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Newly diagnosed and scared!

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
C

CMR3

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hey everyone. I've just been told my blood sugar is 55 and my cholesterol is 6.1. I was only told by the receptionist so she couldn't tell me what this means... Doing some research it sounds like I have diabetes. I struggle with eating so I know what I'm doing wrong, and I've put myself on a diet while I'm waiting for the appointment.
How bad is 55? Is there anything I need to do to keep myself safe before I see the nurse? Am I going to have to inject myself?
 
Hi CMR3 - No need to panic. 55 isn't too bad. Check this useful pic:

upload_2019-5-7_0-34-9.png

Your 55 is in the not-so-bad yellow-greeny part & getting it down into the green, below 48, shouldn't be too tough. Your risk of diabetes related complications at your levels is probably minimal. It seems like you've caught things pretty early and you should have plenty of time to work out how to get things sorted.
 
Your cholesterol level is not relevant to your diabetes - if you are a type two diabetic it means that you can't cope with carbohydrates, the sugars and starches in food, so to help in returning to normal numbers the thing to concentrate on is your daily intake of carbs up to diagnosis, and the reduction of it so as to lower the level of blood glucose after meals.
 
Welcome. It’s a shock to find out, but better to find out now than when it’s progressed. Presuming you’re a type 2, you’ll probably be put on tablets, likely Metformin, to start with. Then you’ll start the round of eye and feet checks, etc. Please don’t worry, you’re aware now, and can take steps to control it.

We have posters here who are able to control rehires through diet alone - your enemy is carbohydrates, so anything and everything made from or containing grains - wheat, barley, corn/maize etc, starchy vegetables like potatoes, rice, and fruit/juice. Cut down/out those and hopefully your blood sugar (glucose - you’ll see it referred to as ‘BG’ - blood glucose on here) will drop to acceptable levels.

Most of us self test on here, hopefully someone will be along who can explain that better than me, but it means we can find out which foods affect us, as it differs from person to person. Some see results just from cutting down, others like me and @Drummer cant deal with them at all. Likely your GP/nurse will grumble about testing, but it’s invaluable.

Best of all, you’ve found here. I only got diagnosed in November, and I couldn’t have coped without all the fantastic help, advice, and comfort from everyone here. It’s an incredible resource, and the posters on here are amazing. 🙂
 
Hi CMR3, welcome to the forum 🙂 As Eddy has said, you are not far from normal range so please don’t panic, having it picked up now is great as you can pull it back easily. A key point to understand is that it’s not just obvious sugars that push your numbers up, carbohydrates are the things we need to reduce, especially rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. Fruit also has a lot of natural sugar, especially tropical fruits and grapes are little sugar balls so best avoided! There is so much information on this forum that will help you to decide what changes you want to make to best manage your diet. Best advice I can give is to go make a cuppa, get comfy and read as much as you can, then ask any questions you might have :D
It really isn’t that bad once you get used to it, my starting point was much higher than you are for both bloods sugar and cholesterol but I managed to get back within normal range within six months, for me it was a positive experience as I am now 4 stone lighter and feel better than I have in years! I wouldn’t go back to my old ways of eating now no matter what 😛
 
Hello @CMR3 welcome to the forum . My Hb1ac was well into the red zone on the chart above when I was first diagnosed (more than double yours ) that was back in 1994 and I’m still here to tell the tale. Stop worrying about insulin you sure don’t need it now , in fact with the right info and input by yourself you may not even need Metformin which is the usual first line medication for T2 .

As @Drummer has already explained it carbohydrates our bodies can no longer handle too well. It’s not sugar as such that is our problem you see sugar is just another carbohydrate and in the UK it’s already included in the carb content in the nutritional label usually on the back of packs and tins.

Sorry I have to go , someone will be along to give you some links to helpful info
 
Welcome to the forum CMR3. You need to know 55 what! There are different tests, and different scales.
Could be a HbA1C. Blood is taken from the arm and sent off for this test. It gives an average blood glucose (BG) from the last 8-12 weeks.
The ranges for this test are
30 to 41 "normal"
42 to 47 is called pre diabetic
48 and above gets you a diagnoses of diabetes (even if it goes down, you're still down as diabetic)
To confuse matters, there's another scale many people use. On that 48 = 6.5
Many people are diagnosed with a HbA1c 50 - 65. There are a number on this forum who were diagnosed around 100 or more.
 
Oh - I forgot to say - no, you are unlikely to need to inject yourself unless you are other than a type two.
Lucky type twos can manage without even taking tablets - even if they are really good at digesting carbohydrate (I used to suspect I was breaking down plants like a ruminant) but I started with Hba1c of 91, so way higher than you. If you can halve your intake of carbs, swapping cauliflower or celeriac or salad stuff for dense starchy pastry, cereals or potato, eating old fashioned breakfasts such as bacon and eggs, kippers, sausages or even chops rather than processed grains can be a good start to the day.
 
