# Hello from another recent diagnosee



## Earl (Apr 15, 2011)

Hello,

Where to start???

Diagnosed 3 weeks ago and still trying to come to terms with what it means.

A friend advised me to come here.

Hope no one bites as I have no idea what to expect really either from diabetes or you guys.  

Be gentle ... aw what te heck go for it and boo to being gentle

Earl


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## everydayupsanddowns (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl

Welcome to the forum... though sorry you've had to join 

Tell us a little about the treatment your GP has suggested.

There are some really good bits of info to get you started in this thread: http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406

Especially 'Jennifer's Advice'

And Gretchen Becker's Book, "Type 2 diabetes: the first year" is recommended by others on the forum.

Have a look around and ask any questions you have, you can be sure that someone around here will have been there before you...


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## Old Holborn (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl and welcome.


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## Natalie123 (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl! Welcome to the forum. We don't bite  Everyone here is lovely and there is so much good advice and support here. What treatment are you on at the moment?


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## novorapidboi26 (Apr 15, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Earl...................


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## Mark T (Apr 15, 2011)

Welcome Earl


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## margie (Apr 15, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Earl - I guess you are still shell-shocked if its only been 3 weeks. 

As Mike said take a look around and ask away.


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## Robster65 (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl. Welcome to the club 

Hope you can learn all you need to know.

Rob


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## Klocky (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl, welcome to the forum - we dont all bite, honest


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## Andy HB (Apr 15, 2011)

Klocky said:


> Hi Earl, welcome to the forum - we dont all bite, honest



Just the ones with no teeth, so that's ok. 

Welcome to the forum Earl.

As well as this forum, there are other great resources out there. I was lucky enough to get on a Diabetes X-Pert course (run by the NHS) when I was diagnosed. There are others now (like DESMOND). They can be well worth trying to get on (ask your GP or Diabetes Specialist Nurse about whether there are any in your area).

Andy


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## Earl (Apr 15, 2011)

Hello, 

Sorry missed the treatment and the diagnosis silly me 

type 2 and currently on 1 metformin before breakfast and 1 metformin before dinner/tea.

I am struggling to get any low readings.  lowest so far is 1 at 6.8 most are 9 or10 before or after meals.

My doctor seems to have given the same 3 tests a week 1 before breakfast and 2 randoms.  

Sorry to say I have totally ignored this and test whenever I want information usually in pairs 1 before a meal 1 2 hours after to get information on the change.  

Any thoughts on my approach?

Oh and really struggling to find what to eat as well

TBH struggling on pretty much all aspects of it and getting a few headaches and extreme tireds on the way  

Earl


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## Mark T (Apr 15, 2011)

Earl said:


> Hello,
> ...My doctor seems to have given the same 3 tests a week 1 before breakfast and 2 randoms.
> 
> Sorry to say I have totally ignored this and test whenever I want information usually in pairs 1 before a meal 1 2 hours after to get information on the change.
> ...


Sounds a weird set of requested measurements, but oh well - at least you have done the sensible thing and added extra readings that are helpful to you .  You might like to try testing at 1 hour post-meal instead of 2 hours, that gives a more true peak value for an average meal.

What are you struggling for with diet?  One of the good things to try is eating more Lower GI foods (no white bread, mash, white rice, etc) and try reading How To Lower Your Blood Sugar.


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## Natalie123 (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl, your approach seems logical to me, as long as you have enough strips. It is good to hear that you are allowed to test, some type 2's have problems getting a meter and strips on prescription. As you said, it is the change after a meal that is important and will allow you to try out foods and see what suits you and what causes a spike. 

I'm sure you are finding it all a bit of a struggle at the moment, but it sounds like you are very clued up already, well done  As for your levels, as a type 1 they don't sound too bad to me especially as you are newly diagnosed.

Your tiredness could be a side effect of the meds which will hopefully go away with time or could be due to a change in diet or your body adjusting to lower sugar levels than before your diagnosis.

Good luck and I hope you are feeling better soon.


