-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
Do I have Diabetes???
- Thread starter Melpuno
- Start Date
Indy51
Expert
If I'm reading your result correctly, then you are slightly above normal and would probably be considered prediabetic, though no doubt your doctor will discuss this with you. This might be the warning you need to sort out your diet and exercise for the better. My diagnosis worked that way for me and many others on these forums - my levels are now normal and have stayed that way for 3 years. Hope this works as a wakeup call for you too.
I can't tell you how much better life feels when you get off the blood glucose rollercoaster that most of us are on eating the standard "healthy" diet.
I can't tell you how much better life feels when you get off the blood glucose rollercoaster that most of us are on eating the standard "healthy" diet.
Pasha
Expert
With those numbers you will be considered prediabetic. Exactly what I got over two years ago. The good news is that you now have the opportunity to get things back to normal via correct diet and exercise{if need be} . Luckily you have discovered this forum, there is plenty of great information here and many people with years of experience who willing share their knowledge with you. Welcome to the forum Melpuno and enjoy its benefits.
Here is a link to an excellent source of very helpful information,
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.php
Last edited by a moderator:
pawan arora
Member
- Messages
- 5
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
pawan arora
Member
- Messages
- 5
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
Hi Melpuno your HbA1c levels are nearly perfect as any range around 6 is considered normal.So be relaxed.
Many of us here aim for normal BG numbers, which are lower than 6.19%. I would consider cutting my carb intake and exercise more to see if this helps. As others have said you are pre-diabetic, so now would be a good time to act to avoid a future diagnosis of Type 2.
Oh and welcome to the forum.
Oh and welcome to the forum.
pawan arora
Member
- Messages
- 5
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
HbA1c levels in a normal person ideally should be 6 or below but in a diabetic person a range between 6 to 6.5 is considered as an indicator of good control on sugar levels.In case a normal persons HbA1c levels are above 6 then one must keep a check on blood sugar levels on regular basis and also get HbA1c levels repeated after a gap of three
I repeat...many of us here prefer to keep our HbA1c's lower than this. I realise the medical profession on the whole do not think this is necessary, but it's our choice and our bodies that are at risk here. I prefer to see the individual not just a group of statistics.
Pasha
Expert
This chart will give you an idea of where your result places you.
Source: Adapted from American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes—2012. Diabetes Care. 2012;35(Supp 1):S12, table 2
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Melpuno
Hello and welcome to the forum
It's a good idea to treat yourself as diabetic even if you are not diagnosed as diabetic from your HbA1c. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you like and you will get some good advice here.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 over 140,000 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 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-and-whole-grains.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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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 bloodglucose 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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
It's a good idea to treat yourself as diabetic even if you are not diagnosed as diabetic from your HbA1c. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you like and you will get some good advice here.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 over 140,000 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-and-whole-grains.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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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 bloodglucose 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.
sanguine
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,340
- Location
- Devon
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Hi @Melpuno , welcome.
As others have said, you are in a good position to get your blood sugars under control and move back out of the prediabetic range. You possibly have some insulin resistance and/or insulin production (pancreatic) issues which is why you are showing an elevated HbA1c. A great time for some lifestyle changes, especially carb reduction.
Have a read of the first item linked in my sig below and ask any questions
As others have said, you are in a good position to get your blood sugars under control and move back out of the prediabetic range. You possibly have some insulin resistance and/or insulin production (pancreatic) issues which is why you are showing an elevated HbA1c. A great time for some lifestyle changes, especially carb reduction.
Have a read of the first item linked in my sig below and ask any questions
