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Overwhelmed

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Grogg1

Grogg1

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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She/Her
Last week diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My hba1c was 117!!!
I was given Metforim 1 a day last Friday and told to increase to 2 a day after 7 days.

I had my first clinic with Diabetic nurse today and to be honest it scared and overwhelmed me.

I have to monitor my blood so she did one for me which was over 3 hours since I last ate and was 14.2. I had a boiled egg and piece of wholemeal toast for breakfast. She has banned me from bread!

I am now sitting here and don't know what to eat. I have been watching my carbs since Friday and had less than 100g a day.

I have been told I can't eat my favourite fruit, pears. She's steering me to meat, fish and yoghurts which I don't like. I like veggie mince and most veg but have to avoid many root ones which are my favourite! I'm allowed cheese thankfully but she's told me to watch my fat. She also told me I can have a couple of glasses of wine a week but I'm so panicked I won't drink.

The only good news is my blood pressure is perfect! I've also lost 2 stone over the past 2 years but my BMI is 28 so I'm working on getting it down further.

I have to test my blood 3 times a week and go back in 3 months. This seems such a long time.

About me: Female, 52.
 
Hello there Grogg1. Welcome to the forum.

Firstly, at the start, things will be a little haywire. Food that you like will need to be cut down (but perhaps not eliminated completely). It all depends what your meter tells you.

Losing that 2 stone is brilliant and I think the fact that you did it over 2 years is just as good (I don't trust these lose weight quick regimes). If you can keep that progress up then maybe you may be able to have a little more of what you fancy. But it may take a little time.

If you can, don't ignore doing a little more exercise too. That helped me a lot when I was trying to get myself in order (which I am now).

Good look with everything and try not to be overwhelmed. Take little steps in the right direction and all will be well in the end!

Andy 🙂
 
Hi Grogg1. I assume you have a finger prick meter to test your blood, but only 3x per week? This is nowhere near enough for you to get to know which foods you can tolerate and which not. All carbs affect us, and the only was to know if to test before each meal and again 1.5 - 2 hours after to see how much our BG level had altered. What you will be aiming for is no more that 2-3mmol rise. The more you can do this, the quicker you'll see which carbs you need to avoid and which you can tolerate but in reduced quantities. A prime example is porridge. Many people can't have it at all, but I'm fine:D.
These first few weeks will be a steep learning curve, but if you record what you eat and drink and test, then things become easier.
There are loads of good recipies in the food thread on the forum to give you some inspiration and ideas.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on. Don't hesitate to ask if there is something you are not sure of.🙂
 
Forgot to mention, it'll be 3 months until your next appt as I guess they will do a blood test to check your HbA1c. This is your average BG level over a 3 month period. 48+ is in the diabetic range, 42-48 pre-diabetic, and under 42 is 'normal'.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. My Hba1c was 127 when diagnosed. This forum is a great place for help and advice. I miss a lot of my favourite fruits too, especially grapes and melon. I went from eating 5-7 portions of fruit a day to just 1-2. You will soon get used to the changes in your diet. You defintely need to find what foods you can and cant tolerate. And testing is definately the key to this. Dont be afraid to ask questions on here.
 
Thank you all so much. I'm inToby carvery with turkey carrots cabbage and gravy. Im just so stressed as she tested my feet! I was treated for breast cancer last year so my stress levels have been high fir do lingu Should I have had other blood tests done . I've only had blood sugar
 
Hi @Grogg1, welcome to the forum. I agree with the others that 3 tests a day isn't going to do you much good to begin with. You need to find out how food and exercise affect your blood sugars and what happens when you adjust things. Alan Shanley's blog gives his take on how to do this and is a very useful guide for beginners. There's also a book: The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker, you can get from Amazon which is worth reading.

I suggest you have a word with your nurse/GP to see if they will allow you more frequent testing, at least for a few months so that you can find out what works for you. I don't know why she suggested yoghurt as milk products contain lactose which is sugar and many low fat options contain added sugar as well 😱! Fruit of course contain fructose which is our old friend sugar again which is why it would be wise to avoid it. for now at least, though some folk find a few berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries) are OK now and again. Other major horrors are the staples such as cereals bread, pasta, rice and potatoes and cutting down on those can help a lot. As has been suggested, check out our recipe section for ideas, there's lots of good stuff in there.

PS, if you can't get more strips from the nurse, let us know, there are fairly cheap ways to self-fund them.
 
