New to Type 2 Diabetes

omega42

Hi folks
Just been told I have type 2 Diabetes and wondering whats next.

I got no help from my Doctor, he just told me that I had it and put me on 2 X Glucophage 500mg a day and told me he was making an appt with a dietician to talk me through loosing weight and controling my blood suger.

That was a week ago and have heard nothing since.

I have been testing my blood suger since then and the tablets dont seem to be working

The First reading I had in a health check 2 weeks ago was 15.4, when I went to the doc he got a reading of 13.8 and then this morning I eat wholegrain toast with a light cheese spread and 2 hours later it was at 17.9 eek:

With no information I dont know whats going on, wheather im eating the wrong thinks, have cut out all processed suger, I have even cut down on my intake of diet drinks,

does anybody have any links to good websites for more info, Any help would be greatful,

Omega

tbh

oik, I'll post as much as I know without trying to give medical advice, but one thing I'd say to you would be to ring your doctor and tell him you can't get your head around this, and you need to speak to someone more. Good as your doctor may be, this is your life, not his/hers, so don't rely on him/her to worry about you as much as you should

First, a week is a short time in diabetes. I've been waiting for a year - privately, mind - for a DAFNE course to help me with my insulin dosages (I'm type 1). So don't panic yet.

Basically, type 2 diabetes means that your body is resistant to the insulin it makes, or it's making insulin that doesn't work quickly enough. Insulin is the hormone that helps glucose in your blood streams get from your blood - where it's a poison - into your cells, where's it's a fuel.

What you really need to do is to start shifting the weight. Every pound you lose will increase the efficiency of the insulin your body does make. They say that a diabetic diet is the same as a normal diet, so use the food pyramid to help you make healthy choices.

Give the medication time to work, it may have a gradual effect. Post on here as much as you want, and keep a food diary and start figuring out by trial and error the effects the food you're eating are having.

Don't get down when your bloods are high - you wouldn't expect to perform a perfect landing the first time you sit in a cockpit, so don't put undue pressure on yourself. This is a process that will take a while to get right.

I've probably confused you more I should shut up really, and let some of the type 2's comment.

Keep your chin up tho, and post here as much as you need to. Best of luck, and welcome to the club

omega42

Thanks for the quick reply tbh

Am really trying to change my diet, have been following the Food Perm but was reading on another site that fruit (which i have been eating a snacks) realise's Fast sugers so do i have to give up fruit ????

1967

You most certainly dont have to give up fruit.Fruits like apples, oranges bananas,pears,peaches,grapes and kiwi fruit have a low GI which means they raise your sugars slowly.

taram

Ring your doctor again and ask about the dietican, my diabetic dietican is a godsend. Write down everything you're eating in the meantime, and your levels and any questions about timing of food or portion sizes you might have and if they're anything like mine, they'll go through it all.

In terms of fruit I find fruit fine on an empty stomach, but little hard to cope with after lunch, usually because my lunch is my highest carb meal. It's sometimes trial and error, but keeping a log of your food and bloods should eliminate any "bad" fruits for you, or bad times.

It all takes a little bit of getting used to, but you'll get there, good luck!

colrow

omega42 wrote: »

Hi folks
Just been told I have type 2 Diabetes and wondering whats next.


does anybody have any links to good websites for more info, Any help would be greatful,

Omega

Hi Omega,

I got a couple of books, which I found invaluable, loads of info, and suggestions for diet etc, "Idiots Guide to Diabetes" and "Diabetes type 2 the first year"

The website www.diabetes.co.uk has a wealth of articles, and pointers to resourses on the www, also there are good forums where peo;le share their experience, strength etc, there is a place on there where you can enter your readings , and get a graphical represntation.

When do you measure your bg, its recomended on waking then 2 hours after a meal, and just before a meal, If you look on the website there are explanations of when and why.

