Back to being pre diabetic :(

[aqualung]

As the post title says I am almost back to where I was when I first joined the forum 3 years ago.

Up till now my hba1cs have been good. I started at 46 and managed to get down to 34. 15 months ago it went up to 38, but wasn't too surprised as I had eaten more carbs on occasions.

Then I got too relaxed about it all. I should have gone for my next hba1c test after 6 months but lost track of time and it turned out to be a year. This was last week and I got my results today - 44. I know I have eaten more carbs than I should but I didn't expect it to have gone up by so much.

I feel more overwhelmed this time compared with 3 years ago. My diet is nowhere near as bad as then yet my hba1c is nearly as high

I need to get my head round it all. Any advice will be most welcome

 

[MikePea]

You can make numerous changes to your life style. Some good. some not so. Have you considered that your body is also capable of making changes for good or not. You may not be aware of what is happening internally.
Having the checks on a 3 monthly basis can give early indications of something going amiss. So don't miss out on the checks. They are VIP.

 

[aqualung]

I know that now! I thought that because my hba1c results had been good I could eat more carbs/sugar than I should. I also think I have been eating too many berries and cream. This has been a wake up call.

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

Hey stranger Sounds to me like you have a handle on what went wrong. You were very motivated before from what I remember so am sure you can get your mojo back soon. I am due some surgery next week, but as soon as I am fighting fit I plan to get into the Blood Sugar Diet again. It is a low carb 800 calorie way of eating for 8 weeks to kick start low bg and weight loss. Is this something that might help you re-focus?

 

[chalup]

Welcome to the club My "slip" lasted a few years and resulted in an A1c of 10.4 ouch. Yep it is harder to deal with the second time around but at least this time you already know what to do OK, back in the saddle. It is done, can't undo, forget it and move on. I would love a 44 but I am not there yet. Race ya to 40? I am in a bit of a goofy mood today but the point is that slipping up happens to us all and your slip up is not all that bad. You can get things back to where you want them and you will. You are still here on this forum and you know what a great source of help and support can be found here. Smile, its just another speed bump

 

[aqualung]

Hi avocado! I thought with the odd blip I was doing ok, obviously the blips were bigger than I thought! I found my food diaries from 2013 the other day and thought I don't need them any more so threw them away - oops!

The blood sugar diet sounds like something I could do with as my weight has gone up too.

It has all happened gradually and I haven't been on top of it all as much as I should have. I will stick around here for the great support and not think I can do it by myself

 

[aqualung]

Thanks chalup. You're right 44 isn't bad but it has made me realise my reaction to sugar is not as good as I thought it was. We CAN do it...

 

[Brunneria]

I would be surprised if this doesn't happen to most of us. D is such a long game. A series of battles. Spread over decades.

And i think anyone who feels they have cracked it by swift action after diagnosis is likely to get a second whammy further down the line. So please don't beat yourself up.

At least you know how to do it , this time.

Good to have you back.

 

[aqualung]

Thanks brunneria. I am pleased to be back . First time round is a bit of whirlwind and learning curve. Second time round I now know I can't eat all the things I could and realise my hba1c results were good because I wasn't eating sugar.

 

[Lynn1]

Thanks brunneria. I am pleased to be back . First time round is a bit of whirlwind and learning curve. Second time round I now know I can't eat all the things I could and realise my hba1c results were good because I wasn't eating sugar.

Hi. Would you mind me asking if you were checking your blood sugar regularly during that year? If so, did it look stable?

About to have a four-month Hba1c check and a little concerned about 'carb creep' myself! My BS looks OK when I check it.

Thanks.

 

[veggirl]

I was diagnosed at 66mmol 2 years ago weighing 14 stone . I lost 3.5 stones and went down to 35mmol Hba1c. Thought I had it under control but I have put on a stone and Hba1c now 40. Still OK I thought but as of last week I now have background diabetic retinopathy so a wake up call after taking my eye off the ball this last year. I am now low carbing and trying to lose weight (5lbs so far ) so I understand your problem all to well. It is difficult to remmber that the change to no sugar is for the rest of my life not just a 6 month fix.

I am much involved in sewing groups who meet on a regular basis to sew together and eat cake and biscuits! I am now going to say to them that I cannot eat cake twice a week so please don't offer me any. I found them very supportive the first time round but my diabetic nurse said I was not even in the pre diabetes range at 35mmol, but I don't think she understood that I was eating no carbs at all then except a few berry fruits, so she said the odd bit of cake wouldn't hurt.

