# Newbie



## Jill-Louise (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi everyone....i was diagnosed with type 2 a week ago and still getting my head around it.  There's so much to read my head is spinning


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## teapot8910 (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi Jill-Louise welcome to the forum


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## Steff (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi Jill and welcome to the forum sorry we have to meet this way, they is so much to take in hun but it will all become clearer, are you on diet and exercise at the moment and have you been told to test.I cant reccommned this book highly enough it is great for the newly diagnosed it is called type 2 diabetes-the first year by Grethcen Becker http://www.amazon.co.uk/Type-Diabet...8048/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292175462&sr=8-1 it is well priced and really will help you xx


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## Robster65 (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi Jill. Welcome 

You'll never stop learning. This is a great place to start though.

Rob


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## Northerner (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi Jill-Louise, welcome to the forum  Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but you should know straightaway that now you are diagnosed  you can do lots to improve your health. Have a look at the Useful Links Section for some good ideas for reading:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406

Anything that is worrying you or confusing you, please ask and we will try our best to help - nothing is 'silly'! Take things one step at a time and don't feel you need to know everything overnight. I look forward to hearing more from you


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## Jill-Louise (Dec 12, 2010)

Thankyou for making me feel at home 

I've not been told much at all. I'm taking metformin 3 times a day and all i know is it is making me ill 

Diet: i've just been told to cut out most things that are sweet ie: cakes, sweets and OMG no chocolate !!!!!!!!!

Exercise is very awkward for me. I've had 4 hip operations (2 on each side) and find it difficult to do much at all.

I haven't been told to test although i'm wondering if i should. How else am i going to know if my levels are coming down ? Should i buy a meter ? 

Sorry if this is too much detail on the newbies forum...should i have gone to the general posting forum ?


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## Northerner (Dec 12, 2010)

Fine to post your initial questions here Jill  Hopefully the metformin side-effects should subside in a couple of weeks or so, but if they don't there are alternative forms that you can take which may be better for you (just more expensive for the surgery!). 

You'll learn that diabetes is not about sugar, but carbohydrates generally of which sugar is one type - otheres are rice, pasta, bread, potatoes etc. If you can get hold of a meter than you can use this to help determine which, and in what quantities, you are OK with. It's not about 'banned' foods (even chocolate!), more about portion control and individual reactions to different meal combinations. Some good books to read are the GL (Glycaemic Load) books suggested in the Useful links thread. These teach you about different
food groups and the best combinations for slow-release of glucose that is needed for good diabetic control.

Whatever exercise you can manage, even if it is chair-based, will be beneficial. You may be able to get help from your doctor for this.

Hope this helps!


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## Steff (Dec 12, 2010)

Your fine posting here hun x

The side effects will subside most if not all of us got side effects for the first 3-4 weeks x


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## Jill-Louise (Dec 12, 2010)

Thankyou Northerner...i didn't realise it was about carbs, guess i'm just not well read about diabetes yet...she says as she has a pasta dish for dinner 

I don't think my GP has been particularly good with his advice. I was going to get a meter, think i will for sure now.

Thanks once again for making me welcome


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## Northerner (Dec 12, 2010)

Jill-Louise said:


> Thankyou Northerner...i didn't realise it was about carbs, guess i'm just not well read about diabetes yet...she says as she has a pasta dish for dinner
> 
> I don't think my GP has been particularly good with his advice. I was going to get a meter, think i will for sure now.
> 
> Thanks once again for making me welcome



Don't worry, it was a surprise to me too. As I said, it is a learning experience and it takes time. It can also be very individual and you will want to keep your diet as flexible as possible. Sugar, as I mentioned, is a carb, but will act very quickly on your blood sugar levels so it is best to keep it to a minimum initially. Be careful of things labelled 'diabetic' like chocolate etc. as they are more expensive and can give you tummy problems. Avoid white flour products, like bread - go for seeded, granary varieties instead. You will learn and quite possibly feel much happier and healthier for it eventually. 

You should ask your doctor fr a meter and to prescribe strips. Many are reluctant to do so as the strips are expensive, but if you go prepared and persuade them that you need to learn about how different food and activities affect you, and will make good use of the information then they may be persuaded. Also, ask if there are any diabetes education courses available to you - some examples are DESMOND or XPert, but there may be others in your area. You have to push, unfortunately, unless you have an enlightened GP.


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## Andy HB (Dec 12, 2010)

Hello Jill-Louise, a very warm welcome to the forum.

I was diagnosed just over a year ago now and can still remember how I felt at that time.

It was so important for me to get an understanding of diabetes and what I could do about it. The NHS runs several courses that may be available in your area. I was lucky because I was able to attend the one called Diabetes X-Pert within a month of diagnosis. It's a 6 week course for one afternoon a week and it really provides a good starting point. There are other types of course available too.

Regarding exercise. Anything that you can do will help. How about taking up swimming? I've found my regular exercise has done me wonders over the last year. It really helps with the blood glucose control.

Lastly, you're going to be bombarded with quite a bit of information and there's quite a lot to get your head around with diabetes. Just take it one step at a time.