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## Blythespirit (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Earl and welcome to the forum. You've come to a good place. We don't bite until we've calculated the carbs which gives you a good chance of running away from most of us! Lol

First of all I'm pleased that you're getting strips on prescription as most of us T2's don't any more. One fasting and 2 random sounds about right for the advice they're giving out these days. Wrong in my opinion and it's good to see you're testing after meals as they're the one's that give you onformation you can work with. As has been said, testing one hour after food is often the best way to do it. 

Secondly, you've only just been diagnosed so don't expect to get perfect scores right away. It takes a while. You didn't become diabetic in 3 weeks so don't expect to see huge improvements in such a short time. As for feeling tired etc, that's normal to begin with too. Your body got used to those high levels before diagnosis so is registering your more normal levels as low. You will start and feel better as you progress.

Lastly, there's a lot of food advice on here. Tried and tested things. So that, along with sensible testing will get you there. Good luck and keep in touch. XXXXX


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## Steff (Apr 15, 2011)

hi and a warm welcome to the forum


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## teapot8910 (Apr 15, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Earl!


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## Sheilagh1958 (Apr 16, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Earl. This forum is great and will really help you cope. Great place to come for help and support and just a place to have a good old chin wag


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## Earl (Apr 16, 2011)

I have done a bit of a test this morning.

Had a small bowl of porridge with some dried blueberries, cranberries and raisons in it made with skimmed milk. (doctor says this is very good)

Tests as follows
before = 7.0
30 mins after  = 13.3
1 hour after   =15.8
2 hours after = 9.3

Have had this breakfast a few times now anlways 8 - 9 ish at the 2 hour after mark and always thought it was a good meal and low suger.  GULP my mistake me thinks  

any thoughts?

Earl T2 4 weeks Metformin and diet (or not at the moment apparently)
Logged 	Online

E-mail Private Message


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## Northerner (Apr 16, 2011)

Some fruits are better than others, so it's possible that the raisins were partly responsible. Also, the type of porridge can have a big contribution to quickly spiking levels (as I have found out myself!). The best sort of oats to go for are the coarse variety - things like Ready Brek and Oatso Simple are quite refined and so digest much more quickly than more traditional oats.


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## margie (Apr 16, 2011)

Some people also find that making the porridge with water rather than milk can help reduce the spike.  If you can find a way to have porridge then it was the added benefit of helping you control your cholesterol levels.


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## SusieGriff (Apr 16, 2011)

Hi Earl, welcome to the forum, shame you're here, but this is the place to be if you have to. Everyone is really nice and the advice is second to none. !


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## Mark T (Apr 16, 2011)

Earl said:


> I have done a bit of a test this morning.
> 
> Had a small bowl of porridge with some dried blueberries, cranberries and raisons in it made with skimmed milk. (doctor says this is very good)
> 
> ...


That's probably not too dissimilar to what I get if I eat porridge or pretty much any cereal in the morning.

You will probably find that you are at you most insulin resistant first thing in the morning, so any amount of carbs (for me, anything over about 7g) might send your bloods high regardless of whether they are sugar or not.

You could try eating the same meal in the evening and performing the same tests, i'm sure you will get a different result.

There are quite a few of us Type 2's who avoid carbs in the morning.  There are a few breakfast threads on this forum with alternative ideas.


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## Alan S (Apr 16, 2011)

Earl said:


> I have done a bit of a test this morning.
> 
> Had a small bowl of porridge with some dried blueberries, cranberries and raisons in it made with skimmed milk. (doctor says this is very good)
> 
> ...



That told you quite a lot. 

1. Your peak is much closer to one hour than two. I recommend you use that for future post-meal tests.

2. That breakfast may be very good for your doctor, I hope he enjoys it. But he does not have a flawed glucose/insulin system. Consider some of these alternative choices for yourself (click on it): *Breakfasts*.

3. You should apply the same logic to your other meals. This may help you: *Test, Review, Adjust*


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## Valerie Ann (Apr 17, 2011)

Hi Earl
 I am a newbie too with this Diabetes and i am also on one in the morning and one in the evening.

Val x


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