3 months in - HbA1c

[test_positive]

I'm not sure if I still count as newly diagnosed now it's been three months. Already feels like a lifetime!

Following advice on this site, I radically reduced my carb intake & also increased exercise. And here are the results:

HbA1c: Jun2012 - 80 (9.5%); Sep2012 - 49 (6.6%)
Triglyceride/HDL ratio: Jun2012 - 3.3; Sep2012 - 0.9

And in the mean time, have lost 12kg so now have a BMI of 22.

My doctor was amazed by the results and asked me how I'd done it! I am very pleased with the drop in triglycerides as I believe this ratio being higher than 2 is a risk for heart disease.

To be honest, I still feel I have a way to go with the blood glucose level as 6.6% is higher than the recommended level. But with this site and my meter I am feeling pleased with my achievement so far.

So a big THANK YOU to everyone out there for the help and advice I've received. I would have been lost without you!
:clap:

 

[GraceK]

I think you're marvellous!!! And so is this forum. Did you tell your doctor you're low carbing? And did you tell him or her about this forum? Doctors would probably learn a whole lot more about diabetes if they logged on here than they would ever learn from The Lancet!

Well done and I hope you're going to continue to boost all our morals with your successes. I love hearing about successes.

 

[Cinnamon54]

Fantastic results - you are an inspiration!

 

[Tracey69]

HI post-positive,
Well done for all the changes you have made. Well done for losing all that weight and for getting your Hba1c down like you have.
Keep it up.
Take care
Tracey

 

[xyzzy]

Well done :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Brilliant you have a doc who is willing to listen. Explaining to your gp HOW you did it will hopefully make him think about the advice he hands out so your brilliant hard work may be used to help others in your neighborhood which is great!

 

[mercury]

fantastic result, well done. I will be coming up to three months soon, hope I can do as well as you

 

[test_positive]

My doctor was not at all phased about low carbing and liked the way I had used my meter to find out what affected me.

I had already got a meter when I saw him 3 months ago (it was the first thing I did). I got the SD Codefree because the strips are relatively cheap at £7 per 50. He said that the NHS would give me a meter (hooray!) so he gave me a BG STAR meter but not many strips. I still had my own SD Codefree strips so I used them up.

When I saw him this time, he encouraged me to only test myself once per week - despite what testing myself after meals had taught me so far. Of course, it is down to cost and I can understand that. If I test myself 5 times a day then I am using 35 times as many strips as he would want me to - and that adds up. But to my amazement given that cost is such an important consideration, BG STAR strips cost £28 per 50 i.e. 4 times as much! What is the NHS doing I wonder.

I am lucky that I can afford to continue using the SD Codefree to measure when I want (within reason). So I will not be following the once/week advice. Then I am stockpiling BG STAR test strips to use later.

One thing I have noticed is how different the readings are. I have measured the same drop of blood on both meters a couple of times now and they are approx 0.7 different!

 

[Grazer]

Well done on a great result. Don't worry about a difference of 0.7 on the meters - that's actuaslly quite small compared to what you could get! Most meters are only accurate to within about 15%, and then the WAY we test, condition of strips etc all effect the results as well. You can start mind games using two meters and comparing - get one you like and stick with it!
Well done again. :clap:

 

[abs]

Well done that's a amazing difference, just watch the dates on the test strips from gp to use them up before they go out of date.

 

[Judytwo]

We don't have to pay for strips in Ireland - yet!

 

[DaveNN]

I'm not sure if I still count as newly diagnosed now it's been three months. Already feels like a lifetime!

Following advice on this site, I radically reduced my carb intake & also increased exercise. And here are the results:

HbA1c: Jun2012 - 80 (9.5%); Sep2012 - 49 (6.6%)
Triglyceride/HDL ratio: Jun2012 - 3.3; Sep2012 - 0.9

And in the mean time, have lost 12kg so now have a BMI of 22.

My doctor was amazed by the results and asked me how I'd done it! I am very pleased with the drop in triglycerides as I believe this ratio being higher than 2 is a risk for heart disease.

To be honest, I still feel I have a way to go with the blood glucose level as 6.6% is higher than the recommended level. But with this site and my meter I am feeling pleased with my achievement so far.

So a big THANK YOU to everyone out there for the help and advice I've received. I would have been lost without you!
:clap:

That is brilliant.
Do you mind me asking, how many carbs did you limit yourself too?

 

[vonbon1]

Well done, that's an achievement.