- Messages
- 1,398
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Just had my second HbA1c test on the NHS since arriving in UK from America nearly six months ago. It comes out at 34 which is toward the bottom end of my typical range on a low-carb diet. Three months ago it was 37, but I have managed to push it down to 30 or 31 in the past (see signature).
I am feeling rather sheepish because my intake of beer has been constant and quite high (several pints per day) but despite this the A1c headed slightly downwards over the past three months. It's a Mystery of the Universe.
Life is good. Kent is a beautiful place to live, and our home-based business is doing nicely now after a rather slow summer. We are meeting lots of people in our village, especially in the several "walking" or "rambling" clubs. It is easy to get exercise just walking through the countryside every day.
We don't own a car, and some of our shopping is done at a local farm that is a 25-minute walk away from home. We also have a small (and very good) supermarket on our doorstep, as well as a butcher and a baker (the latter is out of bounds for me!) within less than two minutes' walk, so there really isn't much need for a vehicle. London is reachable on a direct train from our village, and we are also close to a Eurostar station so Paris is only two hours away.
Concerning my *food* it has been extremely low-carb, probably even lower than when I was living in the United States. So almost all the carbs are being ingested in alcoholic liquid form. There are quite a few zero-carb snack foods here (pork scratchings, and "Mr. Porky" chips), which is fun.
Although my medical records at the NHS clinic state clearly that I have Type 2 diabetes (this was entered into the record when I saw the GP upon arrival here), I have not been invited to see a diabetes nurse nor been asked to have foot or eye exams. So I rather suspect I may have been classed among the "worried well" and should probably be contacting the clinic to ask them what should be happening next!
I am feeling rather sheepish because my intake of beer has been constant and quite high (several pints per day) but despite this the A1c headed slightly downwards over the past three months. It's a Mystery of the Universe.
Life is good. Kent is a beautiful place to live, and our home-based business is doing nicely now after a rather slow summer. We are meeting lots of people in our village, especially in the several "walking" or "rambling" clubs. It is easy to get exercise just walking through the countryside every day.
We don't own a car, and some of our shopping is done at a local farm that is a 25-minute walk away from home. We also have a small (and very good) supermarket on our doorstep, as well as a butcher and a baker (the latter is out of bounds for me!) within less than two minutes' walk, so there really isn't much need for a vehicle. London is reachable on a direct train from our village, and we are also close to a Eurostar station so Paris is only two hours away.
Concerning my *food* it has been extremely low-carb, probably even lower than when I was living in the United States. So almost all the carbs are being ingested in alcoholic liquid form. There are quite a few zero-carb snack foods here (pork scratchings, and "Mr. Porky" chips), which is fun.
Although my medical records at the NHS clinic state clearly that I have Type 2 diabetes (this was entered into the record when I saw the GP upon arrival here), I have not been invited to see a diabetes nurse nor been asked to have foot or eye exams. So I rather suspect I may have been classed among the "worried well" and should probably be contacting the clinic to ask them what should be happening next!