I was diagnosed as ?diabetic two years ago and told to lose some weight. Blood tests were taken once every 6 months to see how i was doing. I never got any feed back on the results, so thought i was ok. No symptoms of thirst or going to the toilet frequently.
I moved house and signed up with a new Doctor. At the initial screening he took bloods for the usual stuff including HbA1c - The results came back and it was 9.2 so he signed me up for a return visit to see the diabetic team. At this time i bought myself a blood sugar meter and started testing myself - my readings were 14 - 17 (UK) So i then embarked on some internet research - started on a carb controlled diet, increased my exercise and started eliminating foods that spiked my blood sugar. The usual culprits came up - bread rice pasta sugar fruit and coffee. I eliminated these and replaced them with other foods (i know i need a balanced intake of fat protein vitamins and various nutrients). So today ( two months after the initial hbA1c test) I arrived at the diabetic clinic to meet the team. Now i must tell you that in the interim i have lost one stone (that’s 14 pounds / 6.36 kilos) reduced my blood readings to an average of 3 to 7 except for the occasional spike to around 9 when i take a new "bad" food.
The dietitian told me to stop testing my blood as i might become obsessed about it and it was enough to have the 6 monthly Hba1c. I asked about the advice she was giving me with relation to eating more potatoes bread and rice - and (fruit 3 a day) and occasional fried fish and chips and puddings. She told me that the advice was to have this "balanced diet" and to perhaps put me on Metformin if i was not managing to keep my blood sugar in check. I tried to argue that a low carbohydrate was keeping my blood sugar in check, was helping me to loose weight and seemed to be dealing with my diabetes quite well without resorting to Metformin or any other drugs.
I am now totally confused.....
The doctor took a look at my hbA1c and said he was going to prescribe Metformin on a small dose and increasing to a therapeutic dose over the next few weeks. I asked him if he had received my hbA1c from my last Doctor - he looked them up on the computer and what the graph showed was an increase in the levels of 2 years ago from 7 to 10 and a reduction to 9.2 on the last one - I suggested that as i had not been given any indication there was a problem and as it had come down without any intervention, either by diet or medication and that as of the last reading, when i was made aware of the problem, perhaps we should take a look at my hbA1c in another month to see if my dietary intervention had had any effect before going on to meds. - He was unwilling to contemplate this. So a small debate ensued..... i pointed out my results over the last two months of keeping my daily results in the 3 to 7 range, he told me that they did not recommend daily testing in type2, just 6 monthly hbA1c's and that i was obsessing about the daily testing, could do damage to my fingers which could result in neuropathy and infection due to pricking my self so often. He eventually agreed to review the hba1c in a month’s time. But in the meantime i was to stop testing my bloods, comply with the dietitians recommendations regarding my diet and see him a week after the blood test to review my going on Metformin.
Now i am really confused and in a quandary.
Problem is... What do i do - continue carbing or go on to the "Diet" as advised by the Dietition and Doctor. .... fruit juice and porridge for breakfast, and for lunch soup (lentil or pea and ham) with two slices of bread and low fat yoghurt or fruit juce. Pasta, rice or potatoes with lean meat and veg + fruit fresh or tinned for dinner. Snacks of oatcake, plain biscuit, cracker or fruit. tea, coffee, diet fizzy drinks, sugar free diluting juice or water.
Help this confused new diabetic.
I moved house and signed up with a new Doctor. At the initial screening he took bloods for the usual stuff including HbA1c - The results came back and it was 9.2 so he signed me up for a return visit to see the diabetic team. At this time i bought myself a blood sugar meter and started testing myself - my readings were 14 - 17 (UK) So i then embarked on some internet research - started on a carb controlled diet, increased my exercise and started eliminating foods that spiked my blood sugar. The usual culprits came up - bread rice pasta sugar fruit and coffee. I eliminated these and replaced them with other foods (i know i need a balanced intake of fat protein vitamins and various nutrients). So today ( two months after the initial hbA1c test) I arrived at the diabetic clinic to meet the team. Now i must tell you that in the interim i have lost one stone (that’s 14 pounds / 6.36 kilos) reduced my blood readings to an average of 3 to 7 except for the occasional spike to around 9 when i take a new "bad" food.
The dietitian told me to stop testing my blood as i might become obsessed about it and it was enough to have the 6 monthly Hba1c. I asked about the advice she was giving me with relation to eating more potatoes bread and rice - and (fruit 3 a day) and occasional fried fish and chips and puddings. She told me that the advice was to have this "balanced diet" and to perhaps put me on Metformin if i was not managing to keep my blood sugar in check. I tried to argue that a low carbohydrate was keeping my blood sugar in check, was helping me to loose weight and seemed to be dealing with my diabetes quite well without resorting to Metformin or any other drugs.
I am now totally confused.....
The doctor took a look at my hbA1c and said he was going to prescribe Metformin on a small dose and increasing to a therapeutic dose over the next few weeks. I asked him if he had received my hbA1c from my last Doctor - he looked them up on the computer and what the graph showed was an increase in the levels of 2 years ago from 7 to 10 and a reduction to 9.2 on the last one - I suggested that as i had not been given any indication there was a problem and as it had come down without any intervention, either by diet or medication and that as of the last reading, when i was made aware of the problem, perhaps we should take a look at my hbA1c in another month to see if my dietary intervention had had any effect before going on to meds. - He was unwilling to contemplate this. So a small debate ensued..... i pointed out my results over the last two months of keeping my daily results in the 3 to 7 range, he told me that they did not recommend daily testing in type2, just 6 monthly hbA1c's and that i was obsessing about the daily testing, could do damage to my fingers which could result in neuropathy and infection due to pricking my self so often. He eventually agreed to review the hba1c in a month’s time. But in the meantime i was to stop testing my bloods, comply with the dietitians recommendations regarding my diet and see him a week after the blood test to review my going on Metformin.
Now i am really confused and in a quandary.
Problem is... What do i do - continue carbing or go on to the "Diet" as advised by the Dietition and Doctor. .... fruit juice and porridge for breakfast, and for lunch soup (lentil or pea and ham) with two slices of bread and low fat yoghurt or fruit juce. Pasta, rice or potatoes with lean meat and veg + fruit fresh or tinned for dinner. Snacks of oatcake, plain biscuit, cracker or fruit. tea, coffee, diet fizzy drinks, sugar free diluting juice or water.
Help this confused new diabetic.
