Newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

[robins]

Hi everyone, I really dont know what to say, I was diagnosed and then left to it and no one has been in touch with me

 

[Inka]

Welcome @robins 🙂 Were you told your HbA1C number at diagnosis? That would be useful to know as it will show you how far into the diabetes zone you are.

 

[robins]

I haven’t been told anything

 

[Inka]

It would be worth phoning up and asking @robins Get a pen and paper ready and write down what you’re told. Ask for the actual number.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

Your diagnosis will have come from a blood test, usually taken from your arm. This is the HbA1c test. A result over 47 gets you a diabetes diagnosis although if it is only just over and you are not symptomatic, then sometimes they do a second confirmatory test a few weeks later. If your levels are just over the threshold ie in the high 40 or 50s then some lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) should bring them back down. If they are significantly higher then your doctor or nurse will likely want o prescribe medication.
Was it just a routine blood test or did you go to the docs because you were feeling unwell and if so, what were your symptoms?

Knowledge is power with diabetes because self management is so important to success, so knowing your results and what they mean is a big part of taking control. There is a lot to learn but we can help you with that and the important thing to understand is that it will take time and probably some trial and error to start getting it right. With diabetes it is very much a marathon not a sprint so take your time and find a nice steady pace that you can sustain rather than go hell for leather and burn yourself out.

Please feel free to ask whatever qiestoions you need to of us here but also ask questions from your health care professionals and in particular ask for results. They are yours and you are entitled to them, so that you can make informed decisions.

 

[robins]

Hi and welcome.

Your diagnosis will have come from a blood test, usually taken from your arm. This is the HbA1c test. A result over 47 gets you a diabetes diagnosis although if it is only just over and you are not symptomatic, then sometimes they do a second confirmatory test a few weeks later. If your levels are just over the threshold ie in the high 40 or 50s then some lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) should bring them back down. If they are significantly higher then your doctor or nurse will likely want o prescribe medication.
Was it just a routine blood test or did you go to the docs because you were feeling unwell and if so, what were your symptoms?

Knowledge is power with diabetes because self management is so important to success, so knowing your results and what they mean is a big part of taking control. There is a lot to learn but we can help you with that and the important thing to understand is that it will take time and probably some trial and error to start getting it right. With diabetes it is very much a marathon not a sprint so take your time and find a nice steady pace that you can sustain rather than go hell for leather and burn yourself out.

Please feel free to ask whatever qiestoions you need to of us here but also ask questions from your health care professionals and in particular ask for results. They are yours and you are entitled to them, so that you can make informed decisions.

I have non Hodgkinson lymphoma so I have regular blood tests and my doctor said he needed another test because my my platelets were high and so was my cholesterol, he then said I need to go on statins and that I have diabetes also, i was given statins and just left without any information as to what I need to do this was three months ago

 

[rebrascora]

That is shocking but I would hope/assume that your levels are not overly high if they have not given you medication for the diabetes.... but important to know your results, both for cholesterol and diabetes, so that you can track your own progress.

Dietary changes are important with diabetes as you will no doubt realise and if you can manage a daily walk or other gentle regular exercise that will really help too.

Do you have much/any weight to lose? That can have a bearing on how you approach your diabetes management strategy. If you are carrying quite a bit of weight around your middle, then the Newcastle/Fast 800 diet may help you to push it into remission.... this is a short term 8-12 weeks very low (800) calorie diet designed to burn the visceral fat around your lever and pancreas and help them to return to normal function and thereby put your diabetes into remission. It is usually done by meal replacement shakes. The important thing is to maintain the weight loss after the strict diet ends and that can be challenging for those people who are yo-yo dieters

The other main option which many of us find works well is a low carbohydrate approach. This involves not worrying too much about calories but reducing the amount of carbohydrate we eat, as all of those carbs are broken down into glucose by our digestive system and absorbed into our blood stream causing our levels to rise, so the less we put in, the better our bodies can cope. There are many people here who have achieved remission through this approach too but this latter is more a lifelong change, however once you stop eating so many carbs and start eating a bit more fat, you stop craving the bland beige stuff like bread and pasta and rice and potatoes and find all sorts of new, tasty and interesting foods to eat and your tastes change. I was a sugar addict, chocoholic and bread and spuds girl pre diagnosis and an inveterate comfort eater and for me, low carb higher fat has been a revelation in curbing those cravings, feeling fitter and healthier and dramatically improved bowel health and no more migraines which I had suffered for more than 20 years.... literally stopped overnight when I cut carbs. Interestingly, despite eating lots of cheese and cream and fatty meat to give me energy instead of those carbs, my cholesterol levels have decreased without the need for statins..... so there have been a huge number of benefits for me in following this route. It turns out I am actually Type 1 so I am now on insulin and I could eat normally and just inject whatever insulin I need to cover the carbs I eat, but I choose to continue with low carb for all the other health benefits. I do very occasionally have a nice piece of cake if it really is something special, but mostly I am very happy without.

