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Newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
- Thread starter Kay Ann
- Start date
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
HI, and welcome. I understand how you're feeling at the moment - we've all been there and got that T-shirt. Can you tell us a little about your diagnosis, eg your HbA1c, whether you've been prescribed medication and whether you've been given any advice on diet, being more active or losing weight (if needed)?
manji
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Same thing happened to me. First thing you do is hassle them ask lots of questions. I found out quickly unless your results are really bad you will be ignored. My diabetic nurse clearly was annoyed with my consistent questioning. Checked on the NHS she put down I was “ confused “ . Most definitely was. .
Complained to GP and actually had a home visit from a nurse. She actually admitted that a lot of people that get an early diagnosis aren’t that interested. Astounding.
Your initial test results will be on your NHS app then pop back here and you will get loads of help on here.
I was lucky I had a fairly low score at the start and fairly easily dropped it down to 48. That was with some basic diet changes and ramping up the exercises. No blood test exercises all the time and exercise increase was really basic things like walking to the shops , bit more housework , taking the cat for a walk ( seriously ) . Just a thing for me absolutely no gym or jogging can be counterproductive but that depends on your age etc. It can be really difficult. To use a cliche everyone is different. Sorry but I love the NHS app. If you start asking them questions from the app it shows you are switched on ( or makes them think you are )
Complained to GP and actually had a home visit from a nurse. She actually admitted that a lot of people that get an early diagnosis aren’t that interested. Astounding.
Your initial test results will be on your NHS app then pop back here and you will get loads of help on here.
I was lucky I had a fairly low score at the start and fairly easily dropped it down to 48. That was with some basic diet changes and ramping up the exercises. No blood test exercises all the time and exercise increase was really basic things like walking to the shops , bit more housework , taking the cat for a walk ( seriously ) . Just a thing for me absolutely no gym or jogging can be counterproductive but that depends on your age etc. It can be really difficult. To use a cliche everyone is different. Sorry but I love the NHS app. If you start asking them questions from the app it shows you are switched on ( or makes them think you are )
I went for a routine check and the blood test came back with a score of 97. Had another test and this was 89. I am now taking metformin which I have to increase each week till I am taking four a day. Plus statins for cholesterol, one a day and then another tablet for high blood pressure.
I’ve put myself on a calorie count diet and increased water intake and exercise. Have lost a stone in weight and my aim is to get my weight down, exercise better and eat healthy.
It’s a big change
stephenS50
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Kay Ann
Congratulations on the weight loss so far! And well done for springing into action. 🙂
It’s not at all uncommon to feel overwhelmed and knocked a bit sideways by a diagnosis with T2, so be kind to yourself, and give yourself time to adjust. Hopefully the Metformin will gently help your BG levels and not be too hard on the tum.
Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years.
Good luck with it all, and keep asking questions 🙂
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Many us were diagnosed even higher but have still managed to get back to normal numbers through a combination of dietary changes, exercise, weight loss and medication, so well done on the weight loss - that's going to help. Do you have a BG meter so that you can do finger prick tests at home?
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Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hopefully you will soon see an improvement in your numbers, weight loss will help and the medication you are taking helps your body use the insulin it produces more effectively and reduces the output of glucose by the liver but diet is the most important.
I see you have decided to opt for a low calorie approach and that can work for many people as long as your food choices are not too carb heavy as that may not have the outcome you want on blood glucose as all carbs convert to glucose though you will be losing weight. Low calorie is not always low carb.
All you can do is to see how it works for you which you should get a good idea of when you have your next Hba1C in 3 months.
Alternatively you could get yourself a home testing blood glucose monitor so you can see the effect of your meals on blood glucose by testing before you eat and after 2 hours when you are looking for no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase or when levels come down no more than 8-8.5mmol/l and 4-7 mmol/l before meals and fasting/morning.
I see you have decided to opt for a low calorie approach and that can work for many people as long as your food choices are not too carb heavy as that may not have the outcome you want on blood glucose as all carbs convert to glucose though you will be losing weight. Low calorie is not always low carb.
All you can do is to see how it works for you which you should get a good idea of when you have your next Hba1C in 3 months.
Alternatively you could get yourself a home testing blood glucose monitor so you can see the effect of your meals on blood glucose by testing before you eat and after 2 hours when you are looking for no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase or when levels come down no more than 8-8.5mmol/l and 4-7 mmol/l before meals and fasting/morning.
BobbleHat
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hello, welcome to the forum - it's a brilliant place to get help and support after that initial 'Congratulations. You have diabetes. You need to eat less potatoes' moment.
I was diagnosed end of July. Because my hba1c was 52, I haven't started medication immediately. I'm making dietary changes at present and seeing how I go from there. Like you, I was determined to get a grip on my diet. I've chosen to go low carb (because trial and error has taught me that I might love carbs but surely don't love me back!). I also do intermittent fasting - I eat lunch and dinner between 12pm and (ideally) 8pm with the aim of giving my poor, exhausted liver and pancreas a bit of a rest each day. As a result, I've cut calories and lost weight fairly naturally.
Congratulations on the weight loss - all the evidence so far suggests that losing weight is the best management tool for T2 and, I'm finding, seeing the changes that come with weight loss are good for mental health/self esteem.
Shout up any questions: there's always someone wise around here to answer them!
I was diagnosed end of July. Because my hba1c was 52, I haven't started medication immediately. I'm making dietary changes at present and seeing how I go from there. Like you, I was determined to get a grip on my diet. I've chosen to go low carb (because trial and error has taught me that I might love carbs but surely don't love me back!). I also do intermittent fasting - I eat lunch and dinner between 12pm and (ideally) 8pm with the aim of giving my poor, exhausted liver and pancreas a bit of a rest each day. As a result, I've cut calories and lost weight fairly naturally.
Congratulations on the weight loss - all the evidence so far suggests that losing weight is the best management tool for T2 and, I'm finding, seeing the changes that come with weight loss are good for mental health/self esteem.
Shout up any questions: there's always someone wise around here to answer them!