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HbA1c - risen to 73

B

babyflowers

Member
Messages
22
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I wonder if anyone can give me any advice please. My father is T2 diabetic and has been for about 30 years (he is now 73) - this has been managed by metformin. In 2015 his level was 55 and today he was told it was 73 (at the last check 8 months ago it was 72). Going from 55 to 73 in 4 years seems dreadful to me and seems like he should be on something else together with the metformin as up to now, all the Dr has done is increase his metformin. He is not overweight but doesn't/can't exercise much because of arthritis in his knees.

Can anyone advise as to whether 73 is a dangerously high level and what he should/could do about this - he already has a healthy diet (but does eat small portions of brown pasta/bread/basmati rice). The Dr just said to go again in 3 months time.

Ideally i think he needs to see a diabetic nutrionalist (if this exists) as he doesn't really know what to eat/not to eat. He could pay to go private if this would be of benefit.

Any advise would be great as I am now really worried about him. Many thanks
 
Can you tell us what he eats? I expect we can provide pointers to help him bring his levels back down. However, no promises. My personal recommendation would be to look at a low carb diet (have a look at the LCHF forum section for recipe ideas).
 
Cereal or toast for breakfast (not good i think), sandwich/soup for lunch and a dinner that would generally include some carbs like wholewheat pasta/potatoes/basmati rice - does he need to cut this out completely?

Is it very difficult to get from 73 to the recommended level for him of 53?

Thanks
 
I am a Type 2 just over 10 years younger than your dad also on metformin and I also have a knee problem that limits my exercise. For me pasta, bread, rice or root vegetables or breakfast cereal even in small portions would send my blood glucose levels equally high.
For me Low Carb High Fat eating and home testing before and after meals enabled me to bring my HBa1c results right down. My cholesterol results are also better.

It might not be the solution thats suits your dad,'s condition but it worked for me.
 
If your Dad is an internet user, maybe he would like to join the forum and learn about dietary changes and home blood glucose testing directly? If not, we can still help you with info and advice. A level of 73 is too high and it means the glucose will be doing some damage to his body. It is possible to get the level right down in 3-6 months with a different diet.

I'm afraid his doctor has not been much help so far, possibly because he doesn't know much about diabetes, which is quite common among doctors, unfortunately.
 
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