New to this and confused

[Helenp479]

Hi everyone I am new to this and very confused with what to do about everything. I have ordered a book that leelee said was good to read and that should come early next week.
I have called the doctors back this morning as my 1st appointment with the diabetic nurse wasn't until 13th Sept and I felt this was too far away and too close to my holiday which is 6th oct not a good time to be diagnosed with diabetes.
Few questions I need to ask if anyone can help me.

What do I do about holiday insurance after a conversation with mine this morning I feel they are going to be awkward who do you use and is it a lot more expensive I normally buy annual insurance for Europe.

Are headaches part of diabetes as I keep getting them last few days and I don't know if linked or not.

I have had no information on diabetes yet so trying to cut some stuff out but not really understanding what to do yet I know the book will help and getting the earlier appointment will help now but when we do the shopping tomorrow what sort of stuff should I be getting, I can't stand brown rice and the brown pasta but do eat brown bread, I normally eat my breakfast at work at 10am which is a cheese sarnie take it will have to change that but cannot eat it at work earlier and I really cannot eat when I get up as I have a nausea problem early morning, its like a morning sickness type thing.

Any advice will be helpful to me I don't really know what to ask, I just feel confused and don't know what to do to help myself if that makes sense.

Thanks upfront

Helen

 

[Caroline]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If the glucose levels have been high for a while you will experience headaches as your system sorts itself out. Have you got anything you can test with?

It is quite normal to fel confused at first so don't worry, keep asking questions and some one will be along soon to help you

 

[Naty]

Hiya Helen, you will be given info by various health professionals but I think the most important thing is to work out what's right for you. It might be for example that you don't have to eat brown rice but might be Ok with basmati. You will need to do some experiments...

 

[cherrypie]

Hi Helen,

While you are waiting for your book to arrive, have a read through this e-book. It will help you understand.
http://cdn.diabetesdaily.com/voices/files/2012/05/free-type-2-diabetes-book-taming-the-tiger11.pdf

Your surgery may give you a tester, it's a bit of a postcode lottery. There is an affordable one you could buy whilst you are waiting for your appointment to see how different foods are affecting you.
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

I get my Travel Insurance via my bank and you have to let them know about any illnesses but they do not add anything to the premiums. Maybe someone else will come along with a suggestion.

 

[DeusXM]

For travel insurance, if you look on Moneysupermarket, you can search for travel insurance that takes note of pre-existing conditions. In my experience, it isn't dramatically more expensive than regular insurance - I have two people on my annual Europe policy for less than ?60 in total. This way, you can also book the insurance literally on the day you go as well.

I think sometimes these policies may not cover treatment relating to any pre-existing conditions but if you are visiting EU countries, your EHIC (which is free) should cover the cost of any emergency medical treatment at the time.

As for your diet...I'm a bit skeptical of the wisdom of recommending 'brown' starches in place of white ones. ALL starches are just sugar and while the brown ones may break down more slowly than 'white' ones, a lot people with T2 find they do far better simply by removing the majority of carbohydrates from their diet and increasing their fat and protein intake to compensate for the calorie drop.

Personally I would look at eating more things like salad, steamed veg, quality cuts of meat, eggs etc. These are all foods you can eat which should have minimal impact on your blood sugar levels.

 

[Pine Marten]

I would second what DeusXM says about diet above - I have found that I feel better and have more energy on these foods rather than heavy carbs (despite what professionals tell you!). You will need to find out what suits you, which can take a while - I am still working on that!

For insurance, we have used Insureandgo for a few years. They didn't up the premiums when I told them about being diabetic and I don't think they are very expensive. Worth a try, anyway.

Try not to worry too much (easy to say), and learn what your body needs. All the best!

 

[will2016]

Welcome, my insurance for Europe is with "Insure and Go" and they charged me ?2 extra for being type 2 🙂

 

[jalapino]

Hi everyone I am new to this and very confused with what to do about everything.

Try not to take in so much and so quick....as someone told me on this forum it is a marathon not a sprint, it is early stages for you and trust me you will adapt and then hopefully start to benefit from your hard work.

Take one day at a time and just remember we are all here for you 🙂

Another thing is when you do see your diabetes nurse she will more than probably ask you to go on a DESMOND coarse, which is a day of educating you on diabetes, I personally found this helpful and so did my partner so I highly recommend you go.

So try and chill and not think to much as you can try and take to much in to quick! 🙂🙂

 

[LeeLee]

Hi Helen, I'll tackle your breakfast dilemma. Like you, at the beginning I had the same problem with eating first thing in the morning (now better since my BG is under control and I've lost loads of weight).

If you do a search for Crustless Quiche, I posted a recipe a few months ago. It's fantastic as a very low carb breakfast to be eaten at one's desk. Because it's high protein, it keeps me going for hours. It's great for using up the odd bits of leftover veg.

If you don't have the time or ingredients to make the quiche tonight, how about a Mullerlight yogurt? You could stir in a tiny quantity of muesli or All Bran to make it a bit more substantial (I limit myself to 20g).

Weekend breakfasts are a bit easier - lean bacon, scrambled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes (no toast).

Hopefully that will be enough to get you started. I've been doing this a while, so if you need more ideas just let me know.

 

[Helenp479]

thank you everyone for all your comments and help you have given me I have been and bought some yogurts on my way home that I think are ok for me, also some of the apple and pear kids fruit bags that asda sells so I can have these in place of my caramel biscuit that I have been having at 3pm at work. I have also bought some sugar free jelly and a jar of pears so I can make those up as well. I have changed my dairylea cheese slices that I normally have in white bread for breakfast at work for edam and some brown bread which I hope is ok for me.
I will get a monitor and watch what happens until I go to the nurse next week at least now I have got my appointment brought forward a week.
Me and my husband have said that it could be that over the weeks we will have to go to the supermarket one night a week away from the normal shop that he does so that as we go along we can find the right foods for me to eat and try so that then when he does a full shop he knows what he is getting.
I have taken note of the insurance company and once I have been to the nurse I will ring mine back and see what they say If they are awkward then I will phone Insureandgo and see what they say as I have this holiday in 5 weeks to go on and have another already booked for next June which needs cover for.

Helen