48 ......what?

KK123 said:

Aw Mark, all I can say is buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride! Seriously the advice & info you get from these lovely people will be invaluable.

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Guzzler said:

You can request a print out of all your blood test results (HbA1c is unlikely to have been the only test done on one blood draw) or if you have online access to your patient records your results will be there.

Welcome to the forum. An HbA1c of 48 is dead on for Type 2 Diabetes (under 42 is non Diabetic, 42 to 47 is Pre Diabetic and 48 or above is Type 2 Diabetes) but as the test is an average calculated over the previous 8-12 weeks then you could consider yourself borderline T2.

There is a lot you can do to mitigate this, a change in lifestyle could easily do it. Metformin is considered a safe drug but a lot of people suffer uncomfortable side effects which are usually temporary but some people just can't tolerate it at all.

My personal advice would be to make some changes to your diet and excercise regime and think of holding off on the Metformin until your next review but the decision is and must be your own.

Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.

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Bluetit1802 said:

As the others have said, you are borderline Type 2. Just over the border.
You really need your print outs (or on-line access if you are in England) as you need to know all the test results. Cholesterol, liver and kidney functions, and full blood counts are very important for us. It isn't just glucose that matters. If you don't understand what they mean, all you have to do is ask on here.

I am very surprised your GP put you on medication so soon. With borderline HbA1c there is normally a follow up test about a week or two later to confirm matters, and then a 3 month grace for you to try and lower your numbers without medication but by lifestyle changes. Hey ho. Another pill pushing doctor.

As for your meter - well done on getting one. It will become your best friend.

The general initial rules for testing are to test immediately before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite, and look at the difference between the before and after levels. These are the most important when you are first starting. The idea is to keep any rise down below 2mmol/l and preferably less. If it is above 2mmol/l there are definitely too many carbs in that meal. Use this alongside a food diary that includes portion sizes and look out for patterns emerging that show you what your danger foods are, and also what your safe foods are. If you like, you can post on here with your numbers and food, and we can help.

Tagging @daisy1 who will come along with some valuable information for newcomers.

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Freema said:

most in this forum gain total control by doing the low carb high fat eating style = LCHF,

by going under 150 grams of carbs a day in total , most can get back to normal blood glucose levels, some needs to go even futher..
It takes to learn which food choices are ideal and which to avoid totally... many end up loving this eating style , and stop missing their old kind of foods..note that htere are also an abundance of great tasty treats one can make and eat and still stay in normal blood glucose area ..


here a link to some keto-recipes which are the best kinds of foods to a type 2 diabetic

https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/category/Recipes?page=1

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Bluetit1802 said:

Perhaps best to stay clear of beer for now. Red wine and most spirits (with sugar free mixers) are fine.

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Guzzler said:

I forgot the biggest baddie of all. Table sugar, cut down on it and then cut it out completely. All sugars, and this includes honey, fructose, lactose etc raise the blood glucose levels so we must learn how to read the labels on food packaging to avoid these as much as we can or lower them to personal tolerance levels.

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