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Advice on sugar levels

Jean from Stoke on Trent

Jean from Stoke on Trent

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Massive thank you to this forum it has helped me to follow a low carb diet which has helped me to loose weight and reduce my Hba1c. I purchased the testing strips myself As the Dr would not give them which is a shame this would help lots of people. My Dr was shocked as I got down from 54 to 47 in 3 months. I have asked how low it needs to go before I can reduce my medication of metformin (2x100) and gliclazide(40mg) He did not look happy and said if I can get down to 42 I may be able to give up the gliclazide but will always be on the metformin. I have noticed on this forum others have reduced their Hba1c and are now in remission can you please tell me what it was.
Many thanks
 
Many thanks for the encouragement I am determined to prove him wrong.
My only problem is after July's Hba1c I won't be tested again until next year unless I can persuade him otherwise, wish me luck I'm going to need it.
 
Jean from Stoke on Trent said:
Many thanks for the encouragement I am determined to prove him wrong.
My only problem is after July's Hba1c I won't be tested again until next year unless I can persuade him otherwise, wish me luck I'm going to need it.
Click to expand...
Definitely wish you good luck.. you could always be a bit cheeky and try to book yourself for a blood test..they can only say no. Agree completely with those here who say that you don't need to be on metformin for ever.. I gave it up after 3 weeks (too many probs) and haven't taken anything else since.. just diet and a bit of fasting controlled. You have done a great job already keep it up. I had a similar attitude when the Diabetes Nurse at our practise told me my diabetes would get worse and that I would end up injecting insulin proving her wrong became a great motivator for me.
Very well done
Regards
Mark
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jean from Stoke on Trent said:
Many thanks for the encouragement I am determined to prove him wrong.
My only problem is after July's Hba1c I won't be tested again until next year unless I can persuade him otherwise, wish me luck I'm going to need it.
Click to expand...
Wishing you luck. There is no reason why you have to wait a year. I get mine every 6 months!!
 
Thank you. Last August my HbA1c was 60 since then I have lost over 1 stone and HbA1c is 47 all done with advice from this website and following a low carb diet. the GP said I would have more pills etc it just gets worse hence me proving him wrong. I can't understand why they are too quick to give another pill rather than encourage you to get it down.
ThNks again
 
Jean from Stoke on Trent said:
My only problem is after July's Hba1c I won't be tested again until next year unless I can persuade him otherwise, wish me luck I'm going to need it.
Click to expand...

No persuading .... insist on it Jean but ensure you eat proper foods, get the exercise in, plenty of water and you'll hit the 42 (or below) pretty quickly. July is what you aim for so hit it hard if you can. I dropped from 73 to 48 in 3 months. Despite what you might hear from the naysayers, it can be done. The experts on how to do it inhabit this place, not the room of a doctor who wouldn't know what day it was if he told you that rot.
 
Hi Jean,

I have my first GP appointment tomorrow (the first after having been diagnosed last month) and one of the questions I will put forward to him is to ask what I have to do to reduce the Glic I take to at least one a day then stop taking it. I would like goals to stive towards. Good luck to you x
 
Of course it can be done, Jean. Plenty of people here have done it and are maintaining it despite being told it is a progressive disease that will require medicating for life.

As you are still not down to the magic 42 (actually it's 41) and are on Metformin and Gliclazide, you really should be having 6 monthly HbA1cs and I would insist on this.
 
I agree with all the above.

If you are on prescribed medication you should at the very least be checked out every 6 months, but every 3 months would be even better.

You can get your T2D under control, and it is highly likely you will achieve that goal sooner rather than later.

It's all too easy for HCP's to prescribe medication and then forget about you. Don't let that happen.


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Thanks All. I am going to give it my all also ask for more testing too. Hopefully I will feel off the gliclazide x2 by beginning of August then onwards to ditch the metformin. I walk every day, swim once a week plus weather permitting ride a tandem with hubby so fingers crossed I should be able to do it.
 
