Newbie

[berliner 2]

Hello to everyone, I'm new to the site - I was recommended it when 1st diagnosed and to be honest, I have found it quite confusing. There is lots of generic information - but trying to find out if something is good or bad for me is not easy. I was sent away from the useless surgery that I am a patient of. Just told that I had diabetes and then sent packing. My crime? I asked if I could refuse the "aggressive new treatment that makes you pee like a horse" (the doctors actual quote) and left with a leaflet advising to join a weight loss class.
6 months in, I'm getting worried, I have had several episodes of heel bursitis since last November. This restricts my activity levels at a time when I need to lose weight. I've lost about 6% of my body weight so far and hope to get that past 15%. The forums are very jargony - my last result did not mean anything to me - they used to say it was 5.6 (when tested with the old drink a bottle of lucosade method) - I was given a higher number - 71? No idea what means, no idea how bad it is, no idea what it should be. I've spent several hours on here and to be honest, I scared. I've not had any treatment - not even a eye scan since I was diagnosed. Is this normal?

 

[berliner 2]

in normal - I mean to be just left on your own without any advice.

 

[bulkbiker]

they used to say it was 5.6 (when tested with the old drink a bottle of lucosade method) - I was given a higher number - 71? No idea what means, no idea how bad it is, no idea what it should be.

Sounds like you may be mixing up 2 tests
The lucozade one is an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) where they take your blood before the drink and the 2 hours afterwards. Does that sounds familiar?
The new one sounds like an HbA1c which is calculated from blood taken from your arm - where your result I'm afraid means you are probably Type 2.
Anything over 48 is deemed Type 2 in the UK 42-28 is pre-diabetes and under 42 "normal"

 

[bulkbiker]

Just saw you are new to posting but if you have been around I guess you have seen Daisy's intro to low carb?
If not I can tag her in for you.

 

[Resurgam]

Hi berliner - no not normal you should have had an eye scan and foot test but refusing treatment cam make the clinic stroppy.
I suspect that the number 71 refers to your Hba1c, as that is a fairly typical number to have.
You will - if you are as lucky as I am, be able to lower your blood glucose levels to normal and almost ignore your diabetes and the doctor.
I eat a low carb diet - just as Dr Atkins advised back in the last century - and Mr Banting in the century before - it is very effective in reducing all problems and symptoms and even weight.

 

[Bluetit1802]

in normal - I mean to be just left on your own without any advice.

Yes, normal to be sent packing. Some are luckier, but not many. This is why we gather on here to learn, and do our own research, and importantly we take responsibility for our own health. You can do this, too.

What is normal is that you should have an eye scan every 12 months, and should be put on the referral list for this. In the UK there is often a waiting list for this as it depends on your locality - whether the screening service has a permanent space in your area, or whether it visits every now and again. I believe the guidelines are you should have a test within 3 months of diagnosis. You should also be referred to a nurse for a review, follow up blood tests in 3 or 6 months, and an annual foot check. This is all normal, so if it hasn't happened to you, then you need to be contacting your surgery.

The main website here (not the forum part) has all the information you need if you do a search and follow links.

I also advise you to ask your surgery for a print out of your test results so you know exactly where you stand. You are entitled to these. If you are in England your surgery should be putting test results on line. You can enquire about this and how to register.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Berliner and welcome. I started with an HbA1c of 70 last May, so close to yours. You can probably get that down with low carb eating alone. However I wanted to get my levels down as quickly as possible, but I didn’t go for the "aggressive new treatment that makes you pee like a horse", I was offered Metformin, much less aggressive, I embarked on low carb eating and self monitoring. I had a few stomach issues to begin from the Met. but no side effects whatsoever now. You definitely should have had eye scan, foot check and the offer of a Diabetes study session by now. Plus they should have advised when to go back for a review, usually 3 monthly to begin with.

 

[berliner 2]

Hi berliner - no not normal you should have had an eye scan and foot test but refusing treatment cam make the clinic stroppy.
I suspect that the number 71 refers to your Hba1c, as that is a fairly typical number to have.
You will - if you are as lucky as I am, be able to lower your blood glucose levels to normal and almost ignore your diabetes and the doctor.
I eat a low carb diet - just as Dr Atkins advised back in the last century - and Mr Banting in the century before - it is very effective in reducing all problems and symptoms and even weight.

