# Hello everyone.



## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 29, 2017)

Just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this week, as a result of NHS health check. In complete shock as I've had no symptoms at all. Feel a bit overwhelmed. Prescribed metformin and a statin, and healthy eating. Trying to stay positive. Any advice gratefully received!
Weight 89kg
Hba1c 101
Blood sugar 17.2 
Cholesterol 8.8


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## Flakie (Oct 29, 2017)

Hi Adele and welcome to the forum. I’m recently diagnosed too but did have some symptoms which at the time I didn’t connect the dots and realise what it was! But yes, a bit of a shock too! I’m just getting my head round all the ins and outs of the eating and the testing and so on but have found this forum invaluable. Ask any question and someone will be along to give advice and support.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 29, 2017)

Thanks. Glad I'm not alone. Think I'm doing OK. Struggling a bit with milk. Worried about the lactose (sugar) content, but want the calcium. Have you any thoughts or seen any threads about this???


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## Flakie (Oct 29, 2017)

I must admit I haven’t worried about milk but then I only have it in my morning cuppa now that I can’t have cornflakes any more! I have been eating more cheese so I guess that takes care of the calcium but I buy the lighter version so hopefully that’s not too bad! I’ve struggled with breakfast as I was so used to white toast or cereal which I can’t have any more. I discovered, through the forum, that Hovis do a lower carb bread and the seeded one is lovely, so I have a couple of slices each morning toasted with butter, though again I do miss my marmalade. It’s all a learning curve at the moment. Have you thought about testing? I bought the kit and test several times a day, particularly when I’ve had a new food, just to check if it has affected my blood sugar. It’s early days for you and you will get used to it. Life’s a challenge isn’t it?


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 29, 2017)

Thanks. It's breakfast that I'm least confident about. Like you, my typical breakfast used to be cereal, porridge or toast. I drink 5 or 6 cups of tea and coffee per day all with semi skimmed milk. Wondered if that was OK. Will look into testing kit.


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## Flakie (Oct 30, 2017)

The testing kit most people seem to se here is the CodeFree one from Homehealth. Someone can perhaps provide the link. The testing strips are the cheapest around as they can be very expensive. You would need to get the one that measures in mmol as there are two versions. I find it very easy to us.


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## Radders (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Thanks. It's breakfast that I'm least confident about. Like you, my typical breakfast used to be cereal, porridge or toast. I drink 5 or 6 cups of tea and coffee per day all with semi skimmed milk. Wondered if that was OK. Will look into testing kit.


Hi Adele
I don’t think you need to worry about the small amount of milk in a hot drink. I certainly don’t count those carbs as someone with type1.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

Radders said:


> Hi Adele
> I don’t think you need to worry about the small amount of milk in a hot drink. I certainly don’t count those carbs as someone with type1.



Thanks. You've put my mind at ease. I can cope with cutting out or substituting most high carb stuff, but the thought of drinking black tea and coffee was bringing me out in a cold sweat!!!


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## Radders (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Thanks. You've put my mind at ease. I can cope with cutting out or substituting most high carb stuff, but the thought of drinking black tea and coffee was bringing me out in a cold sweat!!!


I know what you mean. I think I could give up most things but not my cuppa!


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## Susie P (Oct 30, 2017)

Hello Adele welcome I was only recently diagnosed and still getting my head round it all. Totally agree the one thing I couldn't give up is my cuppa!


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## Chrissiem (Oct 30, 2017)

Hi, I'm new too, just diagnosed a week ago. I've been using Myfitness Pal to track what I'm eating as it has the stats for most foods in the database. What I'm struggling with most is eating enough calories from other sources than carbs. We did eat a lot of bread and pasta before. And also working out the max amount of carbs we are supposed to have. GP didn't help much, just gave me a link to the nhs website. 
Baby steps as they say, good luck.


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## Radders (Oct 30, 2017)

Chrissiem said:


> Hi, I'm new too, just diagnosed a week ago. I've been using Myfitness Pal to track what I'm eating as it has the stats for most foods in the database. What I'm struggling with most is eating enough calories from other sources than carbs. We did eat a lot of bread and pasta before. And also working out the max amount of carbs we are supposed to have. GP didn't help much, just gave me a link to the nhs website.
> Baby steps as they say, good luck.


Hi Chrissiem, if you like nuts this shouldn’t be a problem!


