in what they can cope with at any one meal.
The general guide is no more than 130g total carbs per day including drinks and snacks but that would be divided between their meals. Some do need to go lower on carbs. I tend to go with about 15g for breakfast, 20g for lunch and 25-30 for dinner, trying to aim for approx 70g per day.
It is very much down to choice and what you can tolerate, if you are going down a low carb route it is not NO carbs, 130g is a good starting point.
Making a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carbs will give you a good idea of how close you are and what you might need to reduce. Reducing cabs slowly is kinder on your eyes and nerves.
I went cold turkey to 70g and had some issues with my eyes.
 
Leadinglights said:
People will often determine what they can tolerate by testing as everybody is individual in what they can cope with at any one meal.
The general guide is no more than 130g total carbs per day including drinks and snacks but that would be divided between their meals. Some do need to go lower on carbs. I tend to go with about 15g for breakfast, 20g for lunch and 25-30 for dinner, trying to aim for approx 70g per day.
It is very much down to choice and what you can tolerate, if you are going down a low carb route it is not NO carbs, 130g is a good starting point.
Making a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carbs will give you a good idea of how close you are and what you might need to reduce. Reducing cabs slowly is kinder on your eyes and nerves.
I went cold turkey to 70g and had some issues with my eyes.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Thank you for being so helpful. Tonight is chicken, lots of veg and a very small jacket potatoes.

I felt a little disappointed after my appointment yesterday. Felt like I was at the bottom of a shipwreck with a rubber ring with a puncture for survival.
 
emz89 said:
Thank you. Thank you for being so helpful. Tonight is chicken, lots of veg and a very small jacket potatoes.

I felt a little disappointed after my appointment yesterday. Felt like I was at the bottom of a shipwreck with a rubber ring with a puncture for survival.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a good choice, it will be the potatoes that can be deceptive in the amount of carbs so may be worth you testing, Before if you haven't eaten yet and after 2 hours. Pairs of readings are more useful than a single reading.
 
Leadinglights said:
That sounds like a good choice, it will be the potatoes that can be deceptive in the amount of carbs so may be worth you testing, Before if you haven't eaten yet and after 2 hours. Pairs of readings are more useful than a single reading.
Click to expand...
I do find the surgery's of no testing very strange to say the least!
 
emz89 said:
I do find the surgery's of no testing very strange to say the least!
Click to expand...
It is that they don't want to have to fund providing on prescription and underestimate the value of doing so. Don't forget it is your condition and your decision how you manage it. So test away and ignore them.
 
emz89 said:
I do find the surgery's of no testing very strange to say the least!
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It is indeed but not rare. I still am amzed that when I saw myvGp who is the diabetes expert of the surgery. She also advised me not to test. Absolutely ridiculous how on earth would I find out what foods are ok. I ignored her advice, bought a monitor and started a food diary. Slowly but surely I was able to find out which foods are ok. I am usually eating about 100 -130 carbs daily.
 
Sharron1 said:
It is indeed but not rare. I still am amzed that when I saw myvGp who is the diabetes expert of the surgery. She also advised me not to test. Absolutely ridiculous how on earth would I find out what foods are ok. I ignored her advice, bought a monitor and started a food diary. Slowly but surely I was able to find out which foods are ok. I am usually eating about 100 -130 carbs daily.
Click to expand...
I work for the NHS and it blows my mind what they waste their money on. A blood glucose monitor for someone that actually wants to monitor is crazy.

I would rather they just said to buy one
 
Apart from the cost of the monitor (for which the logic runs: If, medically, a patient needs to monitor their BG, then the NHS should provide one for them, so if the NHS doesn't want to fork out for the monitor it tells patients they don't need one....!), I think there is also the factor that they don't necessarily want to encourage us to 'fuss' or 'quack-ourselves', that sort of thing.

The 'fussing' aspect mat be justified if patients get very anxious about BG monitoring, and the results they see, but for most of us just as you say, not being able to monitor daily levels is like driving a car with no speedometer - we feel helpless and out of control.