Thanks - I should say that I worded it incorrectly. I was told they were "trialling this new drug" - get's you suspicious eh?. When I asked why it was right for me the answer was "well, we are trialling it". I mean come on, I know most Surgeries are in effect Private -but the way they treat ripping off the NHS as their primary concern is something that should trouble us all. I have some private foot care and they told me that the first signs of problems with the feet is - it they are hairy - the hair drops out. Well, I have always hated my hairy feet and I shave them in the summer (I aint neanderthal by the way) but hey - now? I effin' love my hairy feet. Doing low GI diet - weight and general health has actually been fairly good -so I hope I am doing something right.

 

[berliner 2]

Hi Berliner and welcome. I started with an HbA1c of 70 last May, so close to yours. You can probably get that down with low carb eating alone. However I wanted to get my levels down as quickly as possible, but I didn’t go for the "aggressive new treatment that makes you pee like a horse", I was offered Metformin, much less aggressive, I embarked on low carb eating and self monitoring. I had a few stomach issues to begin from the Met. but no side effects whatsoever now. You definitely should have had eye scan, foot check and the offer of a Diabetes study session by now. Plus they should have advised when to go back for a review, usually 3 monthly to begin with.

Brilliant - thank you very much. Good to know there are caring and helpful folks about.

 

[berliner 2]

Yes, normal to be sent packing. Some are luckier, but not many. This is why we gather on here to learn, and do our own research, and importantly we take responsibility for our own health. You can do this, too.

What is normal is that you should have an eye scan every 12 months, and should be put on the referral list for this. In the UK there is often a waiting list for this as it depends on your locality - whether the screening service has a permanent space in your area, or whether it visits every now and again. I believe the guidelines are you should have a test within 3 months of diagnosis. You should also be referred to a nurse for a review, follow up blood tests in 3 or 6 months, and an annual foot check. This is all normal, so if it hasn't happened to you, then you need to be contacting your surgery.

The main website here (not the forum part) has all the information you need if you do a search and follow links.

I also advise you to ask your surgery for a print out of your test results so you know exactly where you stand. You are entitled to these. If you are in England your surgery should be putting test results on line. You can enquire about this and how to register.

I called the surgery yesterday and asked to get a blood test - there was a cancellation and I had it done yesterday and I am seeing a nurse on Wednesday. Going to ask about these damned bursars

 

[Resurgam]

I can't eat low GI - for me carbs are carbs and my BG meter agrees - I get no benefit from low GI foods, it is low carb or high BG.
I'd recommend getting a test meter with low cost strips and checking that your choices are good ones at least until you get your Hba1c down.

 

[Phoenix55]

Welcome to the forum. If you are finding a low GI diet works for you then well done. A lot of us find that we need to bg meter to monitor how different foods affect us. By keeping a food diary on a spreadsheet with the meter results before and after meals you will soon find what is causing your bg to spike. I was surprised to find bread and grains affected me until I came on this site. your HCP will probably tell you that it is not necessary but how else are you to know what is going on? You will probably get a couple of leaflets about foot care, eating healthily and eye care on Wednesday, a lecture about using the 'traffic light' system on ready meals and how unhealthily you must have been eating to be type 2. Most of us have perfected the nod and ignore technique for information that does not apply. Good luck with the foot check., in my experience being able to exercise is certainly a help with weight loss, general fitness and keeping bg under control.

 

[DCUKMod]

@berliner 2 - By the description you gave, it sounds like your Doc was suggesting something like this: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-medication/forxiga-dapagliflozin.html

That particular drug has been around for a little while now, but some places were fairly slow to take it up, and some areas using it are doing quite a bit of research into it, because it has been incredibly sensible for some - in both blood sugar reduction and weight loss, but for others, their bloods tend to come down, but their weight doesn't reduce in the expected way.

If you want to read of other people's experience with the medication, you could do a search on the forum, using "forxiga" and/or "Dapagliflozin" in the search criteria.

Good luck with it all.

