- Messages
- 49
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- whingers
Be warned - this is a long 'un.....
OK, so 1st trip to GP in over two years late December 2013. Was I menopausal? Night (and day) sweats along with other symptoms, and/or could I be diabetic? Lots of night time loo trips and a raging thirst in last 2 weeks. Other than that I feel fine and am functioning normally.
Blood tests taken 27th December 2013. Results 2nd January 2014 – Happy New Year – you have type 2 diabetes. Your HbA1c is 106. Appointment booked to see dn following week.
Tell OH and two adult daughters and swear them to secrecy. No intention of telling mum, as she’s had t2 for 25 years – diet/exercise then meds and now insulin. Badly managed and lots of complications. I do not need advice from her.
Spent the day googling and stalking the DCUK forums. Adjust diet and make plans to re-join local leisure spa. Visit dn and tell her the changes I’ve made/am considering. Ask if I can see if diet and exercise will improve levels before heading onto drug regime she had planned for me. “You can refuse meds if you want” was her response. I don’t want to go against advice – just want to know if I can try diet and exercise first.
I say that I’m aware of the need to reduce carbs and eat wholemeal/wheat if I do have bread/pasta/rice. “You can eat white bread if you don’t like brown” was her response. Gulp….
Can I still donate blood? NO was her response (subsequent checks on blood.co.uk suggest I can indeed continue to donate blood).
Can I have a blood glucose monitor so that I can check what foods spike by levels? “You don’t need one of those”. Slight hesitation upon seeing my face – “don’t buy one – if you really want one we could supply one that uses cheap strips. Discuss next time – see you in 4 weeks and I’ll take more blood for repeat HbA1c to confirm diagnosis”.
Blood pressure checked (several times). Quite high. Review next time.
Weight checked. Need to lose 16kg to have healthy bmi.
Referred for DESMOND course and eye screening.
Next day – call from surgery – can you come in and see GP. Made appt and attended –she was just checking that I was refusing meds! Agreed I could try diet and exercise first. I advised I intended to reduce carbs. “Good idea – why would you put something into your body that is going to turn into glucose” (Blimey – she agrees with me!)
Start swimming daily. 30mins to 1hr. Breaststroke, head in, quite fast.
Week later – blurred vision so Sunday morning 9am trip to Specsavers. Prescription has changed due to high sugars/changed eye shape– use reading specs over your contact lenses until things settle (luckily this only took few days).
Eye screening appt. within 3 weeks – mild diabetic changes that can be reversed if you continue with healthy eating and exercise. Initial result 106 he exclaims?!! Were you comatose? No I was not. I was fine.
DESMOND course to start this Saturday – 2 x morning sessions (will give it a go and listen to what they say but will not follow nhs advice to eat carbs with every meal!).
Repeat visit to dn 4th February (5 weeks 5 days since initial blood test). Can I have a blood glucose monitor now so that I can check what foods spike by levels? “I can’t give you one today, as it takes half an hour to show you how to operate it”. Repeats previous advice of “don’t buy one – if you really want one we could supply one that uses cheap strips”. Blood pressure checked – NORMAL (woo!). Weigh check – lost 4 kgs (double woo!) I am enjoying eating proper food and cooking from scratch (already did, but not every day). Repeat HbA1c test taken. When shall I call for the result? “I’ll call you on 7th Feb” says dn. Friday 7th Feb – no call. Monday 10th Feb – no call, so I call surgery just before closing time. “Oh, she’s not in today. Yes, I can see your results are back, but I can’t interpret them”. Is there not just a number somewhere? “No, I’ll ask dn to call you tomorrow”. Tues 11th Feb – no call. Weds 12th Feb – at work, Thurs 13th Feb – at work. Friday 14th Feb lunchtime – I call surgery again. “She’s only half way though her day” when I say I’m waiting for a result. No, I said I was told she’d call LAST Friday.” Sorry, she’s not free”. DN calls 2 hours later. “Well done – HbA1c down to 79. Whatever you’re doing is working”. (That’s because I didn’t follow your advice and eat white bread thinks I). Night (and day sweats) now a thing of the past. Not menopause symptoms after all but due to high sugars that have now dropped. No more night time trips to loo and no more raging thirst – all stopped within first couple of weeks. “aim for 58 in 12 weeks” she says. 58! I want to be 48 (at least!)
