newly diagnosed type 2

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deede

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Type 2
Hello all,

I have been very recently diagnosed with type 2. I am a little overweight so need to loose a little. I am not on any medication and hope to keep it that way for as long as possible. My GP surgery have been very good, appointment made with he nurse to talk it through and check weight, blood pressure, urine test etc. I have seen the dietician, who told me I understood it very well (understanding is easier than doing I am finding). I have a podiatry appiontment tomorrow and I am waiting for the eye appointment. So that is all good.

I was wonderig what peooles opinions are on testing blood sugars at home? would it be beneficial? If so what is the best way of doing it, equiptment etc?

Thanks Dee
 
Hi deede, welcome. 🙂

I swear by home testing as a Type 2. I bought the least expensive meter around:
SDCodefree and have found uit very accurate. Replacement strips are around £7 for fifty

I'd recommend self testing first thing every morning, and then before and after meals ( Post 1 hour and post 2 hours) and keep a food diary.

Go here to learn from Jenny Ruhl all about blood sugars and safe levels to aim for:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

and also about carbs in your diet (as these are going to need taming):

http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/


Might seem a lot of work but once you find what foods can be tolerated, you can reduce the testing.

There are great books but I think the regulars will be along with more advice...

Good luck :D
 
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Welcome Deede.

Most of us on here agree testing is an essential tool in the management of whatever form of diabetes we have. For T2s, especially in the early days, testing can help you learn how food affects your blood sugars and what things it's 'safe' to eat whenever you want, what you should avoid like the plague and what you can have from time to time. If your doctor won't let you have a meter and strips, you can find an acceptable cheap one here for about £13 with replacement strips costing around £7 for 50. It's well worth getting one for the reasons I gave above.

As to the testing itself, it's a pain, literally but could help you stay off the medications for quite some time. When I was first diagnosed they assumed I was T2 and the doctor I had then gave me a testing regime to follow which went like this:

  • Waking/Breakfast BG
  • 1, 2 and 3 hours after Breakfast
  • Before Lunch BG
  • 1, 2, and 3 hours after lunch
  • Before dinner BG
  • 1,2 and 3 hours after dinner
  • Bedtime BG

All of this was logged in a spreadsheet diary along with details of everything I ate and the exercise I took each day. I quickly learned that some foods are 'deadly' especially the high carb stuff like flour, bread, pasta and rice and some are 'good' like most veggies in that they don't send my BGs through the roof.

I suggest you try it for yourself. It's a lot of testing but worth it for the improvement in your blood sugars you will quickly begin to see as you adjust your diet to you new situation. I hope this helps you get started and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have. We're here to help.
 
Thank you all, its really useful to know. I will look at purchasing a monitor etc tomorrow as it looks like that will ve a good way to ensure I am eating the right foods. I have a good idea of what to avoid generally but I think this will let me see exactly how diffrent things effect me personally.
 
Hi deede and welcome to the forum. As the others have said testing is the way to go, a lot of doctors will disagree with the home testing. Its the only real way to see what and which foods do to you.
 
Welcome to the forum deede 🙂
 
Hiya Sounds like we are sort of in the same boat - I have just been diagnosed with T2 aswell. I already had a monitor as i had suspected gestational diabetes when i was pregnant with my 2nd child (15 years ago), and i have now replaced it with a newer one - i have to say that it helps you get your head around things when you are newly diagnosed, its amazing how the numbers can change from hour to hour.
Anyway, there are a few good books out there as well, i have just ordered one from Amazon which is specifically for newly diagnosed T2's, i'll let you know what its like when i get it.

Best of luck, at least you sound like you have a supportive GP and nurse, which is half the battle i think.

Ali x
 
Thanks all for the welomes and responses to my query. I have ordered a kit and some extra test strips etc today so I will start monitoring as soon as they arrive.
Dee
 
deede said:
Thanks all for the welomes and responses to my query. I have ordered a kit and some extra test strips etc today so I will start monitoring as soon as they arrive.
Dee
Click to expand...

Good luck with the testing Dee, let us know if you have any questions 🙂

Another thing worth considering is getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, and also read Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to help you make sure your testing is efficient - every test should provide you with some useful information. Keep a diary of before and after results, plus the amount of carbs in what you ate/drank (and what it actually was you ate/drank!). This will help you build up a pattern that will inform your future decisions on meal choices 🙂
 
Thanks for those links Northerner, I have read the blogs posts which are really helpful for when to test and what I am looking for when I do. I will give the book a go too. I just need my testing kit to arrive so I can get cracking with it. Is there a particular way of logging that people find useful? I see there is a diabeties uk app I was wondering about using that to log it? Perhaps that question should really be a new post of it's own. So many questions 😉
 
deede said:
Thanks for those links Northerner, I have read the blogs posts which are really helpful for when to test and what I am looking for when I do. I will give the book a go too. I just need my testing kit to arrive so I can get cracking with it. Is there a particular way of logging that people find useful? I see there is a diabeties uk app I was wondering about using that to log it? Perhaps that question should really be a new post of it's own. So many questions 😉
Click to expand...

I think it depends what is most convenient for you so you are encouraged to keep doing it 🙂 Some people use Apps, some use written notebooks, and some use spreadsheets. Personally, I have always used a notebook 🙂
 
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