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carldon14

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Hi, I was diagnosed last October after getting routine bloods taken by new doctor in Norway.
My blood glucose was 16.5 and my overall percentage was 10.5%. Since then, I have avoided starchy white carbs and really watched what I have eaten. My levels are coming down, but I do notice if I don't have breakfast, they are high in the morning. I am 51 years old and I have started heading towards the menopause. It's really interesting to see that since my periods have stopped, I have been diagnosed. Is this just a coincidence or do female hormones trigger the onset of diabetes? I had a thorough eye test last February and the eye doctor never mentioned diabetes and just told me I had thicker than average corneas which had been showing a higher than normal IOP measurement.

I should have also mentioned that the doctor did only 2 blood tests and didn't see the point in doing any more as she thought my levels were too high. She gave me a monitor and a prescription for test strips and Meformin. Initially, I started on 1 x 500 mg for the first week then upped to 1000mg which I have been taking since November. Have to say, the side effects from the Metformin were pretty vile but stick with it as the side effects do abate. What I have noticed, is that over here in Norway, after paying for the initial prescription, everything, including test strips and lancets are free on repeat prescription.

So far, I have lost 5 kilos and my average blood glucose reading is around 7.3, I also have noticed, that sticking to a low carb diet has certainly helped but would be interested to see how low GI foods worked i.e, brown rice and pasta? I suppose everyone is different and if you don't have a monitor and test strips, really try to get one, as testing is the only way you'll find out what spikes your bg.

Carldon14

Sorry for all the questions, but it looks like I've found a great site!
:?:
 
Hi There
welcome to the forum !
i can only speak from a male point of view but i think that type 2 diabetes is more to do with middle age than any other major changes in body chemistry, but thats only a guess!!!
there will be someone along with a lot more knowlege and experience to give some advice I'm sure, in the meantime sounds like you have been doing all the right things anyway, its mostly about common sense and sensible diet, i know it took me a while to realise that my medication wasn't an excuse to have the foods i shouldn't thinking it would take care of things, and it was only when i adjusted my diet that my blood figures really started to drop to realistic levels, at the last check my levels were at 6.1 so am happy with that but ideally i would like to be in the 5's
but my doctor did reduce my metformin and changed me to the slow release tablets and that really sorted the horrible side effects !!!
any other questions please just post them, usually someone who can answer them


best regards
Crofty
 
Hi Crofty,

Thanks for the reply. Before being diagnosed, I honestly thought I was having a healthy diet ! How wrong can you be? We were having Activita yoghurts for breakfast with vast amounts of fruit, no wonder my blood sugars were spiking as Activita has 16 different sugars in on small pot!

This diagnosis has been a learning curve and I've been amazed to learn how many carbs there are in fruit and vegetables. Bread and rice always left me feeling bloated so I don't miss them. I only miss bread when I fancy something on toast! I substitute this with celery and carrot batons.

Like yourself, my grand ambition is to get down under 5 and stay level. Exercise definitely helps but we have masses of snow at the moment and it's treacherous underfoot, especially with 2 dogs to control. I have taken to the exercise bike and really notice a reduction in my blood glucose levels after about 30 mins of hard cycling!

Thanks for taking the time to answer this post.

Carldon14.
 
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