Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis
Discussion
Evening All,
I’ve just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It’s was very expected and discovered almost by accident. Certain symptoms over the past few months are now making sense.
To be honest, it’s been a shock and the more I’m reading and learning, the more I’m becoming anxious about the future.
I’d be keen to hear from others, how’s it’s impacted you, how do you get over all the things you previously enjoyed and any positive stories.
Many Thanks
I’ve just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It’s was very expected and discovered almost by accident. Certain symptoms over the past few months are now making sense.
To be honest, it’s been a shock and the more I’m reading and learning, the more I’m becoming anxious about the future.
I’d be keen to hear from others, how’s it’s impacted you, how do you get over all the things you previously enjoyed and any positive stories.
Many Thanks
GreigR said:
Evening All,
I ve just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It s was very expected and discovered almost by accident. Certain symptoms over the past few months are now making sense.
To be honest, it s been a shock and the more I m reading and learning, the more I m becoming anxious about the future.
I d be keen to hear from others, how s it s impacted you, how do you get over all the things you previously enjoyed and any positive stories.
Many Thanks
Your doctor *should* be able to point you in the right direction but from the number of posts I see online most just seem to medicate and let you carry on as normal. T2 is typically related to diet and lifestyle and fixing the causes can potentially cure, or at least significantly reduce the severity. I ve just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It s was very expected and discovered almost by accident. Certain symptoms over the past few months are now making sense.
To be honest, it s been a shock and the more I m reading and learning, the more I m becoming anxious about the future.
I d be keen to hear from others, how s it s impacted you, how do you get over all the things you previously enjoyed and any positive stories.
Many Thanks
Eat to minimise your insulin response. Cut out sugar and processed carbs like bread and pasta. Have a proper break between meals (no snacking) to allow insulin to stabilise. If you do have something sweet have it for dessert so the other food slows absorption reducing the glucose spike. Fruit juice is very high is sugar, eat some whole fruit instead.
I found the key thing for 'dieting' is to maximise satiety .In my case I'd started hitting the gym hard and increased my protein. (Eggs for breakfast, more meat with dinner) and found I just wasn't hungry any more so skipped the normal pile of pasta and all the snacks througj the day without even thinking about it. No will power is needed if you're not thinking about it.
Other things that can help improve insulin sensitivity are getting to a healthy weigjt, avoiding inflammatory foods like dairy (if you're sensitive to it), grains, and industrially produced seed/vegetable oils. That last one may be a bit controversial to some, but It's on my list of things to avoid.
Mild exercise, like walking, after eating can help reduce the insulin response from the meal. Exercise in general is great especially if you manage to build up some muscle. Oh, and getting enough sleep is great.
Sorry if I've rambled on a bit there, been up for nearly 24 hours and still have another couple of hours travelling to my destination.
Eta: Not been diagnosed myself, but I'd passed 40 and realised I was heading that way and did something about it.
Edited by Xerstead on Thursday 2nd July 04:38
I'm T2 and it really isn't a big deal once it's under control
Mine was brought on by and as a side effect of treatment for cancer, so in comparison wasn't really a big deal
My blood sugars went mental and initially I was put on insulin injections but they came down quickly and that was stopped.
I now just take one pill twice a day (metformin) and my bloods are normal range and stable
Unless you have some serious unhealthy eating and drinking habits then any modification to diet will be minimal
I have a little finger pricky which I do a couple of times a day which is no hardship
My Dr's basically say carry on and sugary things in moderation
You'll soon get to grips with how your body reacts to what you put in it and it's easy to deal with
Mine was brought on by and as a side effect of treatment for cancer, so in comparison wasn't really a big deal
My blood sugars went mental and initially I was put on insulin injections but they came down quickly and that was stopped.
I now just take one pill twice a day (metformin) and my bloods are normal range and stable
Unless you have some serious unhealthy eating and drinking habits then any modification to diet will be minimal
I have a little finger pricky which I do a couple of times a day which is no hardship
My Dr's basically say carry on and sugary things in moderation
You'll soon get to grips with how your body reacts to what you put in it and it's easy to deal with
Passed on to me from my mother and grandparents...