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## Mark Parrott (Oct 30, 2017)

Welcome to the forum.  Milk has no effect on my BG at all.  This is why testing is so important.  It's alright the GP's & nurses saying not to eat this & that or oh, that's fine to eat, only testing will tell you what you can eat or not.  We are all different.


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## grovesy (Oct 30, 2017)

You have to find what works for you and you can maintain that way of eating most of the time.
Also sometimes it is not what you eat it is the portion.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

Chrissiem said:


> Hi, I'm new too, just diagnosed a week ago. I've been using Myfitness Pal to track what I'm eating as it has the stats for most foods in the database. What I'm struggling with most is eating enough calories from other sources than carbs. We did eat a lot of bread and pasta before. And also working out the max amount of carbs we are supposed to have. GP didn't help much, just gave me a link to the nhs website.
> Baby steps as they say, good luck.



Thanks. Yes. I ate a lot of wholemeal pasta, brown rice and granary bread and fruit before diagnosis, thinking it was healthy. Now trying to use salad and veg to replace most of that, as recommended by my nurse practitioner. Hoping I'm doing the right thing!


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

grovesy said:


> You have to find what works for you and you can maintain that way of eating most of the time.
> Also sometimes it is not what you eat it is the portion.



Yes. I think I can understand that. Everything in moderation, but some things in extreme moderation!


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## grovesy (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Yes. I think I can understand that. Everything in moderation, but some things in extreme moderation!


Yes when I was first diagnosed I went too drastic for me, cutting things out and though it controlled my blood sugar levels and lost a lot of weight. I could not maintain it long term . The more moderate way has worked and I have maintained keeping weight off and reducing my medication over a number of years.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

Mark Parrott said:


> Welcome to the forum.  Milk has no effect on my BG at all.  This is why testing is so important.  It's alright the GP's & nurses saying not to eat this & that or oh, that's fine to eat, only testing will tell you what you can eat or not.  We are all different.



Thanks. Yes I agree. Everyone is different and I need to find what works for me. I was surprised not to be given a testing kit, as my mum was type 2 for many years and used to test daily. I guess ideas have changed in the last 10 years....


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## grovesy (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Thanks. Yes I agree. Everyone is different and I need to find what works for me. I was surprised not to be given a testing kit, as my mum was type 2 for many years and used to test daily. I guess ideas have changed in the last 10 years....


It seems to be very hit and miss with testing kits.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

grovesy said:


> Yes when I was first diagnosed I went too drastic for me, cutting things out and though it controlled my blood sugar levels and lost a lot of weight. I could not maintain it long term . The more moderate way has worked and I have maintained keeping weight off and reducing my medication over a number of years.



I totally get that. I feel like I'm trying to run before I can walk. Determined to get on top of this,  get everything under control and live a full life, but no point cutting out everything and then feeling miserable and unable to maintain.


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## Susie P (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> I totally get that. I feel like I'm trying to run before I can walk. Determined to get on top of this,  get everything under control and live a full life, but no point cutting out everything and then feeling miserable and unable to maintain.


Too be fair the DSN said that to me she said you need to do things gradually otherwise you wont be able to maintain it. I have another appt on the 6th to recheck my cholesterol etc guess I will know more then.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

Susie P said:


> Too be fair the DSN said that to me she said you need to do things gradually otherwise you wont be able to maintain it. I have another appt on the 6th to recheck my cholesterol etc guess I will know more then.



Good luck. Hope your recheck is showing you are moving in the right direction!


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## Susie P (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Good luck. Hope your recheck is showing you are moving in the right direction!


It's part 2 of my first appt cos receptionist didn't make a long enough appt I had my cholesterol checked a while back and although I was told by text at the time it was normal nurse said she wasn't happy about it so will check it again


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 30, 2017)

Susie P said:


> It's part 2 of my first appt cos receptionist didn't make a long enough appt I had my cholesterol checked a while back and although I was told by text at the time it was normal nurse said she wasn't happy about it so will check it again



Good luck anyway. I think I've been lucky with my health centre. The practice nurse is also the diabetic specialist nurse and she spent 45 mins going through my diagnosis, blood test results and what they mean. She rang me a few days later to see how I was getting on. Hope your experience is equally positive


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## Susie P (Oct 30, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Good luck anyway. I think I've been lucky with my health centre. The practice nurse is also the diabetic specialist nurse and she spent 45 mins going through my diagnosis, blood test results and what they mean. She rang me a few days later to see how I was getting on. Hope your experience is equally positive


Thanks Adele TBF the nurse was very apologetic about the mess up with the appointment and she was very helpful in the short time we had so yeh fingers crossed for next Monday. yes your health centre does sound good ours is fine when once you see the gp's or the nurses but the systems and the admin there leaves a lot to be desired.


