Help please?

[Shas3]

Or if you want lots then here you go!

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

But I prefer the simple answer..

That video in the link is brilliant.... if only more people listened to such sane advice.... Earlier this year, I visited a doctor in India as i was feeling dizzy and sweating... it was a weird feeling and I couldn’t fully articulate my symptoms... he did the usual (bp, heart rate, asked my blood sugar numbers for past few days... and did an ECG!!! which felt a bit of makeshift ECG machine)... concluded there was nothing visibly wrong... and yet gave me two medicines for 10 days... i had no clue and started taking it and just out of curiosity googled and started reading about the medicines - and one was a statin and as i read more and more i was horrified... it is mind boggling how casually doctors (at least in dome countries) seem to write out statins!!!!

Thanks @bulkbiker

 

[Cocosilk]

Thank you! I tested all day yesterday;
6.0 10hrs fasting
6.3. 12hrs fasting
8.8 1hr after 2xtoast, 1 x cookie and coffee
8.3 2hrs post eating
I’m very new to all this. Do these look bad results? And do I NEED to be so extreme in diet with that HbA1c reading. Thanks again!

If you were pregnant with those fasting readings you would be diagnosed as gestationally diabetic. I was with a fasting of 5.1 mmol. Also, if you eat toast and cookies and spike into the 8s at one hour but remain there at 2 hours instead of returning ideally to the 5s, while you may not be diagnosed yet as diabetic, this reaction to carbs isn't optimal. (At the 2 hour mark on the glucose tolerance test I needed to be under 8.5 mmol after that really sugary drink. Your 8.3 is pretty close to that from just toast and a cookie). I were you, I would do exactly what you are doing and look into the dietary life change that is worth making now to correct it before it does become a diagnosis.
P.S. the fact that you are not pregnant (or even a woman) doesn't make these levels too strict. I think it's better to know early that your readings are no longer optimal so you can do something about it. (Optimal readings are usually 4s - 6s I think.)

 

[Am I Aren’t I?]

If you were pregnant with those fasting readings you would be diagnosed as gestationally diabetic. I was with a fasting of 5.1 mmol. Also, if you eat toast and cookies and spike into the 8s at one hour but remain there at 2 hours instead of returning ideally to the 5s, while you may not be diagnosed yet as diabetic, this reaction to carbs isn't optimal. (At the 2 hour mark on the glucose tolerance test I needed to be under 8.5 mmol after that really sugary drink. Your 8.3 is pretty close to that from just toast and a cookie). I were you, I would do exactly what you are doing and look into the dietary life change that is worth making now to correct it before it does become a diagnosis.
P.S. the fact that you are not pregnant (or even a woman) doesn't make these levels too strict. I think it's better to know early that your readings are no longer optimal so you can do something about it. (Optimal readings are usually 4s - 6s I think.)

Thank you so much. I did have GDM 9yrs a go so knew this was always a possibility.

 

[Cocosilk]

Thank you so much. I did have GDM 9yrs a go so knew this was always a possibility.

Thank you so much. I did have GDM 9yrs a go so knew this was always a possibility.

I hope what I've said doesn't panic you. I just think everyone is too polite or not worried enough about people who come to this forum wondering if they might be diabetic when their levels are not that high. Most people probably have some level of metabolic dysfunction if they've eaten enough processed carbs for years on end and we need a good kick up the b.. to get with the program and start eating more carefully. I was thankful for my diagnosis when my fasting was only 5.1mmol. I may or may not turn out to be prediabetic when I go for my follow up GTT in a couple of weeks time but even if I'm not prediabetic, those of us who had gestational diabetes have insulin resistance so we are on the way to diabetes if we are not careful. You and I are the same age I just noticed too. Diabetes likes to sneak up on people mid-life so it's not the time for complacency. Stick around, there is so much to learn from the friendly folk on this forum. And plenty on youtube as well. The diet doctor website is another great place to check out if you haven't already found it.

 

[Am I Aren’t I?]

I hope what I've said doesn't panic you. I just think everyone is too polite or not worried enough about people who come to this forum wondering if they might be diabetic when their levels are not that high. Most people probably have some level of metabolic dysfunction if they've eaten enough processed carbs for years on end and we need a good kick up the b.. to get with the program and start eating more carefully. I was thankful for my diagnosis when my fasting was only 5.1mmol. I may or may not turn out to be prediabetic when I go for my follow up GTT in a couple of weeks time but even if I'm not prediabetic, those of us who had gestational diabetes have insulin resistance so we are on the way to diabetes if we are not careful. You and I are the same age I just noticed too. Diabetes likes to sneak up on people mid-life so it's not the time for complacency. Stick around, there is so much to learn from the friendly folk on this forum. And plenty on youtube as well. The diet doctor website is another great place to check out if you haven't already found it.

