Newly diagnosed

[Varley]

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with type 2 yesterday after blood tests. Although not entirely unexpected it was still a shock. I'm not massively overweight and get regular exercise, but had been urinating a lot especially at night, and was constantly thirsty so after googling stuff I had a bit of a gut feeling it might go this way. It seems my levels were very high...bloods were showing over 120, and finger prick was showing 26. If I'm honest I'm not sure what these figures really mean, I tried to take it all in but it was a lot of info to take in in one go! I now feel a bit in limbo as I now have to wait 6-8 weeks for more bloods, an appointment with the diabetes nurse, and then my diabetes check up (height, weight, feet etc). Is this normal to have it land in your lap and then deal with it for a month or so? I've been prescribed metformin, and told to adjust diet, avoid sugary foods, fizzy drinks etc. and then levels would be checked again in 6-8 weeks. Been having a poke around on Diabetes UK but need time to take in all the relevant info. I guess in the interim, changing diet and taking meds is all I can really do at the moment.

Cheers,
Varley

 

[Saoirse]

Hi! It is unfortunately quite common to have this landed on you, especially since the pandemic. I'm not T2 and others will be better able to talk about T2 specific things, but for reference normal blood sugar is between 4-7ish, normal HbA1c (which is a measure of blood glucose levels over a period of 3 months) is below 42, so yes both your numbers are high. Please do not panic though, high numbers can be brought down, usually with a combination of testing, medication and diet. Have you lost any weight recently? Did they check for ketones?

 

[trophywench]

Not only sugary food - reduce your total carbohydrate intake, cos the body doesn't care whether the cabs come from a bag of Tate & Lyle, a potato, some rice, bread or fruit. It happily converts the whole lot of em to glucose. It also doesn't care whether they're wholegrain, brown, white or skyblue pink. Converts the whole lot of available carbohydrate, but just not the fibre. The fibre content of wholegrains and seeds, therefore slows the carb conversion down a bit - but not that much.

 

[Varley]

Hi! It is unfortunately quite common to have this landed on you, especially since the pandemic. I'm not T2 and others will be better able to talk about T2 specific things, but for reference normal blood sugar is between 4-7ish, normal HbA1c (which is a measure of blood glucose levels over a period of 3 months) is below 42, so yes both your numbers are high. Please do not panic though, high numbers can be brought down, usually with a combination of testing, medication and diet. Have you lost any weight recently? Did they check for ketones?

I have lost weight, about a stone since christmas, but attributed this to a slight dietry change prior to me being diagnosed. They checked a urine sample for ketones which was ok.

 

[Saoirse]

I have lost weight, about a stone since christmas, but attributed this to a slight dietry change prior to me being diagnosed. They checked a urine sample for ketones which was ok.

Ok - the reason I asked is because while T1 is also known a 'juvenile' diabetes, about half of diagnoses are in adults. Sometimes people are misdiagnosed initially as even HCPs can be a bit of out of date in understanding this. The fact that your ketones are ok is a good sign and T2 is *far* more common than T1 - most people with diabetes have T2. If you did start to feel very unwell, please call 111 immediately as there is chance you may have developed something called DKA which is serious and needs immediate treatment.

 

[Leadinglights]

Whilst it is important to reduce your carbohydrate intake it is wise to do so gradually as a rapid drop in blood glucose can cause eye and nerve issues.
People suggest you make a food diary of everything you eat and drink estimating the TOTAL carbohydrates you are having and then you can make some reduction by one third for a couple of weeks, then another third until you get to where you need to be.
Many people find a low carbohydrate approach works and that is less than 130g total carbs per day but some do go lower than that. Basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, full fat dairy, vegetables and fruits like berries but reducing the portion size of high carbohydrate foods, those being potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, cereals, starchy veg and tropical fruits as well a cutting out cakes, biscuits, sugary drinks.
This link may give you some information and some ideas for dietary changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
The Learning Zone here also is worth a read.

 

[Christy]

Hi

Hi! It is unfortunately quite common to have this landed on you, especially since the pandemic. I'm not T2 and others will be better able to talk about T2 specific things, but for reference normal blood sugar is between 4-7ish, normal HbA1c (which is a measure of blood glucose levels over a period of 3 months) is below 42, so yes both your numbers are high. Please do not panic though, high numbers can be brought down, usually with a combination of testing, medication and diet. Have you lost any weight recently? Did they check for ketones?

The level at which diabetes is diagnosed is 48. It's 42 to 47 for pre-diabetes. I agree with your other comments 🙂 but wanted to give the poster the target to aim for over time.

 

[Drummer]

If it turns out you are type two, do not grieve for the carbs.
I avoid carbs, but I do have cauliflower cheese, and also bubble and squeak made with mashed swede beaten up with eggs, then mixed with left over low carb veges, fried then grilled, though I changed that to grated cheese half mixed in and half on top when I found the fridge empty of veges, cooked in the oven then under the grill. When anyone goes on about the chips or sandwiches they miss, I do find it difficult to commiserate.
If you have to wait for weeks to get further tests then lower carb options might help take off some of the strain on the metabolism as those numbers are rather high - low carb is not going to obscure the correct diagnosis.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Varley

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

Yes unfortunately it’s not all that uncommon for people to be left to their own devices a bit at the beginning, with not much in the way of advice or support - especially with the current pressures on GP surgeries

Your 120mmol/mol is likely to be an HbA1c, which is a reflection of how much glucose has been circulating in your bloodstream over the past 3-4months. The 26mmol/L will have been a glucose value at that moment in time.

