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Diagnosed in may, getting my HbA1c retaken on 10th (Monday) & feeling very confused

T

Treegeek

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Morning (ish) all!
Sorry for the very long message!!

I went to my surgery in may & basically asked to be tested as I was drinking loads and peeing loads & since my dad had diabetes & I’ve struggled with my weight for a while I figured I may be close to being pre-diabetic, a week later I was given the results & had an HbA1c of 104! Turns out, thanks to the my diabetes my way app I had been pre diabetic since sep 2022, my usual gp just didn’t bother telling me! which has frustrated the hell outta me since I’ve been begging him for the last couple of years for help cos I was concerned about increasing weight & decreasing ability (I have osteoarthritis, m.e. & fibromyalgia to name a few) so not easily able to do food prep, basically I can either prep, cook or eat, but rarely all 3, cos by the time I’ve done 1 of the first 2 I’m too exhausted to do anything else!
I’m frustrated beyond belief at the lack of support from the medical world post diagnosis, after losing my dad due to diabetes I know how serious it is so am determined to do it right!
When my gp discussed symptoms at appointment she put me on metformin & said that would make a huge difference, and discussed my constant sleepiness as being part of the diabetes (I had thought it was a symptom of one of my other illnesses fighting for dominance for a while!)
Anyway, after pretty much harassing the diabetes dietitian team for help, (I’m veggie, and as above, struggle with meal prep and/or cooking then eating) one of the dietitians has called a couple of times & helped me keep a close eye on my carbs & how meals affect my BG. Initially she had me checking it (finger prick, not up to speed on all the shorthand yet, sorry) before my first meal of the day & 2 hours after for a week to find out what helps and what doesn’t, then suggested doing the same with dinner (pre diagnosis I often ate 1 meal a day & occasional snacks if I felt hungry, I know, I know, hence why I needed help! )
Because of this I have now found out that the reason I can’t stay awake come 6pm most nights is cos my BG is under 6, not 4, 6! That can’t be right, can it? I get to a certain point in the day where I feel bone crushingly exhausted, spaced out and unsteady on my feet, I’m now checking my BG whenever that happens & I’m in the 5’s, and very occasionally the 4’s, has anyone else experienced this? Since the optimal range is 4-7 I’m assuming this isn’t normal?

Sorry again for the long post!
 
I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties. Ref your food - easy diabetic-friendly veggie food with minimum prep. includes cheese, nuts, yoghurt, seeds (I have yoghurt with seeds and nuts every day for lunch) hardboiled eggs with mayo, Marmite drink, hummus with celery sticks, all very nutririous and easy to prep. I'll let the forum vegetarians suggest more.
 
Hi and welcome.

Metformin doesn't affect the carbs in what you eat. I does affect the ability of your liver to make new glucose itself, though. Normally people might expect to see a drop of a few mmol/mol once taking metformin if you're one of the people who gets the well-known gastric side effects you may think it's not worth it. I have never taken metformin myself and relied only on changing my diet to exclude almost all carbs.

What you might be experiencing is false lows - your BG isn't objectively low (that would be somewhere under 4 mmol/l) but because you've been used to running with a much higher blood glucose level your body is reacting to the fall in bllod glucose levels as if they were real lows. This is a (imo) a good sign as it's probably showing that your BG overall is falling, which is exactly what you want. The effects should go once your system adjusts to the lower levels - usually happens fair;y quickly.

best of luck!
 
Awesome, let’s hope so! I’m nervously excited about getting my bloods taken on Monday, I’ll be gutted if my HbAc hasn’t dropped significantly! xx
 
Have you tried a cgm trial Dexcom or Libre, I found them and still do find them so valuable. I still stab my fingers but only in when I feel off or the Dexcom seems off.
 
My initial hb1ac when diagnosed as a T2 in March 2023 was 106. I got put on metformin straight away but the advice on what to eat wasn't useful, and it was only after reading up on things (including joining here) that I identified low-carb as being worth a try. Using that primarily my next hb1ac was 53 after about 10 weeks, and the one 3 months after that was 43.

Following the advice from the NHS on healthy eating for a T2 (i.e. eat lots of fruit and switch to slower release carbs) saw some of the highest finger prick tests I've ever seen. My docs advice was pretty much just "drugs" and telling me to stop taking sugar in my coffee...

As others have mentioned I do now eat lots of eggs, cheese, yoghurt and berries as well as nuts.
 
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