Kind of crept up on me and symptoms put down to other things, got in touch with the GP and blood tests showed 124mmol (13.5%)... non-diabetic is 5%. So, they threw everything at me from day one.
This has the potential to become lengthy, so I will shorten.
Freestyle Libre (other blood sugar monitors are available) - I managed to get two prescribed and you can get one on their free trial. So that will give you 6 weeks worth of monitoring. I used it to work out what I eat and what the effect on sugars was... interesting results. Equally, I used it to work out what difference it made when I ate things in a different order (as mentioned already).
Insulin - in my case it was high sugars, so insulin at night would set the alarm off for low sugar (about 3:30am?!) so I chose to stop the insulin and try to control on diet, using the Libre as part of that process
Diet - I have always had an enjoyable relationship with food, but it was apparent (through the monitor and information) that carbs are the problem. So, I went cold turkey and dropped bread, pasta, rice, processed food, sugars, etc. and it was (very) difficult for about 6-8 weeks. Basically I rarely felt 'full', however things changed and my body adjusted... and I no longer felt the 'desire' to be full.
Alcohol - my go to drink was Guinness (circa 17g carbs per pint...) so that had to stop... spirits aren't a problem but sometimes you can't beat a beer. An ex Porsche driver know owns a brewery (Westbrooks Brewery) and they do some really good beers. Laguna only has 1g carb (per 440ml can) whereas Guinness has 18g/pint... so I get my beer fix from Westbrooks, all their beers are named after motorsport links. The reality is 1 pint of Guinness or 18 cans of Laguna...
At my 12month blood test the figures were 48mmol (6.5%), solely down to diet... My exercise levels are low (I sit behind a computer for 8-10hrs a day) and have lost 10kgs, solely through diet.
Ultimately, for me, controlling diabetes has all been about food and what goes in, there are hundreds of books out there regarding food but you need to work out what triggers your sugars and the blood sugar monitor was the key for me.
I can't stress that the initial 6-8 weeks of 'low carb' wasn't easy... but I now no longer fell hungry (I used to get really 'hangry'...) I might have a boiled egg for breakfast, some nuts for lunch or cheese on low carb (Heylo) bread/toast, etc. Dinner/tea could be anything and there are plenty of low carb books out there (I could reel off many different options)
I still have takeaways and used the monitor to work out what I could/couldn't eat; Indian more from the grill (no rice/naan), KFC had no real effect on sugars, a kebab (no pitta). But to be honest, with the change of diet I don't really desire or miss 'junk food'.
In the early days, I do recall playing 'top trumps' with the Mrs round the supermarket, shouting out the carbs and 'of which sugars' and saying... nope. This was very eye opening and gave both of us an insight into the actual levels of cr*p, sugars, etc. that the vast majority of the population are putting into themselves on a regular basis....
...diabetes is going to be the 'smoking' of the future... cigarettes are 'taxed into oblivion' and (with hindsight in my case) something similar probably needs to happen to cr*p food...
Happy to give more info, ask away...
Kind of crept up on me and symptoms put down to other things, got in touch with the GP and blood tests showed 124mmol (13.5%)... non-diabetic is 5%. So, they threw everything at me from day one.
This has the potential to become lengthy, so I will shorten.
Freestyle Libre (other blood sugar monitors are available) - I managed to get two prescribed and you can get one on their free trial. So that will give you 6 weeks worth of monitoring. I used it to work out what I eat and what the effect on sugars was... interesting results. Equally, I used it to work out what difference it made when I ate things in a different order (as mentioned already).
Insulin - in my case it was high sugars, so insulin at night would set the alarm off for low sugar (about 3:30am?!) so I chose to stop the insulin and try to control on diet, using the Libre as part of that process
Diet - I have always had an enjoyable relationship with food, but it was apparent (through the monitor and information) that carbs are the problem. So, I went cold turkey and dropped bread, pasta, rice, processed food, sugars, etc. and it was (very) difficult for about 6-8 weeks. Basically I rarely felt 'full', however things changed and my body adjusted... and I no longer felt the 'desire' to be full.
