Newly diagnosed

[alfredrussell]

Hi
Just been diagnosed as type 2. Know the theory as I am a Biology teacher (just retired after 34 years). But, struggling with the diet stuff.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Alfred, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you found us quickly - there are lots of friendly experienced people here who will be happy to help with any questions you may have 🙂

Are you on any medication for your diabetes, and have you been given a meter and test strips so you can test your levels at home and determine your tolerance for different foods? This is very important, as people can have very individual and varying reactions to the same food, so it's important to know what you can personally tolerate and in what quantities. Diabetes is all about carbohydrates and how quickly they will raise your blood sugar levels, Ideally, you want this to be slow and steady, not 'spiking', so the food has less of an overall impact. One of the best approaches is to familiarise yourself with the GI/GL diet (Glycaemic Index/Load) - The GL Diet for Dummies is a useful introduction. I'd also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and obtaining a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. All these will help you build a clearer picture of what it all entails and how best to tackle it. 🙂

 

[alfredrussell]

Hi Alfred, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you found us quickly - there are lots of friendly experienced people here who will be happy to help with any questions you may have 🙂

Are you on any medication for your diabetes, and have you been given a meter and test strips so you can test your levels at home and determine your tolerance for different foods? This is very important, as people can have very individual and varying reactions to the same food, so it's important to know what you can personally tolerate and in what quantities. Diabetes is all about carbohydrates and how quickly they will raise your blood sugar levels, Ideally, you want this to be slow and steady, not 'spiking', so the food has less of an overall impact. One of the best approaches is to familiarise yourself with the GI/GL diet (Glycaemic Index/Load) - The GL Diet for Dummies is a useful introduction. I'd also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and obtaining a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. All these will help you build a clearer picture of what it all entails and how best to tackle it. 🙂

My doctor said I do not need a meter as Type 2 is about raised levels and the metformin (2X 500mg per day) and diet will control this. I have a community group meeting in a week or so which I hope can address some questions I have. Have to lose a lot of weight too (2.5 stone) All great fun and not the start to my retirement I had envisaged!

 

[Northerner]

My doctor said I do not need a meter as Type 2 is about raised levels and the metformin (2X 500mg per day) and diet will control this. I have a community group meeting in a week or so which I hope can address some questions I have. Have to lose a lot of weight too (2.5 stone) All great fun and not the start to my retirement I had envisaged!

I'm afraid your doctor is trying to save money as the test strips are quite expensive. However, as I explained above, there is no 'one-size-fits-all' diet sheet for diabetes. You may imagine that porridge or wholemeal bread is healthy, but if it raises your blood sugar levels high (as it may well do) then it is not healthy for you as an individual. The only way to know this is to test your levels before and after eating to determine the rise. This would not be forever, just as you determine the staples of your diet and what you can, and cannot, retain. Metformin will not solve this, I'm afraid - it will help generally, but it will not deal with such spikes in levels.

 

[Mark T]

My doctor said I do not need a meter as Type 2 is about raised levels and the metformin (2X 500mg per day) and diet will control this. I have a community group meeting in a week or so which I hope can address some questions I have. Have to lose a lot of weight too (2.5 stone) All great fun and not the start to my retirement I had envisaged!

I'd personally disagree with your Doctor there. A meter is one of the most useful things that any diabetic can use. It helps you recognize which foods are suitable for you and which are not since everyone is different.

 

[slipper]

Hi Alfred, welcome to the forum. I agree about the meter, self testing is so important especially in the first months.

A year ago I was diagnosed and told I could test but only twice per week. I therefor bought my own extra strips and tested everything I ate to see what was ok etc, and bored everyone on here with my questions

As my weight dropped, and also my BG readings due to my now more educated diet, I found I didn't have to test so often and now a year later, only test my 2 x per week upon waking and any new foods I may try.

Try your best to get your GP to give you a meter and some strips and explain why you need them. Failing this, Amazon sell a cheep meter and strips which is reportedly good enough.

