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Type 2 An early update. I think it's good but not sure how good!

  • Thread starter Thread starter koukla
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Oh wow so you went from 73 to 37 and you're telling me I did well dropping from 49 to 39. I didn't really did I? Seems I do still have an awful lot to do. Oh hell, where does it end?

I'm going to have to work much harder then aren't I?

I understand what you're saying now about the badge I didn't want to win. It's sort of giving me doubts because I never stray no matter how tempted I may be to stray and have a sweet treats, ice cream or maybe even fish and chips. I've not even had a chip since diagnosis. Does IT matter? I don't know. It's just that sometimes I want to feel as if I fit in in social situations. No alcohol for me, nothing at all sweet, no nothing nice. Is it worth living forever like this? :(

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Please don't be so hard on yourself. Your levels are excellent already. Because some people are lower doesn't mean you have to go in to competition with them. Most of us aren't as low as yours! The diet has to be enjoyable and easy to sustain, not deprivation. There is no reason why you shouldn't have what is thought of as "naughty" on occasions. We all do from time to time. Chips were my problem before diagnosis. I ate far too many of them. I still have them, but not as often and never more than 6. My levels can cope with that (because I test) and I don't feel deprived at all. I also have fish from the chippy, but scrape off the batter. It doesn't spike me at all, even with mushy peas. (I don't have chips on those occasions but I do have 1 slice of heavily seeded bread) I am away on holiday tomorrow and have no intention of depriving myself of an ice cream. No cornet or flake though.
try to relax and find food you like that doesn't spike you above 7.8 at 2 hours.
 
Hi Jack. I honestly don't know because I don't know enough about it. I think I get a brain for with the hypothyroidism sometimes. I've done a spreadsheet which I have here with me now and my averages based on my own testing are, 7.1 April, 6.5 May, and 6.1 June up to last Saturday which is when I do my spreadsheet. Although I'm doing these, I'm doing them to reassure myself that these numbers are going down but with no real understanding of where they should be, where they would ideally be and I suppose ultimately where I become non diabetic though conversations with you and others since yesterday have made me realise that perhaps that isn't possible.

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Thank you Bluetit1802 for the encouragement. Maybe I am hard on myself but I think that's possibly because I can't bear the thought of coping with more illness day to day and I'm trying to knock this one right into touch. I can't do anything about the brain damage, my head constantly rattles and shakes. I can feel it but thankfully nobody can see it. I can cope with the thyroid by taking my tablets every morning and I can cope with the Pernicious Anaemia (though I do get very tired indeed) by having my injections every 21 days but this one, I can't cope with unless I do it myself.

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Hi Koukla, your HbA1c of 39 is already in the non-diabetic zone, we're not trying to run it down to zero or anything remotely like that (even if it were possible). If you can get to that and your averages have dropped from 7.1 to 6.1 (are these fasting numbers?) then there's not much else except to carry on what you are doing.

Once you are at controlled levels then you could start trying other foods as treats, but don't make a habit of it! Test to see how you react and how much you can tolerate. As for alcohol, beer and lager is best avoided, but red wine and dry white wine is usually OK in moderation.

If you were diagnosed with an HbA1c of 49, which is not that high, and you are now back at 39 you may (repeat may) still have a better insulin production regime in your body than most of us. Normally once a diabetic always a diabetic, even when controlled, and you have to continue doing what you are doing. There is however some evidence that the pancreas can partially heal in some people, and if you have only dipped into the condition for a short while you may have caught it before too much damage.
 
I understand, it must be very hard for you, but you are already on top of it with a result of 39. That is in the non-diabetic range, not even pre-diabetic, so whatever you are doing is working, and working well. Well done. xx
 
Thank you Sanguine and Bluetit1802 for comforting and kind words. I think they should have given me better information because all the numbers are mind boggling to me. I only got a 10 minutes appointment for my first diabetic clinic because the receptionist had got it wrong so it was very rushed, so much so that I didn't even know how to use my testing machine when I left there. Maybe they'll have more time for me on Monday. Meanwhile I'll take it as read that I'm doing okay so far and concentrate on getting rid of the last few pounds of weight. It must look like I'm just sitting here waiting for people to come and give me answers because I'm always signed in. That's because I haven't figured out how to sign out on my phone yet! No hope hahaaa! xx

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koukla said:
I was diagnosed Type 2 in March with an HbA1C of 49. I had my first follow up blood tests yesterday and I've been given the results today pre clinic next Monday. My HbA1C is now 39. Cholesterol 3.0 and hdl is 1.1 At today's weigh in I've gone from 78kg in that period to 64kg as of today. Have I done well? Is it a massive improvement and achievement? Is there room for complacency? If anyone has the answers I would be very grateful to know. Thank you. :)

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You have done well.
No room for complacency. Diabetes is a sneaky so and so that will creep back if you drop your guard.
I hope you have stopped diabetes in its tracks, and remain well.
 