I really appreciate your advice. I do love a carbfest so need to change lifestyle. Fingers crossed my gin and slimline is ok

 

[DCUKMod]

@Am I Aren’t I? - Nobody here can diagnose you. There are many reasons why any person could have elevated blood sugars at a given moment, and not all of those are diabetes related.

If you are uncomfortable with the direction of travel of your blood sugars, then considering lifestyle tweaks could be considered, but the only way you would receive a diagnosis is by seeing your doctor.

I'm unsure why you had that A1c done, but it is very recent, it could suggest your higher excursions could be brief, or indeed they could be influenced by your testing and potential stress reaction to it. I'm unsure why you even had that A1c done.

Of course, that my not be helpful to you.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Thank you so much. This I understand. Any lunch ideas as I’m struggling

It boils down to avoiding excessive carbohydrates which is against historical advice. So, more protein and fat and less carbohydrate is a good idea if you are diabetic or if you wish to fend off the possibility of being a diabetic. You can eat real meat, steak, lamb, chicken on the bone etc. You can have full cream milk in your tea. Basically you can forget many of the fads of the past like skimmed milk and low fat since it was very bad advice.

 

[Am I Aren’t I?]

It boils down to avoiding excessive carbohydrates which is against historical advice. So, more protein and fat and less carbohydrate is a good idea if you are diabetic or if you wish to fend off the possibility of being a diabetic. You can eat real meat, steak, lamb, chicken on the bone etc. You can have full cream milk in your tea. Basically you can forget many of the fads of the past like skimmed milk and low fat since it was very bad advice.

Thank you

 

[mariavontrapp]

I wish I had taken action sooner. Why wait? Type 2 diabetes can take years to develop, you can have insulin resistance for a good 10 years before diagnosis. I would recommend reading The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung so that you can learn how diabetes develops. It's really great that you have noticed some higher readings and come to this forum, as you now have a very good chance of avoiding diabetes in the future (if you change your diet). Good luck

 

[Cocosilk]

I really appreciate your advice. I do love a carbfest so need to change lifestyle. Fingers crossed my gin and slimline is ok

Thank you! I tested all day yesterday;
6.0 10hrs fasting
6.3. 12hrs fasting
8.8 1hr after 2xtoast, 1 x cookie and coffee
8.3 2hrs post eating
I’m very new to all this. Do these look bad results? And do I NEED to be so extreme in diet with that HbA1c reading. Thanks again!

For the record, after eating quite low carbs for weeks on end and now at 5 weeks postpartum while breastfeeding I've been very dry in the mouth, had leg cramps and dizzy spells, which I read could be from a low carb diet and increasing carbs can sometimes help. So, this morning I had a few carb: half a banana, about 10 sultanans and I made pancakes with half a cup of spelt flour, 2 eggs, milk, salt, butter. One hour later my spike was 8.0 mmol. So a bit higher than I like to see. I wanted to walk it off but got stuck breastfeeding again. But at the 2 hour mark I was 5.5 mmol. Breastfeeding may count towards burning it off and being close to the end of the postpartum period, my insulin resistance may be normalising somewhat by now too. Even so, now that I have discovered low carb eating and have lost most of the 12kg of baby weight in 5 weeks, I'll probably stick at low carb (maybe moderate carbs while breastfeeding if I get cramps and dizziness again).

 

[HSSS]

For the record, after eating quite low carbs for weeks on end and now at 5 weeks postpartum while breastfeeding I've been very dry in the mouth, had leg cramps and dizzy spells, which I read could be from a low carb diet and increasing carbs can sometimes help. So, this morning I had a few carb: half a banana, about 10 sultanans and I made pancakes with half a cup of spelt flour, 2 eggs, milk, salt, butter. One hour later my spike was 8.0 mmol. So a bit higher than I like to see. I wanted to walk it off but got stuck breastfeeding again. But at the 2 hour mark I was 5.5 mmol. Breastfeeding may count towards burning it off and being close to the end of the postpartum period, my insulin resistance may be normalising somewhat by now too. Even so, now that I have discovered low carb eating and have lost most of the 12kg of baby weight in 5 weeks, I'll probably stick at low carb (maybe moderate carbs while breastfeeding if I get cramps and dizziness again).

Might be worth a review of fluid levels which need to be higher in breast feeding and electrolytes both of which can run a bit low on low carb and give similar effects.

 

[Cocosilk]

Might be worth a review of fluid levels which need to be higher in breast feeding and electrolytes both of which can run a bit low on low carb and give similar effects.

Yes, I thought I was drinking enough but hours pass fast with a baby and two other small children and by the time I realised how thirsty I was I was downing 2 glasses of water in a row, where normally I would sip water all day long. I ended up having salt in boiled water with half a banana for the potassium to rehydrate myself. I was also really craving sweet again too which may have been part of being a bit dehydrated. If I can handle a few more carbs while breastfeeding, I think I have to do it. I need to carb up a bit for a few days before the next GTT anyway so I guess I'll just enjoy it while I can.