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short sighted with vision issues, then diabetes test

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chrisuk

Member
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5
Hi guys, VERY new here.
little bit about me.
non-meat eater (3 years)
39
6ft2
22.5 stone (eek!)
bmi - no idea but am fat obviously.
shortsighted with -4.5 prescription.

right, last couple of weeks I've all of a sudden noticed my near sight has gone blurry (whilst wearing my glasses), literally overnight (well in the space of about 4 days i noticed) to the point I used an A-Z, then when i noticed my sight was a bit off, i got the A-Z out and stuggled to read it unless i held the book at arms length.

Obviously a bit worried i contacted opticians, paid for the eyescan and eye test, everything is fine with my eyeball, etc etc but somehow my prescription has changed from -4.5 to -2.5, basically my eyesight has IMPROVED to near on 50%, new prescription and i can see everything clearly far, middle and near sighted.
Optician has obviously said, that's not right, SOME improvement can occur but not 50%!
so recommended i get a diabetes check as blood sugars can affect the eyes.

so i toodle off to GP, they can't see me, so i book a Tesco pharmacy health check for the next morning.
i'm currently going down with a cold, so had a locuzade and orange juice up (just one of those things i've always done) until 10pm last night followed by just water and my last meal was at about 8pm of corn on the cob & a cheese sandwich.
cholesterol - 4.13mmol/L
Blood Pressure - 124/91
Pulse rate - 86
GLUCOSE - 9.3mmol/L

the pharmicist, recommends the GP asap.

now i pretty sure i have T2 judging by the results, I'm assuming the OJ & Lucozade wouldn't still be in my system 13 hours later?

Obviously i'm very concerned about my eyesight.

I wanted to try and sort this out with diet/exercise before medication (also didn't really want it on my medical record for insurance later in life).

I'm assuming your advice would be get to GP ASAP!
 
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Blurred vision is a very common symptom for diabetes.
Type "blurred" into the Search at the top of the page and you will see 11 pages of related threads!
Typically, it goes once you get your Blood Sugars under control.

@daisy1 has some great advice for managing diabetes and will respond now I have tagged her.

In the meantime, have a look around the whole of the diabetes.co.uk - it has an amazing library of diabetes related information as well as a very knowledgeable and helpful group of forum members.

And, yes, I would recommend getting to see your GP.
 
Your diet is very heavy in carbohydrates, which is what you can't cope with if you are a type two diabetic.
Sweetcorn is a grain - then there is the flour in the bread - so switching to more protein and fat is going to be easier on your metabolism, and swapping to low carb veges.
 
chrisuk said:
Hi guys, VERY new here.
little bit about me.
non-meat eater (3 years)
39
6ft2
22.5 stone (eek!)
bmi - no idea but am fat obviously.
shortsighted with -4.5 prescription.


I'm assuming your advice would be get to GP ASAP!
Click to expand...


Uh, yeah. We can't diagnose you here, but the things you mention, well... They do indicate there MIGHT be a problem somewhere. This might be a good time not to just make an appointment with your GP at the soonest possible time, but also to read up, so you know what to ask, and what to come away with from that appointment. Like a print-out of your bloodtest results, and should you eventually get diagnosed a T2, a meter. If you don't get one from your doc (it happens), self-fund. It's the most valuable tool a T2 can have. Test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If it goes up more than 2.0 mmol/l, then the meal was too carby. How that works? Well...

Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested... And with insulin not doing what it's supposed to, because of insulin-resiatance, a knackered pancreas or a combination of the two, you can't process that glucose back out again, so it just floats around, doing damage. (To, amongst other things, eyes.). The most logical step then, is usually to reduce carbs. Carbs are one of three macro-nutrients, the others being fat and protein. So if you take less of one, up the others, to still feel full, and get your share of micro-nutrients. (Vitamins, minerals etc.). I do believe there are vegetarians on the forum, but for me personally, I don't know how I'd do it without bacon and chicken, for instance. (I hadn't eaten chicken for years on principle, but if it's them or me... Sorry, but I'm saving my own skin.). There are low carb recepies on dietdoctor.com without meat and animal products though, so who knows. Have a gander.

Of course, there are other ways to regulate bloodsugar. Pills are an option, only drawbacks being possible side-effects, and they don't halt the progression of T2. (A change in diet does.). Some can't do it on diet alone, maybe because insulin-resistance is such a heavy factor or their pancreas has practically stopped producing insulin altogether, so they combine pills with diet, or sometimes go on insulin injections. But diet really should be your first stop: You've already demonstrated you can change the way you eat... I think it'd pay off trying that route first. Again, if you get diagnosed, that is. You might want to read up in Dr. Jason Fung's books in the meantime, and here on the forum. And if there are questions, we're right here.

