Newbie - Diagnosed 6 days ago

[Mark_1979]

Hello all,

I thought I would introduce myself having been a lurker for the last few days. After seeing the GP for fertility issues, I had sugar in my urine, and the GP ordered some bloods. The results came back with a hba1c of 103, and I was put on Metformin straight away. Thinking back over the last 6 months, I have had some blurred vision which I put down to a prescription change in my glasses, and I have been really tired, but again I put this down to other factors at the time. I have a 3 year old, and have been working crazy hours through the pandemic ( I work in Business Intelligence for a large NHS trust, not frontline, and have been largely working from home, but obviously the last 6 months have been somewhat crazy from a work point of view). I really should have been expecting the diagnosis and should have done something about my diet and lifestyle earlier given that my dad was diabetic and my uncle is. However, I am where I am - 41 years old, obese (I was 22st last November, which I have managed to get down to 19st 10 as of this morning), and now diabetic.

I saw the diabetic nurse at my surgery on Monday, and have been given lots of information, a glucose meter, and referrals for an eye check and for some education through Oviva (if anybody has any experience of this I'd be grateful to hear about it). The testing strips she had were out of date so I only got hold of some strips yesterday. My first test, prior to lunch, was 11.9, and I did a test this morning prior to eating anything which read 13.5. Yesterday I felt better than in the previous couple of days, but today I feel worse again. I appreciate that until I can get my blood sugars under control this will be somewhat of a rollercoaster, but I'm feeling quite low today. I just want to get this nailed so I can be there for my daughter going forwards. My dad died quite young (of cancer, though Diabetes was mentioned on his death certificate), and I don't want to go down that route.

We've started tackling the diet side of things by going down the low-carb route. I need to try and work out which foods are having what effect on my bloods though. So far, I'm not having any hunger pangs/cravings which is good. In terms of exercise, I was doing reasonably well on that front already (hence the weight loss I've achieved thus far). At the start of lockdown I was running daily, until I injured my ankle, at which point I changed up to using a cross trainer in my garage 5/6 days a week. I'm now trying to make sure I go for a 30-40 minute brisk walk each evening as well.

I know it has taken years of abuse of my body to get to this point, and will take a considerable time to improve things so I will need to be patient, but it is good to read stories of people that have made positive changes and got things under control.

So anyway, hi! Look forward to engaging with you all on this journey.

All the best,

Mark

 

[Kaylz]

Hi Mark and welcome to the forum

You seem to know quite a lot of what you need to do already which is fantastic, some newly diagnosed Type 2's get no information whatsoever! Are you being prescribed the strips or paying out of pocket? Your quite lucky to have even been given a meter as they are under no obligation to do so unless you are on hypo causing medication

Are you pre and post meal testing to see what meals do work for you?

We're a friendly bunch with lots of knowledge between us so should you have any questions please do feel free to ask them

Join in with our waking thread if you have time - https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/group-7-day-waking-average.20148/page-3120#post-1002369 (of course I don't suggest you trawl all the pages, just skiff to the last few lol)

And have a look at our what did you eat thread for some inspiration should you wish - https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/ - there is a wide mix of carbohydrate intake there though as us Type 1's may get off a bit more freely with them seen as we can adjust our insulin for them

Welcome aboard
xx

 

[Mark_1979]

Not sure what they will do long term, but they have prescribed strips initially - I bought some on Amazon as well, as could get them quicker than through the doctor.

My plan is to pre and post test for a good while to try and work that out. Just tested two hours after breakfast and I'm at 16.4.

 

[Kaylz]

So yes that's high but from 13.5 that you mentioned this morning its only a rise of 2.9mmol, ideally the lower the rise the better but we look for no more than a 2-3mmol rise post meal ideally, may I ask what you had for breakast?

How are you coping with the diagnosis?

If they aren't going to prescribe you strips long term then it may be financially better when they do stop them to switch to a different meter and strips that are cheaper to self fund (depending on the type of meter you were given of course) but that's just if you grudge/can't afford the cost of your specific strips long term
xx

 

[Mark_1979]

I had a packet of Oats So Simple Porridge with semi skimmed milk, and a cup of tea, along with a couple of pints of water.

