6 monthly review

Robbity said:

I had my 6 monthy review this morning, both for other medications (migraines and blood pressure, etc, and we've now agreed I can come off one of these) as well as for my diabetes. My GP is now also my diabetes doctor, which I'm pleased about, as he's enlightened regarding low carb diets, has been happy for me to do my self funded testing. He admitted today that the medical profession's had their advice wrong regarding low carb diets - although he was the one who started me on my low carb journey having suggested that I try the Atkins diet (though for weight loss) when he originally diagnosed me. I surprised him though when I said that low carb diets weren't new and had originally been used on diabetics in the late 1700s, and that there's a low carb cookery book from the early 1900s available on the web, and that I actually found low carbing easy ! He knew about the Bulletproof Coffee man though. So we had an interesting chat.

I told him I wasn't taking my statins (athough my original diabetes doctor had agreed to halve the dose last summer) and that the bad pins & needles in my arms and hands has now disappeared. I didn't actually get my expected scolding, but he'll see what my next hbA1c/blood test says. Previously after my cholersterol came down, it's been a case of I should take them anyway for their other benefits. Apparently the way they are measuring cholesterol has changed now and they won't do the LDL and triglycerides checks anyway. I decided not to fuss since I felt I was on a possibly winning statins streak. If I do win on this front, that will mean I've come off three lots of long term non diabetic medication in the past 12 months. So worth a bit of a compromise I think.

My blood pressure's always read high when he's checked it, so last review he suggested I get my own monitor to do checks at home, and my readings are consistently lower when I've done these. I took in the monitor and a written list of some of my earliest readings to show him, so he suggested we do a double check with my wrist monitor and his arm band one. Mine read an OMG 197/104 and his two, just slightly lower, so he's satisified now that my high levels are caused by short term stress and not permanent. Back home I was back down lower to 132/72 and closer to last night's reading of 123/62. So although I'm not conciously stressed at the surgery, I very obviously am! I've sometimes done a pre and post surgery visit check on my glucose levels and they are always up too, but I've thought this was (at least) in part due to my walk down there. So today my fasting level was 5.8, and then after a little snack of a generous spoonful of almond butter and a coffee with almond milk and my walk to down to surgery for my checkup, up to 7.5 two hours later.

Robbity

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