- Messages
- 224
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Load eating , idiots.
How do you know there is a helicopter pilot in the room ? They'll tell you, one of the oldest adages in aviation.
No prizes for guessing that my diagnosis in Nov 2020 came with some potentially career limiting issues as I lost my medical which left me unable to fly.
The diagnosis was a bit of a shock as I had literally just passed my 6 monthly Class 1 medical when the Dr realised he hadn't tested my urine for sugar, and there began the very rushed test on a very expensive looking BG meter, and a BG of 15.5 mmol/L.
That caused some issues with our roster at work but meant I was guaranteed Christmas off.
Slowly I started to learn about BG / HbA1c and what the numbers meant, and the differences in the numbers between UK and USA being my two primary sources of information.
We bought a BG meter off Amazon and I slowly started to convince myself that things weren't too bad and perhaps a mistake had been made. Regular 8s and 9s in the morning before breakfast and things didn't look too bad.
Oh how wrong I was, I went to my GP for a blood test to complete the formal diagnosis on the following Tuesday and results came back on the Thursday, a HbA1c of 116 , and a fasting BG of 11.4 at the same time were pretty conclusive, Type 2 diabetic I am.
We started to learn as a family about diet and exercised, my missus bought us a treadmill for use in the garage and initially I was resistant and thought it was a waste of money, once again how wrong was I ? I had to complete an exercise stress ECG using the Bruce protocol and that was a big ask , as it was 30 years since I last did one, and I am a bit heavier now than back then.
I am a pretty determined and stubborn person at times and having worked long and hard to achieve the qualifications I hold, nothing was going to stop me getting my medical back , unless it was already too late.
I reluctantly got on the treadmill and started to exercise regularly, we altered what I eat and improve my BG , along with the Metformin, I had been prescribed, within two weeks I was getting normal BG readings (sub 6 as a fasting BG overnight) and below 9 about two hours after a meal, I persuaded the Diabetes Nurse (Emma) that I didn't need to increase the Metformin to what would have been 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening, so I remain currently on 1 morning and 1 evening.
I got away with the Metformin side effects other than for the first two days, it made my stomach ache about 8 hours after taking it, other than that nothing really.
For the next 6 weeks I ran 5 days out of 7 , read up on the Bruce protocol test I had to do to get my medical back.
Early January saw me on a professional grade treadmill, and the Bruce Protocol test was passed with relative ease (probably in some part due to the treadmill practice in December).
Then began the process of persuading Emma that we needed to repeat the HbA1C test earlier than the 3 month point, I had collected so much data using initially an excel spreadsheet and subsequently the mySugr app, that they couldn't really argue that there would be no improvement so we settled on the 8 week point from diagnosis for the 2nd HbA1C test.
While this was going on we got the Retinopathy tests out of the way and I have kept on running, now venturing outside for the last few weeks, that is much more enjoyable.
The HbA1c came back 62, which is 54 less than 8 weeks earlier, the expectation is that at the 3 month point my figures will be back below diabetic levels and into normal levels.
Then the kicker my aviation Dr was on leave when we got the results, he is a good person, I've known him for years, but I expressed my disappointment that having sent out all of the expected dates for tests and results , no one thought to mention this. His PA contacted him and the GP reports were reviewed and sent to the Civil Aviation Authority for review, the CAA is not known for its efficiency at achieving anything so it took another week for them to review the Aviation Dr's recommendations and for my medical to be reinstated. That happened on 3rd Feb and I have hardly had a day off flying since, so I am a happy badger, 10 weeks from diagnosis to reinstatement without any medical limitations.
Things I have learned;
The GP surgery seems to trot out NHS advice and treat Metformin like a fire and forget missile against Type 2, with no BG monitoring required, I am so glad I bought a meter and started to work out , what did and did not work for me eating wise, we are all different and this is a massive help.
Exercise is addictive.
Weight loss pre diagnosis was probably down to the Diabetes and not me trying, but trying to lose weight masked the symptoms.
I was 16 stone at my peak, now I am 12st 10. I gave up drinking two years ago , just because I felt like and wanted to lose some weight, I'd lost 2 stone prior to diagnosis, but the 'trying' masked the symptoms.
No one will drive things along for you, despite how well meaning or professional they appear to be, you are responsible for sorting out your own destiny and that might mean spending some money on meters and test strips, or fitness equipment.
The CAA guidance is not clear the first 12 times you read it and doesn't actually detail processes and timescales, so you have to ask people in the know.
Even I can pass an exercise stress ECG, it's not as bad as it sounds and the first two stage or even three stages are like walking (fast but walking).
It's easier to achieve these things if you have some support and motivation to do so.
I know very little about Diabetes, but I am learning every day.
