New T2 and uninformed

[MojoMute]

Hi I'm 37 and newly diagnosed with T2, I was informed by a receptionist at the GP surgery who was muttering stuff under her breath as she was reading my file so that's one way to find out I guess.

All I've been told is my blood was 96 and I should come to the surgery and collect a blood glucose monitor, this was 2 weeks ago and in that time I've been sent a text to say I have a prescription of metformin at my nominated pharmacy and a link to this website. Obviously I tried to get more information or a 1 to 1 to talk about how I got it because I'm 37, a muscular 14 stone, very active I'm a bricklayer so it's not like I have a sedimentary job and my diet wasn't horrendous meat and veg the majority of meals the odd chocolate bar, all my drinks are water or diet fizzy.

It's stupidly frustrating because I started getting the symptoms after covid and my blood readings have never been below 10 even with a diet change following what's on this site, I've been told I can join an online course on the 30th of this month th but it seems ridiculous to me that I've had no sit down 1 to 1 about anything.

Can anyone let me know if this is standard procedure or if my GP and local team have dropped the ball info wise.

Thanks for reading and any advice/knowledge you can share

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

Welcome to a great forum. Sorry to hear you have been fobbed off by the GP.... The HbA1c sounds like you are well into type 2 so you might need to make some diet changes. Did the nurse or anyone say something about that? I have discovered that for me, Its all about counting the carbs.... You can eat just about as much protein and green veg as normal, and full fat dairy but you will have to curtail all carbs to a reasonable amount. By carbs I mean bread pasta spuds rice pastry biscuits and sweet things. you can still have two bacon and two eggs for breakfst, buk no toast. Try mushrooms or tomatoes instead!!! Try myfitness pal for a good phone or PC based food diary and see how much you are eating. My GP has refused any face to face for two years so I do sympathise. You will need to get in touch with them to confirm your diagnosis, and get a follow up HbA1c.

I have made lots of diet changes (low carb) and am now aiming to get the type 2 into remission. Ensure you get the modified release metformin as it is better on the stomach.

Others will chip in with great advice on this forum, and hope you are feeling ok. Mrs M (Alison).

 

[Drummer]

Hello @MojoMute - there doesn't seem to be a standard way to deal with type 2, it all depends on the surgery rules.
If you have got a blood glucose monitor then you have got more than most - though check who is paying for the strips, as some are more expensive than others.
I think quite a few people have been having diagnosis or a sudden loss of control after Covid. Some years after diagnosis I was ill and then had a higher than normal Hba1c afterwards, but no one told me at the time and by the time I found out a year later I was back to normal numbers.
Watch out for the side effects of Metformin - some take them no problem - others, like me have dreadful reactions and explosive incontinence, which was no fun at all.

 

[Leadinglights]

A diabetes diagnosis comes as a shock to many people who don't necessarily get any symptoms but some do which sends them to the doctor. People are finding lack of GP support which I suspect is due to the extra pressure of COVID but that does mean people have to become their own expert and take control themselves. A good move is certainly to test your blood glucose levels so you know the effect food and meals are having, not everybody is the same in their tolerance to carbohydrates so your dietary regime is very much tailored to you and determined by your monitor.
You may find this link useful to explain the low carb approach which works for many in reducing their blood glucose levels.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

As for why I have got it, very much the bad luck of the draw for many people though a number of factors can make it more likely.
Many people have been diagnosed following having COVID both Type 2 and Type 1.

 

[goodybags]

Hi there @MojoMute welcome to the forum.

Great to hear that your surgery believe in self testing check with your surgery they are happy to issue the strips on repeat prescription,
then ask for enough so you can test pre & post meals to understand the effect of what your eating on your blood sugar level, plus on waking and before sleep.
a Hba1c of 96 is quite high although many of us have got it down from even higher than that,

my immediate advice is start a food diary (and be honest with yourself in recording what you eat)

if its found you are indeed T2
it’s a reduction of carbs that’s the best thing you can do, you might be surprised some foods people don’t obviously think spike our sugars but later found they do.

 

[MojoMute]

Thanks for all the info so far you've been a lot more helpful than the medical professionals.

I have strips on repeat prescription and metformin which did give me diarrhoea for a couple of days but seems to have settled. I've also applied for prescription cost exemtion certificate.

I'm keeping a log of my food and blood levels to take with me to present to someone if I ever get a meeting to discuss my way forward.

My general diet now is:
Breakfast - no added sugar musli or Poridge to give some fuel for my job (lift 20kg blocks up to 250 a day)

First Break - I used to have 2 sandwiches but now eat either 300g cottage cheese or 150g natural yoghurt with chopped up fruit (apple, banana, pineapple all fresh not tin)

Lunch - Chicken and rice (will now drop the rice for a pot of steam veg to see what that does)

Snack - grenade protein bar, more likely boiled eggs (4) or plain/salted popcorn

Dinner - meat and Veg if I make a curry or Fajitas or anything like that I use my own spices over a ready made jar

It's infuriating because I didn't think I had a bad diet to begin with no history in my family, my wife's mother is type 1 so she's helping where she can but she's learning as I do as she's says it's different for her as she counts for her insulin injection not for food correction.