I'm up and down if I'm honest, mood is swinging quite wildly at the moment!

 

[Ljc]

Hi @Mark_1979 welcometothe forum. Sounds like you have made a great start.
I am very pleased to hear you have been prescribe a glucose meter and test strips, this is most unusual and shows your nurse is really on the ball , advising going low carb is too .

Initially we use our meter to test howthe various carbohydrates affect us as we are all different in this respect.
To do this we test directly before eating then two hours after the first bite, if the difference is 3 or 4 mmol then that meal was fine.
Atm your pre meal levels will be high Which means your post meal levels will be but gradually your BG (blood glucose) level will come down .

Ask all the questions you you need to about diabetes , we’ll do our best to heop.

 

[Kaylz]

Ah porridge isn't always tolerated very well by diabetics, even some Type 1's can't get it "right" with insulin to stop those pesly spikes, sachets are worse than your jumbo type too and then there were the carbs in the milk as well but it's not a bad rise considering! I too eat porridge but use unsweetened almond milk as it doesn't contain carbs

It will get easier, there will always be ups and downs but it does get easier my lovely
xx

 

[Docb]

Hi @Mark_1979 and welcome to the forum although sorry you have to be here. Like @Kaylz says, you seem to have got the basics sorted already and it looks like you are going to get good support from your GP surgery. As for test strips, I get mine prescribed and order them one day and pick them up from the pharmacy the next - no need for Amazon!

My first thought for anybody is don't panic, work out what you have got to do, work out how you are going to do it, make a plan and then carry it out. If you want inspiration then look at ColinUk's thread on the weight loss board. That's not because of his use of the Newcastle diet, its because it shows what can be done if you sort out a plan that suits you and stick to it.

Can I suggest you get some base data together using your meter? Test in the morning first thing, test at night last thing and do some testing immediately before a meal and a couple of hours after. At the same time keep a food diary. You can then begin to see the patterns of how your BG (blood glucose) varies through the day, what foods give you the biggest rises and give you a baseline from which you can judge progress.

Above all, just ask questions. There are aeons of experience on the forum, tap into it!

 

[Ljc]

Test strips , I t’s likely you will only be allowed a small number perhaps 50 test strips a month . if that the case . You’ll need more stripsto do the in depth testing we initially do.
The Gluco navii meter is one of the cheapest ones to self fund the test strips £8 for 50 Gluco navii test strips.
We use the mmol measurement in the U.K.
you are entitled to claim VAT relief.

Has your nurse arranged the certificate for free prescriptions as you are now entitled to free nhs prescriptions.

 

[Mark_1979]

Test strips , I t’s likely you will only be allowed a small number perhaps 50 test strips a month . if that the case . You’ll need more stripsto do the in depth testing we initially do.
The Gluco navii meter is one of the cheapest ones to self fund the test strips £8 for 50 Gluco navii test strips.
We use the mmol measurement in the U.K.
you are entitled to claim VAT relief.

Has your nurse arranged the certificate for free prescriptions as you are now entitled to free nhs prescriptions.

Is that all NHS prescriptions? Because I am on some other medication as well (Anti-coagulant medication and omeprazole to deal with acid reflux) - that would be a big help.

 

[Ljc]

Is that all NHS prescriptions? Because I am on some other medication as well (Anti-coagulant medication and omeprazole to deal with acid reflux) - that would be a big help.

Yes all nhs prescriptions.
You have to pay till you receive your certificate but if you keep your receipts/proof then you should be able to claim a refundfrom the time you were prescribed Metformin.

 

[grovesy]

Where in the country are you?
I have not heard anyone ever mention the course you mentioned. Some of these course are local ones, some that are more widespread but often can vary depending on the course leaders. You can just try it and see what it is like.

 

[Mark_1979]

Where in the country are you?
I have not heard anyone ever mention the course you mentioned. Some of these course are local ones, some that are more widespread but often can vary depending on the course leaders. You can just try it and see what it is like.

