Newbie type 2 with Hba1c of 6.6

Sqwooozeee

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Hba1c of 6.6 about 3 weeks ago over the phone by my Doctor. He said that as I was "only just diabetic" I did not need medication nor monitor my blood glucose, and to manage it with diet and exercise. He has sent me to an education programme and exercise on prescription.
I have not met with him at the practice nor a nurse.
What I'm wondering is...is the above enough?
Thank you
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Hba1c of 6.6 about 3 weeks ago over the phone by my Doctor. He said that as I was "only just diabetic" I did not need medication nor monitor my blood glucose, and to manage it with diet and exercise. He has sent me to an education programme and exercise on prescription.
I have not met with him at the practice nor a nurse.
What I'm wondering is...is the above enough?
Thank you

Hello and welcome,

Your doctor was right, you are very borderline and just a tiny little bit inside the diabetes range. You do not need medication because you can reverse this situation very easily and quickly with a suitable diet, but that diet needs to be maintained after it takes you out of diabetes or it will soon come back again!

He was wrong about not needing to self test. How else will you know if your chosen diet is working? A meter will also guide you with your food choices as you can see at a glance what a particular food has done to your levels and be able to either reduce portion size or eliminate. I strongly urge you to buy a meter, and when you do we can help you use it to your best advantage.

He should put you on the diabetes register, which should trigger an interview with a nurse. Most GPs devolve type 2 diabetes care to a nurse. This is fine because nurses tend to be more clued up than most GPs. You should also be referred for a retinal eye screening test, which is repeated annually, and your nurse should do a foot check, take your blood pressure, check a urine sample, weigh you and so forth. She will also be responsible for arranging further blood tests and reviews, and should be your point of contact if you need anything.

If you don't hear anything about a nurse appointment, I suggest you ring and chase it up.

I am tagging @daisy1 for her informative basic information, and meanwhile have a good read round to see how others are controlling this disease. As I said, diet is the key, and that means reducing carbohydrate, particularly things like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, things made with flour, and most fruits. This site may help you

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodlist
 

Tabbyjoolz

Well-Known Member
Messages
557
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Cruelty, bigotry
Being told over the phone like that must have given you quite a shock, but your doctor is right about managing your diabetes with diet and exercise and not automatically reaching for his prescription pad.

You're in the right place. Many of us managing our diabetes with diet and exercise alone reduce our carbohydrate intake and increase the amount of fat we eat. Carb-heavy foods tend to spike blood glucose.

The education programme may or may not be useful, if only to answer any questions you may have about diabetes, although the dietician will plug something called the Eatwell Guide, which plugs the low-fat, high carbohydrate message we all have been fed for years.

You do not have to hit the gym (unless you want to), although as you've been offered exercise on prescription you might as well take it up.

Another thing many of us Type 2s here do invest in a blood glucose meter and testing strips, because this is the best way to work out what foods spike our blood sugar.

As Bluetit said, longer term you will receive appointments for foot checks, eye checks and blood tests (Hba1c) and urine tests.

daisy1 will also post an excellent guide to how you can look after yourself. Your diagnosis may feel like the end of the world, but most of us here can assure you it isn't. Keep on logging in and reading!
 
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Liam1955

Master
Messages
10,964
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
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Anti-Gay People, Self Centre People, Two Faced People and Bad Language.

daisy1

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

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 235,000 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.