koukla said:
Thank you Sanguine and Bluetit1802 for comforting and kind words. I think they should have given me better information because all the numbers are mind boggling to me. I only got a 10 minutes appointment for my first diabetic clinic because the receptionist had got it wrong so it was very rushed, so much so that I didn't even know how to use my testing machine when I left there. Maybe they'll have more time for me on Monday. Meanwhile I'll take it as read that I'm doing okay so far and concentrate on getting rid of the last few pounds of weight. It must look like I'm just sitting here waiting for people to come and give me answers because I'm always signed in. That's because I haven't figured out how to sign out on my phone yet! No hope hahaaa! xx

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Koukla - from all you have said, my final suggestion to you would be that you find time to make a valuable investment in yourself, by learning more about diabetes. I can understand you would rather not have to, but to move forward, in a rational, controlled, confident way, you must understand what has been diagnosed, the effect of the steps you have already taken and give yourself the tools to decide on your next steps for the future. In my limited experience of one diabetic review, you will get limited material value from it. I do hope I'm wrong, but I predict your nurse will congratulate you on your improvement so far, and tell you to keep doing what you're doing.

As you know, current NHS guidelines support diabetics eating the same diet as "healthy" people, so you may hear information that conflicts with what you will have read here often. That you were ever given a meter is a massive step ahead than for most of us who were told we did not need to test, or we would find it upsetting. (Beam me up Scotty!!)

This is your condition. Mirroring someone else may help for a while, but we're all different in our own little ways, so we really have to find our own paths forward.

At some stage, I also predict you will wonder about other foods you haven't had in a while. I didn't think I would, but I was wrong. At the point I made a conscious decision to try adding back some of the "No" foods to see how my tolerances might have altered. Reassuringly, I can now tolerate some additional foods. I haven't yet tried cakes, crisps or chocolate, primarily because I haven't felt the need,..". Yet.

I reckon the first couple of years of this thing will be an interesting learning curve, after which I might understand how me and it get along. I'm hoping that by expanding my food choices, I also reduce the chances of a spectacular falling from my diabetic wagon.

Keep up your good work, but do have realistic expectations for yourself. Only you can decide what level is acceptable when considering the effort required to achieve it, and the impact on us, and those around us.
 
AndBreathe, thank you. You're right. For now I'm going to read and learn but at the same time lose the other few pounds and kick back a bit, not worrying so much. I'm convinced now that my results are good. I don't need to let that slip so I'm looking forward to Monday actually and the next one 3 months afterwards. If I continue in the same vein everything should be fine. Thank you again :)

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koukla said:
... There's a limit to what you can eat which is very low in carbs. Goodness knows what I'll eat but I will have to tackle it at some point.
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Koukla, you've done really well so far, but please don't get complacent! I was doing really well too (so I thought) then had some minor setbacks, stopped losing wieght, and my BG levels went up from mainly 5s and 6s to high 6s and 7s with some 8s and a 9 thrown it. And I wasn't diverting from my diet either... It's taken me several months to begin getting back to where I started.:( So, again, please keep up your good work!

And I believe we have to make a lifetime lifestyle commitment regarding our diet, so read our low carb "What have you eaten today?" thread - you may be pleasantly surprised what a varied diet you can eat on low carbs!

Robbity
 
Robbity said:
Koukla, you've done really well so far, but please don't get complacent! I was doing really well too (so I thought) then had some minor setbacks, stopped losing wieght, and my BG levels went up from mainly 5s and 6s to high 6s and 7s with some 8s and a 9 thrown it. And I wasn't diverting from my diet either... It's taken me several months to begin getting back to where I started.:( So, again, please keep up your good work!

And I believe we have to make a lifetime lifestyle commitment regarding our diet, so read our low carb "What have you eaten today?" thread - you may be pleasantly surprised what a varied diet you can eat on low carbs!

Robbity
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Do you know what caused your levels to rise @Robbity, if you didn't deviate from your diet?
 
More or less yes! I had a dose of cellulitis which took longer than normal to clear up as my doctor gave a cream to use instead of my usual antibiotics; then I was give a different brand of metformin ( our pharmacy often switches brands like there's no tomorrow!) which made me really queasy and ill, and the stormy weather was giving me migraines, all of which coming one on top of the other also really stressed me out so I blame all of that on BGs going a little haywire...

Stress definitely upset my apple cart! More recently I accidentally missed my 3 monthly check up , and had the devil's own job trying to contact the diabetic nurse (who apparently arranges her own appointments - not the receptionist) and had a very frustrating fortnight trying to catch her on the phone to rebook only to discover she's on holiday. So a few more slight wobbles there too!

(However, I've decided in retrospect that weight levelling off was possibly due to reaching a state where my food intake has reached a maintenance level for my new size, so I have reduced this a little now to start trying to lose again now my glucose levels are a bit better. And having this "resting" period may help my body get used to a rather lesser me?!)

Sorry for the essay!!

Robbity

Oh, and PS, I persuaded our pharmacist that the SR release metformin might do the trick and I am feeling much better now! :):)
 
Thank you Robbity. I'm taking everything on board. I shall carry on in exactly the same way because there's no point in doing any other. For example, maybe my pancreas and liver have indeed had a rest due to the weight loss and change of diet but I would imagine they're still a little fragile after just 3 months. Another 3 months will help and I'll just keep at it. There's not much more we can do is there. Feeling more optimistic now though thank you. :)

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