New Type 2 diagnosis

[Lazydave]

It will take a while for medication to kick in but watching your intake of carb is also important if not more so than the meds. As you level is quite high then more information about the suitability of a meal would be obtained by testing before and 2 hours after you eat rather so you have a comparison. The aim is for no more than 2-3mmol/l increase from you meal. You don't then need to be testing in the cold unless you are having a picnic. Maybe concentrate on one meal at a time, choosing the one which is the most carb heavy so you can establish a repertoire of 'safe' meals.

Thanks. I was post 2 hours and was somewhere with the kids. Don't know why but I feel I need as much data as possible at the moment so will do pre and post each meal and log what I ate. Just posed on another thread with a question about porridge which you may have answered. Post meal increase was 5.6 up from 10.2 to 15.8 which is the highest I have had. Other than that I have just had tea so I guess porridge is out then....

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks. I was post 2 hours and was somewhere with the kids. Don't know why but I feel I need as much data as possible at the moment so will do pre and post each meal and log what I ate. Just posed on another thread with a question about porridge which you may have answered. Post meal increase was 5.6 up from 10.2 to 15.8 which is the highest I have had. Other than that I have just had tea so I guess porridge is out then....

Porridge is something many have a problem with. Often people are more sensitive to carbs in the morning so opt for a low carb breakfast.

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks. I was post 2 hours and was somewhere with the kids. Don't know why but I feel I need as much data as possible at the moment so will do pre and post each meal and log what I ate. Just posed on another thread with a question about porridge which you may have answered. Post meal increase was 5.6 up from 10.2 to 15.8 which is the highest I have had. Other than that I have just had tea so I guess porridge is out then....

You could try just half the portion of porridge and bulk it out with lower carb things like nuts/seeds/berries and some thick creamy natural yoghurt instead of milk or just have the yoghurt with a few berries and mixed nuts and seeds which is what many of us have most mornings and works well. Oats are a high carb grain and whilst some people digest them more slowly others of us find our digestive system breaks them down fast just like other cereals.
I buy a big 1kg pot of creamy Greek Natural yoghurt from Lidl (Aldi do a similar one) and it lasts me a week of breakfasts and it is yummy and not expensive.

 

[Lazydave]

You could try just half the portion of porridge and bulk it out with lower carb things like nuts/seeds/berries and some thick creamy natural yoghurt instead of milk or just have the yoghurt with a few berries and mixed nuts and seeds which is what many of us have most mornings and works well. Oats are a high carb grain and whilst some people digest them more slowly others of us find our digestive system breaks them down fast just like other cereals.
I buy a big 1kg pot of creamy Greek Natural yoghurt from Lidl (Aldi do a similar one) and it lasts me a week of breakfasts and it is yummy and not expensive.

Thanks Barbara. I love that yoghurt (and Lidl!) so I'll give that a try. I'll make some fruit laden overnight oats with 1/2 the portion and see what happens. Nuts/seeds/berries all right up my street. Boy this is a rollercoaster. So grateful for this forum!

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks Barbara. I love that yoghurt (and Lidl!) so I'll give that a try. I'll make some fruit laden overnight oats with 1/2 the portion and see what happens. Nuts/seeds/berries all right up my street. Boy this is a rollercoaster. So grateful for this forum!

Not too fruit laden!.... Portion size even with berries is relevant. I have about 10 of Lidl's frozen sour cherries (defrosted of course) and about 10 blueberries at the moment, but I alternate with raspberries or occasionally 5 or 6 strawberries chopped up or their mixed summer fruits, but they can be quite tart. I usually have a sprinkle of cinnamon on it too.
If you are getting the Lidl yoghurt make sure to get the dark blue printed pot which is creamy rather than the light blue which is low fat. The thicker creamy one will be more sustaining as the fat provides slow release energy to keep you feeling full for longer and when you are eating less carbs, your body needs another source of energy ie fat.

