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Newly diagnosed - Advice please?

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Emmandelo

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everybody, first post so please bear with me. I'm 55 years old and was diagnosed with type 2 about a month ago. Had a Glucose Tolerance Test at the hospital then got a phone call from my GP to say 'yes, you've got diabetes'. She made an appointment for me to see a Practitioner Nurse at our surgery, the diabetes specialist. (She's also the asthma specialist, she's also the cancer specialist, etc etc, I'm sure you get the picture.) she was not a lot of help. i showed her my weekly diet and she said it was perfectly healthy. All I had to do was start eating breakfast which is something I've never done.

My HBA1c was 50 mmol/m. They've put me on Metformin 500mg, one a day to start rising to three a day over the next three weeks. I've been offered DESMOND but having read up on it and other peoples experiences have decided against it as I figure I can get all the information I need online.

If the nurse reckons my diet is okay then i guess it must be the portion size (I do like my food!). I want to go down the self testing route. Should I wait till I'm on the full dose of three a day before I start testing? Has anyone got any opinions as to the best meter to get. I've been told I have to buy my own meter but I can get the test strips on prescription.

I now have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner but by about 9pm I get really hungry and usually end up having a bowl of cereal or a sandwich. Is this the diabetes causing this or am I just being a pig? I'm also now eating my 5 fruit a day but seem to be putting on weight. is this normal?
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.🙂
Please don't rush into turning down a place on the DESMOND course. Firstly, not all areas offer it (for example, it's not available where I live). Secondly, I've never read a bad word about the course here or any other forum. Thirdly, although you can get plently of help and support online, many contributers are not medically trained.
Furthermore, my experiences of diabetes is different from yours, just as yours will be different from the next Type 2's, and so on.
Of course, you should actively manage your diabetes. I recommend Gretchen Becker's excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year and get yourself a free blood glucose monitor.
 
Hi Emmandelo, welcome to the forum 🙂 I would take up the opportunity of attending the DESMOND course if I were you. Whilst you can indeed find information on the internet, one of the things that many people find particularly beneficial from attending a course is the fact that they get to meet and share experiences with other people with diabetes - this 'real life' encounter is what many people find the most valuable aspect, so it is worth reconsidering.

Meters are all pretty much of a muchness - they tend to have similar features and capabilities and all conform to a tight range for accuracy. You can get a free meter from Abbott here: http://www.abbottdiabetescare.co.uk/free-meter-signup - there is no reason to delay testing until you are on the maximum of your medication - it may be that you don't need to take it for long, if at all! It's great news that they are happy to prescribe strips, but I am surprised they don't have spare meters themselves as most places do - they are given to them by the company reps.

I would recommend starting a food diary, recording carbohydrate amounts in particular as it is this that is the main player in elevating blood sugar levels. You will find good links in our 'Useful Links' thread for testing strategies, and also good books on the diabetes-friendly GL Diet. Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is highly recommended, so I would urge you to get a copy.

Please ask anything you are not sure of! Your HbA1c reading of 50 mmol/mol is not particularly high (most people are used to seeing a percentage value - yours would equate to around 7%, and 6.5% or less (48 mmol/mol) is seen as ideal, so it looks as though you have been diagnosed early 🙂
 
Thanks Nicky1970. I understand what you're saying about DESMOND. It's just that I have other health problems. I have Peripheral Vascular Disease that seriously affects my legs. I can't sit or stand for more than a few minutes at a time and get a lot of pain on walking. I don't think I cope with something like DESMOND. Thanks for the tip. I have just ordered Gretchen Becker's book. Where would I get a free meter?
 
Sorry Northener, my typing is so slow. I have to lie on the floor with my laptop so it's all a one finger process. I will go explore the 'useful links'.
 
Click here to sign up for free meter. Or follow the link on Northerner's post.
Pity you feel that a Desmond course is not for you given your circumstances. Perhaps your GP could refer you to a dietician to help you with your hunger pangs? I have a specialist diabetes dietician who appears to be fairly knowledgeable, perhaps such a specimen is available where you live?
You don't state where you live, perhaps you could attend a forum meeting near to where you reside.
 
Hiya, welcome to the club no-one asked to join!

What might be of more use to you in the circs, is to ask your specialist nurse at the docs (mine specialises in all the things you said too and what my dad told me is epitomised therein - a little knowledge is a dangerous thing! - ergo a little knowledge about a lot of things must be a lot more so ...... :D) to see if, because of the other probs and the sitting still etc, you could see a Diabetes Specialist Nurse, either at the local hospital or some of em work 'in the community' - then you would (or should) get proper specialist advice.
 
Hi Emmandelo. Welcome 🙂

Rob
 
hi and welcome to the forum ...the best advice i was given was to cut out all obvious sugars and treat all other carbs with moderation ...fruit was my downfall I had no idea how much it effected my levels ...through testing you should be able to work out what foods do what to you x good luck and there is usually someone around here to answer questions ...none are regarded silly x🙂
 
Welcome to the forums Emmandelo 🙂
 
Welcome Emmandelo. 🙂
 
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