I had my latest HbA1c result last week, at 5.4. The previous two were 5.6 and 5.4 respectively and i take one 500mg of Metformin twice a day, primarily to control fierce DP.
But this time my cholesterol had risen even though i cant think of any real reason for that, as i continue to watch what i eat, exercise and generally be careful.
This morning i saw my GP and we discussed all this and my tendency now to drop 'low' late mornings or if i have been especially active or even missed a meal-time.
Interestingly, she felt that going low as i have been (and have been doing so in the night, too) has had an adverse impact on my cholesterol. She suggested that each time my levels drop, my body rushes to reverse the situation and the resultant bounce causes more cholesterol to be formed/retained.
She also felt that i am too tightly controled and that allowing my levels to rise a little wont harm me and might well improve my cholesterol levels, whilst reducing the number of lows i experience. She said that being too tightly controled did produce excellent BG levels and HbA1cs but that the rest of my body got stressed.
So, in the spirit of trying things, we have reduced my medicine from the 1000mg per day to 850mg per day, in one tablet, and i will increase slightly my food intake. This is a 3-month trial to see how it effects me overall and she'll take another blood test at the end of the trial to see how my cholesterol and overall control is going.
And i'll continue to monitor my levels now and then although i dont obsess and i dont check daily. I prefer instead to test randomly and when i feel unwell, lethargic, 'spacey' or after new foods. In other words, i dont test regularly but i do test reactively and proactively. I'll test my morning levels after the new drug regime has had a chance to kick in.
The low carb approach certainly works well for lowering and keeping low, the BG levels but i remain somewhat sceptical. I think there needs to be a middle course in order to keep the whole body working in harmony, diabetes being a disease not wholly understood as yet, notwithstanding. And i know that we each have to find and follow our own path in our dealings with the disease. My abiding feeling when i read the many proponents' posts online in fora such as this is that there is a tendency for hard-liners to push their low-carb gospel just a little too much. Yes, it works for many but i would suggest it works at the detriment to other aspects of life and a more moderate course might prove, perhaps not as strikingly effective as far as simple numbers goes, but good enough overall for quality of life to be achieved.
We're all concerned about the dire consequences of poor diabetes control. There is no doubting the appalling damage that can be caused, however, there is damage caused by the stress of always worrying, always being so fiercely on guard against carbs. I'm thinking of the damage to daily life, to family meals, eating out, celebrations, holidays and simply relaxing. My view, formed in the 14 months since diagnosis, is that yes, we need take this disease seriously but at the same time we need to live and humans need to eat. Carbohydrates are needed by the body. Fighting to keep BG levels close to those of a non-diabetic is all very well but at such a high cost that i question the long-term benefits.
Ho hum, that is my view anyway and here is as good a place to state it!
Getting off my own soap-box now!
bunty