I've had it for 3 years now, and it was very worrying at first, but now I have my bg level fairly under control, I'm happy enough, tho I do miss overdosing on donuts and cake lol

lynnsback

Hi Omega

Sorry to hear about your Type 2. I am not diabetic but a few years ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. Those of us with PCOS have a higher rate of diabetes so I started acting like I was a diabetic. The one thing I learnt was to "eat by your metre" so, while you may read X food does not raise BS, in your case it might. Therefore follow that.

This site is excellent for newbie’s and very comprehensive http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

Bear in mind that protein and fat tend not to raise BG. So it's the carbohydrates you will need to watch. However everyone is different. Like I can eat potatoes and my BG stays at a nice level. However something like rice or pasta will raise it so I don't eat those. And yes it is true that some diabetics don't do well with fruit. Again, it is all individual. Many diabetes counsellors recommend testing fating BG and then two hours after each meal until you get a feel for which foods will raise your BG. The other posters are right though in that it is early days and it will take time for your BG to come down.

Have you found any exercise you like? I ask because if you don't like it you won't keep it up. I love weight training personally. If you could find something you enjoy that would be helpful for your diabetes also.

Davy

1967 wrote: »

You most certainly dont have to give up fruit.Fruits like apples, oranges bananas,pears,peaches,grapes and kiwi fruit have a low GI which means they raise your sugars slowly.

I heard before that grapes have one of the highest amounts of natural sugar content. Maybe plums too

lynnsback

Yep grapes are pretty high in sugar. However I STILL think the most important thing to do is test, test, test. You might be a diabetic who can handle grapes for example. In general though the lowest sugar fruits are the berries.

colrow

I was told that a portion of grapes for a type 2 is 6 grapes.

For lunch I usually eat some meat or fish, followed by a punnet of strawberries or raspberries, i've managed to keep an average hba1c of 6.2 for the past couple of years, no toast or cereals for breakfast, bacon and egg or beans for me, and then I find that i can eat a normal dinner in the evening with potatoes, rice, pasta or even the occaisonal naan. I thought fish n chips would send my bg up but it doesn't.

lynnsback

colrow wrote: »

I was told that a portion of grapes for a type 2 is 6 grapes.

For lunch I usually eat some meat or fish, followed by a punnet of strawberries or raspberries, i've managed to keep an average hba1c of 6.2 for the past couple of years, no toast or cereals for breakfast, bacon and egg or beans for me, and then I find that i can eat a normal dinner in the evening with potatoes, rice, pasta or even the occaisonal naan. I thought fish n chips would send my bg up but it doesn't.

Yes. That's what I mean by test, test, test. I eat like you do. I have not had cereal in at least five years. I eat by my metre. So, for my body rice and pasta are out but, like you I can handle potatoes and chips. Oddly my BS metre shows that I cannot tolerate most fruits.

colrow

Thanks for the phlaunt site, I had a look and I remembered I'd used it extensivley, when I was first diagnosed 3 years ago, we're lucky in Ireland that type 2's can get access to testing strips, I'm working in the uk, and its like trying to get blood out of a stone, the official line is "you don't need to test, you've only got type 2", makes my blood boil, last year my hba1c dipped down under 6 and the practise nurse said she wanted me to eat more carbs to get it upto at least 7, I've changed gp's now.

I've got problems with my blood pressure now 190/90 been trying me on different drugs, it dips at first then starts the slow rise up again.

lynnsback

Yes, what I like about her is that she is not a gung-ho low carber. So she has a well rounded opinion on things. A truly balanced view IMO.

That practice nurse sounds like an idiot!!! Dr. Bernstein likes his patient's hba1c to be at 5, so under 6 is great. Sometimes I really wonder about the education of medical professionals. It is disturbing how little some of them know.

