Hmm, didn't see that coming

[sanguine]

Hi

Having had 2 sets of blood tests after complaining about fatigue, aches, stress etc I was called in to see my GP (well, one of the doctors who put in some time at the local surgery). I was just expecting a rap on the knuckles about diet, exercise, weight etc but it was straight into 'You've got Type 2 diabetes, this is life-changing, here's a prescription for statins, make an appointment to see the nurse for a diabetic intro session, thank you and goodbye'. Well it wasn't literally that, but pretty close.

So here I am, fasting glucose level at 10.4 (well it's winter and the weather's been awful yadda yadda) and wondering what to believe. If I look at T2 symptoms, I'm not thirsty all the time, I'm not wanting to pee frequently, so is it true and is the sugar level just a blip? Is this denial? I've got through life so far without too many drugs (a dozen paracetamol a year is a lot as far as I'm concerned) and I'm not minded to start now, especially with conflicting views on statins (GP was quite adamant). My inclination is to go with the diet improvement (I don't think I eat unhealthily, although I eat too much bread and could cut down on the red wine a bit) and get some more exercise to reduce my sugar levels and lose some weight (I'm 60, 90kg and 1.69m). Which is what I planned to do anyway, now with more incentive. Ideally I'd like to see my GP in a month or two with significantly lower blood sugar and be able to say 'look, no statins!'. Am I kidding myself?

Anyway, I hope to use this site for learning and comparing experiences, and it looks good so far.

Rod

 

[Andy12345]

Hi. Yes it's denial, sorry, but we all do that, everything else sounds reasonable though

 

[Bluetit1802]

I was diagnosed in January with a fasting glucose of 7 and HbA1c of 53. What was your HbA1c? That is what they normally use for diagnosis. I didn't see it coming either - no symptoms at all.

I assume your cholesterol is high, hence the statins? Mine was slightly raised on diagnosis so I also got statins, and my GP was very insistent about it. As my cholesterol levels normalised very quickly and I am motivated with my diet & exercise plan for weight loss and sugar levels, I intend coming off the statins next time I see the GP.

Good luck with sorting out a suitable diet plan. This forum will help more than the doctors/nurses can.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Rod and welcome

I have put some useful information for you on your other thread.

 

[Mud Island Dweller]

Also agree about denial except for statins. My dr and l had a heated discussion (argument) and l am not nor will l take them. metformin ok. I eat Low Carb High Fat... there is a forum off the main page nhs hate it but it keeps my blood glucose brilliant. Has been a life saver and weight falling off me. Cholesterol is according to dr high according to scientific paperwork on the low carb high fat correct. So more reason not to touch them (Nurse says hi l say go read the scientific papers)
The way statins are in the news l do not see how they expect people to keep taking them to me it is to keep profits up for drugs companies.

You need a glucometer (blood glucose reader) and test every thing you eat and drink. pre meal and around 2 hrs post... unless you have reason to test at 1 hr....maybe see what your glucose was doing for some reason.

 

[Mark James]

Hi Sanguine i was diagnosed in December with a fasting of 10.4 i started a low carb diet and i had a second hba1c test 6 weeks later and i was down to 6.4 my 90 day average for bg is 5.6, i test my blood when i get up, before meals ,and 1 and 2 hours after meals i no longer eat bread potatoes, rice, pasta, or any other starchy carbs and i feel really good, i dont take any medicine for my condition just diet. I have my 3 monthly blood tests next month and expect to see my hba1c level in the low 5s , what i am trying to say is with a little hard work and discipline things can be alright and its not the end of the world although it feels like it at first

Markaj

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Do test your blood sugar 2 hours after typical meals to see how it's doing. Reduce the carbs in your diet to help with weight reduction and also blodd sugar. Statins have nothing to do with diabetes and in fact make it slightly worse so it's your choice. Unless you are in the high risk category I think you know the answer. It sounds like your T2 has been caught early so with diet and possibly some tablets you may well be OK for years.

 

[Scandichic]

Hi Rod! Diabetes I'm afraid! I love this forum and it has been my life line since being diagnosed! On the upside I've lost 1 and a half stones through the LCHF diet. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[sanguine]

Thanks for all the info and encouragement folks. My mindset is still in 'just the incentive I needed to improve diet/lose weight etc' mode rather than 'OMG I'm ill'. Still learning about all the tests and the target numbers (why can't the units be consistent?) and up for a challenge whilst minimising drugs if I can.

What I'm annoyed about today is the lack of information provided by my GP. OK I should have asked at the time but it was all a bit surreal and I'd never heard of Hba1c until I came on here. But he treated me like an imbecile in retrospect and just waved a statins prescription and blood pressure form at me. So I had to phone the surgery to get them to tell me the numbers for the two sets of blood tests I've had in the last couple of weeks.

