Search Results

An HbA1c value of 6.2% isn't as good as your lipid profile. I have written a detailed description of HbA1c on another thread, but essentially this tells you how high your average blood glucose has been over the last three months. Medics are very keen on this, because it tells them how well the...

This is what is called your "lipid profile", and these look like very good figures to me! What they mean is the following: CHOL - Total cholesterol HDL - High Density Lipoprotein ("good cholesterol"), should be > 1.55 mmol/l. LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol"), should be < 3.3...

In my view too many people (and I include both medics and patients here) tend to view drugs treatment of Type 2 diabetes as a first resort rather than a last. Now, for some people there is no option - especially if the pancreas is too badly damaged before the diabetes is diagnosed. However...

I don't know whether it is ever used as such in Britain, but there have been trials showing that metformin is quite an effective weight loss drug in non-diabetics. It isn't going to help your husband's diabetes directly, but it might well help him to loose weight. In case you haven't seen it...

What you are talking about is an HbA1c test. I have written a detailed description of HbA1c on another thread, but essentially this tells you how high your average blood glucose has been over the last three months. Medics are very keen on this, because it tells them how well the diabetes is...

It can be difficult when medics are in a hurry. I suggest that you ask for a copy of all of your test results - people on here will be able to help you to interpret them and it will only take them 30 seconds to print the results off for you. Are you seeing a specialist now, or still a GP...

Another thought about your neck and armpits is that the doctors might have been checking out your lymph nodes - swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of infection, as well as other things. It sounds as though they suspect that you may have something other than diabetes. Sadly, being diabetic...

You could try talking to a local pharmacist. They should know which GPs prescribe lots of strips, and if you smile at them sweetly they might be persuaded to share this information!

I am afraid that no food supplements are going to help Type-1 diabetes much (if at all). The problem is that your pancreas no longer makes enough insulin, because the cells that make it are dead or dying, and no pills or potions that you can take will change this. Therefore the treatment for...

The HbA1c test gives you an indication of the average BG over roughly the previous three months. Since this is an average it covers all of the time - including night - so if you are getting results that differ from the values you monitor that means you are missing some highs or lows. An HbA1c...

Another book that you might like to read is Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. Richard Bernstein is a Type-1 diabetic himself who has developed a highly effective strategy for the management of diabetes. This book is the bible of many on here, and well worth a look. There is some evidence...

There are many professional labels that you might come across - here are a few important ones: Diabetologist - a specialist in diabetes, usually this is a consultant medic attached to a hospital or a specialist clinic. Endocrinologist - a specialist in hormonal disorders (including diabetes)...

Your diet isn't perfect, but it isn't terrible. With the help of metformin (Glucophage is a metformin brand name) your BG should be coming down fast. It isn't - so that means you aren't responding to treatment, and you need to get to the bottom of that. Waiting for a long time to see specialists...

Sorry people, but the pedant in me really can't resist :oops:. This is a Hollywood variation of an urban legend! What is called "gas embolism" (i.e. a bubble of air being introduced directly into the blood stream) is almost always harmless. It often happens after surgery, and small air...

An alternative to the scam theory is the conspiracy theory! Maybe no one have heard of these guys recently because they have retired to a beach in Fiji, having been bought out by a consortium of strip manufacturers! :wink: :roll: Seriously, though, I dare-say that this sort of thing will...

I am afraid that there isn't going to be a simple scientific answer to this, because the physiology of migraines is very poorly understood. It is fairly well established that there is a major involvement of serotonin (a hormone that passes messages between nerve cells in the brain) in...

This is probably true for beer, but low carb drinks in moderation are generally harmless and red wine, with all of its antioxidants, is positively beneficial. Alcohol lowers BG, and I used to know a T1 who used this as a part of her management strategy.

I am fairly sure that this will be never. The Glucowatch had all sorts of problems - both technical and commercial. If the "Glucoband" ever got as far as being a real device, then it no doubt ran into the same problems. However, I rather think it never got that far. A bit of googling about...

Hi there, and welcome to the board. The first thing that you need to realize is that unless you are talking to a diabetes specialist, or an unusually enlightened GP or nurse then they probably won't know a huge amount about diabetes. I hastily add that I am not meaning to criticize GPs and...

Ideally it should be below 5 - that is in the non-diabetic range, which is something that is worth striving for. I'm usually between about 5 and 5.5 , so I'm getting there slowly. However, if I have eaten very late the previous night or have been experimenting with diet it will sometimes be...