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## Ditto (Oct 30, 2017)

Hello Adele, welcome to the forum.


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## jill55 (Oct 30, 2017)

Hi Adele welcome to the forum and like you im newly diagnosed but this is such a supportive site that it helps you sort your head out after the initial shock


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## Beck S (Oct 31, 2017)

Hi Adele, welcome to the forum.

I was diagnosed nearly two months ago and I'm still learning so much, it's a whirlwind.  I'm glad you have a positive experience with your nurse too.

I dropped the white carbs (white bread, rice, pasta, noodles) and sugar straight away (apart from the sugar in my tea, I'm not a heathen just yet!) and left everything else as it was because I didn't really know how else to deal with it.  It was a real struggle for the first few weeks, and I regularly stood in the middle of the supermarket glaring at the food I couldn't have, but it's actually beginning to fit in quite comfortably now and it's definitely easier, even if it still makes me miserable sometimes.

I would definitely recommend doing it in steps.  Don't worry yet about anything other than the white carbs and sugar, otherwise if you can't have the other nice food you may end up resenting it more.  People here make great recommendations on food you can eat instead of your main carb intake, and there's loads of ideas.

Good luck


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## AdeleTurner72 (Oct 31, 2017)

Beck S said:


> Hi Adele, welcome to the forum.
> 
> I was diagnosed nearly two months ago and I'm still learning so much, it's a whirlwind.  I'm glad you have a positive experience with your nurse too.
> 
> ...



Thank you. It is a whirlwind isn't it. I spent a few days last week feeling petrified of eating anything! Today has been easier, if only because the "metformin tummy" is starting to ease.  I haven't eaten white pasta, rice and white bread for a couple of years, and I don't take sugar in my tea, but I have cut out the chocolate, cake and naughty stuff cold turkey and reduced my starchy carbohydrate potion sizes a bit. I think it's a marathon not a sprint. Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement!


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## Wirrallass (Nov 1, 2017)

Hi Adele
Being dx (Diagnosed) with diabetes does come as a shock and is overwhelming ~ so much to learn ~ but you're not alone as the majority of us felt exactly the same as yourself when we were dx. Diabetes is a condition that can be managed Adele with a low Carborhydrate diet and exercise.

Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is an excellent introduction to Type2 diabetes. Gretchen is Type2 and she writes of her own experience step by step in such a way that you can understand. It's deffinitly a book worth buying. Amazon.

I can also recommend the book CARB AND CALORIE COUNTER £10.49 again from Amazon. www.amazon.co It has over 1700 coloured photo's of popular food and drink items. The carborhydrate ~ protein ~ fat ~ saturated fat ~ and fibre values are clearly displayed in colour~coded circles below each photo. This visual approach makes it incredibly quick and easy to see the nutrient content of the food and drink you consume. Having all this information at your finger tips ~ in an easy to understand format ~ will help to give you greater control over your diabetes ~ and also give you the information you need to help you make healthier choices.


You can ask your GP for a test meter kit but if he/she wont supply you with one and you can self fund then the SD Codefree Meter is a popular meter on the forum because of the low cost of test strips. But remember if you do buy it then ensure you buy an extra 50 TEST STRIPS at the same time of ordering as the meter kit itself only supplies about 10. It can be purchased from homehealth-uk.com ~ and/or www.amazon.co

Hope the above is helpful to you ~ take care and good luck on your diabetes journey, take care.
WL


Dx Type2 April 2016
Diet control and exercise only


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## Carolg (Nov 1, 2017)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this week, as a result of NHS health check. In complete shock as I've had no symptoms at all. Feel a bit overwhelmed. Prescribed metformin and a statin, and healthy eating. Trying to stay positive. Any advice gratefully received!
> Weight 89kg
> Hba1c 101
> Blood sugar 17.2
> Cholesterol 8.8


Hello


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## Carolg (Nov 1, 2017)

Flakie said:


> Hi Adele and welcome to the forum. I’m recently diagnosed too but did have some symptoms which at the time I didn’t connect the dots and realise what it was! But yes, a bit of a shock too! I’m just getting my head round all the ins and outs of the eating and the testing and so on but have found this forum invaluable. Ask any question and someone will be along to give advice and support.


