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Newly Diagnosed Type 2 - so many questions!

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Scottygirl

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi
I was diagnosed with Type 2 a couple of weeks ago, the day after my 49th Birthday! I have not been feeling well for some time and went to docs initially with really bad pains in my feet and hands thinking it might be arthritis. I have hypothyroidism and asthma and also going through menopause so not sure if all the sweats, aches and pains, insomnia, depression are all linked. I have not yet had my first assessment with the nurse (due 23rd Aug) but Doc told me blood was 54...not sure what this means and put me on Metformin. I changed my diet straight away and lost 5lbs first week. I am not sure what I can and cannot eat but picked up a Diabetes book in charity shop which has good receipes. I still have really bad pains in my feet and wondering if anything to do with circulation caused by Diabetes? Does anyone else have same issues? Many thanks!
 
Hi Scottygirl, welcome to the forum, sorry for your DX....

I guess, like you, we hit the bookstore after my DX & my cooking bookshelf is full of diabetes cookbooks (for the most part conforming to the ADA recommendations). I found that most of the recipes had way too many carbs & although they were helping a little it wasn't going to put me in the place I needed to be.

As some general advice, cut or reduce all starch sources like bread, rice, cereals, pasta, potatoes..... Vegetables grown from above ground are generally good to eat. Fruits are another problem area as the more tropical they are the higher sugar content they have; people tend to tolerate berries quite well though it varies with the person.
 
Thanks Martin. I have been eating Shredded Wheat with berries for my breakfast in mornings and adding wheat toast at weekends. I switched to wheat pasta but should I stay away from these? I also was eating a lot of yoghurts but fear it was the wrong kind and too much sugar content! I did have a very sweet tooth before so this duet change is really testing me!
 
Breakfast tend to be challenging for us T2's, our insulin resistance appears to change throughout the day. Many people stick to just protein for breakfast (like an egg or bacon), Yogurts may be fine, though the natural organic Greek strained yogurt is a good choice (then you can add your own fruit.

One of the things that we advocate (on this forum) is testing your BG to help determine what & how foods affect you. Probably you have not been prescribed a meter but a cheap meter (for those self-funding) is the SD Codefree from Amazon.

Personally I tend to stay away from wheat products but that is your choice, but t test meter will tell you whether you can tolerate these products.
 
Thank you! I have seen a lot of people talking about meters and testing their levels. Hopefully all this will be explained to me by the nurse soon and I can get better control of what I am doing! I must admit however that since changing my diet and taking medication, I feel a lot better that what I have done in a long while!
 
Hi Scottygirl, it's tough at first and you'll be on a steep learning curve. I was diagnosed last year and like you had those leg pains and burning feet. The right diet, weight loss and not so much glucose clogging up the system can work wonders and I feel sure you'll get the pains under control. If you already have conditions, it doesn't cure everything but it certainly goes a long way towards it!

Don't let the nurse talk you out of home testing! And beware of shredded wheat and many of the cereals.
 
Hi Scotty girl and welcome to the forum. One key thing to remember is that we are all different, especially when it comes to food. I can tolerate porridge for breakfast and have it most days, but others cant. Some people can tolerate certain fruits, other people cant. Its definately about finding what works for you.
 
Shredded Wheat is very high in carbs & l can't tolerate it. I tend to have Greek yoghurt & berries or scrambled egg on a slice of ham for breakfast. Weekends I treat myself to a fry up but no beans, hash browns or fried bread. If you feel you can't give up bread, try Burgen or Lidl high protein rolls as these are much lower in carbs than standard white or wholemeal bread.
 
Stitch147 said:
Hi Scotty girl and welcome to the forum. One key thing to remember is that we are all different, especially when it comes to food. I can tolerate porridge for breakfast and have it most days, but others cant. Some people can tolerate certain fruits, other people cant. Its definately about finding what works for you.
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Hi Stitch , I absolutely agree , its about finding what works for you . I find porridge good for breakfast , if not hot then as muesli with nuts and seeds added .
 
I was diagnosed 8 weeks ago as T2 . I have to say it did scare me so I immediately gave up all sweet stuff - cake biscuits choc and sweets . Learning what you can eat is a bit of a challenge and sometimes I felt I was floundering in the dark but coming to this site has helped a lot . I have found giving up the sweet stuff has resulted in a weight loss of 1 stone 1 pound in the 8 weeks . I'm on 1 metformin a day at the moment and my BG seems to be steady so , so far so good .
 
My diabetes diagnosis scared me enough to put me off food for life! I felt like everything I was eating was going to destroy me. It's easy to feel like that, but you will, like everyone else here has said, find what works for you.

I would also encourage you to get a meter to test your BG levels, even if you just do it for a short time. It can really help you show what certain foods are doing to your BG levels. It's helped me out a lot during these first few months.

There are plenty of great meters out there. I use the GlucoRX Nexus and I get the testing strips and lancets of sellers on Amazon, which is much cheaper when you're doing it self funded.
 
mumpat888 said:
I was diagnosed 8 weeks ago as T2 . I have to say it did scare me so I immediately gave up all sweet stuff - cake biscuits choc and sweets . Learning what you can eat is a bit of a challenge and sometimes I felt I was floundering in the dark but coming to this site has helped a lot . I have found giving up the sweet stuff has resulted in a weight loss of 1 stone 1 pound in the 8 weeks . I'm on 1 metformin a day at the moment and my BG seems to be steady so , so far so good .
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Nice work. Give yourself a (Mum)pat on the back 🙂
 
Stitch147 said:
Hi Scotty girl and welcome to the forum. One key thing to remember is that we are all different, especially when it comes to food. I can tolerate porridge for breakfast and have it most days, but others cant. Some people can tolerate certain fruits, other people cant. Its definately about finding what works for you.
Click to expand...
So right!
For me it's bacon and egg for breakfast, with a slice of Burgen.
 
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