Newly Diagnosed

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Lozza07

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Type 2
Hi All

I have just recently been diagnosed with type 2 in the last 6 weeks. My symptoms were thirst, going to the toilet more and the extreme tiredness! I have been put on metformin quickly as I was already following a diet and the tiredness wasn't passing.

Since diagnosis my eating habits have probably got worse and its purely a 'well why can't I have it' attitude that is doing me no good!! Im struggling with what I should be eating as well. I have been referred for the DESMOND programme but first appointment is not till October!! The tiredness is still such a problem there are times in the day that I could just put my head on my desk and fall asleep, when I come home I have to have a cat nap to see me through the rest of the night.

I have been advised by the nurse that they do not give monitors anymore but I think this may help me see where I am going wrong in my diet. Does everyone else monitor their blood sugars or am I just worrying too much!!

Sorry its a bit long winded just struggling to get my head round it all at the minute!

Thanks for reading 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum Lozza07 🙂

I feel that self monitoring is an important tool in discovering what works for you and your lifestyle because there isn't a one size fits all approach.
 
monitors

Hi welcome --- My Dr does not do monitors --- apparently have one makes you paranoid ---
I bought one New for about ?3.00 on e bay --

the test strips are the expensive bit --- I have a friend who gives me 50 at a time,

Regards Andrew



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Lozza07 said:
Hi All

I have just recently been diagnosed with type 2 in the last 6 weeks. My symptoms were thirst, going to the toilet more and the extreme tiredness! I have been put on metformin quickly as I was already following a diet and the tiredness wasn't passing.

Since diagnosis my eating habits have probably got worse and its purely a 'well why can't I have it' attitude that is doing me no good!! Im struggling with what I should be eating as well. I have been referred for the DESMOND programme but first appointment is not till October!! The tiredness is still such a problem there are times in the day that I could just put my head on my desk and fall asleep, when I come home I have to have a cat nap to see me through the rest of the night.

I have been advised by the nurse that they do not give monitors anymore but I think this may help me see where I am going wrong in my diet. Does everyone else monitor their blood sugars or am I just worrying too much!!

Sorry its a bit long winded just struggling to get my head round it all at the minute!

Thanks for reading 🙂
Click to expand...
 
Hi Lozza, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the problems you are experiencing. Mark is right, self-monitoring is the only way you can discover how different foods are affecting you - what you need to avoid, or reduce portions of. You should have another go at your GP and tell them this, that you do not feel as if you have any control over your diabetes, despite it being something you have to manage without his/her help for 99% of the time. I suspect if your GP had diabetes they would want to test. It doesn't have to be forever, just whilst you are getting to grips with the different elements of your diet. The kind of periodic tests you get at the doctors may tell you that you are doing something wrong, but you won't know what!

Have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and it would also be worthwhile getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - the more you understand about diabetes, the easier it is to control it, and also to challenge your doctor.

What sort of things are you eating? The tiredness is most likely coming from the fact that your levels are still on the high side. It is a good idea to follow a low GI/GL diet, eating fod that will release its energy slowly and steadily, without causing 'spikes' in your blood sugar. The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction to the principles 🙂

If you do find yourself having to self fund, then the SD Codefree Meter has test strips that are around ?7 for 50, which is about the cheapest you will find. You might want to consider buying your own strips initially and recording your results so that you can show your GP how testing is helping you to identify potential problems in your diet. Use an efficient testing guide like Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S .

Please ask any questions you may have. I know it can seem a lot to take in, but take things at your own pace, it's a marathon, not a sprint, and you will get there! 🙂
 
Some of the manufacturers will send you a meter for free - they make their money from the strips.

As for diet, you may well notice that metformin's smelly side effects are worse if you take them with a high-carb meal. The best thing you can do for yourself is restrict portion sizes of bread, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. as well as sweet things.
 
Thanks for responses! My doctor seems adamant that will not get monitor so will have a look at the one recommended I think!
Thanks
 
Hi
I am monitoring myself and have been quite pleased with the results so far but today I was out on a course which didnt finish unyil 8.30pm. I was starving hungry and so my husband and I went out to dinner and I couldnt resist a big juicy steak and some chips followed by cheese and 4 crackers.
I was not able to have my metformin as I didnt have it with me.
When I got home I did my BS and was quite shocked to see it was 16.1 but what shocked me even more was that my husband, who does not have a diagnosis of diabetes also did his BS to compare with mine as we had eaten exactly the same meal and it was a whooping 25.9. 😱
I am very worried about him and have asked him to go and see his doctor and ask for some tests but he is not keen and just laughed!
Surely a high reading in a non diabetic person such as 25.9 is not normal? :(
I would be grateful for thoughts and adice and I am going to show him any replies.
Thanks
Chris x :confused:
 
How long after the meal did you test? According to the DUK website, a non-diabetic would be expected to have a reading under 8 after 2 hours. Certain foods might skew the result, as would having a trace of pudding on the fingers. This isn't a one-off, is it? Would your hubby blow a fuse if you made an appointment for him?

Don't worry too much about not taking the metformin with your meal - it has a cumulative effect that builds up over time, so missing one dose, or taking it late, shouldn't be a problem.
 
I would be suspecting a bit of contamination going on there. I'd be tempted to re-test both of you with a more regular meal.

The steak would have slowed down the chips and the cheese would slow down the crackers. Did you have any alcohol? What was pudding?

If he repeats a 10+ reading (let alone 20+) then it's definitely time to go see the doc's.
 
HI,
Thanks for your replies. The cheese was the pudding and there was no alcohol.
Both myself and my husband took our BS first thing this morning before eating or drinking anything. Mine was 7.8 and his was 9.1
He has now made an appt with the GP but cant get to see him until 6th August. He is going to monitor his BS and take it twice a day now and then take the results to the GP.

Chris x
 
ChrisOT61 said:
HI,
Thanks for your replies. The cheese was the pudding and there was no alcohol.
Both myself and my husband took our BS first thing this morning before eating or drinking anything. Mine was 7.8 and his was 9.1
He has now made an appt with the GP but cant get to see him until 6th August. He is going to monitor his BS and take it twice a day now and then take the results to the GP.

Chris x
Click to expand...

At least he will have had prior warning Chris, it is looking very likely he will be diagnosed.
 
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