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First Nurse Appointment

D

Dalaney

Member
Messages
8
Hi People

Well I am back from my first appointment after being diagnosed last week. i have to say she was lovely and spent well over an hour with me. Explained all the test results to me. My hba1c was 6.2 which she said was really good ! Is that right? Considering i didnt know I had diabetes until last week I wasnt exactly eating the right stuff the last 3 months so I am guessing I can now get that lower? My cholestral is 4.8 which is ok but could be lower needs to be around 4 and under she said? My blood pressure was 134/70 which again is pretty good I am 5'10 and quite overweight. She answered all my questions and agreed carbs increases sugar levels but would not go as far to say leave them out completely but agreed lowering them was a good idea. She weighed and measured me and apparnetly in a couple of months I am having the full MOT and she is seeing me again in 4 weeks. She is also sending me on a DESMOND course and having my eyes digitally photographed. All in all I was really pelased with the appointment she also gave mne her direct number and said ring anytime with any questions. She was really lovley. Does this all sound about right did she miss anything ?
 
Sounds great. You are lucky to have a much better start than many others. No nurse is likely to agree that you eat zero carbs paricularly as your levels are not bad at all.
As you say , you ought to be able to do even better just by reducing the starchy carbs a litle.
I don't suppose the issue of testing came up? Mos of us find this essential in order to find out how different foods affect us.
 
Hi. You have a really good nurse there; hang on to her! Yes, get yourself a meter one way or another but 6.2 is very good considering you haven't been trying to de-carb yet. Just reduce the carbs to a sensible level; with 6.2 you shouldn't need to worry too much.
 
Thanks I now have a meter and been testing for a dew days i am seeing a pattern emerge I am more carb intolerent in the morning. I can not get my waking level to be less than 6 though and I am struggling with really low carb. i know its the way to go but it is so limiting especially as I dont eat fatty things and dont eat butter or any spreads if I eat a lot of cheese it upsets me so I am limited to lots of veg and meat which is ok but a little dull. If I do have some carbs what would be the best ones and how much ? thsi is so hard
 
Hi Dalaney

You seem to be doing pretty well already - well done!

How low carb are you trying to go? have you had a look at Viv's Modified Atkins Diet? It's in the Sticky Threads section. Some aspects of it obviously won't suit you at all, if you don't like fatty things, but it's a good basic list of very low carb foods to use as a base for your new way of eating.

You don't mention fish - can you eat that, for variety? I eat tuna, salmon or smoked salmon with a salad, as well as all sorts of cold meats, or an avocado.

Cauliflower can make a good subsitute for mashed potato, or you can eat it with curry. I find both quite acceptable - some others don't :lol: .

25g to 30g of carb is really quite low. If you aimed maybe for 50g or 70g per day you would have a bit more choice. Add on foods that are Low GI as well as low carb. Berries, plums and apricots are some of the lowest GI foods. I can manage a small apple, or an orange, but no more than 1 portion of fruit a day. You might be able to eat more.

Some people can eat a slice or two of Burgen bread. I occasionally have Tesco Finest Multigrain with no bad effects on my BGs. You could try measuring the effects of small portions of rice or pasta to see how they affect you. Sid Bonkers controls his carbs by eating very small portions of most carbs, and does very well.

Finally, have a look at the Low-carb Recipe thread. There's enough variety on there for anyone, if you like to cook. Even low-carb puddings!

Good luck with it - and congratulations on having such a great nurse. :thumbup:

Viv 8)
 
Hi. You have a good nurse there so hang on to her. I wouldn't worry too much about BS readings first thing in the morning as the liver does do glycogen dumps to get your body ready for the day and these can confuse your readings. I assume you don't actually like fatty foods? If you like some but are worried about eating too many fats don't worry too much as they aren't quite so bad for you as legend has it and you can aim for the unsaturated fat ones such as fish which Viviennem has suggested.
 
You have a great nurse there, and it looks like she'l be looking after you well.
Your BS levels are already good, so keep it up, you're in a good place. :)
 
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