Alcohol - my go to drink was Guinness (circa 17g carbs per pint...) so that had to stop... spirits aren't a problem but sometimes you can't beat a beer. An ex Porsche driver know owns a brewery (Westbrooks Brewery) and they do some really good beers. Laguna only has 1g carb (per 440ml can) whereas Guinness has 18g/pint... so I get my beer fix from Westbrooks, all their beers are named after motorsport links. The reality is 1 pint of Guinness or 18 cans of Laguna...
At my 12month blood test the figures were 48mmol (6.5%), solely down to diet... My exercise levels are low (I sit behind a computer for 8-10hrs a day) and have lost 10kgs, solely through diet.
Ultimately, for me, controlling diabetes has all been about food and what goes in, there are hundreds of books out there regarding food but you need to work out what triggers your sugars and the blood sugar monitor was the key for me.
I can't stress that the initial 6-8 weeks of 'low carb' wasn't easy... but I now no longer fell hungry (I used to get really 'hangry'...) I might have a boiled egg for breakfast, some nuts for lunch or cheese on low carb (Heylo) bread/toast, etc. Dinner/tea could be anything and there are plenty of low carb books out there (I could reel off many different options)
I still have takeaways and used the monitor to work out what I could/couldn't eat; Indian more from the grill (no rice/naan), KFC had no real effect on sugars, a kebab (no pitta). But to be honest, with the change of diet I don't really desire or miss 'junk food'.
In the early days, I do recall playing 'top trumps' with the Mrs round the supermarket, shouting out the carbs and 'of which sugars' and saying... nope. This was very eye opening and gave both of us an insight into the actual levels of cr*p, sugars, etc. that the vast majority of the population are putting into themselves on a regular basis....
...diabetes is going to be the 'smoking' of the future... cigarettes are 'taxed into oblivion' and (with hindsight in my case) something similar probably needs to happen to cr*p food...
Happy to give more info, ask away...
I have been T2 for a while as a side effect from other ailments. I am on Sukkarto twice a day and just been given Dapagliflozin too. I have cut down on sugar as much as possible, although the nurse has told me "everything in moderation", so I do have the occasional treat. It is no great hardship as I am on various other meds too, just have to think before accepting a sticky bun.
Those are similar to my pinprick readings even tho' I've been prediabetic for 2 years, but only told a month ago.
44mmol.
Since losing my job a year ago I've been hitting the gym a lot. Weights, resistance and running.
Made no difference to my weight at 85kg. BMI just over 25.
So once the doctor informed me of my prediabetic status I've cut right down on carbs and processed food. Cook meals from scratch, salads, fish and chicken.
Overnight oats with strawberries for breakfast, no more waffles or pancakes.
In a month I've gone from 85kg to 77kg, now in the safe BMI zone and I'm looking pretty good for a 63 year old
. Even lost my beer belly.
I feel good, I run faster as I feel lighter, my sleep is good and my bad tum, that's been the bane of my life, has settled down to one good dump in the morning.
And another thing has suddenly perked up
just a shame that I have no one to test it on
I'll have a blood test in the Winter to see if I've reversed the 44mmol number.
Begs the question, with type 2, can it not be reversed by lifestyle choices or once over 48mmol you are stuck with it?
44mmol.
Since losing my job a year ago I've been hitting the gym a lot. Weights, resistance and running.
Made no difference to my weight at 85kg. BMI just over 25.
So once the doctor informed me of my prediabetic status I've cut right down on carbs and processed food. Cook meals from scratch, salads, fish and chicken.
Overnight oats with strawberries for breakfast, no more waffles or pancakes.
In a month I've gone from 85kg to 77kg, now in the safe BMI zone and I'm looking pretty good for a 63 year old
. Even lost my beer belly. I feel good, I run faster as I feel lighter, my sleep is good and my bad tum, that's been the bane of my life, has settled down to one good dump in the morning.
And another thing has suddenly perked up
just a shame that I have no one to test it on I'll have a blood test in the Winter to see if I've reversed the 44mmol number.
