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Prediabetes Feeling indecisive and wimpish. Had an NHS health check 12 months ago.

G

Gardengnome

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Location
uk
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
going to a gym
They discovered hypertension stage 2 and I'm now on medication for that and under control with Losartan. Now I find that at the same time the A1c was 41 mmol/mol [5.9%], I know this is top end of normal but it wasn't mentioned until I saw it on my notes almost a year later. So the A1c was done again the dr saying that as I had lost weight, given up salt and most alcohol - I wasn't a heavy drinker anyway - I don't smoke and had become even more active, walking 2 miles da,.so was disappointed to find the A1c was exactly the same. The dr says in view of the life style changes this is prediabetes and to have another test done in a year. He says the numbers will rise and when they reach near to 50 he'll have the metformin ready, presumably because there are no other lifestyle changes to make. Losing weight though is not the same as reducing carbs [or whatever one does] for blood glucose control is it? Another dr at the practice says they would also do another test before any diagnosis, was it a fasting glucose test? is that the same as the oral glucose tolerance test?

I considered buying a blood glucose meter but shied off in the end, not sure why but perhaps because I don't really want to become obsessed by this.: but should I be? Obviously I'm worried but would a meter make me more worried I wonder? What happens when I have another test and find the numbers have risen, what do I do then?

A friend who has had T2 for over 20 yrs and now has PAD [leg pain] and is on injected insulin now says that she knew she had prediabetes for some time and was continually being told to take care but took no notice until the diagnosis. Now wishes she had.
 
Agree with Mo.
Ignorance is not bliss with regard to blood sugar levels and you can see if you are eating particular foods that raise your blood sugars. No need to be obsessive about it because, if you keep a food diary, you will see the foods to avoid.
 
The meter is your friend-especially in the early days of discovering what you can,can't or need to cut down on when it comes to food-high blood sugars can do some serious damage over time but the good news is with eating to your meter you can keep those complications at bay or if you already have some complications-you can at least prevent them worsening or sometimes even experience some improvement.
 
OK thanks, I assume most of the meters work the same way so wonder which is the best one to go for, presumably one with the cheapest strips? I'd really appreciate any advice on this. Where's the best place to buy one too, Amazon or Boots? And how often should I test?

Paul, when you say 'eating to your meter' what does that specifically mean? Are we all different in which foods send our glucose high? I'm sure this all sounds very basic when you are living with it all the time but I really don't have a clue!

Although my dr tells me I have prediabetes he hasn't entered it in my medical notes, maybe it isn't worth making a note of for which I should be thankful I think.. He says they only give lifestyle advice for the condition although I wasn't given any, he assumed I'd already received it I suppose. What would the advice be anyway, the 'NHS Eatwell Plate' with all that carbohydrate !? When some years ago they told me I had high cholesterol I was just handed a printed sheet of the most patronising nutritional information which made me so cross I promptly binned it. I did the lifestyle change off my own bat for the hypertension which didn't make any difference to the A1c. What other tests do they do for insulin resistance?

Sorry for all the questions - I must seem a dummy to you all!
 
Hi! 'Eating to your meter' in simple terms means testing before a meal and then checking 2 hours afterwards-if there's a significant increase in your reading after 2 hours you either decide to cut down on that food,depending what it was or not eat it again-you then keep repeating that with different foods until you find foods that suit you according to your meter readings.
 
I got the SD Codefree Meter from Amazon and buy the test strips from the supplier (250 at a time). This meter seems to be the cheapest. This site does have some reviews of different meters. As to how often you should test depends on your comfort level and how much you want to understand. For me that is anything over 10 tests per day. I don't know about pre-diabetes as I had no symptoms prior to my diagnosis levels (listed in my signature). I have only been diagnosed for 3 months so my level of testing may well reduce when I understand my levels better
 
If you want info on at diets go to the Low Carb diet forum on the site via the link or scroll down the main page. There is several ways to eat but all have a basis in cutting carbs. The degree you would do that is up to you but less carbs is better. Your body will burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates it does now.

The NHS dont like our LCHF diet but Sweden now use it for obese and diabetics, and usa it is gaining ground but nhs lives in blissful stupidity and continues to push their criminal diet plans.

My other half is not diabetic but he eats what l do LCHF and isnt hungry, has shed loads of weight and no ill effects quite the opposite he feels lots better.

Your cholesterol will change on this eating plan the LDL should go up a good thing do a google on Low Carb High Fat and Cholesterol that explains it better.
Basically small LDL = tight sticky dangerous caused by carbs. LDL = good stuff big fluffy and cleans the arteries made my LCHF diet.
I refuse statins anyhow and they are fast being discredited.

My BP has also come down on this diet although l also exercise a lot so maybe it is combo of both helping me.

 
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