 

[Lazydave]

Not too fruit laden!.... Portion size even with berries is relevant. I have about 10 of Lidl's frozen sour cherries (defrosted of course) and about 10 blueberries at the moment, but I alternate with raspberries or occasionally 5 or 6 strawberries chopped up or their mixed summer fruits, but they can be quite tart. I usually have a sprinkle of cinnamon on it too.
If you are getting the Lidl yoghurt make sure to get the dark blue printed pot which is creamy rather than the light blue which is low fat. The thicker creamy one will be more sustaining as the fat provides slow release energy to keep you feeling full for longer and when you are eating less carbs, your body needs another source of energy ie fat.

Wow that is all good to know. I thought fruit etc was pretty much free. Also I assumed the light blue one was better. That will cause conflict as my wife is doing Slimming World and wants fat free lol. Cinnamon? Might have to try that 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

Wow that is all good to know. I thought fruit etc was pretty much free. Also I assumed the light blue one was better. That will cause conflict as my wife is doing Slimming World and wants fat free lol. Cinnamon? Might have to try that 🙂

Yes do be careful of fruit, berries like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are the lowest, blueberries a bit more, apples, pears, plums, kiwi, melon middleish, bananas, pineapple, mango the highest.
The SW principals are a bit different from a low carb regime though there is some commonality mainly the fat and what are 'free' foods.
You might both find the book or app Carbs and Cals illuminating as it has pictures of various portion sizes of a whole range of foods and meals.

 

[Lazydave]

Yes do be careful of fruit, berries like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are the lowest, blueberries a bit more, apples, pears, plums, kiwi, melon middleish, bananas, pineapple, mango the highest.
The SW principals are a bit different from a low carb regime though there is some commonality mainly the fat and what are 'free' foods.
You might both find the book or app Carbs and Cals illuminating as it has pictures of various portion sizes of a whole range of foods and meals.

Thanks I will have a look at that book. Shame about bananas, I was a big fan. Nuts and seeds are OK though aren't they from what I have read? Happy to drop loads of them into my yoghurt. How does snacking work? Is that allowed or is it just main meals? Sorry for all the questions

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks I will have a look at that book. Shame about bananas, I was a big fan. Nuts and seeds are OK though aren't they from what I have read? Happy to drop loads of them into my yoghurt. How does snacking work? Is that allowed or is it just main meals? Sorry for all the questions

It depends on your point of view, sometimes snacking is out of habit rather than actually being hungry. If it is being hungry then making sure you eat meals with sufficient protein and healthy fats which helps. Low carb snacks, nuts, veg sticks, boiled eggs, cheese or things like Nature Valley nut protein bars or shop own which are less than 10g carbs per bar.

 

[Drummer]

Wow that is all good to know. I thought fruit etc was pretty much free. Also I assumed the light blue one was better. That will cause conflict as my wife is doing Slimming World and wants fat free lol. Cinnamon? Might have to try that 🙂

Ah no - fruit is very much not free, and full fat yoghurt - we need protein and fat to even exist, carbs are optional.

 

[Lazydave]

What meter do you have? My technique is to put the strip into the meter (an Accu-Chek Nano) and while it is firing up and going through its set up I jab a finger to get a drop of blood. When the meter is ready I dip the end of the strip into the blood drop and and it wicks up on to the test area of the strip. I wonder if you are trying to get the blood drop to drip onto the strip? If so than that is a bit tricky. I remember trying that to start with but soon found that the once the end of the strip gets in contact with the blood drop, the blood is drawn up automatically.

A HbA1c of 100 is getting up to the red zone and deserves a bit more attention than a prevention video and metformin. My thought for you is that you spend a little time getting to grips with diabetes and the various approaches to dealing with it. The main site, the learning zone and this forum are good places to start. Above all ask questions about anything you do not understand and we will do our best to clarify things.