Day later - buy iBG STAR monitor that connects to iPhone (bargain at Boots.com £12). Order more strips and lancets online. Start using immediately – so easy to use and love the scatter graph, charts, notes sections. Finding it really useful to see what foods cause spikes.
Week later – bloodshot eye that is soooooo painful and sensitive to light. Visit to GP – told to make emergency appt at opticians that day to check pressure levels behind eye. (Am aware that he wants to rule out acute glaucoma – one of mum’s complications). Call and further visit to Specsavers (who were FAB). Pressures checked and thorough examination. Pressures ok. Turns out it’s a contact lens issue. Although I’ve swum in lenses for almost 32 years it’s a big NO NO and I’ve damaged the rim of the coloured part of my right eye. Check up on Saturday. Specs in the meantime and no swimming until it’s cleared up. Prescription swimming goggles now on order (blind as a bat without lenses/specs).
Well, that the first 8 weeks of 2014 for me. Now to plan how to stick with the right foods when visiting Disneyland Paris with the family in three weeks to celebrate the BIG 50 and then a 9 day trip to Holland to celebrate 30th wedding anniversary (both booked before the D diagnosis).
I spend every day trying to be positive (few wobbles and expletives at stressful times) as I’ve quickly realised that D is here to stay and MUST be managed properly. I want to say a big thank you to all you regulars here on this this forum , where I’ve sought recipes/advice/info regularly over the last 6 weeks as a guest. I’ve chuckled my way through some stories (andy 12345 and his ‘official warning’ being one in particular) and I like that the advice offered (to sometimes ‘woe is me’ posters) is straightforward and to the point – thanks pavlosn. Apologies for the very long first post but needed to get it all of my chest. I'm now in the DCUK club
OK, so 1st trip to GP in over two years late December 2013. Was I menopausal? Night (and day) sweats along with other symptoms, and/or could I be diabetic? Lots of night time loo trips and a raging thirst in last 2 weeks. Other than that I feel fine and am functioning normally.
Blood tests taken 27th December 2013. Results 2nd January 2014 – Happy New Year – you have type 2 diabetes. Your HbA1c is 106. Appointment booked to see dn following week.
Tell OH and two adult daughters and swear them to secrecy. No intention of telling mum, as she’s had t2 for 25 years – diet/exercise then meds and now insulin. Badly managed and lots of complications. I do not need advice from her.
Spent the day googling and stalking the DCUK forums. Adjust diet and make plans to re-join local leisure spa. Visit dn and tell her the changes I’ve made/am considering. Ask if I can see if diet and exercise will improve levels before heading onto drug regime she had planned for me. “You can refuse meds if you want” was her response. I don’t want to go against advice – just want to know if I can try diet and exercise first.
I say that I’m aware of the need to reduce carbs and eat wholemeal/wheat if I do have bread/pasta/rice. “You can eat white bread if you don’t like brown” was her response. Gulp….
Can I still donate blood? NO was her response (subsequent checks on blood.co.uk suggest I can indeed continue to donate blood).
Can I have a blood glucose monitor so that I can check what foods spike by levels? “You don’t need one of those”. Slight hesitation upon seeing my face – “don’t buy one – if you really want one we could supply one that uses cheap strips. Discuss next time – see you in 4 weeks and I’ll take more blood for repeat HbA1c to confirm diagnosis”.
Blood pressure checked (several times). Quite high. Review next time.
Weight checked. Need to lose 16kg to have healthy bmi.
Referred for DESMOND course and eye screening.
Next day – call from surgery – can you come in and see GP. Made appt and attended –she was just checking that I was refusing meds! Agreed I could try diet and exercise first. I advised I intended to reduce carbs. “Good idea – why would you put something into your body that is going to turn into glucose” (Blimey – she agrees with me!)
