L0llyp0p

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello all. I'm new to the forum and this is my story.

A year ago I was being investigated because hypercalcemia (high blood calcium) had shown up on some routine blood tests. My HbA1c at that time was 35. I was eventually diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism and had a benign tumour removed in July this year.
A short while ago I was invited to attend a diabetes prevention programme because of that reading of 35 in Oct 2016. They tested me again and my levels are now 70. They have doubled in 12 months! My weight and eating habits haven't changed that much so I was very shocked at the rapid change. I wonder if it could be a complication of my hyperparathyroidism.
As it was clear that the prevention programme was no longer suitable for me I am now waiting for an appointment with a nurse at my GP practice. I'm presuming that they will confirm a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Based on advise from the nutritionist on the prevention programme I want to try a low carb diet to reduce my weight (current BMI 35) in the hope that this will reverse the diabetes.

I hope to learn a lot and get support from this forum in my journey so would love to get to know you

Lolly
 

Boo1979

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,849
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Last edited:

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Lollypop and welcome.
I was diagnosed 7 months ago with an identical HbA1c to yours 70. I found a low carb eating plan has worked along with Metformin tablets. My HbA1c is currently 33 (non diabetic level as you know), I reached my first non diabetic number after 4 months. I started for six weeks on less than 100g carbs/day then reduced it to 50 - 70g/day. In the last seven months I’ve also lost nearly 4 1/2 stone without really trying. The help I’ve had from this forum has been amazing, if you have any questions, fire away, there’ll always be some assistance for you. One word of caution a low carb diet can be a problem with drugs other than Metformin.
I’ll tag @daisy1 who will post loads of useful info for you.
 

Snapsy

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,552
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi and welcome, @L0llyp0p !

Sorry to hear about the suspected type 2 - hope the wait isn't too long, but it's great you've found this place to have a read up on some stuff. It's great to hear that the prevention programme has picked it up and that you're armed with some tools to tackle it.

Love Snapsy (type 1, post-radioiodine treatment now on replacement thyroxine)
:)

(Edited to say I've now had a read about hyperparathyroidism and it's not relevant to my experience of thyroid issues.)
 
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L0llyp0p

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks for the link. Very interesting. Glad you didn't have it - it's a horrible disease.
 
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Phoenix55

Well-Known Member
Messages
577
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Welcome to the forum. Please read around and ask all the questions that you want. Many people on here find that low carb eating is key to their diabetes control but it does not work for everyone, we are all different so what works for one may not work for someone else. We can make suggestions from our own experience but essentially you must find your own way. I found that keeping a food diary with regular testing 2 hours after meals helped me find a diet that suited my situation. It was a bind for a while until I had sufficient variety of meals that I could enjoy but it worked for me.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@L0llyp0p

Hello Lolly and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful for you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 259,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
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