Sorry for the poor formatting I'm on my phone and I'll post a typical day of logging from the app I use to keep a record of my sugers to see if I should test at different times?

 

[janw]

Hi and welcome
When testing your BG you should do it just before each meal and again 2 hours after that first bite, it should show a rise of less than 2 mmol - or check the carbs and try reducing the portion size next time, or find an alternative if it is still too high. Also it can change with the time of day, generally higher spikes of a morning - it is all test, test, test until you get a pattern to follow. Do not reduce your carbs all at one, take one meal at a time as going too low-carb too fast can bring other issues.
There is lots of help and advice on here, a whole wealth of information - and no question is ever too silly to ask. I'm glad you have had some questions answered already, sorry you were left without basic knowledge

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks for all the info so far you've been a lot more helpful than the medical professionals.

I have strips on repeat prescription and metformin which did give me diarrhoea for a couple of days but seems to have settled. I've also applied for prescription cost exemtion certificate.

I'm keeping a log of my food and blood levels to take with me to present to someone if I ever get a meeting to discuss my way forward.

My general diet now is:
Breakfast - no added sugar musli or Poridge to give some fuel for my job (lift 20kg blocks up to 250 a day)

First Break - I used to have 2 sandwiches but now eat either 300g cottage cheese or 150g natural yoghurt with chopped up fruit (apple, banana, pineapple all fresh not tin)

Lunch - Chicken and rice (will now drop the rice for a pot of steam veg to see what that does)

Snack - grenade protein bar, more likely boiled eggs (4) or plain/salted popcorn

Dinner - meat and Veg if I make a curry or Fajitas or anything like that I use my own spices over a ready made jar

It's infuriating because I didn't think I had a bad diet to begin with no history in my family, my wife's mother is type 1 so she's helping where she can but she's learning as I do as she's says it's different for her as she counts for her insulin injection not for food correction.

Sorry for the poor formatting I'm on my phone and I'll post a typical day of logging from the app I use to keep a record of my sugers to see if I should test at different times?

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @MojoMute Comments on your proposed diet:
You say that your Blood Glucose is still always above 10, so I think even your proposed meals may still be too high in carbs.
Porridge needs testing - it is far too carby for many/most Type 2 diabetics. A much better breakfast is eggs (or bacon and eggs if you aren't fat-phobic).
The fruit choice for your first break needs testing because for the majority of us, tropical fruit like Banana and Pineapple have far too much sugar. Berries (rasp, straw, black or blue) are a much better choice. You could also consider adding some seeds and chopped nuts to it.

 

[Leadinglights]

You might find having a breakfast with more protein and some heathy fats, eggs and bacon, omelette or full fat yoghurt with berries as that would fill you up better than a portion of cereal which is high carb and unless you weigh the portion you are probably having a huge carb hit.
You obviously have a pretty physical job so need to make sure you are having enough protein whilst limiting the carbs but your monitor can be your guide about what you can tolerate.

 

[harbottle]

Some of those protein bars have a lot of carbs in them.

I add a few teaspoons of pure peanut butter to Greek yogurt, throw in a handful of berries and sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon or vanilla essence.

I do make small Banana muffins and sometimes make banana pancakes, but there's very little banana in each pancake as it's mixed with peanut butter and egg so per portion the carbs are low.

For main meals it's usually Fish/Meat with vegetables such as Leek, Onion, Cauliflower, peas. I use recipes from a book called 'The 30 minute diabetes cook book' by Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi. The book has large section about food and nutrition by a GP who has had success putting a lot of his type 2 patients into remission. By the time I was invited onto a DESMOND food course I'd lost 3 stone and BG had improved.

I do tests if I eat something new - for instance, today we went to a carvery and I 'treated' myself to some potato and mac and cheese (Just a small portion) and found that after two hours BG was at a good level and hadn't really gone up from the pre-meal level. (If it is a little bit high, I find a walk around the block brings it down.)

How GP surgeries deal with Diabetes seems completely random. Yours sound better than mine. You should get an automatic eye test come through at some point - it took three months for me.

 

[MojoMute]

Interesting about all the carbs. I think eating is going to be a real issue for me with the carbs I need to get in around 3200 calories a day as that's what I'm burning. My average calories burnt is 2200 resting and 1500 active then take 500-600 off for inaccurate readings so if anyone knows any calorie dense foods that are low in carb/sugar im all ears.

These are the things I'd have loved to ask day 1 if I wasn't let down by the doctors but the fruit swap I'll make.

