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Newly diagnosed

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SamLincs

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi, just had a call back from doctors, hba1c is 90 so been told to start Metformin from tomo and been given a diabetes UK pack to read, will have full assessment when corona virus eased off.
It’s a bit scary, but I guess not unexpected, hoping I have the willpower to change my life.
Never joined a forum before but thought it might be helpful.
 
Hi and welcome.

90 is a pretty high starting score but there are quite a few members of the forum who have come down from that high and higher, primarily by following a low carb diet and pushed their diabetes into remission..... some without the help of medication. That means not just cutting out the obvious sweet stuff but also drastically reducing your portions of bread, pasta, rice, couscous, potatoes, breakfast cereals and even otherwise healthy porridge and fruits. The body converts starchy carbs as well as sugars into glucose quite efficiently, so it is cutting down on all these things as well as increasing your activity levels which will see your score of 90 diminish.
That may seem like there is nothing much left to eat but actually it leaves all the good stuff like meat and fish and eggs and nuts and veggies and full fat dairy like cream and butter and creamy full fat natural yoghurt and cheese. Cabbage tastes great cooked in a little butter or bacon fat. Spinach too or wilted and served with a good dollop of cream cheese. Who doesn't love cauliflower cheese.... goes great with sausages or gammon. Fry up for breakfast beats cereal in the low carb breakfast stakes but avoid the baked beans and hash browns and toast/bread. I really enjoy a variety of omelettes and usually have them with a salad and cheese coleslaw instead of bread as I used to. Just a few suggestions to get you going.
Not the best circumstances to be diagnosed especially with shopping being more limited but the important thing is that you can take control of your diabetes and diet is a more powerful means of managing it than most medication, so start your new regime here.

Many people also find that a Blood Glucose meter is invaluable in helping them identify which foods cause them the most problems and therefore tailoring their diet according to their own body's responses. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase, but the test strips can tot up the finances with regular testing. For that reason, we recommend meters with the cheapest test strips.... the SD Gluco Navii and the Spirit Health Tee2 are the commonest used on the forum for that reason as the test strips are about £8 for a pot of 50 which is less than half the price of many other brands/models. Testing before each meal and 2 hours after will give you an idea of how well or badly your body responded to that food. Keeping a food/drink diary with your readings is helpful to identify where you need to make changes.

I appreciate that this post is getting lengthy, so will end it here but please ask if you need more help. This forum has been invaluable in helping me since my diagnosis last year. I hope you find it equally beneficial.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum @SamLincs - sorry you have to be here, must have been quite a shock for you, but at least you know about it and are now in a position to be pro-active in taking control of this disease. We are all here to help you - You have much to read and learn. And already had some great advice from @rebrascora. Best thing to do, is take your time, educate yourself about the condition, research on here (and above on orange tab - the 'Learning Zone', a separate sign in to that) So much info to help you.

Also go in here and cherry pick what is suitable for you. https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes.10406/

Ask any questions you have on things you are not sure about - there will always be someone around to help you.
 
Hello @SamLincs and welcome to the forum.
As you can see from the replies you already have, it is a very good place to come for help and support.

Diagnosis can be a bit of a shock, and there is a lot of information to take in, but take it slowly and make sure that you end up with a plan for yourself in terms of eating and exercise that you can sustain.

Many of us find that eventually we end up with a healthier lifestyle and I personally now have much more energy and zest for life.
Best wishes and please keep posting and let us know how it goes and we will always try to answer any questions you may have.
 
Good morning Sam

I have nothing to add the useful advice and links that you have been given.
Just a welcome, and to encourage you to ask any questions that you have.
 
I had Hba1c of 91 at diagnosis and was 41 six months later.
It was no effort at all.
I also lost a fifth of my body weight - that was no effort either.
I saw my grandmother during the last few years of her life with the consequences of uncontrolled type two diabetes, so if I'd realised I would have to eat frogspawn to survive then, sorry frogs, that is what I would do.
Fortunately what I can eat is all the good stuff - I simply cut out all the high carb foods and three years later everything is better than good.
 
Welcome to the forum @SamLincs

Glad you have joined our community.

Having diabetes can be quite an isolating experience, and it can really help to have others to connect with who instinctively ’get it’.

Ask away with any questions you have - we have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum, and no question will be though of as too obvious, or silly.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum @SamLincs 🙂
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. At the point of point, you might be going through a lot of emotions like we all did. But as days pass my you will feel feel much better. You can change this by taking good care of your diet and engage in some physical activity like walking to start with. Take care.
 