I wasn't prescribed any medication on diagnosis - HbA1c of 58. The doctor I saw initially said I would start on Metformin but when I saw the nurse a couple of weeks later, she was happy for me to try diet first.

At my three months review HbA1c was down to 45 then subsequently 42 (gone up slightly since!) with LCHF. No mention of any medication and intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.
 
I'm similar to @Spinning-Fish I was diagnosed with an HbA1c of 53 and meds were never mentioned at all. I was told to lose some weight and exercise a bit more. I had never heard of Metformin till I found this forum. I have remained med free ever since.
 
Hi
I was diagnosed in January with an HBA1C of 97. I was not put on meds as my GP was keen for me to try diet and exercise.

I had another HbA1C test in March (12 weeks after first one) and it had come down to 49. I'm still not taking any meds but I'm prepared to reconsider that at my next test if it hasn't dropped to 41. I've got a test in 5 weeks time - fingers crossed!

I don't see why your GP insists on medication if your HBA1C is dropping without it. And if you find it easier to manage your sugar levels with regular HBA1C tests then your sugery should support that. Mine has agreed that i can have them every twelve weeks.
 
Jean from Stoke on Trent said:
Thank you. Last August my HbA1c was 60 since then I have lost over 1 stone and HbA1c is 47 all done with advice from this website and following a low carb diet. the GP said I would have more pills etc it just gets worse hence me proving him wrong. I can't understand why they are too quick to give another pill rather than encourage you to get it down.
ThNks again
Click to expand...

I think one thing my doc said to me is why they push pills and such. When I told him that I had to cut out anything more then 20g of carbs per meal or else my sugars spike into the teens (11, 12, 13 once). He said I shouldn't have to live that way and he can prescribe meds to help with that. When I told him my goal was to be off all meds in a year he was surprised. Also not sure if he believes I can continue with this diet. The only way he'll not prescribe anything is if I can prove that in a year I still have very low numbers.
 
TooManyCrisps said:
Hi
I was diagnosed in January with an HBA1C of 97. I was not put on meds as my GP was keen for me to try diet and exercise.

I had another HbA1C test in March (12 weeks after first one) and it had come down to 49. I'm still not taking any meds but I'm prepared to reconsider that at my next test if it hasn't dropped to 41. I've got a test in 5 weeks time - fingers crossed!

I don't see why your GP insists on medication if your HBA1C is dropping without it. And if you find it easier to manage your sugar levels with regular HBA1C tests then your sugery should support that. Mine has agreed that i can have them every twelve weeks.
Click to expand...
Wow, well done firstly. I am under the impression my GP wants me to stay on medication as I am worth more to his surgery that way. When I go back for the next test you can be assured I am going in fighting and armed that I may change my GP as this forum has shown not all GPs respond like mine.
Thank you and good luck
 
Hi Jean, I was diagnosed type2 in Jan this year with a reading of HAb1c 148. was put on medication straight away metformin 500mg 2 daily. Was given testing strips and a metre, now my 3 month blood results 2 weeks ago down to HAb1c 54 , this is due to the LCHf diet and the help of all the friendly people on this site. My doc was dumfounded when he saw my results, I tried to explain to him about the LChf diet and I got the impression he wasn't listening to me. he told me he didn't want me to test every day only 2-3 times a week!!!! [ which I still test twice a day] He also said make sure I eat 3 times a day and do not miss any meal out !!!!!and don't worry about the weight too much 1!!!!! The good thing he said was he would see me in 3 months. I am seeing the diabetic nurse tomorrow and I am going to tell her all about this site the BG readings need to continue the LCHF diet will I ever be able to come off Metformin if my readings get low enough? it will be interesting to see her reaction as to the doctors. Good luck :)
 
I am happy to remain on metfotmin as long as I can. Ongoing research is showing that this is a helpful drug, including assisting the prevention of some cancers.
 
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