Begs the question, with type 2, can it not be reversed by lifestyle choices or once over 48mmol you are stuck with it?
croyde said:
Those are similar to my pinprick readings even tho' I've been prediabetic for 2 years, but only told a month ago.
44mmol.
Since losing my job a year ago I've been hitting the gym a lot. Weights, resistance and running.
Made no difference to my weight at 85kg. BMI just over 25.
So once the doctor informed me of my prediabetic status I've cut right down on carbs and processed food. Cook meals from scratch, salads, fish and chicken.
Overnight oats with strawberries for breakfast, no more waffles or pancakes.
In a month I've gone from 85kg to 77kg, now in the safe BMI zone and I'm looking pretty good for a 63 year old. Even lost my beer belly.
I feel good, I run faster as I feel lighter, my sleep is good and my bad tum, that's been the bane of my life, has settled down to one good dump in the morning.
And another thing has suddenly perked up just a shame that I have no one to test it on
I'll have a blood test in the Winter to see if I've reversed the 44mmol number.
Begs the question, with type 2, can it not be reversed by lifestyle choices or once over 48mmol you are stuck with it?
In a month you've lost 17lb's ??44mmol.
Since losing my job a year ago I've been hitting the gym a lot. Weights, resistance and running.
Made no difference to my weight at 85kg. BMI just over 25.
So once the doctor informed me of my prediabetic status I've cut right down on carbs and processed food. Cook meals from scratch, salads, fish and chicken.
Overnight oats with strawberries for breakfast, no more waffles or pancakes.
In a month I've gone from 85kg to 77kg, now in the safe BMI zone and I'm looking pretty good for a 63 year old
. Even lost my beer belly. I feel good, I run faster as I feel lighter, my sleep is good and my bad tum, that's been the bane of my life, has settled down to one good dump in the morning.
And another thing has suddenly perked up
just a shame that I have no one to test it on I'll have a blood test in the Winter to see if I've reversed the 44mmol number.
Begs the question, with type 2, can it not be reversed by lifestyle choices or once over 48mmol you are stuck with it?
I've always been partial to cakes, chocolate, puddings, biscuits, pastries etc
After dinner I'd hit the red wine, eat one of the 2 pack of puddings, then eat the other, finish off a whole family bar of chocolate, then crisps, biscuits, anything in the house.
I guess the gym and the fact I'm active kept the piling on weight at bay, but obviously doing damage internally.
So now I'm hitting the gym harder and eating a good diet, the weight has dipped.
I seem to have steadied off at 77/78kg, which is fine.
Just the psychology of eating equals entertainment. It's hard but helped by not having sweets and treats in the house.
Weirdly, when I have the craving, I search the larder and fridge even though I know I haven't bought anything.
After dinner I'd hit the red wine, eat one of the 2 pack of puddings, then eat the other, finish off a whole family bar of chocolate, then crisps, biscuits, anything in the house.
I guess the gym and the fact I'm active kept the piling on weight at bay, but obviously doing damage internally.
So now I'm hitting the gym harder and eating a good diet, the weight has dipped.
I seem to have steadied off at 77/78kg, which is fine.
Just the psychology of eating equals entertainment. It's hard but helped by not having sweets and treats in the house.
Weirdly, when I have the craving, I search the larder and fridge even though I know I haven't bought anything.
What was your Hba1c result?
Hold old are you and what is your weight and height?
Have they given you any medication?
All of that will play a part. You can still enjoy the nice things, just need to be as they should be a treat once in a while. Rather than every day. Thats how I lowered my hba1c. My last result was 37.
Hold old are you and what is your weight and height?
Have they given you any medication?
All of that will play a part. You can still enjoy the nice things, just need to be as they should be a treat once in a while. Rather than every day. Thats how I lowered my hba1c. My last result was 37.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed. As others have highlighted, this came as a huge shock although many of the symptoms were simply put down to daily/life factors but make sense now.
My mmol was 86 so thats been a wake up call.