Both these levels are in the upper range of what might be expected at diagnosis, and combined with the weight loss do mean you should keep an eye on ketones, just in case you have a slow-emerging autoimmune diabetes sometimes called T1.5 or LADA (which can look a bit like T2 to begin with, but will need insulin treatment before long).

You’ll find lots and lots of helpful information in the Learning Zone, divided into bite-sized modules.

For suggestions of what to eat, many new members are surprised how much impact all carbohydrate, not just ‘of which sugars’ has on their blood glucose levels, and find some carb moderation, and reduction in portion size of all sources of carbs can be a helpful strategy.

There are a number of different meal plan suggestions, including lower carb and mediterranean style options here:

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...

www.diabetes.org.uk

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

 

[Varley]

Welcome to the forum @Varley

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

Yes unfortunately it’s not all that uncommon for people to be left to their own devices a bit at the beginning, with not much in the way of advice or support - especially with the current pressures on GP surgeries

Your 120mmol/mol is likely to be an HbA1c, which is a reflection of how much glucose has been circulating in your bloodstream over the past 3-4months. The 26mmol/L will have been a glucose value at that moment in time.

Both these levels are in the upper range of what might be expected at diagnosis, and combined with the weight loss do mean you should keep an eye on ketones, just in case you have a slow-emerging autoimmune diabetes sometimes called T1.5 or LADA (which can look a bit like T2 to begin with, but will need insulin treatment before long).

You’ll find lots and lots of helpful information in the Learning Zone, divided into bite-sized modules.

For suggestions of what to eat, many new members are surprised how much impact all carbohydrate, not just ‘of which sugars’ has on their blood glucose levels, and find some carb moderation, and reduction in portion size of all sources of carbs can be a helpful strategy.

There are a number of different meal plan suggestions, including lower carb and mediterranean style options here:

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...

www.diabetes.org.uk

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

I've found out that someone I work with is long term Type 2 so I've already been able to get some hints and tips from him which is really helpful as well as this site.

Yeah, 120mmol/L was my HbA1c result. In hindsight the 26mmol/L glucose value was possibly a result of having eaten a bag of Starburst (otherwise known as Opal Fruits if your'e over a certian age!) during the morning...obviously if I'd know about my diagnosis these wouldnt have been eaten. I have since bought myself a glucose tester and current figures are around the 10mmol/L level - still high I know but I'm only two days in to adjusting diet etc so hopefully I can bring this down even more over the coming days.

There was no mention of T1.5 or LADA at my diagnosis, but my urine sample showed no sign of ketones at that point. Going for more diabetes check up in a few weeks, then more bloods etc after that.

 

[Sprogpaws]

Hi Varley,

I’m very much in the same boat as you, having been diagnosed T2 on Tuesday and now trying to find out the best way forward. Unlike you, I know I’ve got a lot of weight to shift, though it’s a real struggle these days with perimenopause hormones and fibromyalgia making moving very painful, my body wants to hold on to every last ounce with a tight grip at the mo! I’ll get on top of it, it’s just trying to find the best way forward when the roads have so many forks and twists, and the person you need to talk to is always just out of reach around the corner. I wish you well on your journey, even if it’s not going to have as many opal fruits in it as it did before!

 

[Sunshine81]

Hi @Varley, I was diagnosed around 3 months ago now. My Hb1ac was 153 and my blood glucose was 29 on diagnosis. Initially they thought I was type 2, within 48 hours they thought I was type 1 and on insulin. I too haven't had ketones and had lost weight, but I thought intentionally. My antibodies all came back negative, making type 2 more like... and today I got my c peptide result which has confirmed once and for all, that I am in fact type 1.

My saving grace was that my gave me a blood glucose monitor, as I had no response my initial dose of metformin and gliclazide maximum dose. Because I felt unwell, my sugars were 90% of the time reading "Hi" and I couldn't get in touch with my GP, I took myself to A&E and eventually got seen by a diabetologist.

So, get yourself a blood sugar monitor (your gp may help you there) and if you start to not feel well get medical attention ASAP.

 

[Varley]

Quick update...had another Hba1c test on Thursday prior to an appointment tomorrow with the diabetes nurse. After effectively winging it for the last 7 weeks as I've not had any proper guidance other than from this forum, my Hba1c has gone from 120 down to 65. Still got a long way to go but I'm confident I can continue to bring this down to sensible levels soon. My BG level, 26 mmol/l on day of diagnosis (25th April), now sits at a 30 day average of 6.3 mmol/l. Contributing factors have been diet change, increased exercise and metformin, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to come off the meds at some point in the near future and control my diabetes with just diet and exercise..

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

Not only sugary food - reduce your total carbohydrate intake, cos the body doesn't care whether the cabs come from a bag of Tate & Lyle, a potato, some rice, bread or fruit. It happily converts the whole lot of em to glucose. It also doesn't care whether they're wholegrain, brown, white or skyblue pink. Converts the whole lot of available carbohydrate, but just not the fibre. The fibre content of wholegrains and seeds, therefore slows the carb conversion down a bit - but not that much.

So you need to limit all beige food - bread pasta rice pastry tropical fruit etc - all carbs. Sugar and sugary stuff need eliminating... Carbs are colourblind - brown rice has the same carbs as white rice but some addtional fibre.

I used freshwell after advice here, and myfitnesspal to reduce my carb intake to below 70g a day after I lost 11kg.

 

[Sprogpaws]

Well done, Varley, that’s wonderful to hear!