Presumably retinopathy responds to high spikes of glucose and given that Hba1c is an average measure then the Hba1c can seem Ok but can mask the highs after cake etc. Does anyone have more info on this?

 

[Mokkijo]

Daily monitoring of BS is much more indicative of what is going on than A1C, since this is an "average". If you go hypo & have spikes, your average may seem ok, but this is far from a healthy situation.I like to see my 2 hour PP's, and FBS. Also if you are low blood/anemic (I am borderline), then your A1C results will be skewed.

 

[aqualung]

Hi. Would you mind me asking if you were checking your blood sugar regularly during that year? If so, did it look stable?

About to have a four-month Hba1c check and a little concerned about 'carb creep' myself! My BS looks OK when I check it.

Thanks.

sorry Lynn I did my usual "post on the forum then forget to post again". You must have had your hba1c by now, how did it go? if your BS is OK I am sure your hba1c will be fine.

my last hba1c was a real wake up call. I thought I was doing OK and as my previous hba1cs had been good and I was prediabetic a bit of sugar would be OK. I wasn't testing as I though I knew what I could eat but that obviously crept up and was too much. I wasn't testing at home either

So I have stopped all sugar, even just a little,and have started testing new foods. I tested Lidl protein rolls and happily my BS was OK. I am wondering though if my resistance is not as good as it was and I think I should retest a few foods especially my daily youghurt/cream/nuts/berries.

 

[Lynn1]

sorry Lynn I did my usual "post on the forum then forget to post again". You must have had your hba1c by now, how did it go? if your BS is OK I am sure your hba1c will be fine.

my last hba1c was a real wake up call. I thought I was doing OK and as my previous hba1cs had been good and I was prediabetic a bit of sugar would be OK. I wasn't testing as I though I knew what I could eat but that obviously crept up and was too much. I wasn't testing at home either

So I have stopped all sugar, even just a little,and have started testing new foods. I tested Lidl protein rolls and happily my BS was OK. I am wondering though if my resistance is not as good as it was and I think I should retest a few foods especially my daily youghurt/cream/nuts/berries.

Had my blood test on Thursday, so will get the result early next week.

I am in exactly the same position as you! I feel that carbs have been creeping into my diet - getting a bit complacent. Our diets seem so similar - yogurt, berries, nuts and cream. I think my portions have gradually increased over the last few months. Plus, a couple of holidays when things slipped.

Anyway, next week will tell and I will let you know! Wish me luck.

 

[aqualung]

Have you got your results yet Lynn?

 

[Lynn1]

Have you got your results yet Lynn?

HbA1c result just in - 38 mmol. Quite happy with that. Has crept up by 1 point, but was expecting worse.

Are you a Jethro Tull fan by any chance? I was Ian Anderson's PA for six years.

 

[aqualung]

HbA1c result just in - 38 mmol. Quite happy with that. Has crept up by 1 point, but was expecting worse.

Are you a Jethro Tull fan by any chance? I was Ian Anderson's PA for six years.

that's great news Lynn!

My husband is a big Jethro Tull fan and I pinched one of his usernames. Wow Ian Anderson's PA - I bet you had some exciting times!

 

[tigerlily72]

Hey, the good news is that you're still PRE Diabetic so don't despair.

I was diagnosed as pre in Dec 2014 and had progressed within a year to T2 but only just. I was "good" initially and then kind of thought I didn't need to worry and pushed it aside. It's easy to get complacent depending on your results and "relax" a little. It's also hard when others around you that aren't diabetic are eating what they want! I've been complacent myself over the last 3rd of the year so my annual Hba1c increased to 49.

Do you have a blood monitor? I have the Codefree which is one of the cheapest on the market for test strips and lancets. You could try testing yourself from time to time to motivate you to keep your blood sugar in check?

 

[Lynn1]

Hey, the good news is that you're still PRE Diabetic so don't despair.

I was diagnosed as pre in Dec 2014 and had progressed within a year to T2 but only just. I was "good" initially and then kind of thought I didn't need to worry and pushed it aside. It's easy to get complacent depending on your results and "relax" a little. It's also hard when others around you that aren't diabetic are eating what they want! I've been complacent myself over the last 3rd of the year so my annual Hba1c increased to 49.

Do you have a blood monitor? I have the Codefree which is one of the cheapest on the market for test strips and lancets. You could try testing yourself from time to time to motivate you to keep your blood sugar in check?

Yes, I have always tested regularly.