Diagnosed today, question about diet/pills

[SockFiddler]

I've had two blood tests and today my doctor said I am diabetic. I said I would like to try and control by diet alone, she didn't seem keen. But agreed to let me try for two months. I have an appointment with diabetic nurse in a weeks time.
My test results are as follows
plasma glucose level (fasting) was 10.7
(Non fasting was 14.4)
So my question is. Do you think it is wise to try and control with diet alone at this stage. Or should I be tackling this with diet and pills. (Diabetic pills/medicine)
Many thanks

Hi @Blossom1977 and welcome to the forum!

I had (accidentally) started to low-carb just ahead of my diagnosis - I'd identified the foods that were the unhealthiest for me (in terms of time of day, circumstances, what I ate them with) and cut them out. They just happened to be bread, potatoes, pasta, rice. I've never been one for cereal.

I joined this forum the day of my diagnosis, completely skeptical about LCHF dieting (still very much at the NHS table), but started reading around - especially all the forum signatures that chart people's progress in numbers. I was persuaded pretty fast that the way I'd actually chosen was effective (there are lots of other routes to take, even within a single chosen diet path) and by day 19, my fasting blood glucose was down below 6.

I also take Jardiance (empagliflozin) and am lucky enough to have the (curious and somewhat uncertain) support of both my GP and my diabetic nurse in my endeavour to eventually control with diet alone. Your doc seems like a harder sell, but she's still given her agreement.

What is "wise" is being as aware of how your body feels as possible. You probably won't recognise how poorly you are (I didn't), but when you start mending (whichever way you choose), you'll be utterly shocked when you look back. Listen to your body, let it heal, be patient.

I'd also say (again, you won't get much help from the NHS) to get a testing meter so that you can see exactly what the food you eat does to your levels. Our bodies are quirky - some people can eat things that other people have to avoid. Some people can't eat something in the morning, but it's fine in the evening.

You're at the start of a long journey. Give yourself the tools to travel safely, ask lots of questions and listen to what your body tells you. Though it doesn't seem like it now, this can be a very empowering experience.

Good luck to you!

Sock

 

[Blossom1977]

Hi @Blossom1977 and welcome to the forum!

I had (accidentally) started to low-carb just ahead of my diagnosis - I'd identified the foods that were the unhealthiest for me (in terms of time of day, circumstances, what I ate them with) and cut them out. They just happened to be bread, potatoes, pasta, rice. I've never been one for cereal.

I joined this forum the day of my diagnosis, completely skeptical about LCHF dieting (still very much at the NHS table), but started reading around - especially all the forum signatures that chart people's progress in numbers. I was persuaded pretty fast that the way I'd actually chosen was effective (there are lots of other routes to take, even within a single chosen diet path) and by day 19, my fasting blood glucose was down below 6.

I also take Jardiance (empagliflozin) and am lucky enough to have the (curious and somewhat uncertain) support of both my GP and my diabetic nurse in my endeavour to eventually control with diet alone. Your doc seems like a harder sell, but she's still given her agreement.

What is "wise" is being as aware of how your body feels as possible. You probably won't recognise how poorly you are (I didn't), but when you start mending (whichever way you choose), you'll be utterly shocked when you look back. Listen to your body, let it heal, be patient.

I'd also say (again, you won't get much help from the NHS) to get a testing meter so that you can see exactly what the food you eat does to your levels. Our bodies are quirky - some people can eat things that other people have to avoid. Some people can't eat something in the morning, but it's fine in the evening.

You're at the start of a long journey. Give yourself the tools to travel safely, ask lots of questions and listen to what your body tells you. Though it doesn't seem like it now, this can be a very empowering experience.

Good luck to you!

Sock

Thank you so much for your message, I can relate to a lot of what you have said. ill get a testing monitor tomorrow. I also don't feel ill, or have any diabetic symptoms. But I'm sure, like you say, I will feel a hell of a lot better once the diet is in full swing.

 

[SockFiddler]

You're gonna be fine, @Blossom1977.

A quick note about meters: it's not the cost of the meter but the price of the test strips. Shop carefully! I have both a CodeFree and a TEE2 meter and their strips are very reasonably priced (and there's a discount code floating around here somewhere for one of them, too).. Your meter is going to be your best friend and constant companion. It's going to tell you the truth when you've "cheated" a little bit or think you're doing better than you are. Pick one you like!

