Am I diabetic??

Gracicles

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone, I'm so glad I've found you! I'm really scared because I'm not sure what to think! I have PCOS, am over weight and have been suffering from a chronic bad back for months and generally feeling like poop! I had fasting blood tests done in sept to check everything! It showed that the inflammation markers were up but I was told my blood sugars where fine.
Anyway I'm still really struggling with my back so I was back at the drs on Thursday and I took the opportunity to mention to her that I've had thrush about 7/8 times this year and I'm sick of it and she blurted out that yes, it's because looking at my recent blood results my sugars are high! I asked why I was told previously that everything was fine and she said it's because it isn't flagged up in red but it is still high. It was 50 and she said anything over 41 is high and if it had been 51 I would be classed as diabetic!! I have used the calculator on here and this gives me a mmol/L of 8.1. Does this mean I am actually diabetic or what?? Thanks for reading! Xx
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
first of all relax, the hard part is over, you are prediabetic nearly diabetic,
shame it wasn't 51 or you'd get free scripts and in the diabetic care list.
I would be tempted to have a carb binge for a couple of weeks and get retested, only one more point :) [joking]

how you can manage your prediabetes is by controlling your intake of carbs, these sites helped me, take a week and go through them slowly, PCOS is also treated with LCHF, it's part of the syndrome
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf it’s a long page and a video

For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com/blog/carbohydrate-restriction-an-option-for-diabetes-management

blood testing

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

food counting

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Newcastle diet aims in 8+ weeks to mimic the rate of ~70% remission, for surgery T2
“It is now clear that Type 2 diabetes is caused by abnormal fat storage. Research on how this may be reversed is available. “click that link on this page
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2010/mar/weight-loss-surgery-and-type-2-diabetes.html

American diabetic association ( http://www.professional.diabetes.org/)
http://www.professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0 - Sean/dc132042 FINAL.pdf
Evidence is inconclusive for an ideal amount of total fat intake for people with diabetes;
therefore, goals should be individualized;
fat quality appears to be far more important than quantity.
In people with type 2 diabetes, a Mediterranean-style, MUFA-rich eating pattern may benefit
glycemic control and CVD risk factors and can therefore be
recommended as an effective alternative to a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate eating pattern.

SD codefree meter

http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
if you buy extra boxes of strips there is a discount code
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
 
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Gracicles

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Haha thanks for the challenge of getting it to go to 51 but I think I'll decline for now (although free prescriptions does sound good!)
Thanks also for all the info!! Gonna keep me busy for a while going through that lot but it's time away from the fridge I guess
Seriously, thanks, I need all the help I can get with this, so sick of being in pain with my back and I'm guessing as high sugars cause inflammation that to 2 are linked. So lower sugars = less pain = happy Amy
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
good choice, 51 isn't worth it :) believe it or not, this will turn your life around
ask your doctor first..a brief summery..I think carbs are addictive to me and a lot of people, 2 hrs after I ate, I was back at the fridge
the first 2-3 days are going to suck bad, then day 3, like magic you don't feel hungry :)
when craving you need to eat celery and peanut butter, eggs, I ate coconut oil off of a spoon. eat butter, anything except carb to get you through the starvation feeling of the first couple of days
drink lots of water and extra salt
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

buy the blood meter and test, test, test

for a month... don't eat grain, ..grain product, bread pasta rice etc,.. corn, potato and starchy veg..fruit and sugary stuff, no grain oil or marge.
you can get you Blood glucose back to normal, eat healthy fat and lose weight
lots of leafy veg, meat and eggs, real butter, olive oil, cream in your coffee
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

there is a lot more stuff, ask lots of questions
@daisy1 will put up some good information
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
Hi everyone, I'm so glad I've found you! I'm really scared because I'm not sure what to think! I have PCOS, am over weight and have been suffering from a chronic bad back for months and generally feeling like poop! I had fasting blood tests done in sept to check everything! It showed that the inflammation markers were up but I was told my blood sugars where fine.
Anyway I'm still really struggling with my back so I was back at the drs on Thursday and I took the opportunity to mention to her that I've had thrush about 7/8 times this year and I'm sick of it and she blurted out that yes, it's because looking at my recent blood results my sugars are high! I asked why I was told previously that everything was fine and she said it's because it isn't flagged up in red but it is still high. It was 50 and she said anything over 41 is high and if it had been 51 I would be classed as diabetic!! I have used the calculator on here and this gives me a mmol/L of 8.1. Does this mean I am actually diabetic or what?? Thanks for reading! Xx
You may want to review this:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-test.html

You will find it says:


"6.5% or more (48 mmol/mol and above) indicates the presence of type 2 diabetes"

According to http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-health-guidelines.html, people with diabetes should aim to keep their HbA1c values below 48 mmol/mol.