 

[Felinia]

Hi and welcome
It's quite a learning curve when first diagnosed, but you have had lots of excellent advice from the Forum so far. I'm glad you have been prescribed a monitor and found you can claim exemption for your diabetes medication and supplies. Otherwise the response from your GP is unfortunately fairly typical.
However you should be sent for an annual eye test, and tickle test of your feet to check for retinopathy and neuropathy. Unfortunately the NHS dietary advice is often old fashioned for diabetics (unless you are lucky enough to get an up to date nurse). Also initially you should have your HbA1c tested again after 3 months (the one which read 96). Ask if you are not called for a repeat test as it is important you know whether or not your medication and food changes are effective. Most people are then tested 6 or 12 monthly. Also you should be referred for a training course like DESMOND or similar. But the Learning Zone (orange tab above) is excellent. I suggest one module a day so you can take it all in.
I too think you may need to slowly reduce the carbs in your proposed diet. Too quickly can cause eye problems, so you should regard yourself as the tortoise rather than the hare. Everyone is different and by testing you will soon discover what spikes your blood sugar. I personally cannot take apples or pears. I also learned to love cauliflower - as mash, rice, or with cheese. There are also zero carb alternatives to pasta, and pizza type toppings on an omelette base is tasty. Cottage cheese or full fat Greek yogurt make excellent snacks. I mix a few prawns in with my cottage cheese snack.
Best wishes

 

[Leadinglights]

You can increase your calorie intake by having protein and healthy fats, so avoid anything low fat like yoghurts, cottage cheese and have full fat dairy, cheese, avocados, nuts, and have butter on your veg and mayonnaise on your salads. Home made soup broccoli and stilton, courgette and brie are good.

 

[harbottle]

I eat a lot of almonds and pure peanut butter.

 

[Gwynn]

I do have the occasional diabetic nurse appointments, but they are a bit random, and the last one in Feb was completely lost. I have a review tomorrow having reminded them last week (or the week before).

I have never had a doctors appointment regarding diabetes.

Information from the NHS regarding my diabetes was scant to zero. The only useful, consistent information came from this web site and the great people here. Thank goodness for the people here.

As has been said, it's a personal journey, finding out what your own body can cope with (or not) and the fight for all of us T2's is against the carbohydrates in our food and not just sugars.

Great that you have been given a blood glucose monitor, with good use it will help you selct the good foods and eliminate or reduce the bad ones for you.

Good luck and let us know how you get on and what choices work for you

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @MojoMute

Glad you have joined us, and good to hear that you are finding the suggestions and shared experiences helpful.

Great that you have a blood glucose monitor too - this will be a huge help in terms of you understanding how your body is reacting to the foods you are eating, and the high level of activity involved in your job.

Sorry that you didn’t seem to get much information from your surgery, and that face-to-face appointments have been impossible to get - the system certainly seems under a lot of continuing strain and pressure for any kind of routine care.

I am struck that you are not all that old, have a very active job, have no family history of diabetes, and that your diagnosis came on fairly suddenly. If you find that your BG levels remain stubbornly high despite significantly reducing your carbohydrate intake, it could well be worth asking your GP to investigate other potential forms of diabetes - some of which can initially present in very similar ways to T2, but ultimately need very different treatment. Eg a slow-onset form of T1 sometimes called LADA which would need insulin treatment as beta cells in the pancreas are being lost.

Good luck with the changes you are making, and let us know how things go 🙂

 

[MojoMute]

Thanks I'll keep that in mind if my bloods don't change, with all the advice I'm going to cut carbs slowly over the next month eliminating them from a meal at a time so as not to cause any other issues.

I've learnt more in one night from kind strangers that I had in 2 weeks of self research and a nurse phone call.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks I'll keep that in mind if my bloods don't change, with all the advice I'm going to cut carbs slowly over the next month eliminating them from a meal at a time so as not to cause any other issues.

I've learnt more in one night from kind strangers that I had in 2 weeks of self research and a nurse phone call.

I don't think you need to eliminate completely from your meals, but decide on a carb limit for each meal and gradually cut that by one third then another third. So if you are currently having 90g carb each meal then cut to 60g per meal etc.
You can then use your monitor to test what you need to cut down to for each meal and what is a reasonable daily total taking drinks and any snacks into account as well.

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

You might find having a breakfast with more protein and some heathy fats, eggs and bacon, omelette or full fat yoghurt with berries as that would fill you up better than a portion of cereal which is high carb and unless you weigh the portion you are probably having a huge carb hit.
You obviously have a pretty physical job so need to make sure you are having enough protein whilst limiting the carbs but your monitor can be your guide about what you can tolerate.

protein is still used for energy in the body but releases slower. Breakfast of 2 eggs bacon mushroom and tomato is fine , even with half a piece of burgen bread (low carb bread). You could also do a greek yoghurt breakfast or Kvarg is high protein. Try cauliflower rice instead of brown rice, or mix one spoon of brown rice with 3 of cauliflower rice to get 'the taste' of rice. An app like myfitness pal will show you what you are eating.

Lunch - two cooked chicken breasts and some salad and mayo is good option? as is a soup with lots of chicken bits in it?

as LeadingLights says, try to scale down carbs gradually and monitor using a diary. I now eat a third green veg, a third protein and the rest fat, with 50g of carbs a day. Any more and I put weight on and blood sugar goes up.

Nuts, cheese and ham are great snacks. Popcorn, not so much - pure carbs.

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