Recently diagnosed type 2

[vinnyp]

Just saying hello! Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes early this week (hac1 level was pretty high) I'm 37 M, came as a shock but not surprised as it's something that runs in the family but can't help but think "if only I took better care of myself". I've come to accept it and making lifestyle changes.

I've been put on Metformin and Glimepiride.
Have to say I'm overwhelmed with all the information available but this place seems like a good place to start my journey 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @vinnyp

Try not to be hard on yourself, and play the blame game with what ifs and maybes - you can’t change what has happened in the past, and there’s no way for certain to know that any action you may have taken would have prevented your diagnosis, or delayed it for a while. Genetic predisposition can be a powerful driver, and may have made prevention more difficult for you.

What’s much more important is how you respond now. Some people on the forum later reflect that the changes they have made after diagnosis have made them feel healthier, fitter, and more energised than they have in years. That their diabetes diagnosis was almost a blessing in disguise.

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking in your menu, your food diary might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

As you are taking Glimipiride you’ll need to be careful to make changes to your menu gradually, and in line with advice from your nurse or GP, as too-rapid changes in general glucose levels can put a strain on the fine blood vessels in the eyes and nerve endings, especially if you’ve been running high for a while.

Fire away with any questions you have on the forum too - nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’ 🙂

 

[vinnyp]

Welcome to the forum @vinnyp

Try not to be hard on yourself, and play the blame game with what ifs and maybes - you can’t change what has happened in the past, and there’s no way for certain to know that any action you may have taken would have prevented your diagnosis, or delayed it for a while. Genetic predisposition can be a powerful driver, and may have made prevention more difficult for you.

What’s much more important is how you respond now. Some people on the forum later reflect that the changes they have made after diagnosis have made them feel healthier, fitter, and more energised than they have in years. That their diabetes diagnosis was almost a blessing in disguise.

One of the biggest questions when trying to get to grips with your diabetes is often ‘what can I eat’ and while there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you will want to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits.

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your meals and snacks - it doesn’t have to be gram-perfect, the nearest 5-10g is fine. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking in your menu, your food diary might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

As you are taking Glimipiride you’ll need to be careful to make changes to your menu gradually, and in line with advice from your nurse or GP, as too-rapid changes in general glucose levels can put a strain on the fine blood vessels in the eyes and nerve endings, especially if you’ve been running high for a while.

Fire away with any questions you have on the forum too - nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’ 🙂

Thank you. I wasn't aware about that for Glimepiride so I'll take things slowly. Not sure how long I have been diabetic but started to get recurring infections for which I was just given antibiotics after antibiotics, eventually GP ordered some blood tests and here we are. One thing I did think was this was a blessing in disguise in a sense if I never got the infections I would be living with diabetes not knowing while it does more damage to my body and then with the diagnoses it's forcing change for a healthier lifestyle.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thank you. I wasn't aware about that for Glimepiride so I'll take things slowly.

Glimepiride works by encouraging the body to produce more insulin than it naturally would, and has the ability to cause hypoglycaemia - so balancing with your diet is an important factor.