Personally, I go by the mantra - 'we can't manage what we cannot measure', so measuring BG gives us a good insight and handle into what is going on between the moment of eating and what is happening in our blood and body cells etc. It just makes sense to at least learn how our BG levels respond to the kinds of food we eat, the exercise we take, and when we eat and when we exercise etc.

Maybe, once we've established that relationship, we can ease back on monitoring or even abandon it (if safe to do so).

But it just makes sense, I think, to learn how our bodies react to what we feed them, and how hard we work them.
 
I work on a very busy hospital ward and I don't feel I can face it just yet. I've taken a few days off until the end of the week. Hoping I can get a new routine in place.

I am on 500mg once a day for 2 weeks then 2 a day and then a review. I hope I feel a little better soon. The fatigue is beyond belief
 
emz89 said:
I work on a very busy hospital ward and I don't feel I can face it just yet. I've taken a few days off until the end of the week. Hoping I can get a new routine in place.

I am on 500mg once a day for 2 weeks then 2 a day and then a review. I hope I feel a little better soon. The fatigue is beyond belief
Click to expand...
Very wise as if you react to the Metformin it could be very difficult, if not impossible to leave the bathroom. I had to stop taking it for my sanity.
By the time I ditched the tablets and recovered from the explosive incontinence I was settled on a highly nutritious diet, and was dancing around like a spring lamb, so as long as you replace the carbs with protein and fats you should - hopefully - soon feel better
 
so as long as you replace the carbs with protein and fats you should - hopefully - soon feel better
***


It's ironic, in a way, that carbs do seem to tend towards 'yo-yo' energy levels (and concomittent fluctuating BG levels). I have found that eating a lot of protein and fibre does seem to even out both my energy levels and my perception of 'hunger' (and I know 'hunger' is a tricky beast - part 'real', as in caused by whatever is going on in the body, and part 'imagined' - where it becomes, probably, caused by 'greed' - as in, the desire to eat rather than the need to eat?????)(not always the same!)

Very roughly, I'd say that eating protein/fibre (and OK, fat, as in, once I have stabilised my necessary lower weight - still on the way to that!)(so am wary of fat still for now) provides my 'need' to eat food, whereas carbs (both starch and sugar) provides my 'desire' to eat food.

Fat can be a 'desire to eat' food, of course - eg, cream (though it usually needs sugar, sigh, to be really desirable!), or something like pork crackling (salty fat).
 
I am a bit of newbie. Only started my diabetes journey 3 months ago but in that time frankly I am staggered at some of the prejudices and opinions. I don’t yet have a type but absolutely the key recommendation I would give anyone is monitoring. I don’t just mean a finger prick monitor either. I would encourage anyone to at least sign up for a free Libre 2 trial as what you learn about your diabetes in those two weeks is invaluable. I really do not understand why this is not available to all of us that have to treat with insulin whatever type we are. Without monitoring we are walking a tightrope blindfolded. The finger prick allows us to lift the blindfold occasionally, a CGM or flash monitor removes it completely. As an emergency worker I frequently encounter people who have been living with diabetes a long time that is not monitored. If we really want to save the NHS money for this epidemic there are three things we should do. Monitoring, monitoring, oh and monitoring
 
Really silly question coming up! With carbs is it a case of looking at the packaging at the carb value?
 
Leadinglights said:
People will often determine what they can tolerate by testing as everybody is individual in what they can cope with at any one meal.
The general guide is no more than 130g total carbs per day including drinks and snacks but that would be divided between their meals. Some do need to go lower on carbs. I tend to go with about 15g for breakfast, 20g for lunch and 25-30 for dinner, trying to aim for approx 70g per day.
It is very much down to choice and what you can tolerate, if you are going down a low carb route it is not NO carbs, 130g is a good starting point.
Making a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carbs will give you a good idea of how close you are and what you might need to reduce. Reducing cabs slowly is kinder on your eyes and nerves.
I went cold turkey to 70g and had some issues with my eyes.
Click to expand...
Last few days I've had very little carbs and feeling very hungry. I am going to try to sit at 130g tomorrow
 
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