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kaspa

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Type 2
Hi everyone!

I'm newly diagnosed (on Friday) with type 2 diabetes. I had my first blood glucose reading today with a diabetes nurse. It was one hour after food and the reading was 16.5 which has terrified me as I thought it should be between 4-6 :/

It's great to find this forum for support and guidance. It's all very new to me and I'm trying to learn quicker than I can read right now!

Anyway, hello everyone! 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum kaspa :D

Check out the newbie helpful links since there's lots of good stuff. The recommend book by Gretchen Becker is very useful too.
 
Hi kaspa, welcome to the forum.

Target range for a non-D person is between 4 and 7, my DSN asks me to try and stay between 5 and 9 which I now manage most of the time. 16.5 is definitely too high, but there's a lot you can do to help yourself, finding a forum like this being a very good start.

There's some reading you can do which will help you get a handle on things: Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year which you can get from Amazon is a great guide for dealing with T2, as is Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davy's open letter (PDF).

These should be enough to get you started. One thing we do suggest is that you get hold of a meter and start testing your BGs for yourself. The SD Codefree is a good cheap meter that will do the job, if you can't persuade your GP/Nurse to give you one and strips for it on prescription.

And don't be afraid to ask any questions you may have, it's why we're here.
 
Hi kaspa, welcome to the forum 🙂 What did you eat before the nurse tested you? As you will come to learn, diabetes is all about how well (or otherwise!) you tolerate carbohydrates. This tolerance can vary from person to person, and people can get different responses to the same foodstuff, so it is very individual.

I would suggest reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter for starters, and would definitely recommend you get the book Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker mentioned by Mark. The more you know, the better you will understand how to control your blood sugar levels well. Diabetes is a serious condition, but it is something that can be managed well, and you may be surprised at how much better you feel once you have your blood sugar levels under control - many people find that their diagnosis gives them a new lease of life!

Please ask any questions you may have, and we will be happy to help 🙂

p.s. I see Alison and me have great minds - we think alike! :D
 
Hi kaspa welcome to the forum, you will get really helpful and friendly advice on here. Don't worry you will get the hang of it and sort out your bs levels, it all takes time TinTin
 
Thanks so much everyone for welcoming me and for your advice. I can see I have plenty of reading to do 🙂 I've already ordered the Gretchen Becker book from Amazon as the online reviews were fantastic! It's due any day.

Northerner, I wasn't told to fast before this appt with the nurse so just ate breakfast as normal this morning :/ I'm totally embracing a new, healthier lifestyle and will do my very best to bring those levels down.

In them meantime I've been prescribed Metformin twice daily and Gliclazide twice daily but I've heard that the latter can cause hypos in 40% of people?? That doesn't sound too promising, I just hope I'm one of the 60%!

Thanks again everyone, it's good to know I'm not alone with this!
 
Hi kaspa, well, the 16.5 would be an indication of how well your body tolerated what you ate for your normal breakfast, so it is useful to some extent. However, there would be a big difference between bacon and eggs and a bowl of cereal plus toast - one contains no carbohydrate and wouldn't have had a great impact on your levels, the latter is almost pure carbohydrate and would have sent your levels high. You'll get used to things in time.

One important thing - has the doctor given you a blood glucose meter and prescribed some test strips? As you are on gliclizide, which as you say can send your levels low, you must be able to test if you are feeling low, and you HAVE to test before you intend to drive (if you drive). If you've been told you don't need to test, then get right back to them! 🙂
 
You can see I'm a newbie to this as that's exactly what I did for breakfast - I had a bowl of branflakes with fruit - so carb overload!

