Room for one more?

[bumblebeer]

Hi all.

I was diagnosed August this year but expect I have been T2 for some time, had tingly feet and got very thirsty for a number of months before diagnosis but put off seeing a doctor because I'm a dumb bloke. My HbA1c was 103 mmol/mol and then did another in September after starting metformin and statin and stepping up my diet and came out as 75 mmol/mol. I have just had my results from December and am now at 37 mmol/mol so feel like things are going in the right direction although not heard from the doc. I haven't been following any specific diet, just cut down carbs and sugar as much as poss and only fell off the wagon for the food at my wedding .

Joining the forum as I am trying to break the habit of sticking my head in the sand and learn a bit more so thank you to all the OGs posting advice and info. I have found such conflicting guidance on foods that you should avoid when googling (grapes...can I eat them?!?) so will be looking to learn more so I can sustain a healthy diet in the long term.

 

[EllieM]

Hi @bumblebeer and welcome to the forums.

You've joined at a quiet time of day so you may have to be a little patient to get replies.

If you've got your result down to 37 then you're obviously doing something right because that's firmly in normal range and corresponds to an average blood sugar of 6.2mmol/L .

As for grapes, some of our members find them a bit full of carbs, but one way you can tell if they work for you, your body and your way of eating is to do a blood test before and 2 hours after eating a portion (however much that is for you) and seeing whether they have put your blood sugar up by more than 2mmol/L. (As a rough guides, non diabetics usually go back to their pre-meal blood sugar two hours after eating, so 2 mmol/L gives a bit more leeway.)

Congratulations on your improved blood sugar levels and on your wedding, and once more, welcome.

 

[Antje77]

Hi @bumblebeer (love the username and I hope you'll add a fitting profile pic too ), there's always room for one more, although it can be quiet on the forum at this time of day!

I haven't been following any specific diet, just cut down carbs and sugar as much as poss and only fell off the wagon for the food at my wedding

Cutting down carbs is exactly the way many of our forum members maintain their non diabetic numbers, and it looks like you've hit the ground running, going from 103 to 37 in less than 5 months!
Congratulations on your wedding! This is supposed to be a once in a lifetime thing, not likely to cause any harm.

(grapes...can I eat them?!?)

Of course you can eat them, but they'll likely send you sky high if eaten in any quantity...
They work amazing as a hypo treatment for me as a T1.

 

[Mr Clean]

Similar story to you here. Diagnosed in August with HBA1C of 112. Last check was 57 after 3 months of Metformin and cutting the carbs.

 

[jessj]

Very well done, @bumblebeer, that was a worked for Christmas present. As has been said, cutting down carbs as far as possible is the way to go & you've worked on that. A lot of reading on here will help you, it is a real mine of helpful info, recipes, advice & encouragement, so stick around.

If you haven't got one, then a blood glucose monitor will help a lot. Eating to a meter gives you some idea of what is good for you personally or not & not just with obvious things. You mention grapes & if I eat a few, I get a large rise, so I steer clear.

Congrats on your marriage & your A1c result.

 

[LivingLightly]

Congratulations @bumblebeer . From an HbA1c result of 103 down to 37 mmol/mol in 5 months is a wonderful achievement. Thanks for sharing. Your success will inspire other newly-diagnosed diabetics.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in April 2003 whilst in hospital undergoing surgery, but I remember the conversation as though it were yesterday. A member of the hospital medical team performed a finger prick test and recorded >18 mmol/L.

The physician specifically warned me to steer clear of grapes and cherries. Not only are they chock-full of sugars, but they're moreish too and not very filling, so there's a tendency to go on eating one after the other!

 

[bumblebeer]

Very well done, @bumblebeer, that was a worked for Christmas present. As has been said, cutting down carbs as far as possible is the way to go & you've worked on that. A lot of reading on here will help you, it is a real mine of helpful info, recipes, advice & encouragement, so stick around.

If you haven't got one, then a blood glucose monitor will help a lot. Eating to a meter gives you some idea of what is good for you personally or not & not just with obvious things. You mention grapes & if I eat a few, I get a large rise, so I steer clear.

Congrats on your marriage & your A1c result.

Thank you. I will definitely be looking into getting a blood glucose monitor instead of winging it

 

[Antje77]

Thank you. I will definitely be looking into getting a blood glucose monitor instead of winging it

Tagging @Rachox , who has very useful info on glucose meters in the UK to save you from spending too much.

I have found such conflicting guidance on foods that you should avoid when googling (grapes...can I eat them?!?) so will be looking to learn more so I can sustain a healthy diet in the long term.

And linking this informative piece on T2, diet, and testing, written by one of our members: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html
There's also this thread in the low carb section of the forum where we share what we eat, can be very useful to get ideas for meals. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today-low-carb-forum.75781/page-2977

 

[Rachox]

Hi @bumblebeer and welcome to the forum. Thanks for the tag @Antje77.

Here’s some info with links for UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.



HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/



Links to the strips for future orders:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/



Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + which is quite popular:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793



The strips are to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

 

[AlexMagd]

Thank you. I will definitely be looking into getting a blood glucose monitor instead of winging it

Congratulations on your incredible achievement turning your numbers around!

I second all the good advice you've gotten here, but would add that - if it's affordable for you - you might want to consider a CGM like the Freestyle Libre, at least for a little while. When I was first diagnosed it really helped me establish what was OK to eat and what wasn't - as you can see the impact on your blood sugar in real time. They're generally less accurate than finger pricking, but of course also less hassle.

Again, huge congratulations.

 

[hannahbjm]

Some brilliant advice here but just wanted to say congratulations for turning your numbers around