Hi. Late further question on this. Was sent for a CT scan. I am guessing to look at my pancreas. Had it on Saturday and was advised to calm my doc Tues / Weds to say it was done. From other scans I’ve had for separate thing’s previously I was told. Your doctor will be in touch. If I was worried I’d be telling you to call them so I guess this is a bad sign. When you say that 100 is approaching the red zone, what do you mean? Is it a symptom of pancreatic cancer? Freaking out a bit while waiting. Thanks

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi. Late further question on this. Was sent for a CT scan. I am guessing to look at my pancreas. Had it on Saturday and was advised to calm my doc Tues / Weds to say it was done. From other scans I’ve had for separate thing’s previously I was told. Your doctor will be in touch. If I was worried I’d be telling you to call them so I guess this is a bad sign. When you say that 100 is approaching the red zone, what do you mean? Is it a symptom of pancreatic cancer? Freaking out a bit while waiting. Thanks

An HbA1C of 100mmol/mol which I assume is what you are talking about means your blood glucose levelover the previous 3 months is quite high, a diabetes diagnosis is given when your HbA1C is anything over 47mmol/mol.
It means that your diet has too much carbohydrate for the insulin you are producing to cope with. Why can be for a number of reasons, so don't jump to any sinister conclusions, wait for the results of your scan.
Many here have started with an Hba1C higher than yours and have managed to get it down with a combination of diet and or medication.

 

[Docb]

Hi. Late further question on this. Was sent for a CT scan. I am guessing to look at my pancreas. Had it on Saturday and was advised to calm my doc Tues / Weds to say it was done. From other scans I’ve had for separate thing’s previously I was told. Your doctor will be in touch. If I was worried I’d be telling you to call them so I guess this is a bad sign. When you say that 100 is approaching the red zone, what do you mean? Is it a symptom of pancreatic cancer? Freaking out a bit while waiting. Thanks

Sorry if the comment has freaked you out but if there was any chance of pancreatic cancer being at the bottom of your problems it would have been spotted and your GP would be on to you straight away.

T2 Diabetes is insidious in that the frightening stuff beloved of the media happens a long way down the line, if it is going to happen at all. The higher the HbA1c is, and the longer it stays high, the greater the risk of complications later in life. Bringing a high HbA1c down to below the diabetes diagnosis level will eliminate those risks.

Finding a way of expressing that risk is not easy and some of us use a sort of informal colour code based on charts like the one below. There are lots of other charts and tables about and all suggest that once a HbA1c gets over 90 then the charts go red, indicating a significant risk of long term problems and real attention needs to be paid to getting it down. That is what I meant by the red zone.



Hope that makes sense.

 

[Lazydave]

An HbA1C of 100mmol/mol which I assume is what you are talking about means your blood glucose levelover the previous 3 months is quite high, a diabetes diagnosis is given when your HbA1C is anything over 47mmol/mol.
It means that your diet has too much carbohydrate for the insulin you are producing to cope with. Why can be for a number of reasons, so don't jump to any sinister conclusions, wait for the results of your scan.
Many here have started with an Hba1C higher than yours and have managed to get it down with a combination of diet and or medication.

Thanks Leadinglights. I am just having a bit of a meltdown. Appreciate your response

 

[Lazydave]

Sorry if the comment has freaked you out but if there was any chance of pancreatic cancer being at the bottom of your problems it would have been spotted and your GP would be on to you straight away.

T2 Diabetes is insidious in that the frightening stuff beloved of the media happens a long way down the line, if it is going to happen at all. The higher the HbA1c is, and the longer it stays high, the greater the risk of complications later in life. Bringing a high HbA1c down to below the diabetes diagnosis level will eliminate those risks.

Finding a way of expressing that risk is not easy and some of us use a sort of informal colour code based on charts like the one below. There are lots of other charts and tables about and all suggest that once a HbA1c gets over 90 then the charts go red, indicating a significant risk of long term problems and real attention needs to be paid to getting it down. That is what I meant by the red zone.

View attachment 25278

Hope that makes sense.

Thank you Docb. That's really useful. Since diagnosis I have hugely changed my diet and started the long road back to physical fitness and weight loss so hopefully I'll be well out of the red zone the next test. I appreciate your response. Been wigging out since the CT scan person told me to call my doctor and tell them I've been done. The lack of knowledge and waiting is a nightmare. I know the advise is wait and see but it's hard not to think on it! Regards

 

[Docb]

No problem, one of the problems with T2 is getting a perspective on things in a world where the extremes tend to get all the exposure. Not helped by NHS (at least round here) do not seem to appreciate that a negative result (and most are) to a test is as important to the patient as a positive test. Reporting a negative result can wait until the next consultant appointment - if it ever happens - leaving the patient with sometimes worrying uncertainty.