Hi naz22, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but do try not to worry, although diabetes is a serious condition it can be managed very successfully and doesn't need to add to your problems, it's just a case of knowledge and adaptation. To begin with I would recommend reading
Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a good general overview of how to approach this and what sort of diet you should aim for. There is no specific 'diabetes diet', you'll find that you can eat most ordinary foods, but them main thing to be aware of is keeping your carbohydrate consumption at a level that your body can tolerate well. This means that you should limit the amount of bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, sugary items, baked goods etc. as these are all things that will raise your blood sugar levels. You don't necessarily need to exclude them entirely from your diet, but you do need to determine what your body can tolerate well (people's tolerances for the same things can vary quite a lot) and this can only really be achieved by following a programme of testing your blood sugar levels before and after eating, as described in
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S. If you don't have a blood glucose meter and test strips then ask your GP or nurse to prescribe them. They may be reluctant to do so, saying you don't need to test, but you should explain that you want to test in order to learn how your meal choices affect your levels so you can make an informed choice about what to retain and what to exclude from your diet. If they still refuse it's worth funding it yourself - the cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has
test strips at around £8 for 50 (High St brands can charge as much as £30 for 50 test strips
😱)
Exercise is also very important as this helps your body keep your blood sugar levels under control,so do try and get some regular, daily exercise if you are able. The metformin you have been asked to take is a very common medication for Type 2 diabetes. You may find it causes some tummy problems to begin with, but these usually go after a couple of weeks as your body adapts to the medication. If you find you are still having difficulties after a few weeks then ask your doctor for the 'slow-release' version, which many people tolerate better
🙂
I'd also highly recommend getting a copy of
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which is a very positive and helpful guide to get you through these early months
🙂 As I have said, diabetes is a serious condition, but it can be managed well, and many people find that the adaptations they make result in them feeling happier and healthier than they have for some time - many, many of our members will agree with this
🙂
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - nothing is considered 'silly'!
🙂 There are lots of friendly, experienced and knowledgeable people here who will be happy to help out
🙂 You are not alone in this, we're all behind you and wanting you to crack this!
🙂