Has your doctor checked for any organic causes of the high BP?

colrow

Well I don't know about an organic cause, they just seem to think its cos im old i suppose,59, and i've been away since july and put on a stone, so really i ought to eat less, 14 st 6 lbs now I was nearly down to 13 st before i came away. Now the nights are a bit lighter i hope to get out and do some more walking.

omega42

thankyou all for your replies.

I have been testing all the time and could never seem to get my BG down no mater what i eat so went back to the doc's yesterday and he upped the dosage of my tablets, lets see if it helps, I got my appt for diabeties nurse so hopfully that is going to help.

Thanks for the link lynnsback

SeaSide

Hey,

Dont give up.

My own experience is that much the same as yourself my BG was not to great and the nurse started increasing my dosage of Diamicron right up to the max.

I found that I was then starting to eat just to keep the BG up and this lead to the dosage being reduced eventually to nothing. Also managed to lose weight.

So now I'm diet controlled and have been for several years.

colrow

Hi

The following is from an email i recieve from www.diabetes.co.uk

Maybe there's something of interest there for somebody

---

Got a problem? Ask the Experts!

A few months ago, Diabetes.co.uk added an Ask the Experts section to the Diabetes Forum. With over 800 topics and 6,000 posts, this area is flourishing. Community members are using this section to seek help from those with more experience, precisely the reason we set up the forum in the first place.

The Diabetes Forum now has 15,000 community members, so you're bound to find the right help.

Ask The Expert top threads:

- Unsure Readings
- I am really confused right now!
- Metformin
- Struggling to lose weight
- What is the best yoghurt to get?

graflynn

The Diabetes Fed. of Ireland have a good course on the go right now. I know they haven't been of much use in the past but they're getting their act together now.

The course is run by either a diabetes nurse specialist or a dietician, usually, locally, with only 16 people on each course. It's called CODE (Community Oriented Diabetes Education). I know about 3 people who have done one in Clare and some of these people would be newly diagnosed and some would be long term "veterans". They all say that they have learned so much from it and made lots of improvements in their diabetes management.

This might be worth a look for you and it would connect you face to face with others. If you contact the Diabetes Federation of Ireland - they'll tell you how to get on one.

Good luck.

colrow

It seems to me Diabetics are far better looked after in Ireland than the UK, I'm going to my first Diabetes Clinic here in Glasgow, on the 19th, I'll let u know what happens. I'm not impressed with the gp in charge of diabetics, he changed my 3 * 500mg glucophage to 2 * 500mg sr glucophage, my bgs went up, and when I asked to be put back on 500mg he got all sulky and said i HAD TO MAKE UP MY MIND WHETHER TO BE TREATED BY HIM OR MY OWN GP AT HOME. MY BP WAS 190/93 in january and its taken util now to bring it down to 120-130/70 ish. sorry bout the caps i can't be arsed to correct it again

colrow

I went to the clinic, and saw the nurse, she tested my feet with feelers, no loss of sensation yet, and also she had a portable ultrasound machine thingy, rubbed some gel on my feet and listened to the circulation, on my foot and ankle, she said it was ok, my chlorestrol was 2.7 which was very good, my hbA1c was 6.2, my bp was 117/70 thank god,but i did have protein in my urine, the gp said it was minimal, and he expected it to go down as my bp was now lowered, and wasn't putting so much pressure on my kidneys.

It took nearly 6 months to get my bp lowered from 190/90 to "normal" and I'm sure my doc back in kerry would have got it lower more quickly.

I'm pleased with my results, and after 3.25 years i feel a bit more relaxed, i'm not testing so often, and eat a more varied diet, and even take moderate exercise.

Bottle_of_Smoke

You should find a low GI diet very helpful. The lower the GI of a food the slower the sugars are broken down and the less pressure your body is put under to produce insulin.

Its been pushed as a weight loss diet in recent years but its not a painful diet, its a diet probably everyone should be on for life and its extremely healthy

Get an appointment with a dietician, my aunt and uncle changed their diets when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and after time the doctor told them they no longer needed medication.