I'm in Buckinghamshire

 

[grovesy]

OK,

 

[Anitram]

I had a packet of Oats So Simple Porridge with semi skimmed milk, and a cup of tea, along with a couple of pints of water.

I'm up and down if I'm honest, mood is swinging quite wildly at the moment!

Hi, and welcome to the Forum. Many members were higher than 103 at diagnosis (me included) and have managed to bring their BG down to good levels with a combination of diet, exercise and weight loss. Seems you've already got your head around what you need to do so just keep at it and the results will come.

Martin

 

[Felinia]

Hi
You seem to have researched well and made a good start.

OVIVA I did the Oviva course last November. It consisted of a 1 hour phone consultation with a trained diet/exercise specialist, followed by a half day group session. I suspect that may be different now, perhaps a ZOOM or SKYPE session, but Oviva have a website which should explain their current procedures. Some people qualify for weekly checks until their HbA1c drops - mine did not. I learned a lot from it, plus the Learning Zone here.

By regular monitoring you should soon identify what suits your body and what causes spikes in your blood glucose. I would suggest you ditch the packages as much as possible and stick to the raw ingredients. I use unsweetened almond milk for my jumbo porridge as well, but not in my tea (YUK). But I often have a breakfast of poached egg with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, or a mushroom omelette. I make a lot of home made soups and slow cooker dishes so I know just what goes in them. If you are working from home, that may be possible, and is simple. Chuck vegetables, stock, poultry in a pan or slow cooker, set the timer and leave. I even cheat by getting prepared veggie packs to reduce the prep time to a minimum. It will be less carbs than grabbing a sandwich.

I found after a time, and very sore fingers, I was able to reduce my monitoring to just testing out the effect of new foods. I also subscribe to an app which monitors all my cals, carbs, fats, protein etc. and helps keep me disciplined. There are some I believe which also record your glucose readings.

Best wishes

 

[KerryC]

Hi Mark,

I'm fairly new to the forum and I was only diagnosed as type 2 back in May. My Hba1c was 103 on diagnosis as well. Last month I had my Hba1c retested and it was down to 43. I know everyone is different but it's just to give you hope that it is possible to reduce your Hba1c results

You have made really good changes already with your diet and exercise! Keep up the great work

 

[Ljc]

Hi Mark,

I'm fairly new to the forum and I was only diagnosed as type 2 back in May. My Hba1c was 103 on diagnosis as well. Last month I had my Hba1c retested and it was down to 43. I know everyone is different but it's just to give you hope that it is possible to reduce your Hba1c results

You have made really good changes already with your diet and exercise! Keep up the great work

@KerryC . That is brilliant . Well done

 

[grovesy]

Hi
You seem to have researched well and made a good start.

OVIVA I did the Oviva course last November. It consisted of a 1 hour phone consultation with a trained diet/exercise specialist, followed by a half day group session. I suspect that may be different now, perhaps a ZOOM or SKYPE session, but Oviva have a website which should explain their current procedures. Some people qualify for weekly checks until their HbA1c drops - mine did not. I learned a lot from it, plus the Learning Zone here.

By regular monitoring you should soon identify what suits your body and what causes spikes in your blood glucose. I would suggest you ditch the packages as much as possible and stick to the raw ingredients. I use unsweetened almond milk for my jumbo porridge as well, but not in my tea (YUK). But I often have a breakfast of poached egg with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, or a mushroom omelette. I make a lot of home made soups and slow cooker dishes so I know just what goes in them. If you are working from home, that may be possible, and is simple. Chuck vegetables, stock, poultry in a pan or slow cooker, set the timer and leave. I even cheat by getting prepared veggie packs to reduce the prep time to a minimum. It will be less carbs than grabbing a sandwich.

I found after a time, and very sore fingers, I was able to reduce my monitoring to just testing out the effect of new foods. I also subscribe to an app which monitors all my cals, carbs, fats, protein etc. and helps keep me disciplined. There are some I believe which also record your glucose readings.

Best wishes

Sorry i forgot that was the course you did for some reason it did not stick in my mind.

 

[KerryC]

@KerryC . That is brilliant . Well done

Thank you, I was so pleased