Is soya milk okay? I asked but she just said yes but I'm not sure she knew
 
I have 50 testing strips but 100 lancets
 
Do you have a LIDL nearby? If so, a LIDL protein rolls only contains c10-12g carbs. They put 'bread' back on my menu. I find this extremely helpful as it allows me to have an everyday thing like a filled roll (meat/eggs/fish/cheese + salad) without taking on board too many carbs. I also use them as burger buns and for my favourite...a mock sausage and egg McMuffin style thing with a sausagemeat patty and a fried/poached egg. Yum!
 
Grogg1 said:
Is soya milk okay? I asked but she just said yes but I'm not sure she knew
Click to expand...
Yes, it's fine (don't like the stuff but it's fine). I use unsweetened almond milk most of the time at home and find it works well for me.

Oh, and you'll probably be using the same box of lancets in 7 years time, we're terrible at changing the things and our beloved leader usually posts us a reminder on St Swithin's Day.
 
Marsbartoastie said:
Do you have a LIDL nearby? If so, a LIDL protein rolls only contains c10-12g carbs. They put 'bread' back on my menu. I find this extremely helpful as it allows me to have an everyday thing like a filled roll (meat/eggs/fish/cheese + salad) without taking on board too many carbs. I also use them as burger buns and for my favourite...a mock sausage and egg McMuffin style thing with a sausagemeat patty and a fried/poached egg. Yum!
Click to expand...
When you say fasting how long do you go.
 
Grogg1 said:
Last week diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My hba1c was 117!!!
I was given Metforim 1 a day last Friday and told to increase to 2 a day after 7 days.

I had my first clinic with Diabetic nurse today and to be honest it scared and overwhelmed me.

I have to monitor my blood so she did one for me which was over 3 hours since I last ate and was 14.2. I had a boiled egg and piece of wholemeal toast for breakfast. She has banned me from bread!

I am now sitting here and don't know what to eat. I have been watching my carbs since Friday and had less than 100g a day.

I have been told I can't eat my favourite fruit, pears. She's steering me to meat, fish and yoghurts which I don't like. I like veggie mince and most veg but have to avoid many root ones which are my favourite! I'm allowed cheese thankfully but she's told me to watch my fat. She also told me I can have a couple of glasses of wine a week but I'm so panicked I won't drink.

The only good news is my blood pressure is perfect! I've also lost 2 stone over the past 2 years but my BMI is 28 so I'm working on getting it down further.

I have to test my blood 3 times a week and go back in 3 months. This seems such a long time.

About me: Female, 52.
Click to expand...
Hi Grogg...don't be dismissive...there seems to be lots of good news...losing 2 stone...cholesterol down...and you're on the forum...where you'll get so much help and support from members who understand the issues you have raised...don't let the DSN scare you...they are supposed to be there to give support and guidance...I agree that testing is so important...not sure three times a week will be of much use...I was diagnosed about five months ago...my blood glucose was17.4...which I think converts to roughly 166 mmols...now after adjusting my diet and following the tips given here I have an average of 6.6...and hoping to reduce it further...best way to decide what you can and cannot eat is to test before food...and then again about two hours after...I still eat fruit...blueberries...blackberries...bananas...clementines...I still have bread...high protein bread...Warburtons...Burgen...although these foods don't suit everyone...so the way forward is to test regularly...certainly more than three times a week...and as suggested the book Type 2 Diabetes The First Year is brilliant...available on Amazon...good luck...be interested to hear how you get on.
 
Grogg1 said:
When you say fasting how long do you go.
Click to expand...
The MBT guide to easy fasting:
I 'fast' between my evening meal and breakfast the following morning. I try to make this period as long as I can be eating relatively early in the evening and having my breakfast just before I leave for work. I don't do it every day because I have a life. However, if I'm not doing anything in the evening I use that as opportunity to do a fast. Sometimes I can do 4 in a week and sometimes less.
 
Grogg1 said:
When you say fasting how long do you go.
Click to expand...
The fasting BG test is the one you do when you wake up in the morning and it gives a clue to what is happening overnight. Ideally you should be testing first thing in the morning, then 1, 2 and 3 hours after each meal followed by one more before bed. You should make notes of each test and what you'd eaten/done, how you felt and anything else that occurs to you. This is a lot of tests, but it would really help you get a handle on things.
 
AlisonM said:
Oh, and you'll probably be using the same box of lancets in 7 years time, we're terrible at changing the things and our beloved leader usually posts us a reminder on St Swithin's Day.
Click to expand...
I thought you had to put a new lancet on each time? Can you reuse
 
It is recommend you do but many people on here use the same one for along time.
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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