 

[robins]

Thanks for this information I have been in touch with my doctors and am told my hba1c level was 6.6 and IFCC 48.6mm I don’t really understand all of this I am very overweight due to steroids I was taking and have recently had my spleen removed so that was the reason for my platelets being high so I’m told

 

[Inka]

That’s good news @robins because that’s only just in the diabetes zone. It’s very possible you can improve this result with some moderate changes. Also, you mention steroids. They can cause raised blood sugar too, so perhaps they’re involved in pushing you over the line into diabetes.

 

[robins]

That’s good news @robins because that’s only just in the diabetes zone. It’s very possible you can improve this result with some moderate changes. Also, you mention steroids. They can cause raised blood sugar too, so perhaps they’re involved in pushing you over the line into diabetes.

Thanks I’m so glad

 

[Martin.A]

Thanks for this information I have been in touch with my doctors and am told my hba1c level was 6.6 and IFCC 48.6mm I don’t really understand all of this I am very overweight due to steroids I was taking and have recently had my spleen removed so that was the reason for my platelets being high so I’m told

By my reckoning those HbA1c numbers, which are in older units, would put you low-to-mid 60s on the current mmol/mol measure. Other members might want to check my conversion.

 

[rebrascora]

So, 48 is right on the diabetes threshold and some minor adjustments to your diet and a bit of daily exercise should help to push that down. Maybe something simple like a change of breakfast.... Most of us have the same breakfast most mornings and most breakfast choices are high carb (toast, cereals even including porridge, fruit juice). Many of us find that some full fat natural Greek yoghurt with berries (the lowest carb fruits) and mixed seeds and/or chopped nuts works well as an easy breakfast option. I am currently having mine with stewed rhubarb from the garden (with a little artificial sweetener) and cinnamon and ginger and a few chopped lemon balm leaves.... also from the garden, but the yoghurt and berries are the main component. The creamy yoghurt takes the sharpness off the berries, so you don't need sugar or sweetener usually.... but rhubarb is rather tart 🙄 .

Depending upon what you currently have for breakfast, that would be my suggestion for a relatively simple change that wouldn't take much effort and could make a significant difference to your BG levels for the rest of the day, because once they go high the body has to work harder to bring them down, so if you can prevent them going high at the start of the day it is more of a win.

 

[Inka]

By my reckoning those HbA1c numbers, which are in older units, would put you low-to-mid 60s on the current mmol/mol measure. Other members might want to check my conversion.

No, it’s 6.6 ie just over 48 in the current units. The 6.6 is the old % way of measuring, which converts to 48.6.

 

[Martin.A]

No, it’s 6.6 ie just over 48 in the current units. The 6.6 is the old % way of measuring, which converts to 48.6.

You're right - I misread the converter.

 

[Felinia]

Hi and welcome. Lots of helpful information from @rebrascora
I would suggest you look at the Learning Zone, orange tab above, and work through slowly, one tab a day to take it all in, starting with food. You are only just in the diabetic zone, which is why you do not seem to have been given diabetic medication. If you go down the reducing carbs route, you may wish to get an app to monitor your food intake, or keep a food diary.

 

[MrPixels]

So, 48 is right on the diabetes threshold and some minor adjustments to your diet and a bit of daily exercise should help to push that down. Maybe something simple like a change of breakfast.... Most of us have the same breakfast most mornings and most breakfast choices are high carb (toast, cereals even including porridge, fruit juice). Many of us find that some full fat natural Greek yoghurt with berries (the lowest carb fruits) and mixed seeds and/or chopped nuts works well as an easy breakfast option. I am currently having mine with stewed rhubarb from the garden (with a little artificial sweetener) and cinnamon and ginger and a few chopped lemon balm leaves.... also from the garden, but the yoghurt and berries are the main component. The creamy yoghurt takes the sharpness off the berries, so you don't need sugar or sweetener usually.... but rhubarb is rather tart 🙄 .

Depending upon what you currently have for breakfast, that would be my suggestion for a relatively simple change that wouldn't take much effort and could make a significant difference to your BG levels for the rest of the day, because once they go high the body has to work harder to bring them down, so if you can prevent them going high at the start of the day it is more of a win.

Have you tried rhubarb with added orange zest, not the juice?...

 

[rebrascora]

Have you tried rhubarb with added orange zest, not the juice?...

Yes, I have in the past although these days I have a rule of not buying oranges other than between Christmas and Easter as that is when they are at their best and usually very disappointing in summer when rhubarb is in season. I generally add ginger and cinnamon to my rhubarb and lemon balm but strawberries work well with it too.