Sock x

 

[Bluetit1802]

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

Pharmacies don't sell them. There are discount codes if you buy in bulk and don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/

Other meters are available!

 

[SockFiddler]

@Bluetit1802 for the win!

And yes, other meters are available (I should have said that, too), those two in particular I was directed to try by other members and am very happy with.

I need to add that information to something I can find fast!

 

[skiggy]

Hi Blossom, my advice

I've had two blood tests and today my doctor said I am diabetic. I said I would like to try and control by diet alone, she didn't seem keen. But agreed to let me try for two months. I have an appointment with diabetic nurse in a weeks time.
My test results are as follows
plasma glucose level (fasting) was 10.7
(Non fasting was 14.4)
So my question is. Do you think it is wise to try and control with diet alone at this stage. Or should I be tackling this with diet and pills. (Diabetic pills/medicine)
Many thanks

Hi Blossom, my advise is to forget about the medication for now, you don't need it. My second piece of advice is go to see the Diabetes Nurse prepared to ignore what she advises. If she advises you to eat lots of starchy grains (Bread etc) and starchy vegs, If she tells you to cut down on your fat and eggs etc, if she tells you any of these things ignore her as she is quoting the flawed NHS line. Come back here and learn from millions who have cured or improved themselves with a Low Carb High Fat Diet LCHF Diet. I myself in 11 months have lost over 4 stones in weight, brought my Ac1 to normal from 55 reversed my T2 diabetes and reversed my Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) for which I had been taking BetaBlockers and Ace Inhibitor since 1978. Now I take no medication at all. Your LCHF Diet must and will become a way of life. You will miss somethings but will be so chuffed you can eat what you thought was taboo. I am not going to say it is easy, nothing worthwhile ever is. Keep a record of everything you eat. Stay away from breads or anything related. If it's got flour in it or sugar in it it's taboo. If you drink alcahol, stop or cut it right down. Don't try to guestimate the weight of anything, you will fail miserably. Don't try to guess nutritions, you can't. Read what's on the label. They are not always accurate but it is all we have to go on. Restrict your meat portions to around 100 grams but weigh it after you cook it as it looses a lot of weight. Some people will tell you not to resrict your calories. That will depend on your body composition now and how active you are. LCHF will help cure your diabetes but if you need to lose weight then restrict you calories to around 1100 a day. Get yourself a Blood Glucose meter and test strips, don't rely on the Dr to give you one, they don't. Weigh yourself on a daily basis, at the same time and in the same state of dress. I suggest as soon as you get out of bed and before you have been to the toilet or had anything to eat or drink. That will give you a fairly accurate record of your progress. None of us are doctors on here, but people who have had to learn to fend for ourselves. The NHS is learning to admit they are wrong very slowly and reluctantly. Hope this is of some help. Remember, any problems and you have millions of people ready and willing to help you. Finaly, don't be intimidated by your Dr or nursing staff, they are there to serve you, not the other way round. You can always change a Dr, you only have 1 life.

 

[SockFiddler]

Hi Blossom, my advice

Hi Blossom, my advise is to forget about the medication for now, you don't need it.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but none of us here have the qualification to give advice like that - not even lurking GPs. We can offer our experiences and opinions, but I don't think directing people to stop their meds just because we might have been able to is a good idea at all.

 

[Alison Campbell]

I don't think directing people to stop their meds just because we might have been able to is a good idea at all.

I read the first post to mean that @Blossom1977 was not prescribed medication yesterday and was given two months to try diet first by Doctor?

 

[SockFiddler]

Sure, but should she have a further discussion with her health care team, the advice received in the post I quoted was to ignore their advice and refuse medication. We can offer advice, of course, and many of us now enjoy drug-free, diet-controlled lifestyles, but I found this advice to be potentially dangerous: we can only advocate for our own experiences and should not be directing people on whether to take drugs or not: we are not the OP's personal physician.

Edit: Sorry, not to get all rules-lawyery about this, but:

11. Important: Members are generally not Health Care Professionals, and those who are participate on the Forum as Members, not Health Care Professionals. Members are unable to diagnose any condition, or instruct in the alteration of medication, irrespective of personal or professional standing or experience.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/community-ethos-forum-rules.50278/

 

[Resurgam]

I think that the confidence which people have in doctors is often shaken by the way tablets with very unpleasant side effects are prescribed and then we are just left to do the best we can to live with them.
My memory had been badly damaged by taking Metformin and Atorvastatin for just five weeks. I keep finding that I can't remember things I have done, can't remember how to do things, and I will go to do something and then find I don't know what it was.
I am reading some really good books though.