Andy


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## Nicky1970 (Dec 12, 2010)

Hi
Welcome to the forum. I was only recently diagnosed (Type 2) - the tail end of November. 

Nicky


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## Sheilagh1958 (Dec 12, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Nicky and Jill you will this is a brilliant forum everyone is so helpful and friendly.

Just raise any concerns your have (or share good news) somebody is always here to help you


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## Emmal31 (Dec 13, 2010)

Hi Jill

Welcome to the forum x


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## alisonz (Dec 14, 2010)

Hi Jill-Louise I'm new too was diagnosed type 2 about a month ago and like you I'm still trying to get my head round it all. Don't know about you but my GP has told me nothing whatsoever, maybe we can learn together lol


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## Royston46 (Dec 14, 2010)

Jill-Louise said:


> Hi everyone....i was diagnosed with type 2 a week ago and still getting my head around it.  There's so much to read my head is spinning


Hi Jill-Louise,

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about three weeks ago so know what your going through. I am also finding it hard to get my head round everything especially as Christmas is just around the corner.

I think the positive thing is that at least I know what is wrong with me so you can do something about it. Can anyone on the forum tell me why I feel so shattered  ????

Since I was diagnosed I have changed my lifestyle completely trying to eat what the the nurse at our doctors has told me to eat. I also watched a DVD which i sent for from Diabetics UK which was quite helpful.

Think I have a lot of learning to do !!!! can anyone give me some idea's about Christmas , what to eat etc ??? (and what about alcohol ??)


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## Copepod (Dec 14, 2010)

Welcome Royston. 
There's lots of information and support available here. For information, see the Sticky thread for newly diagnosed people at the top of the "Newbies say hello here!" section. 
You're right that diet is an important part of managing diabetes, but exercise and, in some cases, medication, are also vital.


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## Jill-Louise (Feb 5, 2011)

Thanks for all your replies..sorry i haven't got back sooner but my head is still spinning with all the info. I went back to the docs last week and he has changed my medication as i wasn't tolerating it very well.
I'm now on metformin sr 500mg twice a day and gliclazide once a day.
Now i'm hoping it will calm down and i won't be running to the loo all the time, sorry tmi !
I still can't get used to eating 3 meals a day and snacking inbetween, i just don't eat properly and yes i know i should.
See the thing is i know i should do all these things but i just can't get used to doing it !
So i guess i have whinged enough for now...i will try and check in more often now....


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## Northerner (Feb 5, 2011)

Jill, don't worry - you will get used to it in time and feel better for it, then you'll start to wonder why you ever had a problem with it!  Hope the new medication regime works well for you, I look forward to hearing more from you


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## Andy HB (Feb 6, 2011)

The thing which started to get my mindset sorted was after I had an evening snack of three bowls of fruit and fibre cereal. This was only a few weeks after diagnosis and I was still in my 'eat it whenever I want it' mode.

My bg test that evening was 16.7!!! That was a really good lesson for me and I have not done anything similar since.

Anyway, as I said in my previous post, take things one step at a time. In the end, you won't notice that things are completely different because they will seem so natural.

Nice to see you back, by the way.

Andy


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## C*5_Dodger (Feb 6, 2011)

Jill-Louise said:


> Thanks for all your replies..sorry i haven't got back sooner but my head is still spinning with all the info. I went back to the docs last week and he has changed my medication as i wasn't tolerating it very well.
> I'm now on metformin sr 500mg twice a day and gliclazide once a day.
> Now i'm hoping it will calm down and i won't be running to the loo all the time, sorry tmi !
> I still can't get used to eating 3 meals a day and snacking inbetween, i just don't eat properly and yes i know i should.
> ...



Dear Jill-Louise,

Welcome back again. I hope that things are settling down for you now that you are on the slow release Metformin and gliclazide. Have your diabetes carers offered you a blood glucose meter? There really is no more important device for helping you to control your glucose (blood sugar) levels. Basiclly, you control the amount of carbohydrate you eat and use your meter to judge how well you are doing. Unfortunately, a lot of diabetes carers say a meter is not necessary for type 2s, but they are only correct if we don't use the results of testing to improve our control, they also want to save money! Insulin aside, there is no better method of getting good blood sugar control than using your meter to check that you are not going astray, some people can even drop their meds! - that will save some money. If you would like to read how to do it, left click *here*

Warmest Regards  Dodger


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## Nicky1970 (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi and welcome to the forum


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## chrismbee (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi.
.
.
(should I say something else?)
.
.
OK, let me welcome you into the warm bosom of this forum community where you will be offered experiences of others in a similar situation.
.
.
(a bit more, you say?)
.
.
(um, well, uh, yep - I got it!)
.
.
There may seem loads of stuff to get to grips with, but take it in little steps and it should all start to make sense 
I mean, if certain others can get the hang of it, it should be a walk in the park for you.


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## Andy HB (Feb 9, 2011)

chrismbee said:


> Hi.
> .
> .
> (should I say something else?)
> ...





Good work! If that doesn't scare her off, I'll have another go tomorrow.

Andy 

p.s. We're harmless really


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