It helps to understand the number and especially what the scale is, she told me it should be between 20 and 40, so I didn't know if it was 55 out of a possible 60 or what... Thank you. I'm going to go for a long walk now and not buy any more chocolate! I'm going on my first ever cruise in 2 weeks with amazing all inclusive food :-( First world problems I know, but it's bad timing...
 
As long as it is high cocoa chocolate you will be fine - bit of a shock at first as ordinary chocolate is half sugar.
On your cruise you will be able to find low carb foods I am sure - especially if you explain what you need to the staff. Avoid fruit juice, high sugar mixers or cocktails, pastries, cake potatoes, pizza - anything containing grain or sugar is not your friend.
The Hba1c is just a number related to how high your glucose concentration has been over the last three months. There can be errors if your red blood cells are being replaced faster or slower than normal, but it usually gives a good indication of the state of play.
Up to 41 is normal, 42 to 48 is prediabetic, above that is diabetic.
 
CMR3 said:
Hey everyone. I've just been told my blood sugar is 55 and my cholesterol is 6.1. I was only told by the receptionist so she couldn't tell me what this means... Doing some research it sounds like I have diabetes. I struggle with eating so I know what I'm doing wrong, and I've put myself on a diet while I'm waiting for the appointment.
How bad is 55? Is there anything I need to do to keep myself safe before I see the nurse? Am I going to have to inject myself?
Click to expand...
Hey, me too. I was on a plane from Thailand where I was working back to London, i had some interviews for new job lined up back in UK. I left my wife and son t home in Thailand. On the plane i started to feel unwell and kind of restless, i then had a stroke. They had to perform an emergency landing in Turkey. i then spent 2 weeks in a Turkish hospital on my own. They told me I had type 2 diabetes and somehow i got a blood clot that cut oxygen to my brain. my left arm was completely paralysed my left leg very weak and my speech distorted. that was 5 weeks ago and thankfully my the stroke symptoms have improved to almost back to normal, so now i am focusing on my diabetes, it has been a terrifying experience. i am now back in the UK and staying with my good old Dad who was also diagnosed type 2 over 10 years ago. i am the kind of person who researches everything thoroughly and I like to know as much as possible and all I can tell you is it is not that bad. ys take it seriously but all you have to do is watch what you shove in your mouth to eat. eat leafy greens, minimal carbs and leave the naughty things alone. its a change for sure but as i really thought i was not going to survive having to change my diet knowing i am alive is pretty easy. just accept you have it, relax and change your eating habits, you will be ok. good luck my friend.
 
Drummer said:
As long as it is high cocoa chocolate you will be fine - bit of a shock at first as ordinary chocolate is half sugar.
On your cruise you will be able to find low carb foods I am sure - especially if you explain what you need to the staff. Avoid fruit juice, high sugar mixers or cocktails, pastries, cake potatoes, pizza - anything containing grain or sugar is not your friend.
The Hba1c is just a number related to how high your glucose concentration has been over the last three months. There can be errors if your red blood cells are being replaced faster or slower than normal, but it usually gives a good indication of the state of play.
Up to 41 is normal, 42 to 48 is prediabetic, above that is diabetic.[/QUOTEjust started my weight loss program. 48lbs is terrific, keep it up, its inspirational for people like me. and great to hear you feel so good.
Click to expand...
 
Gazzap said:
Hey, me too. I was on a plane from Thailand where I was working back to London, i had some interviews for new job lined up back in UK. I left my wife and son t home in Thailand. On the plane i started to feel unwell and kind of restless, i then had a stroke. They had to perform an emergency landing in Turkey. i then spent 2 weeks in a Turkish hospital on my own. They told me I had type 2 diabetes and somehow i got a blood clot that cut oxygen to my brain. my left arm was completely paralysed my left leg very weak and my speech distorted. that was 5 weeks ago and thankfully my the stroke symptoms have improved to almost back to normal, so now i am focusing on my diabetes, it has been a terrifying experience. i am now back in the UK and staying with my good old Dad who was also diagnosed type 2 over 10 years ago. i am the kind of person who researches everything thoroughly and I like to know as much as possible and all I can tell you is it is not that bad. ys take it seriously but all you have to do is watch what you shove in your mouth to eat. eat leafy greens, minimal carbs and leave the naughty things alone. its a change for sure but as i really thought i was not going to survive having to change my diet knowing i am alive is pretty easy. just accept you have it, relax and change your eating habits, you will be ok. good luck my friend.
Click to expand...
That sounds like such a scary experience I'm really glad to hear you are recovering well.
 
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