Thanks for all your messages I have lost a stone and on 1500mg metformin a day now.
However I’m still so thirsty all the time, weeing dozens on time a day, and drinking a pint every time I get up in the night, should this of improved by now? ,
 
Hi and congratulations on your weight loss.
Sorry to hear that you are still very symptomatic. I remember how shattered I was after a couple of weeks of weeing and drinking day and night, so you must be like a zombie by now!
Yes, I would have expected to see some improvement by now but it depends on what you are eating. Can you tell us what you usually have for breakfast, lunch and dinner and any snacks and what you usually drink. If you are eating lots of carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals etc even fruit, then you are making it worse even if you are losing weight.

Did you get a BG meter so that you can test your own blood and see what is happening and how you respond to particular foods. They are relatively inexpensive to buy and make a huge difference in helping you to manage your diabetes,
 
Thanks for reply
I tend to have fruit salad and natural yoghurt for breakfast, it tends to quench my thirst in the morning, for lunch I have Rybinsk and cheese, noodles, fish and salad or soup, for dinner things like chilli, spaghetti bolognaise or something with salad.
I’ve pops in between are good for thirst, Ive even just about given up alcohol. I’ve almost cut bread out completely and try to reduce portion of pasta, potatoes etc
My dad next door has blood tester, it was 30 the other day, it’s the only time I’ve checked since diagnosis and hasn’t improved.
I’m not due to have a proper diabetes appt until this corona thing is over, I’m only coping as my dad is type 2 and he’s given me lots of advice. I’m glad iv been furloughed as the constant drinking, weeing and feeling sick is so draining
I’ve just got to get used to all this
 
Oh dear! A BG of 30 is dangerously high and you should be seeking urgent medical assistance if it is that high now especially if you are feeling sick with it. It is no good waiting until this social distancing is over for follow up appointments with this. You are not managing your diabetes with the medication you have and you are at serious risk of an emergency hospital admission. Does your Dad also have a means of testing for ketones? They are either strips that you dip in your urine or special blood test strips. If you have ketones in your Blood or urine then that would prompt more urgent medical help and you should ring 111 straight away. Letting things go on like this is putting you at serious risk.

For information fruit is very high in natural sugars and will not be helping. Most of us can get away with a few berries like 5 or 6 raspberries or blueberries or 3-4 strawberries but anything larger or with more tropical fruits like banana or pineapple or peaches or mango and even apples are all quite high and grapes are little sugar bombs, so those are all best avoided particularly when you have BG levels that high. I am not sure what you mean by "pops".... ice lollies perhaps? Are they sugar free? If not, again, those will be sending your BG skyward. Your body is trying to remove the excess glucose from your blood by stimulating your kidneys to work harder so you can wee it out and this makes you thirsty, because you are weeing lots and becoming dehydrated. If you are putting more glucose back into your body with fruit and pops and spaghetti, then you are not giving it a chance to heal itself. Please just drink plain water to flush your system and avoid high carb foods until you get medical assistance.
You need medical help and sooner rather than later or you could end up in a blue light ambulance.
 
@SamLincs Yes you do need medical help PDQ - I shouldn't be at all surprised if you've been misdiagnosed and are really Type 1, Sam. Please ring 111 as soon as you read this message and tell them what you've been telling us.
 
I agree with others @SamLincs

Youve substantially reduced your carb intake, but your BG levels are dangerously high and you are now exhibiting the 4Ts of T1: tired toilet thirsty thinner. Nausea, abdominal pain or vomiting could be a symptom of DKA, so this isn‘t something that can wait.

It is entirely possible that your diabetes has been misclassified (having a family history of T2 doesn’t rule out T1 or LADA).

Please call 111 and mention the 30, the weight loss, the urination and the nausea.

And let us know how you get on.
 
Good luck SamLincs, I'm sure all will be sorted once you are in the right place.
 
Sadly Sam - adult onset T1 is still an alien concept to some HCPs in general practice. It shouldn't be, but it is.

I highly recommend a book to read and now you'll think I'm off my rocker.

Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Seventh Edition: Amazon.co.uk: Ragnar Hanas: 9781859597989: Books

Buy Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Seventh Edition Seventh by Ragnar Hanas (ISBN: 9781859597989) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk

Honest! Suitable for all age groups of T1s, and written in readable English instead of 'medicalese'.
 
SamLincs said:
Rang 111 and at urgent cate unit
Ketones very high
Now on a drip and awaiting an ambulance
Thanks for all your help I would never of thought anything untoward as nurse never warned me on phone when I was disgnosed
Will update later
Click to expand...

So glad you’ve managed to get seem Sam

Hope you begin to feel much better really soon. Drop us a line to know how you‘ve been going with your recovery when you get a minute.
 
Phew - B lucky you did join the forum Sam!!! You should be feeling one helluva lot better by now with some insulin inside you. I know I had a feeling of massive relief - oooh blimey, is that all it is? I'm not going to drop dead soon after all!
 
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