Seems to me you are actually barely into the diabetic range, like I was.

Am I wrong in this @jack412 ?

Anyway, regardless if it's diabetes or pre-diabetes the advice above is applicable.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I think Jack is wrong. I agree that an HbA1c of 48 or above puts you definitely in the diabetic range (not pre-diabetic). I think you need to ask for a copy of your blood results (a print out). You are entitled to this. Then if it shows an HbA1c of 50, go back to your doctor and tell him! You should be put on the diabetic care pathway, marked up as diabetic, and given appointments for a foot check and retinal eye screening, plus a 3 month review with another HbA1c at that time.

Welcome, by the way!
 
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jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
sorry, I just went along with the dr, it's the new numbers, I still work in %,,please don't hit me :)
 
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Bluetit1802

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Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
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Lol. Best advice is never to go along with doctors! I've put my stick away. I won't hit you this time ;)
 
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Gracicles

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I've got to agree the doctors are RUBBISH! Fancy them telling me it's fine when it blatantly isn't! Soonest appointment I could get was Thursday morning but I will be getting some answers then!! Thank you everyone xx
 
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RosieLKH

Well-Known Member
Messages
735
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Having had thrush several times a year since about the age of 10 (with no doctor ever suggesting it might be down to blood sugars) I can say that I have not seen sight nor sound of it since I started low carbing earlier this year.
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
I've got to agree the doctors are RUBBISH! Fancy them telling me it's fine when it blatantly isn't! Soonest appointment I could get was Thursday morning but I will be getting some answers then!! Thank you everyone xx
Next they'll be telling you that you don't need a blood glucose meter and to load up on carbs and cut down on fat. Before you follow that advice, check back here.
 
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Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi.

The good news is that, with a bit of work, you don't have to feel so **** any more.:)

I'm fat, have PCOS, diabetes and felt bad for years, with painful knees and inflamed knuckles.
The transformation when I hit this forum and made some changes has been like getting a new life.
And no, I'm not exaggerating.

I don't usually recommend this site to new posters, because it is such a dramatic change in diet for most people.
But it sounds like your body works just like mine - so I urge you to adopt this diet as soon as possible. It takes a few days to adjust, and then you start getting your energy back, your concentration improves, you sleep better, the vague aches and pains fade, the inflammation improves... You won't believe how much better you feel. Plus weightloss too. In my case slow, but it IS happening.

And you are very likely to have massive improvements in your blood glucose levels too.

All the suggestions and links given by people above are great, but (in my case, and possibly yours) diet was the absolute key.
 
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Gracicles

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you everyone, I have tried today to at least cut back on carbs and failed miserably but after payday (Friday) I can get everything in that I need to do it properly. At the moment I just want to eat, eat, eat !! :-(
 

NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
After you go low carb (if you do) that constant hunger will significantly diminish.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
there is a lot more stuff, ask lots of questions
@daisy1 will put up some good information

Here is the information we give to new members mentioned by @jack412, and I hope you will find it helpful.

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 over 100,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thank you everyone, I have tried today to at least cut back on carbs and failed miserably but after payday (Friday) I can get everything in that I need to do it properly. At the moment I just want to eat, eat, eat !! :-(
A lot here know what you are going though, it's the worst feeling
you can eat anything except carb, you thought I was joking when I posted this :) :)

"the first 2-3 days are going to suck bad, then day 3, like magic you don't feel hungry :)
when craving you need to eat celery and peanut butter, eggs, I ate coconut oil off of a spoon. eat butter, anything except carb to get you through the starvation feeling of the first couple of days
drink lots of water and extra salt"
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm


I was saving this till later, but you may need it now
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
 
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jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I had to go cold turkey, I couldn't cut down on carbs, it's all or nothing, honestly, dont eat a carb for 2 days, that's all you have to think about
have 1/2 pound of butter twice a day...anything except carb, you can put some back next week

use a lettuce leaf as bread and stuff it with non carb stuff and olive oil and eat them till you are full
 
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