Confused , Upset and new diagnosed

Hi, I believe they should only perform the HBA1C test every 120 days to get completely accurate results. Is it your GP who did two so close together?

A reading of 7.2 non fasting isn't too bad to be honest.

Has your GP ordered you to take a GTT?

I failed one of those and had an HBA1C of 55 and together that was enough for a diabetes diagnosis or so I was told.

Try not to panic. diabetes is no fun at all, but it can be managed well once the initial shock wears off.

I'm quite liking being slim again. I would never have even tried to lose weight without the diagnosis. :lol:

Hi. Don't panic as you are amongst a very large group of fellow diabetics. The HBa1C test measures the average level of glucose in the blood over the last 3 months by looking at the red cells. It is a very good test and those diagnosed will have an HBa1C at least annually. In the last year the measurement units have changed just to confuse everyone. It used to be in % but is now mmol. On the home page of this website you will see a units converter if needed. You should be aiming to have an HBa1c in old units of around 6.5 although it will be higher at diagnosis. Your 60 reading equates to 7.6% which is too high but not dangerously so. The advice you docs have given you is OK but not enough. You need to reduce all your carbs, not just sugar, and keep them low-GI. That means avoiding pastries made from white flour, pasta and so on. Don't worry too much about fats but keep them unsaturated where you can. Fat is not the devil the media/NHS states; carbs are and can cause weight gain just as easily and of course adds to blood sugar. The reason for no obvious symptoms is that your HBa1C of 70 whilst high is not high enough to cause the usual list of symptoms i.e. you were caught before the worst. If you can control your diet and have exercise you may find your diabetes recedes to a level where no medication is needed.

Hi unigirl and welcome to the forum

Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Carry on asking questions and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Hi

I am new to this site and also feel confused about low carbing and diabetes, so you are not alone, lets hope we will get some answers and sort the high blood sugar levels out. Good Luck.

Hi. Unsaturated fats include most fishy fats with Omega 3 or 6 oils. Olive Oil is an example of an unsaturated fat. Butter, Marg, meats etc can have saturated fat. The labels will often tell you which fats they have.

Hi meJulie/Unigirl. The supermarkets are full of junk food. Look for sugar and overall carbs listed on the label. Aim for something like 150 gm of total carbs per day. If the carbs are low-GI then they will be absorbed more slowly and hence reduce sugar spikes. White flour is not very good so look for wholegrain or at least wholemeal flour. Almond flour is great but expensive. Protein is not a problem for diabetics and fat in sensible quantities. Veg is usually good. Have fruit in sensible quantity and avoid things like bananas which are high-GI. For breakfast I may have homemade muesli (not too much as oats can raise blood sugar). Sometimes I'll have a fry-up e.g. bacon and eggs. For lunch I may have a sandwich (thin slices) or low-GI bread from my local baker; Burgen bread is good if you like the taste and texture