 

[DCUKMod]

I've had two blood tests and today my doctor said I am diabetic. I said I would like to try and control by diet alone, she didn't seem keen. But agreed to let me try for two months. I have an appointment with diabetic nurse in a weeks time.
My test results are as follows
plasma glucose level (fasting) was 10.7
(Non fasting was 14.4)
So my question is. Do you think it is wise to try and control with diet alone at this stage. Or should I be tackling this with diet and pills. (Diabetic pills/medicine)
Many thanks

Hi Blossom, and welcome to the forum.

When I was diagnosed, my HbA1c was 73, so we're near diagnostic twins. I was diagnosed 3 weeks before leaving on a 9 month trip overseas, to the Tropics. Personally, I really didn't want to be going onto medication so soon before going away, where I would still be able to access a form of medical support, but nothing at all like the NHS. I was as much fearful of any reactions or unwanted side effects than anything else. Like you, I negotiated a period of time in which to see what I could do with the numbers.

In fact, I split my trip, and did a 9000 mile round trip at 4 months to have my diabetic review. By then, my HbA1c had reduced from 73 to 37, I had trimmed up (without even trying - I just wanted better blood glucose numbers!), my blood pressure had improved, as had my cholesterol numbers. There has never been any mention of diabetes medication since my appointment immediately post-diagnosis, and my HbA1c score has reduced further, with my most recent coming in at 31.

Unlike other posters, I have remained engaged with my health care professions, even though our approaches to diabetes care may not be entirely tightly aligned. That said, my GP, and a subsequent diabetic specialist Endo I was seeing for a non-diabetes related matter, have agreed that all of my health markers are now in an excellent place and clearly the approach (of reduced carb, and staying trim) suits be well.

However, going back to my rationale of staying close to them; I firmly believe that during my lifetime, it is likely that some time I am going to need than more than they need me, and at that time I have no desire to be viewed as "that difficult, bolshy woman" and struggle to build a decent working relationship when I might not be feeling at my best. I also firmly believe that unless I am clear and open with them about my approach, I am not doing anything to encourage open minds to consider there are other ways than eating plenty of starchy carbs to manage diabetes. That said, I do choose my terminology carefully when communicating with them, so that they don't envisage I am main-lining on cheese, with butter spread on top, wrapped in bacon, when I'm not.

Many, many new members join in exactly the same circumstances as we have done. In reality, how we move forward with our diabetes is a highly personal thing. Some members are better equipped to embrace lifestyle changes, some have other conditions that complicate their diabetes care, and some folks' bodies just aren't able to recover as well as others from their point of diagnosis. Really we only know where we might fit into that spectrum of possibilities after some weeks, or months, of doing our best.

Just take it steady and do lots of reading When you have your meter, please do go into a period of testing and recording both what your blood sugar scores are, but what you eat and drink, because for T2s these are fabulous pieces of information to look back upon for clues, trends and oftentimes reassurance that we are moving forward.

I wish you well, and just keep asking questions. It's what the rest of us did.

 

[Blossom1977]

Hi Blossom, and welcome to the forum.

When I was diagnosed, my HbA1c was 73, so we're near diagnostic twins. I was diagnosed 3 weeks before leaving on a 9 month trip overseas, to the Tropics. Personally, I really didn't want to be going onto medication so soon before going away, where I would still be able to access a form of medical support, but nothing at all like the NHS. I was as much fearful of any reactions or unwanted side effects than anything else. Like you, I negotiated a period of time in which to see what I could do with the numbers.

In fact, I split my trip, and did a 9000 mile round trip at 4 months to have my diabetic review. By then, my HbA1c had reduced from 73 to 37, I had trimmed up (without even trying - I just wanted better blood glucose numbers!), my blood pressure had improved, as had my cholesterol numbers. There has never been any mention of diabetes medication since my appointment immediately post-diagnosis, and my HbA1c score has reduced further, with my most recent coming in at 31.

Unlike other posters, I have remained engaged with my health care professions, even though our approaches to diabetes care may not be entirely tightly aligned. That said, my GP, and a subsequent diabetic specialist Endo I was seeing for a non-diabetes related matter, have agreed that all of my health markers are now in an excellent place and clearly the approach (of reduced carb, and staying trim) suits be well.