A couple of questions:
Has anyone suffered from headaches as a result of cutting sugar? It s only been a week but the headaches are bad.
How often should I be using the pin prick method of checking my bloods?
Are there any other methods of keeping on top of your levels, I ve seen watches and arm sensors or is the pin prick machine best?
Apologies if these are very basic questions, I do have an appointment next week with the diabetes nurse which I m sure will help understand these things.
My mmol was 86 so thats been a wake up call.
A couple of questions:
Has anyone suffered from headaches as a result of cutting sugar? It s only been a week but the headaches are bad.
How often should I be using the pin prick method of checking my bloods?
Are there any other methods of keeping on top of your levels, I ve seen watches and arm sensors or is the pin prick machine best?
Apologies if these are very basic questions, I do have an appointment next week with the diabetes nurse which I m sure will help understand these things.
Edited by GreigR on Sunday 5th July 10:43
I was pre-diabetic 2 years ago, very shocked and came home and put all my 'addictions' in the bin. That couple of biscuits when I had a coffee etc really added up. I don't buy any sweets or biscuits, and eat a lot more healthily and feel a lot better for it. !'ve lost 7kg and rode my bike 100 miles last wednesday for the first time since covid. Cycling's good because it's not easy to eat whilst riding! Burning fat and calories but not taking them in!
The late Michael Moseley put some good videos on YT and they are worth watching. It will be a long haul, but much better than taking the drugs. We lost a diabetic friend a couple of months ago - she had it under diet control a few years back, but decided the drugs were 'easier'
Once they started removing her limbs the end was near.
Be strong (fearful also helps, it did with me) and do it with a healthy diet, your body will thank you.
The late Michael Moseley put some good videos on YT and they are worth watching. It will be a long haul, but much better than taking the drugs. We lost a diabetic friend a couple of months ago - she had it under diet control a few years back, but decided the drugs were 'easier'
Once they started removing her limbs the end was near.Be strong (fearful also helps, it did with me) and do it with a healthy diet, your body will thank you.
Edited by Fastpedeller on Sunday 5th July 11:10
GreigR said:
Are there any other methods of keeping on top of your levels, I ve seen watches and arm sensors or is the pin prick machine best?
andya7 said:
Freestyle Libre (other blood sugar monitors are available) - I managed to get two prescribed and you can get one on their free trial. So that will give you 6 weeks worth of monitoring. I used it to work out what I eat and what the effect on sugars was... interesting results. Equally, I used it to work out what difference it made when I ate things in a different order (as mentioned already).
Here's a very, very good article from the National Institute for Health.
Essentially you can hit the root cause, and reverse it in a short space of time.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5466941/
Essentially you can hit the root cause, and reverse it in a short space of time.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5466941/
GreigR said:
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed. As others have highlighted, this came as a huge shock although many of the symptoms were simply put down to daily/life factors but make sense now.
My mmol was 86 so thats been a wake up call.
A couple of questions:
Has anyone suffered from headaches as a result of cutting sugar? It s only been a week but the headaches are bad.
How often should I be using the pin prick method of checking my bloods?
Are there any other methods of keeping on top of your levels, I ve seen watches and arm sensors or is the pin prick machine best?
Apologies if these are very basic questions, I do have an appointment next week with the diabetes nurse which I m sure will help understand these things.
Yeah that is on the high side. It's straight forward to get it back down though. My mmol was 86 so thats been a wake up call.
A couple of questions:
Has anyone suffered from headaches as a result of cutting sugar? It s only been a week but the headaches are bad.
How often should I be using the pin prick method of checking my bloods?
Are there any other methods of keeping on top of your levels, I ve seen watches and arm sensors or is the pin prick machine best?
Apologies if these are very basic questions, I do have an appointment next week with the diabetes nurse which I m sure will help understand these things.
Edited by GreigR on Sunday 5th July 10:43
Have they given you any meds yet? What is your weight?
I used the pin prick method to start with, just before eating and then 2 hours afterwards. That gave me a view on what the food was doing to my blood sugar. Ideally 2 hours after eating your blood sugar is back down to a reasonable level.
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