 

[Picassolover]

Hi to all

I found this thread really interesting because I was also told not to test by my diabetic nurse. Over all I have had mixed support. The first nurse I saw really wasnt quite on the same wave length as me. She was basically just telling me to take the tablets and get on with it, which isn't how I saw it at all. If there was something going on with my body then I wanted to know exactly what was going on and how to control it. The same nurse is still trying to get me to take the tablets although my bloods have dropped so much. Her theory is that my diet must be very limited without the medication and I am missing out on things that I could be eating. The second nurse is more on my wave length and is quite happy for me to do it my way. Bot, both nurses are still telling me not to test. The did give me the kit to test and then told me not to use it or I would drive myself round the bend and end up with sore fingers.

I think the main reason my bloods have dropped at the moment is the amount of exercise I am doing. However, I did think that this mornings bike ride (10 miles round trip) and 30 minute swim was a little extreme. It was the daughters idea. Apparently we are doing it twice a week!

 

[mcdonagh47]

My doctor said I do not need a meter as Type 2 is about raised levels

Yes T2 is about raised levels ( hyperglycemia) - that's why you need to test.
To establish what effect different carbohydrates ( bread, spuds, pasta, rice, cereals etc) have on you and what portion sizes of those you can handle.

To understand the importance of testing for T2s you should read Alan S's "Test,Review, Adjust" from our stickies section ...
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

And as a Scientist you might appreciate Lord Kelvin's assertion ...
"when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind"

We are supposed to be keeping our bgs between 4 and 7 mmol - ask your GP how you are going to achieve that if you are not testing.

 

[Northerner]

.And as a Scientist you might appreciate Lord Kelvin's assertion .....
"when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind"

We are supposed to be keeping our bgs between 4 and 7 mmol - ask your GP how you are going to achieve that if you are not testing.

Great quote mcdonagh, I certainly wouldn't argue with Lord Kelvin! 🙂 Not everyone wants to test, and there will always be those who can't be persuaded of the benefits, but if you DO want to test in order to manage your diabetes well then you should be provided with the tools and education required to do it efficiently. It really bugs me that so many HCPs don't listen to what their patients want or need - there are many ways to tackle diabetes but just taking tablets and following some vague dietary advice is never going to be as effective as understanding it and how it affects you personally. They often do not seem to consider how stressful and depressing it can be for some people when they feel they have little control and no knowledge of whether anything they are doing is helping.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Great quote mcdonagh, I certainly wouldn't argue with Lord Kelvin! 🙂 Not everyone wants to test, and there will always be those who can't be persuaded of the benefits, but if you DO want to test in order to manage your diabetes well then you should be provided with the tools and education required to do it efficiently. It really bugs me that so many HCPs don't listen to what their patients want or need - there are many ways to tackle diabetes but just taking tablets and following some vague dietary advice is never going to be as effective as understanding it and how it affects you personally. They often do not seem to consider how stressful and depressing it can be for some people when they feel they have little control and no knowledge of whether anything they are doing is helping.

Couldn't agree more! And the links suggested so far are spot on.

Welcome to the forums 🙂

 

[Mark T]

...The same nurse is still trying to get me to take the tablets although my bloods have dropped so much. Her theory is that my diet must be very limited without the medication and I am missing out on things that I could be eating...

There is quiet possibly some truth to this, however... My personal opinion is that the lifestyle has to suit the person which means that they have to be happy. So as long as you are getting healthy numbers and are living in a way that you are personally happy, then I think that a Nurse should let the person live.

If the person has been going a few months and they are downright miserable because they are unhappy about what they can eat, or the medication is having some uncomfortable effects or just they have no time for themselves because they have a really strict exercise regime - then the nurse has to be supportive to finding a better path.

Unfortunately I think often the rote advice gets trotted out with no concept of even considering what actually might be right.