Deviating from my usual meal suggestions, which commonly include an awful lot of bacon, meat and fish: If free range eggs are okay for you, have them with some mushrooms, a few cherry tomatoes, cheese. Lately I've had omelets with cinnamon, double cream, and Erithyrol. I defrost some berries and add a bit of coconut on the side. pour over some additional cream... Really good. ;) Have a salad with warmed goat's cheese, avocado, maybe a little vinaigrette. Loads of veggies that are okay, just not the starchy ones... You want to steer clear of bread, pasta, corn, rice, cereal (muesli, oats, flakes), potatoes, that sort of thing... Fruit is carb-heavy, save for a modicum of berries, (preferably with cream or full fat greek yoghurt, as fat slows down a spugarspike), a few cherry tomatoes or an avocado. Chek dietdoctor.com for loads of info on that sort of thing.

In any case, I'll just keep hoping you're not hit with T2. But if you are, we're right here. And it'll be okay.
Good luck,
Jo
 
Hi chrisuk and welcome!
Sounds like you may be Type 2 and a visit to the dr is important to find out for sure. Your BMI btw is 40.4 which is classified as obese, there’s a calculator here:
https://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx
My BMI was similar when I was diagnosed with type 2 in May ‘17. I chose to eat low carbs along with a mild medication to get my diabetes under control and as a happy side effect I lost 6 stone, so I am now merely ‘over weight’!
Even if you’re not diagnosed Type 2 you may want to try low carbing as a weight loss method, it’s easy and satisfying, I’m never hungry and haven’t once counted calories :)
 
Go see your GP. If/when you go for blood tests please fast for 10-12 hours beforehand. Although there is no need to fast for the HbA1c (test to measure for Diabetes) the HbA1c almost always comes with tests for other stuff (lipids) which are influenced by food and drink. So, drink water only before the blood draw and if your tests results indicate a high HbA1c (and a second test is done to confirm) then you will know where to come for advice and support.
 
yeah did the atkins many moons ago but back then obviously was eating meat, so was easy.

have found the transition to non-meat eating a bit harder, due to me contracting and being hotel bound the majority of the week with no kitchen.

but need to stop the excuses and sort my diet & exercise out, was going to be starting a regime in new year with intermintent fasting, diet & exercise, looks like it's been brought forward 2 months! :)
 
@chrisuk

Hello Chris and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will 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.
 
chrisuk said:
yeah did the atkins many moons ago but back then obviously was eating meat, so was easy.

have found the transition to non-meat eating a bit harder, due to me contracting and being hotel bound the majority of the week with no kitchen.

but need to stop the excuses and sort my diet & exercise out, was going to be starting a regime in new year with intermintent fasting, diet & exercise, looks like it's been brought forward 2 months! :)
Click to expand...


Follow the low carb program here, take a look ath the recipes on @dietdoctor.com You will find you are soon bringing your health back under control in no time at all! So many of us here hav done it, so no need to dispair. You should be able to find recipes that are non meat around though maybe consider whether not eating meat has actually been helping your health of late ?

good luck !
 
thank you for all the replies.

out of interest just how bad is that 9.3 reading? i thought it was terrible, but looking at a chart it looks like it's on the verge of green/light green, so it's bad but not completely.

also it's recommended to pay the £29.99 for the premium service of the lowcarbprogram?
 
chrisuk said:
thank you for all the replies.

out of interest just how bad is that 9.3 reading? i thought it was terrible, but looking at a chart it looks like it's on the verge of green/light green, so it's bad but not completely.

also it's recommended to pay the £29.99 for the premium service of the lowcarbprogram?
Click to expand...
9.3 Is quite high for fasting bloodsugars, if that's what they were... Sorry. You're aiming for no higher than 8 or so two hours *after* eating. (I'm between 4.3 and 5.3 lately in the morning on an empty stomach.) But, I tackled higher numbers than that, and am now in the non-diabetic range, so there's no reason why that shouldn't happen for you too.

The Low Carb Programme is pretty good, but for me it was a bit slow. (I already read up on a lot of that stuff, and waiting a week for the next installment was... Frustrating.). But if you're starting from scratch it could be quite useful. There's a free try-out, I think, so it's worth looking into. And then there's dietdoctor, and the dr. Jason Fung books, and and and... Loads of informative options.
 
chrisuk said:
thank you for all the replies.

out of interest just how bad is that 9.3 reading? i thought it was terrible, but looking at a chart it looks like it's on the verge of green/light green, so it's bad but not completely.

also it's recommended to pay the £29.99 for the premium service of the lowcarbprogram?
Click to expand...
By the way, you really do need a meter... You have one testresult, and that's next to nothing to go on. You want to know what your levels are before eating, and 2 hours after the first bite. If they go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal wasn't exacty agreeing with you.
 
Is there a prefered choice out the two?
also do i need to buy the extra lancets as well?

thanks again
 
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chrisuk said:
Is there a prefered choice out the two?
also do i need to buy the extra lancets as well?

thanks again
Click to expand...

I wouldn't know which one's better, as I bought Contour TS's from Bayer long before I came on here, because it was the brand my DN used. I think either one's fine though. You will have to shop for lancets too. I prefer micro fine ones, they don't sting much. (And when you prick, do it on the side of your finger, not on the pad.)
 
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