Originally I phoned about being tired, achy, stressed and listless. I was half expecting some thyroid issue because that's what my wife has. Anyway, the first set of results which I've only now wrung out of them were:

Serum TSH - 4 (that's the thyroid one, normal supposedly)
Serum ALT - 51, liver function, should be 45 or below I understand
Hba1c - 64
Cholesterol - 6.9 (should be 5 or less)

On the basis of that I was called in again for more bloods and a BP check. This time:

Fasting glucose - 10.4
Hba1c - 65
BP - 160/90 (oops that's a bit high)

I have an appointment with one of the surgery nurses in about 3 weeks for a 50 minute advice session.

Meanwhile I can cut back on carbs (bread was a serious issue as I mentioned before) and alcohol, eat more fruit and veg (shame about the sugar in bananas) and do more exercise. GP says swimming, cycling or running. I don't swim or have a bike, and I don't intend to run until I've lost some weight but I can do a brisk walk that gets the heart going - just got back in from a 40 minute one in fact. We were going to get a rowing machine anyway in the next month or so. Oh yes and get a BP meter.

I wonder now why I was prescribed statins (which I'm not taking at least until I've seen what I can achieve without them), and not metformin?

Cheers
Rod

 

[Bluetit1802]

You were given statins because of your total cholesterol reading of 6.9. You really need to know what the other cholesterol levels were - triglycerides, HDL and LDL as these are more important. Most GPs dish out statins if cholesterol is high because of the perceived risk of cardiovascular problems, as this risk increases significantly when you are diagnosed as diabetic. Additional exercise and a better diet will help the BP issues. Mine dropped to normal levels within a week of starting 2 x 20 minute brisk walks a day - and I did get a BP monitor and still check myself. As for the Metformin, at my surgery the GP leaves that to the diabetic nurse to decide.

 

[Scandichic]

Thanks for all the info and encouragement folks. My mindset is still in 'just the incentive I needed to improve diet/lose weight etc' mode rather than 'OMG I'm ill'. Still learning about all the tests and the target numbers (why can't the units be consistent?) and up for a challenge whilst minimising drugs if I can.

What I'm annoyed about today is the lack of information provided by my GP. OK I should have asked at the time but it was all a bit surreal and I'd never heard of Hba1c until I came on here. But he treated me like an imbecile in retrospect and just waved a statins prescription and blood pressure form at me. So I had to phone the surgery to get them to tell me the numbers for the two sets of blood tests I've had in the last couple of weeks.

Originally I phoned about being tired, achy, stressed and listless. I was half expecting some thyroid issue because that's what my wife has. Anyway, the first set of results which I've only now wrung out of them were:

Serum TSH - 4 (that's the thyroid one, normal supposedly)
Serum ALT - 51, liver function, should be 45 or below I understand
Hba1c - 64
Cholesterol - 6.9 (should be 5 or less)

On the basis of that I was called in again for more bloods and a BP check. This time:

Fasting glucose - 10.4
Hba1c - 65
BP - 160/90 (oops that's a bit high)

I have an appointment with one of the surgery nurses in about 3 weeks for a 50 minute advice session.

Meanwhile I can cut back on carbs (bread was a serious issue as I mentioned before) and alcohol, eat more fruit and veg (shame about the sugar in bananas) and do more exercise. GP says swimming, cycling or running. I don't swim or have a bike, and I don't intend to run until I've lost some weight but I can do a brisk walk that gets the heart going - just got back in from a 40 minute one in fact. We were going to get a rowing machine anyway in the next month or so. Oh yes and get a BP meter.

I wonder now why I was prescribed statins (which I'm not taking at least until I've seen what I can achieve without them), and not metformin?

Cheers
Rod

If you haven't got a monitor then I would suggest an sd code free from ebay or amazon as the strips are £7 for 50 vs £25 for 50 if you get one of the meters from boots, etc. I go via ebay and the strips are next day! Someone on the forum recommended it to me and so......

 

[Beshlie]

I think you are approaching your diabetes well, it takes time to adjust to a new way of life, and also to accept diabetes as a part of you from now on. If you stick with this site you won't go far wrong, it has been my lifeline over the last 4 months.

 

[sanguine]

I would suggest an sd code free from ebay or amazon

Hi Scandi - sorry, a what?

 

[Scandichic]

Hi Scandi - sorry, a what?

Sd codefree blood sugar monitor - sorry. Tired and should go to bed but addicted to this forum!