There are some good people on this website and some great guidance if you search for it.
Gary
No prizes for guessing that my diagnosis in Nov 2020 came with some potentially career limiting issues as I lost my medical which left me unable to fly.
The diagnosis was a bit of a shock as I had literally just passed my 6 monthly Class 1 medical when the Dr realised he hadn't tested my urine for sugar, and there began the very rushed test on a very expensive looking BG meter, and a BG of 15.5 mmol/L.
That caused some issues with our roster at work but meant I was guaranteed Christmas off.
Slowly I started to learn about BG / HbA1c and what the numbers meant, and the differences in the numbers between UK and USA being my two primary sources of information.
We bought a BG meter off Amazon and I slowly started to convince myself that things weren't too bad and perhaps a mistake had been made. Regular 8s and 9s in the morning before breakfast and things didn't look too bad.
Oh how wrong I was, I went to my GP for a blood test to complete the formal diagnosis on the following Tuesday and results came back on the Thursday, a HbA1c of 116 , and a fasting BG of 11.4 at the same time were pretty conclusive, Type 2 diabetic I am.
We started to learn as a family about diet and exercised, my missus bought us a treadmill for use in the garage and initially I was resistant and thought it was a waste of money, once again how wrong was I ? I had to complete an exercise stress ECG using the Bruce protocol and that was a big ask , as it was 30 years since I last did one, and I am a bit heavier now than back then.
I am a pretty determined and stubborn person at times and having worked long and hard to achieve the qualifications I hold, nothing was going to stop me getting my medical back , unless it was already too late.
I reluctantly got on the treadmill and started to exercise regularly, we altered what I eat and improve my BG , along with the Metformin, I had been prescribed, within two weeks I was getting normal BG readings (sub 6 as a fasting BG overnight) and below 9 about two hours after a meal, I persuaded the Diabetes Nurse (Emma) that I didn't need to increase the Metformin to what would have been 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening, so I remain currently on 1 morning and 1 evening.
I got away with the Metformin side effects other than for the first two days, it made my stomach ache about 8 hours after taking it, other than that nothing really.
For the next 6 weeks I ran 5 days out of 7 , read up on the Bruce protocol test I had to do to get my medical back.
Early January saw me on a professional grade treadmill, and the Bruce Protocol test was passed with relative ease (probably in some part due to the treadmill practice in December).
Then began the process of persuading Emma that we needed to repeat the HbA1C test earlier than the 3 month point, I had collected so much data using initially an excel spreadsheet and subsequently the mySugr app, that they couldn't really argue that there would be no improvement so we settled on the 8 week point from diagnosis for the 2nd HbA1C test.
While this was going on we got the Retinopathy tests out of the way and I have kept on running, now venturing outside for the last few weeks, that is much more enjoyable.
The HbA1c came back 62, which is 54 less than 8 weeks earlier, the expectation is that at the 3 month point my figures will be back below diabetic levels and into normal levels.
Then the kicker my aviation Dr was on leave when we got the results, he is a good person, I've known him for years, but I expressed my disappointment that having sent out all of the expected dates for tests and results , no one thought to mention this. His PA contacted him and the GP reports were reviewed and sent to the Civil Aviation Authority for review, the CAA is not known for its efficiency at achieving anything so it took another week for them to review the Aviation Dr's recommendations and for my medical to be reinstated. That happened on 3rd Feb and I have hardly had a day off flying since, so I am a happy badger, 10 weeks from diagnosis to reinstatement without any medical limitations.
Things I have learned;
The GP surgery seems to trot out NHS advice and treat Metformin like a fire and forget missile against Type 2, with no BG monitoring required, I am so glad I bought a meter and started to work out , what did and did not work for me eating wise, we are all different and this is a massive help.
Exercise is addictive.
Weight loss pre diagnosis was probably down to the Diabetes and not me trying, but trying to lose weight masked the symptoms.
I was 16 stone at my peak, now I am 12st 10. I gave up drinking two years ago , just because I felt like and wanted to lose some weight, I'd lost 2 stone prior to diagnosis, but the 'trying' masked the symptoms.
No one will drive things along for you, despite how well meaning or professional they appear to be, you are responsible for sorting out your own destiny and that might mean spending some money on meters and test strips, or fitness equipment.
The CAA guidance is not clear the first 12 times you read it and doesn't actually detail processes and timescales, so you have to ask people in the know.
Even I can pass an exercise stress ECG, it's not as bad as it sounds and the first two stage or even three stages are like walking (fast but walking).
It's easier to achieve these things if you have some support and motivation to do so.
I know very little about Diabetes, but I am learning every day.
There are some good people on this website and some great guidance if you search for it.
Gary