Hello


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## Carolg (Nov 1, 2017)

Flakie said:


> The testing kit most people seem to se here is the CodeFree one from Homehealth. Someone can perhaps provide the link. The testing strips are the cheapest around as they can be very expensive. You would need to get the one that measures in mmol as there are two versions. I find it very easy to us.


Look on amazon for code free meter. Think irs from home health, and tick box to say I have diabetes to get vat exemption


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## Carolg (Nov 1, 2017)

Beck S said:


> Hi Adele, welcome to the forum.
> 
> I was diagnosed nearly two months ago and I'm still learning so much, it's a whirlwind.  I'm glad you have a positive experience with your nurse too.
> 
> ...


Oh Beck, I found I just didn’t go up and down biscuit and sweet isles, but have done the glaring as well


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## AdeleTurner72 (Nov 1, 2017)

wirralass said:


> Hi Adele
> Being dx (Diagnosed) with diabetes does come as a shock and is overwhelming ~ so much to learn ~ but you're not alone as the majority of us felt exactly the same as yourself when we were dx. Diabetes is a condition that can be managed Adele with a low Carborhydrate diet and exercise.
> 
> Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is an excellent introduction to Type2 diabetes. Gretchen is Type2 and she writes of her own experience step by step in such a way that you can understand. It's deffinitly a book worth buying. Amazon.
> ...



Thank you. I've downloaded the Gretchen Becker book. Cheers for the welcome and the suggestions!


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## Northerner (Nov 1, 2017)

Here's the link for the SD Codefree Meter and test strips  I'd also recommend reading Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S so you can understand how to test efficiently and effectively  Also, have you read Maggie Davey's letter? Very helpful


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## Beck S (Nov 1, 2017)

Carolg said:


> Oh Beck, I found I just didn’t go up and down biscuit and sweet isles, but have done the glaring as well


My problems are more savoury - pastry, bread, pasta... I love all those and that's what I miss the most right now.  At least I'm now more confident that I'll get to a place where these things can actually be a part of my diet, just not yet!!


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## AdeleTurner72 (Nov 1, 2017)

Northerner said:


> Here's the link for the SD Codefree Meter and test strips  I'd also recommend reading Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S so you can understand how to test efficiently and effectively  Also, have you read Maggie Davey's letter? Very helpful



Thank you. The Maggie Davey letter is very,  very helpful, I feel calmer and more positive just from reading it. I've started the Gretchen Becker book too.
Thank you everyone for such a warm welcome.


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## Matt Cycle (Nov 1, 2017)

Adele, hello (I think there's a song in there somewhere ) and welcome to the forum.


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## Wirrallass (Apr 13, 2018)

Hi Adele ~ I've just read your thread again and wondering how you are getting on now. Knowing what to eat initially can be a nightmare as we all have learned, but I trust you have by now overcome all the food issues you had and are managing your Diabetes well. Take care x
WL


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## AdeleTurner72 (Apr 13, 2018)

wirralass said:


> Hi Adele ~ I've just read your thread again and wondering how you are getting on now. Knowing what to eat initially can be a nightmare as we all have learned, but I trust you have by now overcome all the food issues you had and are managing your Diabetes well. Take care x
> WL


Thanks. Doing really well. Recent blood test showed by Hba1c is now 47 and my cholesterol, blood pressure and weight are all in the normal range. Have more energy than I've had in years. All thanks to the support and advice from the lovely people like yourself on this forum.


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## Bubbsie (Apr 13, 2018)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> Thanks. Doing really well. Recent blood test showed by Hba1c is now 47 and my cholesterol, blood pressure and weight are all in the normal range. Have more energy than I've had in years. All thanks to the support and advice from the lovely people like yourself on this forum.


Adele advice & support helps a great deal...but without your hard work &  commitment you wouldn't have achieved such excellent results...take some credit...you deserve it...well done...good work.


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## Jeandp (Apr 13, 2018)

Well done Adele, great results!! Down from 101 to 47 in six months, that is amazing


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## Pine Marten (Apr 13, 2018)

Jeandp said:


> Well done Adele, great results!! Down from 101 to 47 in six months, that is amazing


Seconded!


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## Wirrallass (Apr 13, 2018)

Third it! Well done Adele ~ you reduced your HbA1c which is all down to your will power determination and self discipline, very well done you


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## Martin Canty (Apr 13, 2018)

Congratulations, that's fantastic


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