just been diagnosed prediabetic

Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Hello everyone
i have just found out that im prediabetic after having a fasting bloodtest done 5 weeks ago that came back with readings of 7.3
i was put on a low cal/carb diet and have been following this since and have lost 1 stone in 3 weeks but had another blood test done- oral glucose test at the hostpital and the doctor phoned me to tell my results are-psto 6.4 and after 2 hrs 9.3. i have to see the diabetic nurse next week and that was the end of the conversation.
i dont understand what the readings mean and what to do next? bit confused to be honest. there is family history of diabetis type 2 - my dad has it-its a rare genetic diabetes that is passed on(sorry but thats all i know), so did his father and imediate family( my great aunts and uncles).
what i want advice on is are my blood readings borderline ? or am i at the bottom end of the scale to being diagnosed prediabetic(basicaly is it bad?) hope someone out there can help me please.
thank you for taking the time to read this.
jo.
 

zolabud

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,285
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Whelks,winkles... All crustaceous seafood except prawns. Can't do crab.lobster or scallops.
Don't like the way they are killed and cooked. Save our Scallops. SOS !!!
Also HATE evaporated milk.
When I was told I was "almost diabetic Type 2" in 2008 after a fasting blood test I was given no advice. My doctor said just to "Watch what I ate".

I am happy that you are at least getting some good advice and if you can stay prediabetic that is good news.

I just wished I had known a bit more 5 years ago and I wish I had been given better advice by my doctor.
 

janeecee

Well-Known Member
Messages
248
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
The good thing is that you know now rather than later. According to the medics, prediabetes means you are 'at risk' of developing diabetes in the future, but you can make changes now to get back into 'normal' blood glucose levels. Invest in a meter, any brand will do. If you are short of cash, the SD Codefree from Amazon is the cheapest to run. It may be somewhat less accurate than more expensive ones but it's perfectly adequate for working out trends and patterns. Use it to learn what you can and can't tolerate and adjust your diet accordingly.

The NHS won't provide a meter, test strips or anything more than an annual blood test if you are prediabetic, and the bland advice to 'watch what you eat' or 'get more exercise' is as good as it gets. Be prepared to do your own research and testing, and lots of trial and error.

OK, what's 'normal'. According to the medical profession:

FASTING
Normal: 3.0–6.0
Prediabetic: 6.1–6.9
Diabetic:> 7.0

OGTT at 2 hours:
Normal: <7.8
Prediabetic: 7.8-11.0
Diabetic: >11.0

TARGET BLOOD SUGAR2 HOURS AFTER MEALS (NICE Guidelines):
Normal: <7.8
Type 2 Diabetic: <8.5

I don't think there is a 'goal' for prediabetics but 7.7 or less is what 2 aim for 2 hours after the start of your meal, but don't stress if you go over that in the early stages of testing. The important thing is that you learn what you can and can't eat. Lower is better, but it takes time to work out what you can tolerate reliably.

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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi nomorechocolate and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
hi, thank you all for your replies. :D
i am hoping that if i watch what i eat,loose the extra weight that ive got then hopefully i can nip it in the bud before it ever gets to type 2 but genetics are not in my favour for that,but im going to try .
yesterday i went to boots and bought a meter - picked up there own brand as not coded-thinking the tester strips would be cheaper. when i asked how much they were for the strips i got told- no sorry we dont stock them anymore? and was advised to buy the accu-check aviva nano. did my first test yesterday lunch time:
so i had no added sugar -muesli for breakfast then a low calorie/fat tinned soup and 1 wholemeal slice of bread for lunch and 1 pink and white wafer(50 cals-no fat) as something sweet. tested my bloods 2 hrs after the start of lunch and my reading was 9.1.
this morning i did a test when i got up- have had nothing to eat from 6pm the previous evening and only had sugar free soft drink.
my blood test this morning was 7.5. so will be taking these 2 reading with me when i go and see the diabetic nurse later(my 1st appointment :|
but would like to say thank you for your help and support,its nice to know that any question we have regarding pre diabetes or diabetes ,someone will be there to help.
jo.
 
Messages
3
Hi, I've also just joined this site and saw your post. I have been diabetic for 2 years now, my first reading was 20 which was a shock when I was told what that meant. Within a few months I got it down to around 7.5 or 8.00 taken first thing in the morning. So, just wanted to encourage you that you can change it with diet. My blood yesterday was 5.4 in the morning. I have not taken any medication. My plan is to reverse the diabetes. There are some great books on the subject, I will forward the titles if you are interested. Good luck. Kathleen .
 

Bluebell13

Active Member
Messages
41
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
Wow, Kathleen, you have done really well. I would be interested to know what books you read that helped you and did you go the low-carb way with your diet to get down to those fasting levels?
 
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
hi
kathleen saunders- yes please if you can forward the book titles to me,i will be gratefull. thank you.
just to say thank you everyone for your advice and support.

well i went to see the diabetic nurse.. :roll: and i came out with why did i bother? he told me the following- you are not at risk of diabetes, but loose the weight, eat sensibly and it will do you good- which is common sense (i am following a diet sheet at the moment).as a pre diabetic- you dont have any symptoms. i asked why do i feel tired, get hot and sweaty after having a lot to eat or something thats has a lot of sugar in( tbh- this was happening last year and i was tested to see if i was going thru the change, but hormone levels showed i wasnt) he repeated"you dont have symptoms when you are pre diabetic or glucose tolerant, you dont need to test your bloods for glucose levels , thats all silly. i told him i had bought one- and then i was told off -are you diabetic-no! not at all- only type 1 need to test themselves. i then said can you check my feet please as they swell and have tiny dot like freckles on them latetly. again i was ticked off - you are not diabetic, why do i need to check your feet? because my dad is type 2 and he looked at how my feet swelled and were marked and he thought i had fluid in my legs and he said to mention this to you.., he said yes they go like that because you are, how can i put this with out offending you- your a big girl, i said yes- im fat, just say it, i aint offended. is that why then? yes, he told me. i asked him then why did i need to see him today then, he said its formalaties and i will see you in a years time, we shall do a hba1c test then. that was it. not helpfull at all. didnt explain much to me, just loose your weight, okay i know that and i will ! i did feel like i was wasting his time by the time i left
and that was how he felt too.
so i then watched the programe on ch4 -food hostpital about reversing type 2 diabetes and found it all very informative and intresting.

jo.
 

janeecee

Well-Known Member
Messages
248
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
How can someone be prediabetic and told they are not at risk of diabetes? That is nonsense. I'm told that I'm not at risk because I'm low-normal weight, but when I mention my BG levels after meals I'm told they are 'normal' even if they go above the NICE guideline for T2! When I queried this with the practice nurse she said they would be high for a diabetic but they were fine for 'health', because I wasn't diabetic. :***:

I can only assume that they see a lot of badly controlled diabetics with readings off the scale, and focus their attention on this group. The NHS support for diabetes is pitiful. There are no doubt excellent clinics dealing with complications and difficult-to-treat patients, but for the rest of us it's a pat on the head and go away! There is very little work going into preventing complications from what I can tell.

Kathleen, can you share the details of the books here so that everyone could benefit. I'm sure there will be no problem if you post the details in public.




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