However, going back to my rationale of staying close to them; I firmly believe that during my lifetime, it is likely that some time I am going to need than more than they need me, and at that time I have no desire to be viewed as "that difficult, bolshy woman" and struggle to build a decent working relationship when I might not be feeling at my best. I also firmly believe that unless I am clear and open with them about my approach, I am not doing anything to encourage open minds to consider there are other ways than eating plenty of starchy carbs to manage diabetes. That said, I do choose my terminology carefully when communicating with them, so that they don't envisage I am main-lining on cheese, with butter spread on top, wrapped in bacon, when I'm not.

Many, many new members join in exactly the same circumstances as we have done. In reality, how we move forward with our diabetes is a highly personal thing. Some members are better equipped to embrace lifestyle changes, some have other conditions that complicate their diabetes care, and some folks' bodies just aren't able to recover as well as others from their point of diagnosis. Really we only know where we might fit into that spectrum of possibilities after some weeks, or months, of doing our best.

Just take it steady and do lots of reading When you have your meter, please do go into a period of testing and recording both what your blood sugar scores are, but what you eat and drink, because for T2s these are fabulous pieces of information to look back upon for clues, trends and oftentimes reassurance that we are moving forward.

I wish you well, and just keep asking questions. It's what the rest of us did.

Thank you so much for your reply. We are similar in more ways than one, I was diagnosed two weeks before a nine month stay in kazakstan. I've been here a couple of weeks now and just stated to settle into a routine. I've been researching and researching what I can and cannot eat. They dont sell many vegetables here, so that has been a bit tough, as is reading food label in Russian...... if they have nutritional labels that is... but I'm finding ways around that. Luckily I enjoy a challenge. Im toying with a trip back to the uk in November to see my doctor. I have a trip to Dubai in October, so I'll set up an appointment with a doctor there.( if I have to, I obviously will) Get my blood tests done etc and see what he/she says. I could see a doctor here, but by all accounts they are not that great and the language barrier is a big problem. Then make a decision wether to see uk doctor. I've been taking my readings and last week they are anything between 9.5 and 7.1. Although I had a 6.2 yesterday. So hoping that's a sign of things to come. Lost weight too, the bad tasting food here is helping with that ha ha ha

 

[DCUKMod]

Thank you so much for your reply. We are similar in more ways than one, I was diagnosed two weeks before a nine month stay in kazakstan. I've been here a couple of weeks now and just stated to settle into a routine. I've been researching and researching what I can and cannot eat. They dont sell many vegetables here, so that has been a bit tough, as is reading food label in Russian...... if they have nutritional labels that is... but I'm finding ways around that. Luckily I enjoy a challenge. Im toying with a trip back to the uk in November to see my doctor. I have a trip to Dubai in October, so I'll set up an appointment with a doctor there.( if I have to, I obviously will) Get my blood tests done etc and see what he/she says. I could see a doctor here, but by all accounts they are not that great and the language barrier is a big problem. Then make a decision wether to see uk doctor. I've been taking my readings and last week they are anything between 9.5 and 7.1. Although I had a 6.2 yesterday. So hoping that's a sign of things to come. Lost weight too, the bad tasting food here is helping with that ha ha ha

Gosh, yes. Many similarities.

Hindsight is a wonderful(ly frustrating!) thing, but had I known then, what I do now, then prior to arranging flights to come back to UK, part way through my adventure, I would have had bloods done, then, based on the results (and comparing with my diagnostic results), decide whether or not to come back to UK, then or later.

(There, I can walk into the lab, without any form of referral, 6 days a week and just request the bloods I want, and provided, firstly, that I can pay for them, and, secondly, that none require analysis in an "off-island" lab, they can be drawn there and then, at very modest cost. Any tests requiring off-island analysis can only be done on certain days, to meet the logistical requirements.)

Whilst I got a lot of reassurance from my blood results, I didn't medically, or psychologically, get much more from a trip of over 9000 miles, costing well into 4 figures, that disrupted our plans. On the upside, I did manage to do some shopping in UK, as I had lost weight, but I daresay I could have managed something overseas too.

I'm absolutely not suggesting you change you plans, or that you distance yourself from UK medical facilities. They're important to us. Maybe what I'm saying is, if you can have some interim bloods done, after a few months, it might help you plan for the balance of your trip.

Good luck with it all.