Start swimming daily. 30mins to 1hr. Breaststroke, head in, quite fast.
Week later – blurred vision so Sunday morning 9am trip to Specsavers. Prescription has changed due to high sugars/changed eye shape– use reading specs over your contact lenses until things settle (luckily this only took few days).
Eye screening appt. within 3 weeks – mild diabetic changes that can be reversed if you continue with healthy eating and exercise. Initial result 106 he exclaims?!! Were you comatose? No I was not. I was fine.
DESMOND course to start this Saturday – 2 x morning sessions (will give it a go and listen to what they say but will not follow nhs advice to eat carbs with every meal!).
Repeat visit to dn 4th February (5 weeks 5 days since initial blood test). Can I have a blood glucose monitor now so that I can check what foods spike by levels? “I can’t give you one today, as it takes half an hour to show you how to operate it”. Repeats previous advice of “don’t buy one – if you really want one we could supply one that uses cheap strips”. Blood pressure checked – NORMAL (woo!). Weigh check – lost 4 kgs (double woo!) I am enjoying eating proper food and cooking from scratch (already did, but not every day). Repeat HbA1c test taken. When shall I call for the result? “I’ll call you on 7th Feb” says dn. Friday 7th Feb – no call. Monday 10th Feb – no call, so I call surgery just before closing time. “Oh, she’s not in today. Yes, I can see your results are back, but I can’t interpret them”. Is there not just a number somewhere? “No, I’ll ask dn to call you tomorrow”. Tues 11th Feb – no call. Weds 12th Feb – at work, Thurs 13th Feb – at work. Friday 14th Feb lunchtime – I call surgery again. “She’s only half way though her day” when I say I’m waiting for a result. No, I said I was told she’d call LAST Friday.” Sorry, she’s not free”. DN calls 2 hours later. “Well done – HbA1c down to 79. Whatever you’re doing is working”. (That’s because I didn’t follow your advice and eat white bread thinks I). Night (and day sweats) now a thing of the past. Not menopause symptoms after all but due to high sugars that have now dropped. No more night time trips to loo and no more raging thirst – all stopped within first couple of weeks. “aim for 58 in 12 weeks” she says. 58! I want to be 48 (at least!)
Day later - buy iBG STAR monitor that connects to iPhone (bargain at Boots.com £12). Order more strips and lancets online. Start using immediately – so easy to use and love the scatter graph, charts, notes sections. Finding it really useful to see what foods cause spikes.
Week later – bloodshot eye that is soooooo painful and sensitive to light. Visit to GP – told to make emergency appt at opticians that day to check pressure levels behind eye. (Am aware that he wants to rule out acute glaucoma – one of mum’s complications). Call and further visit to Specsavers (who were FAB). Pressures checked and thorough examination. Pressures ok. Turns out it’s a contact lens issue. Although I’ve swum in lenses for almost 32 years it’s a big NO NO and I’ve damaged the rim of the coloured part of my right eye. Check up on Saturday. Specs in the meantime and no swimming until it’s cleared up. Prescription swimming goggles now on order (blind as a bat without lenses/specs).
Well, that the first 8 weeks of 2014 for me. Now to plan how to stick with the right foods when visiting Disneyland Paris with the family in three weeks to celebrate the BIG 50 and then a 9 day trip to Holland to celebrate 30th wedding anniversary (both booked before the D diagnosis).
I spend every day trying to be positive (few wobbles and expletives at stressful times) as I’ve quickly realised that D is here to stay and MUST be managed properly. I want to say a big thank you to all you regulars here on this this forum , where I’ve sought recipes/advice/info regularly over the last 6 weeks as a guest. I’ve chuckled my way through some stories (andy 12345 and his ‘official warning’ being one in particular) and I like that the advice offered (to sometimes ‘woe is me’ posters) is straightforward and to the point – thanks pavlosn. Apologies for the very long first post but needed to get it all of my chest. I'm now in the DCUK club
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