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Have been told I have Type 2 Diavetes but confused!

F

Felicity11

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone
Only found this forum today. I was rung by a GP yesterday evening (not my usual GP) and told I had diabetes! My Hb1ac (?) was 49 and a non fasting blood sugar test was 6.3. She told me I was to lose weight, eat low carb, low protein and see the practice nurse. Having said I've got diabetes, she said she wouldn't put the diagnosis down on my record yet (?) but I was to have an annual retinopathy test. I am totally confused - this Hb1ac test is one point over the cut off point of 48? Does that equate to 6.6? I thought you had to be 7 to be diagnosed? If I address weight etc could I go back to normal and not have diabetes? If anyone could explain I'd v grateful. Apologies for long first post!!
 
No single test is wholly accurate and these cut offs eg. above 6.0 for a fasting test or above 40 for a HBA1c are really to be treated with caution. My fasting test was 9.9 and so my GP sent me for an HBA1c and that was something around 80. "There's not much doubt" was my GPs response. You on the other hand can in all probability get back into the safe zone with just a little effort. I managed it just on diet and exercise and there are many others on this forum who have done the same. What is important is that you do cut out the white flours, the white rice etc, ie avoid all the refined carbs, try to lose some weight and do become more active. If you start now, you have a good chance of being back below the cut off point in a few months. But, if you are, still keep up with the new programme. Don't fall back into bad old habits.
 
Thank you so much for your quick reply! So if my numbers go down a bit into non-diabetes range, does that mean I'm no longer a diabetic or just that I am but have levels under control?!
 
Felicity11 said:
Hi everyone
Only found this forum today. I was rung by a GP yesterday evening (not my usual GP) and told I had diabetes! My Hb1ac (?) was 49 and a non fasting blood sugar test was 6.3. She told me I was to lose weight, eat low carb, low protein and see the practice nurse. Having said I've got diabetes, she said she wouldn't put the diagnosis down on my record yet (?) but I was to have an annual retinopathy test. I am totally confused - this Hb1ac test is one point over the cut off point of 48? Does that equate to 6.6? I thought you had to be 7 to be diagnosed? If I address weight etc could I go back to normal and not have diabetes? If anyone could explain I'd v grateful. Apologies for long first post!!
Click to expand...
Hba1c is an average of your blood sugar levels over the the last couple (or few) months. Your Hba1c is nothing to get concerned about. but you could lower it. Just cut down on foods containing flour and/or sugar.

Accept the retinopathy test and all the other tests but don't worry about them. They tell you if any damage has occurred and with your readings I doubt if any has.

I question whether it is wise for the NHS to put this worry on you.

Have a nice day.
 
Felicity11 said:
Thank you so much for your quick reply! So if my numbers go down a bit into non-diabetes range, does that mean I'm no longer a diabetic or just that I am but have levels under control?!
Click to expand...

That is a question that gets debated around here quite a lot!

The truth is that we don't know, and the answer may be different for each of us.

However, if you control your symptoms with diet, a healthy level of exercise, and alter your diet to one that doesn't make you have high blood glucose levels, then... Does it matter? You will probably be fitter, healthier and live longer than if you had never been given the diabetes diagnosis. And that's gotta be a good thing...

In my case, the diet that works is low carb, but you will find that different diets work for different people, so don't stop looking til you find one that you enjoy, that keeps your BG levels down and that you find enjoyable. It has to be sustainable.
 
Hi Your figures indicate that you may have early diabetes. An HBa1C of 6.6 does need some action as anything over around 6 needs to be monitored. You need to aim to be near to 6.0 if you can and even a bit less is nice. Yes, if you low-carb and have some exercise you should be able to improve the figure and may be keep diabetes at bay for along time. It's good the GP says go low-carb as this is right for diabetes. I don't know where he got the idea that proteins should be kept low. He may be following some guidance that is suspect that having high proteins can damage the kidneys. This may be true if you have kidneys that aren't up to scratch or you pig-out on proteins. When you low-carb you normally need to increase proteins and fats a bit.
 
Thanks everyone for being so helpful. I have been worrying myself sick to be honest since being told. Don't think being told a diagnosis over the phone on a Friday helps!
Is early diabetes the same a pre-diabetes?
So sorry for all the questions!
 
Felicity11 said:
Thanks everyone for being so helpful. I have been worrying myself sick to be honest since being told. Don't think being told a diagnosis over the phone on a Friday helps!
Is early diabetes the same a pre-diabetes?
So sorry for all the questions!
Click to expand...

Don't worry, you've come to the right place. There's more helpful advice and common sense on this forum than you'll ever find at your doctor's surgery.

The diagnosis of diabetes is just a number picked by a committee, way back when. Some people believe that the number was chosen purely because if they made the number lower, it would cost more in treatment.

Who knows?

Nowadays we have 'normal people' with 'normal' BG levels and diabetics with abnormal BG levels. Prediabetics occupy the grey area between the two groups.

The reality is that we are all individuals, so I might get complications if my average blood glucose (hba1c) is 50, whereas you might not. Lots of reasons for that; overall health, age, other medical conditions, I have a lot of BG highs and lows, while your BG stays steady... Basically it just comes down to a lottery.

But we can definitely tilt the odds in our favour with diet, exercise, and (if necessary) medication.

I heartily recommend this website. It's a mine of fascinating and very helpful info.
http://www.bloodsugar101.com
 
Thank you everyone - I'm so glad I found this forum!
It's made me feel a lot more determined & positive.
I have also bought Patrick Holford's book 'Say No To Diabetes' which is really inspiring and has lots of dietary advice.
 
Hi and welcome,

As the others have said, you are only one point above the pre-diabetes range (and 8 points above the non-diabetic range) so you have been caught early. Your non-fasting glucose test of 6.3mmol/l can be ignored. It means nothing because it was non-fasting and because it was just a snap shot of what your level was at that time. Having said that, it wasn't too bad a reading for a random test. Your HbA1c of 49 equates to an average of 8.0mmol/l.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-units-converter.html

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
 
Thank you for that - really useful.
This is something I am very confused about - the charts I have seen for HbA1c levels put 49 as 6.6 mmol/l.... But is that wrong?
 
Felicity11 said:
Thank you for that - really useful.
This is something I am very confused about - the charts I have seen for HbA1c levels put 49 as 6.6 mmol/l.... But is that wrong?
Click to expand...

You have to look to see what the measurement units are. It can be confusing. 49 equates to 6.6% DCCT which is an old unit of measurement. The 49 IFCC replaced it. The 8mmol/l is the same measurement used in our home meters and also by the GP when he does a fasting or random blood test.
 
Thank you. After lots of reading, I think I may move to New Zealand as the diagnosis for diabetes starts at 50mmol/l !!!
 
Two years ago I had my gallbladder removed and due to the fat intolerance after that and the fact that I'm a veggie meant a high carb diet - which i now see has come back to bite me!
I am now focussing on a low carb diet and lose some weight. I bought monitor today and my reading was 5.4...
 
Felicity11 said:
Two years ago I had my gallbladder removed and due to the fat intolerance after that and the fact that I'm a veggie meant a high carb diet - which i now see has come back to bite me!
I am now focussing on a low carb diet and lose some weight. I bought monitor today and my reading was 5.4...
Click to expand...
not sure being a veggie is a huge disadvantage possibly difficult If you cant eat fat or carbs. You probably need to be aware of vitamin B12.
 
Yes sorry, i just meant i ate too many carbs and fat (lots of cheese!!) so piled on the weight.....no excuse really....
 
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