 

[berliner 2]

Sounds like you may be mixing up 2 tests
The lucozade one is an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) where they take your blood before the drink and the 2 hours afterwards. Does that sounds familiar?
The new one sounds like an HbA1c which is calculated from blood taken from your arm - where your result I'm afraid means you are probably Type 2.
Anything over 48 is deemed Type 2 in the UK 42-28 is pre-diabetes and under 42 "normal"

Yeah - I did mean that I had the lucozade one twice a year from when I was 50 and passed with flying colours and then they started the HbA1c test 2 years ago and I was OK but something happened last year to make it spike quite alarmingly.

 

[berliner 2]

Just saw you are new to posting but if you have been around I guess you have seen Daisy's intro to low carb?
If not I can tag her in for you.

Yeah, I would really like that. Thanks to you - and all of you for the great advice.

 

[Rachox]

Yeah, I would really like that. Thanks to you - and all of you for the great advice.

Here we go!
@daisy1

 

[bulkbiker]

Yeah, I would really like that. Thanks to you - and all of you for the great advice.

@daisy1 Could you please provide the intro.
Many thanks

 

[bulkbiker]

Here we go!
@daisy1

Oops great minds.. once again I must remember to read the thread before posting.. to be written out 100 times.. sorry

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The best advice is to have adiet with low carbs and enough fat and proteins to keep you feeling full. A weight loss class may help, but beware as many don't really understand diet and the effect of carbs on weight and blood sugar. In my opinion a low-GI diet has little meaning for us as it implies a slower rate of carb absorption of carbs which doesn't help much apart from smoothing spikes and it does contribute good fibre but you do need to control the amount of carbs.

 

[caius2x8]

Hello to everyone, I'm new to the site - I was recommended it when 1st diagnosed and to be honest, I have found it quite confusing. There is lots of generic information - but trying to find out if something is good or bad for me is not easy. I was sent away from the useless surgery that I am a patient of. Just told that I had diabetes and then sent packing. My crime? I asked if I could refuse the "aggressive new treatment that makes you pee like a horse" (the doctors actual quote) and left with a leaflet advising to join a weight loss class.
6 months in, I'm getting worried, I have had several episodes of heel bursitis since last November. This restricts my activity levels at a time when I need to lose weight. I've lost about 6% of my body weight so far and hope to get that past 15%. The forums are very jargony - my last result did not mean anything to me - they used to say it was 5.6 (when tested with the old drink a bottle of lucosade method) - I was given a higher number - 71? No idea what means, no idea how bad it is, no idea what it should be. I've spent several hours on here and to be honest, I scared. I've not had any treatment - not even a eye scan since I was diagnosed. Is this normal?

Hello

It,ll get very confusing and then clears.

Glucose c6 h12o6 has a relative molecular mass (weight of 1 mol) of 6x12 + 1x12 + 16x6= 180g/ moles.

In the old days the amount of glucose in the blood was reported in how many thousands of a mol were present per ml of blood. Or mmol glucose/ l of blood. Now it's reported in milligrams gkucose/ 100ml blood.
Quickest method
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html


Quick answer
Every mM of glucose = 18mg/dl
So
mM result* 18= mg/dl result.

Or mg/dl result ÷ 18 = mM result.

Long answer

A mole (mol) is a defined number of subatomic particles, around 10^26 inif recall correctly-tbc).
1 mol of carbon was determined to weigh 12g.
Other elements have also had their unique relative atomic masses determined.
The relative molecular mass of a molecular is the sum of each atoms, the RAM X the number of atoms of each element.


Glucose c6h12o6 is made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the ratios 6, 12, 6, with respective atomic weights of 12, 1, 16g/ mol
It's RMM is 6x12 + 12x1 + 6x16 =180

That 1 mol of glucose weighs 180 g.
If 1 mol ue 180g of glucose were dissolved in water (or blood) upto a liter, there would 1 mol per litre, written 1M or 1 molar.
If 1000th of a mil ie 0.18g were dissolved in 1L the molar concentrate would be 1 Milli molar (1mM)
So a 7mM solution contains
7x 0.18= 1.26g/l

These days they changed how they write concentration from mols/ ml to grams/ volume.

Firstly they express the weight now per tenth if a volume, a decilitre =100ml.
They also express the weight in milligrams, 1000ths of a gram.
So our 7mM solution contained
1.26gL which is equivalent to 0.126g/ decilitre which is equivalent to 126milligrams) deciliter.

So the concentration hasn't changed, just the way it's expressed.