I was diagnosed in March 2012. I was told I could control the condition with diet and exercise. I was referred to the dietician and saw her once and I also attended an education course on diabetes. I was very overweight but was not referred for weight management. I did lose quite a lot of weight initially by my own efforts but I didn't manage to keep it all off. I should have been seen 6 months after diagnosis for a Hba1c test but no one told me and I wasn't seen again for a year by which time my weight had gone up again. I think I should be on medication but when I discussed this with my GP and with the nurse who does annual diabetic reviews they both said my Hba1c is not high enough to warrant this. This is Practice policy but I think policy varies across practices, and if I lived elsewhere I might well be on medication. Everyone I've met who is recently diagnosed is on medication and I can't imagine that they are worse than me. My most recent Hba1c reading is 38 (or 5.6%). However, I do get elevated BG in the mornings and sometimes during the day as well, and I can't always link this to particular foods. Sometimes I feel at a complete loss about what is safe to eat. I know about low carb and try to stick to this. I do have my eyes checked annually which is how I know I have early diabetic damage. It's because of this that I'm not convinced about the value of Hba1c readings - mine are good but I've still developed complications and I think this is because my daily BG isn't always well controlled - hence the question about how to bring it down without medication. My highest daily readings have been between 9 and 10.
