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Hello from Graham.
- Thread starter Grahamu
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Clivethedrive
Well-Known Member
Hi grahamu, welcome and very well done on losing 2 stones already, your hba1c reading is very good too, equals 6.2 mmol/ l this is a good level, most of the long time posters on here aim to be in the 5% club so as to be close to near normal as possible. I take it your lchf already, feel free to ask as many q's as you want,and someone will give you a reply,
Daibell
Master
Hi Graham. I guess you are wondering why your HBa1C has gone up? Can you let us know how old you are and whether you were or still are overweight.
Robinredbreast
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Hello and welcome to the forum grahamu 
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Bluetit1802
Legend
Sorry to disagree Clive. An HbA1c of 48 equates to 7.8mmol/l, so although not a bad level, not quite as good as you thought!
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-units-converter.html
Bluetit1802
Legend
Hi Graham and welcome.
When you were diagnosed, were you told to avoid sugary things but eat lots of wholemeal and carbs, maybe even a banana with porridge? If you have been doing this, this is the reason for your increased HbA1c. With type 2 the key to control is a suitable diet, and one that contains as few carbs as possible. Bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes are the worst culprits, and we also need to be careful with milk and fruit. All carbs convert to glucose once in the system, some as soon as you take your first bite. Glucose is what we don't want, so it makes sense not to eat too many carbs!
I would suggest you buy yourself a blood glucose meter and strips so you can test your levels before and after a meal and see for yourself what is happening. With a meter you will learn which foods your body can tolerate and which it can't. We all have different tolerance levels. If you decide to get one, let us know and we''ll help you.
Have a good read round and ask questions. Meanwhile @daisy1 will be along with some advice for new members.
When you were diagnosed, were you told to avoid sugary things but eat lots of wholemeal and carbs, maybe even a banana with porridge? If you have been doing this, this is the reason for your increased HbA1c. With type 2 the key to control is a suitable diet, and one that contains as few carbs as possible. Bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes are the worst culprits, and we also need to be careful with milk and fruit. All carbs convert to glucose once in the system, some as soon as you take your first bite. Glucose is what we don't want, so it makes sense not to eat too many carbs!
I would suggest you buy yourself a blood glucose meter and strips so you can test your levels before and after a meal and see for yourself what is happening. With a meter you will learn which foods your body can tolerate and which it can't. We all have different tolerance levels. If you decide to get one, let us know and we''ll help you.
Have a good read round and ask questions. Meanwhile @daisy1 will be along with some advice for new members.
Clivethedrive
Well-Known Member
Thanks well spottedSorry to disagree Clive. An HbA1c of 48 equates to 7.8mmol/l, so although not a bad level, not quite as good as you thought!
daisy1
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@Grahamu
Hello Graham and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope it will be helpful to you. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to answer.
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 130,000 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 Graham and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope it will be helpful to you. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to answer.
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 130,000 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.
K
Kat100
Guest
Hello and nice to meet you
Lots to read and think about , lots of support and ideas here ...kat
Lots to read and think about , lots of support and ideas here ...kat
Hi there
Thanks for the good advice.
I also got mixed up with the hba1c units I think my reading is 7.8 mmol/l
My diet consists of non starchy non rooted vegetables. Mainly sprouts and cabbage.
No bread, pasta , rice etc.
No fruit juice mainly blueberries.
I haven't worried about saturated fats on advice from the U.S.
Mainly protein meat eggs
Many avocados.
I do drink quite a lot of coffee.
My total cholesterol is low 4.8.
I exercise regularly.
Maybe there is some other factor .
I am seeing the diabetic nurse on Thursday.
Thanks for the good advice.
I also got mixed up with the hba1c units I think my reading is 7.8 mmol/l
My diet consists of non starchy non rooted vegetables. Mainly sprouts and cabbage.
No bread, pasta , rice etc.
No fruit juice mainly blueberries.
I haven't worried about saturated fats on advice from the U.S.
Mainly protein meat eggs
Many avocados.
I do drink quite a lot of coffee.
My total cholesterol is low 4.8.
I exercise regularly.
Maybe there is some other factor .
I am seeing the diabetic nurse on Thursday.
Daibell
Master
Hi. Thanks for the info. Sometimes posters who have increasing blood sugar are young and slim have a different diabetes diagnosis from normal T2. At the moment continue with the low carb diet and it looks like some medication may be needed if the blood sugar continues to increase
Patricia21
Well-Known Member
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Hello and welcome.
Bluetit1802
Legend
Your diet sounds perfect. Have you been ill at all during that period your HbA1c covered? On other medication such as anti biotics or steroids? On statins? Have you been under any stress? All these things can contribute to raised levels.