 

[Joe Sweatthang]

Hey Sanguine. I'm was 57 and at the time of diagnosis, i felt much older. My numbers were 10 fasting - HbA1c 54 when diagnosed in January. The only give away was peeing lots at night. My diabetes nurse offered me statins and my response was "thanks but no thanks". Loosing weight and exercise is a must. High fat low carb diet worked for me. I went out and bought the best rowing machine that money can buy on the basis that I have to use it every day until I drop dead (at a much later date). Found out today that my HbA1c is now 44. In less than 3 months I feel a good 15 years younger. I cannot stress enough to you the value of this web site and the vast amount of knowledge I have picked up from the good people on this forum. In a way, my type 2 diagnosis has been a good think.

 

[sanguine]

Thanks Joe

Out of interest what rowing machine did you get - magnetic, hydraulic, model? I've looked online but I could really do with finding a dealer with lots on display to try out!

 

[Joe Sweatthang]

Thanks Joe

Out of interest what rowing machine did you get - magnetic, hydraulic, model? I've looked online but I could really do with finding a dealer with lots on display to try out!

Hi Sanguine. This may sound a bit like a sales job but it's all down to my enthusiasm for rowing these days. I've had a rower for years but didn't use it enough and it ended up in my attic for a couple of years up until my type2 diagnosis. I was using a v-fit amr1 which is air-magnetic resistance. The difficulty settings 1-8 basically causes a magnet to slow down the air/flywheel between stokes to give greater resistance. It is not a very nice feel and over time as your strength builds up the resistance will not be enough to keep you interested. The performance monitor gives over enthusiastic results making you think that you are better than you actually are and it will ultimately become boring. It's ok for a starter. When I was looking at buying this rower about 5 years ago, all my friends were telling me to break the bank and buy a Concept 2. This rower is the one you'll find in all gyms. It is bullet proof. Each and every Concept 2 model is calibrated exactly the same as the next so they can be used for competitions. The Performance monitor is extremely accurate and it comes pre-loaded with work outs - both aerobic and anaerobic. The information the monitor provides is vast. You can upload your workout details onto a computer and then upload to the Concept 2 web site where you can rank your best times against all the other Concept 2 rowers. I get great pleasure in seeing my race times well ahead of younger men posing in military uniforms. In a nut shell, the Concept 2 is a smooth, dynamic resistance machine with a support structure to give you the best workouts, keep you motivated and make you want to get on it every day. At 58, I became a bit of a couch potato and loss of muscle mass was a contributing factor for type2. I decided that along with diet and exercise, that actually building up muscle mass could also help with my insulin resistance. I mean - why do you need all that glucose if you don't have the muscle to use it ? So, in conjunction with the rower I started consuming WHEY protein - about 40 grams per day. It's a great weight loss, muscle building product with very low carbs and no sugar. Old farts like us with type2 need to turn our lives around in a big way. Where are you, I'd rather give the v-fit amr1 to someone who needs it but I can't put it in the post.

 

[sanguine]

Hi Joe

Just sent you a PM

 

[sanguine]

You were given statins because of your total cholesterol reading of 6.9. You really need to know what the other cholesterol levels were - triglycerides, HDL and LDL as these are more important.

Thanks Bluetit. I called in at the surgery today in the middle of my brisk walk and collected a printout of all my test results. Guess what, much more information that they never bothered to 'volunteer' to me! Including HDL 1.22 mmol/L, from which I assume my LDL is 5.7, triglycerides of 5.66 and gamma GT of 217 iu/L. So I can see why the statins were prescribed but I'm still not taking them until I can assess what I can do myself with exercise and diet. And even then probably not.

So on T2+2 and I've only had 4 thin slices of wholemeal bread since T2 zero, no sugary cereals, some grilled sausage and tomato and mash potato last night, and for lunch just now some carrot sticks with hummus (love hummus), a bit of mackerel pate and an apple. I used to be vegetarian (defeated by bacon sandwiches!) so have no issue with fruit, veg and pulses. If I can kick the bread habit that's a very significant carb reduction for me. Also had a couple of 40 minute brisk walks, and pleasantly surprised by recovery time.

I'm intrigued by the LCHF diet, especially the potential weight loss bit. The LC is a no-brainer, the HF seems a bit counterintuitive, I need to read more about that.

 

[Indy51]

Very few people seem to take the HF part literally as there is much more fat in food than you normally expect if you check nutrition tables - I certainly know I'm not adding lashings of fat to everything. When I do add fat, I mostly concentrate on good fats like coconut, butter, macadamia, avocado or olive oil. I always cook in coconut oil or ghee. I avoid polyunsaturated industrial seed oils (canola, safflower, sunflower, peanut etc) like the plague. I don't really like chunks of fat with meat - but if you like animal fat, there's definitely no reason to avoid it.