Since I produced high fasting BG readings some two or three years ago, the highest being 17.9, I think, I really feel that the NHS has approached me and my health in completely inappropriate ways. The following are the reasons for saying this:
1. I was diagnosed as having diabetes on the basis of these results. The rationale for this over-hasty diagnosis was explained - unless you were a diabetic you would never get these readings. Therefore, you are diabetic. A healthy person could cope with any amount of glucose without ever reaching this level.
Where does this come from? They were not even interested in how I managed to attain these high readings. In fact, I was either drinking 3 litres of orange juice per day or downing four cans of Special Brew per day, over a period of eight months or more. Don't ask me why, please.
The point is just that (a) there MUST be tolerance limits for a normal person,(b) I think I exceeded them, and therefore (c) reverting to a healthy diet might well reverse/remove the problem. If that is true, then, I think the label 'diabetic' was applied prematurely. 2. Even more serious, I think, was the claim that type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition. It will get worse over time. Yes - that is what the nurse told me. Thankfully, I knew better and was able to correct her on that. "In some cases", I said. She had to agree, but wasn't about to volunteer this information. The dietary excesses I set out in 1 above are a prime example of when T2D will not be expected to progress. It depends on whether you continue with the excesses or not. Obviously. But even if the T2D has developed without being brought on by such bodily abuse, I think it is wrong and grossly irresponsible to tell people their condition WILL get worse. How dare they?
3. Eagerness to prescribe medications before all of the above has been explored and tested. Once you are on Metformin, any improvements can be masqueraded as beneficial effects of the drug. From that point on, the possibility of testing this claim has been taken away from you. Exercise regime, improved diet, etc. can no longer be evaluated because all changes are Metformin-induced changes. And guess what - all improvements just go to show that you really needed the medication, and will now be needing it for life (because, once on the drug, you can never show that your condition is reversible).
4. Dietary advice. Even if the NHS Eatwell plate represents a good, balanced intake for a healthy person, it certainly cannot do so for someone with misbehaving BGs. When my BGs were out of control, I know that I would spike up from 7.5 to 15 an hour after eating two small potatoes. What is the rationale for recommending a diet high in carbs when you are thought to have T2D ??? It seems insane to me. The explanation I got from the nurse, as from the booklet, was that we all need carbs; they are essential for energy. I was also told that protein does not provide energy.
I don't know why we are being misled in all these ways. is it deliberate or just based on ignorance?
Anyway, just for completeness, here is what happened to me subsequently. I just stopped over-indulging in Special Brew, turning to dry white wine instead, and cutting down too, cut out orange juice almost completely, and went for an energetic walk almost daily. Six months on I now have just produced an Hba1c of 6.2, and a preprandial tea-time BG of 4.8. My lipids HDL 1.1 and LDL 3.7, both vastly improved. Cholesterol is down from 8.5 to 6.4, and presumably still falling. Triglycerides 3.5 - down from above 10.
Just looking at all these improvements over six months, how can I avoid the conclusion that my condition was temporary and abuse-driven?? Why doesn't the GP react to initial high readings with "Let's start by seeing how you respond to some basic lifestyle changes. You might turn out to be perfectly healthy"?
