Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but Dr Google hasn't been much of a help and I've been trying over the last four months to better equip myself with knowledge about my health after my T2 diagnosis at the end of June.
Back story: I was diagnosed as a type 2 after a hospital visit to the A&E for what I now know was a gallbladder attack because of undiagnosed gallstones. My hba1c was 13.3 which is shockingly high. My blood pressure in the A & E was 180/90 but they didn't seem too concerned about it because when I asked, they attributed it to stress and pain. All my liver markers were also 11 times higher than what is considered in the normal range. I was discharged under the care of a GP with a script for metformin and to follow through with the removal of my gallbladder, as well as to manage my diabetes. My GP, on my first visit took my blood pressure and it was again still high(155/87). He prescribed me blood pressure tablets based off that number but I was reluctant to take them and I didn't because I truly felt I didn't suffer from high blood pressure and my numbers were a result of anxiety, pain and stress over my health situation.
The week after my visit to my GP, I had another gallbladder attack despite not eating any fatty foods and as advised to me by my GP, I presented at A&E because of the possibility of a gallstone blocking a bile duct as result of their size. My blood pressure was again extremely high on admission but during my hospital stay, surgery and recovery, my four hourly obs being done by the nurses noted consistently that my blood pressure was in normal range. So from that I suspected my theory of stress and anxiety was the cause of my elevated blood pressure during my A&E and previous GP visit. I then went back to my GP several times since my original T2 diagnosis and surgery and honestly I start to feel stress and anxiety just driving to his practice and he takes my blood pressure and again, every time it is high. I discussed my theory about it with him as well as my observations whilst in hospital and he seemed dubious but was willing to give me another month before insisting I take meds for it.
Nobody in hospital, not even my GP had thought to get me to have a blood test done for cholesterol, ldl, hdl in the last four months so on my last visit to my GP, I insisted for a whole panel of work being done including, liver, thyroid, cholesterol, kidney function as well as iron and other markers because we want to try to conceive soon and I wanted to know where I am at. All my results came through today, bar my hba1c (which will be in on Monday) and my doctor is thrilled as everything is in normal range including cholesterol/ldl/hdl and my lab fasting blood glucose level is within non diabetic range at 4.7mmol. He thinks based off my last hba1c result done 6 weeks after diagnosis which was 7.3 and my fasting blood glucose levels from this last test done at 4 months past diagnosis, that my hba1c will likely read as non diabetic when it comes in on monday. I've lost 12kg, joined a gym, cut my carbs to less than 80g a day at most but mainly sit at less than 50g on most days.
My GP didn't raise the issue of my blood pressure today or even take it like he normally does and it got me wondering if now that my blood markers and cholesterol panel all came back normal, he no longer thinks I have high blood pressure. I'm still a little worried about it being a possibility because of my consistent high numbers on visits to my GP. I'm second guessing my insistence on not taking the medication for BP he prescribed on my first visit. I am wondering if it is medically probable or even possible to have high blood pressure but to have normal numbers with things like cholesterol etc?
Again it's likely a very ignorant question and its probably got a very obvious answer but unfortunately, I was terrible at science but a talented humanities student and I thought you knowledgeable, all knowing science buffs could answer my question!
Also,I want to say thanks to you all for your help. I haven't posted much but your expertise and advice has been extremely valuable to someone like me who was overwhelmed at their diagnosis. I don't think I would have been able to achieve the types of results I have in these short four months without your amazing advice. I'm very much a 'trust science' type and not following the direct advice given by medically approved diabetes groups, spouting the 'eatwell plate' info felt very scary to me but I'm glad I did jump off the cliff and take this medically unauthorised low carb path! I've got a referral for a diabetic pregnancy counseling service in the next few weeks so hopefully my hba1c will come back in normal range on Monday and I'll get the go ahead to start trying for a baby very soon. Thanks again!
Back story: I was diagnosed as a type 2 after a hospital visit to the A&E for what I now know was a gallbladder attack because of undiagnosed gallstones. My hba1c was 13.3 which is shockingly high. My blood pressure in the A & E was 180/90 but they didn't seem too concerned about it because when I asked, they attributed it to stress and pain. All my liver markers were also 11 times higher than what is considered in the normal range. I was discharged under the care of a GP with a script for metformin and to follow through with the removal of my gallbladder, as well as to manage my diabetes. My GP, on my first visit took my blood pressure and it was again still high(155/87). He prescribed me blood pressure tablets based off that number but I was reluctant to take them and I didn't because I truly felt I didn't suffer from high blood pressure and my numbers were a result of anxiety, pain and stress over my health situation.
The week after my visit to my GP, I had another gallbladder attack despite not eating any fatty foods and as advised to me by my GP, I presented at A&E because of the possibility of a gallstone blocking a bile duct as result of their size. My blood pressure was again extremely high on admission but during my hospital stay, surgery and recovery, my four hourly obs being done by the nurses noted consistently that my blood pressure was in normal range. So from that I suspected my theory of stress and anxiety was the cause of my elevated blood pressure during my A&E and previous GP visit. I then went back to my GP several times since my original T2 diagnosis and surgery and honestly I start to feel stress and anxiety just driving to his practice and he takes my blood pressure and again, every time it is high. I discussed my theory about it with him as well as my observations whilst in hospital and he seemed dubious but was willing to give me another month before insisting I take meds for it.
Nobody in hospital, not even my GP had thought to get me to have a blood test done for cholesterol, ldl, hdl in the last four months so on my last visit to my GP, I insisted for a whole panel of work being done including, liver, thyroid, cholesterol, kidney function as well as iron and other markers because we want to try to conceive soon and I wanted to know where I am at. All my results came through today, bar my hba1c (which will be in on Monday) and my doctor is thrilled as everything is in normal range including cholesterol/ldl/hdl and my lab fasting blood glucose level is within non diabetic range at 4.7mmol. He thinks based off my last hba1c result done 6 weeks after diagnosis which was 7.3 and my fasting blood glucose levels from this last test done at 4 months past diagnosis, that my hba1c will likely read as non diabetic when it comes in on monday. I've lost 12kg, joined a gym, cut my carbs to less than 80g a day at most but mainly sit at less than 50g on most days.
My GP didn't raise the issue of my blood pressure today or even take it like he normally does and it got me wondering if now that my blood markers and cholesterol panel all came back normal, he no longer thinks I have high blood pressure. I'm still a little worried about it being a possibility because of my consistent high numbers on visits to my GP. I'm second guessing my insistence on not taking the medication for BP he prescribed on my first visit. I am wondering if it is medically probable or even possible to have high blood pressure but to have normal numbers with things like cholesterol etc?
Again it's likely a very ignorant question and its probably got a very obvious answer but unfortunately, I was terrible at science but a talented humanities student and I thought you knowledgeable, all knowing science buffs could answer my question!
Also,I want to say thanks to you all for your help. I haven't posted much but your expertise and advice has been extremely valuable to someone like me who was overwhelmed at their diagnosis. I don't think I would have been able to achieve the types of results I have in these short four months without your amazing advice. I'm very much a 'trust science' type and not following the direct advice given by medically approved diabetes groups, spouting the 'eatwell plate' info felt very scary to me but I'm glad I did jump off the cliff and take this medically unauthorised low carb path! I've got a referral for a diabetic pregnancy counseling service in the next few weeks so hopefully my hba1c will come back in normal range on Monday and I'll get the go ahead to start trying for a baby very soon. Thanks again!
