Newly diagnosed

[Soomac]

Hello Everyone,
I was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes three days ago and have my first appointment with the Diabetic nurse tomorrow. I'm totally confused as to what I can and cannot eat and hopefully that will all become clearer during my appointment tomorrow. I have already read some great advice on here for newbies. Thank you

 

[EllsBells]

Hi @Soomac - Welcome! DO you know what your HbA1c score was (48 plus number) and how did you find out?

 

[Drummer]

If you a plain ordinary type two you can't deal with carbohydrate very well - that is the sugars and starches.
You should manage very well if you eat low carb foods. I have quite a few stir fries, salads and stews, then you can make up the rest of your requirements with meat, seafood, eggs and cheese, full fat yoghurt, cream, and there are quite a few things you can bake for yourself these days.

 

[Soomac]

Thank you so much for your helpful replies.
My HbA1c is 95, which my doctor said is double what it should be! I have no symptoms, thirst etc at all and only asked for a test as my mum had T2. I've been prescribed Metformin 1x 500g a day.

 

[EllsBells]

I was diagnosed at 88 with loads of symptoms. Trust me, you don't want the constant loo trips, unquenchable thirst, thrush, constant exhaustion, lethargy etc!

Best advice is don't rush in head first to making wholesale changes to diet or you could damage your eyes - take it steady with gradual changes bringing your BG levels down slowly. A good start is keeping an honest food diary - pay attention to carbs (including in fruit and beans/pulses, grains etc) and from there you can start to think how to make changes to your diet.

95 is high but people have been diagnosed with higher and have had great success with managing their diabetes. It is totally doable.

Tomorrow do make sure to ask about spot glucose testing and see what they say, if they don't mention it. It's an invaluable tool which can make an enormous difference to your control.

Final question (for this post anyway 😉 ) - are you in need of losing weight or are you a 'skinny' T2?

 

[Drummer]

My first Hba1c was 91, but it soon dropped and I have had some years of near normal results now.
My daily glucose readings are in the normal range, but my Hba1c seems stuck at 42.

 

[Soomac]

I was diagnosed at 88 with loads of symptoms. Trust me, you don't want the constant loo trips, unquenchable thirst, thrush, constant exhaustion, lethargy etc!

Best advice is don't rush in head first to making wholesale changes to diet or you could damage your eyes - take it steady with gradual changes bringing your BG levels down slowly. A good start is keeping an honest food diary - pay attention to carbs (including in fruit and beans/pulses, grains etc) and from there you can start to think how to make changes to your diet.

95 is high but people have been diagnosed with higher and have had great success with managing their diabetes. It is totally doable.

Tomorrow do make sure to ask about spot glucose testing and see what they say, if they don't mention it. It's an invaluable tool which can make an enormous difference to your control.

Final question (for this post anyway 😉 ) - are you in need of losing weight or are you a 'skinny' T2?

Thanks, I'll make a note about the spot glucose testing. I'm 5'1" and weigh 10st 12:lb so, I do need to lose some weight and am on that. I walk every weekend with The Ramblers for exercise.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Soomac, welcome to the forum.

Hopefully, you'll get some clarity during your appointment, it might be worth writing down some questions that you have so you can get them answered.

We've got a wealth of info on the site so if there's anything you still aren't sure of, we'll be happy to help.