Yes I forgot to mention that I've been given a glucose meter and strips today. I did my first reading on my own pre lunch and it was down (but still high at 11). I wasn't told about testing before driving either. Do you mean literally before I am about to get in the car or just generally before I intend to drive? 🙂
 
The way I understand it, Metfartin aims to help your body make the most of the insulin you produce Gliclazide tricks your body into producing more, hence the hypo risk and the need to test. Your GP really should give you a meter and strips. I'd ask at the earliest opportunity, especially if you drive.
 
kaspa said:
You can see I'm a newbie to this as that's exactly what I did for breakfast - I had a bowl of branflakes with fruit - so carb overload!

Yes I forgot to mention that I've been given a glucose meter and strips today. I did my first reading on my own pre lunch and it was down (but still high at 11). I wasn't told about testing before driving either. Do you mean literally before I am about to get in the car or just generally before I intend to drive? 🙂
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Before you get in the car. Your level must be at 5.0 or above to be safe to drive. If it's lower then you have to have some fast-acting carbs (like a couple of jelly babies) and then re-testing before driving. A low blood sugar can affect your concentration and judgment, and I believe that if you were to have an accident (whether your fault or not) and your levels were low then you could be liable. I'm not fully-conversant with the rules as I don't drive myself, but I'm sure if you have any questions our members who drive will be able to help.

Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S for a guide to efficient testing and learning how you can tailor your diet to suit your tastes and tolerances.
 
Thanks so much for this Northerner, I wasn't told about the driving thing at all :/ I'll keep an eye on it.

I've now taken my first Gliclazide so will test my blood sugars later to see if it's making any kind of difference. I'm feeling totally overwhelmed with the all information (much of it conflicting too!) on the net. I'm sure it's all very normal for a newbie :/
 
kaspa said:
Thanks so much for this Northerner, I wasn't told about the driving thing at all :/ I'll keep an eye on it.

I've now taken my first Gliclazide so will test my blood sugars later to see if it's making any kind of difference. I'm feeling totally overwhelmed with the all information (much of it conflicting too!) on the net. I'm sure it's all very normal for a newbie :/
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It may take a while for any great difference to show up, so be a little patient. You're right about all the conflicting information. That's where forums like this have value, they're almost always run by diabetics and have loads of experts on the register, the kind who live it every day, not just study it. We've got all flavours in here so there's bound to be someone around who knows how to answer whatever your question may be.
 
kaspa said:
Thanks so much for this Northerner, I wasn't told about the driving thing at all I'll keep an eye on it.

I've now taken my first Gliclazide so will test my blood sugars later to see if it's making any kind of difference. I'm feeling totally overwhelmed with the all information (much of it conflicting too!) on the net. I'm sure it's all very normal for a newbie :/
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Welcome to the forum Kaspa...p.s like the name!!

Try not to take it all in one go...it takes time, pace your self as this is not a marathon and you will have a long journey ahead of you, but you will get there 🙂

As for reading lots of things on the net depending what sites you are going on they can be conflicting, I went straight to this web site when I found out I had diabetes: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

But yes it takes a long time to sink in and get your head around it all....but that is what we are all here for....I recall my first post being in a right state!! 🙄

I went from taking metformin.....to taking insulin in one year of being diagnosed 😱....so trust me you will be ok :D

Just keep posting any and all things on your mind!!
 
Hiya kaspa, and welcome.🙂
 
Hi Kaspa

Go onto the DVLA website and type in the search box ' medical rules '

This will take you to a PDF to download.

That done, the medical condition are on the side alphabetically so click on ' Diabetes ' - find your drugs, and read what it says.

Northie is right - you see if we go hypo, we are 'Under the influence of drugs' - the fact that ours are LEGAL drugs has nothing to do with it. We would be driving/in charge of a motor vehicle whilst our judgment was impaired which in terms of road safety, is no safer than us being drunk. So the consequences could be serious.

However, it should be exceedingly rare these days, there are many ways of stopping it happening so DVLA and the Police are quite right to come down hard on people who ignored it. I recall sometime in the last couple of years a vicar who was outraged he'd lost his licence. Well frankly Reverend, if you are not gonna bother to make sure you are OK before you drive, I'm rather pleased you can't !
 
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