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Husband newly diagnosed Hbac1 127 so many questions

K

kikic

Member
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6
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi everybody, hope you all had a good xmas and new year ?
My husband was diagnosed with type 2 about 4 weeks ago. Hbac1 at 127. He was only diagnosed because he had several other health problems and they was checking for cancer ect to find out why he had a weight loss of 3.10 stone in 4 month.
Lucky for us it is not cancer
The new diagnosis of diabetes ( GP believes he has been u diagnosed for about 12 month ) is still somewhat scary and I am looking for advice.
Medical history heart attack 2021 and diagnosis of arterial fibrillation
I believe a Hbac1 of 127 is very high ?
2 days ago we spend all day in A&E as his GP thought he may have DK. He was discharged so not DK.
So my questions if any body can help.
Should he be provided with glucose testing strips from his GP , how do we monitor his levels ? Currently he is on 2000mg Metformin the nurse mentioned possibly putting him on insulin and Jardiance as well ?
Anybody been on jardiance ?
I am aware we need to make lifestyle changes although he already eats healthy since his heart attack. He is 6 foot 3 and weighs 16.6 lbs
He has been feeling constantly tired and eye sight has deteriorate, how long is it likely to take to get his levels down from being this high ?
How are people coping with anxiety arround the diagnosis ? Most mornings he feels like he cant even face work, he is a teacher and his job can be very stressful.
Sorry for such a long post just so many questions and want to do everything I can to support him
 
Hi @kikic I had a coronary bypass (but no heart attack) 2 yrs before being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and The diet they suggest after that is just the opposite of what a Type 2 diabetic needs to eat i order to reverse it.

Since I was on a supposedly 'heart healthy' (high whole grains, low fat, high fruit etc.) diet for around 10yrs before my bypass, I know that it probably had little protective effect, so once diagnosed with Type 2 I ditched all the grains, fruit, and most carbs in general in favour of the type of Higher Fat , low carb food I used to eat 40 to 60 yrs ago.
 
ianf0ster said:
Hi @kikic I had a coronary bypass (but no heart attack) 2 yrs before being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and The diet they suggest after that is just the opposite of what a Type 2 diabetic needs to eat i order to reverse it.

Since I was on a supposedly 'heart healthy' (high whole grains, low fat, high fruit etc.) diet for around 10yrs before my bypass, I know that it probably had little protective effect, so once diagnosed with Type 2 I ditched all the grains, fruit, and most carbs in general in favour of the type of Higher Fat , low carb food I used to eat 40 to 60 yrs
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Hi Ian thank you for the reply yes husband is on wholegrain, plenty of fruit and very low fat. I am aware that some fruits contain high sugar so will take especially the grapes of him.
Suppose it will be a lot about relearning again what to eat
 
Hi it’s such a shock getting diagnosed and the life style changes you have to make
My hbac1 was 130 when I got diagnosed it took 3 month to get to 62 if that helps
 
Mezza n said:
Hi it’s such a shock getting diagnosed and the life style changes you have to make
My hbac1 was 130 when I got diagnosed it took 3 month to get to 62 if that helps
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Hi Mezza glad to hear it has reduced was you offered anything to help monitor at home ? Can I ask if it was treated with metformin only?
 
I think you may need to self fund the blood glucose meter and test strips but suggest it is worth it. You will find the sort of things which cause high blood glucose and other foods he can tolerate.
He will need to talk with his medical support team about what is possible/advisable, and it may be necessary to adjust other medications.
 
@kikic my sympathy to you and your husband and I can well understand the anxiety.
kikic said:
Should he be provided with glucose testing strips from his GP , how do we monitor his levels ?
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I think it varies by GP practice. Most of us type 2s feel it should be provided but not all practices do provide. I like many self-fund. The following thread is specifically on this topic and has useful links to companies who provide monitors and strips:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/th...een-told-to-self-monitor.190917/#post-2541911

The way to monitor levels is to take readings just before eating and 2 hours after eating. I also take fasting reading first thing in the morning as do many on here. It is helpful to keep a record and a note of what was eaten at each meal so you can identify what foods cause the biggest rises in blood glucose and avoid them.

kikic said:
He has been feeling constantly tired and eye sight has deteriorate, how long is it likely to take to get his levels down from being this high ?
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I also had very high levels at diagnosis and the biggest difference was completely cutting out sugars and all refined carbs (bread, rice, pasta) and starchy vegetables (potatoes, etc) and most other carbs (cereals and fruit juices tend to have very high carbs). It took me only a a couple of weeks to see my test strip readings come down rapidly. The test strips readings tell you your blood sugar at that moment, but do not tell your HBA1C though as that requires a lab to get the result and it reflects the average blood sugar over 3 months or so - I had tests at 3 months and 6 months and at each there was significant improvement. I have been steady ever since. I think however, everyone has a different experience and some take longer/quicker.

kikic said:
How are people coping with anxiety arround the diagnosis ? Most mornings he feels like he cant even face work, he is a teacher and his job can be very stressful.
Sorry for such a long post just so many questions and want to do everything I can to support him
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It is tricky but I think getting support like you are on here is a great step. Perhaps the school as his employer can also help though it is difficult as a school cannot defer classes. I did find seeing the blood sugar strip readings coming down help with the anxiety too in the early days.
 
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Thank you diablo
That really is helpful and very much appreciated
 
Hi @kikic !
Lots of excellent advice has been offered so far and it will take you, and your husband, a while to digest it all. The one key action is to start monitoring blood glucose with a meter and keeping notes of how different foods and activities impact glucose levels. Your husband is a teacher so he will know how valuable positive reinforcement is, so if he sets himself TATS (tiny attainable targets) for gradually improving his glucose levels, I'm pretty sure it would help make him feel that he is in control of his diabetes rather than diabetes being in control of him.
 
kikic said:
Hi Mezza glad to hear it has reduced was you offered anything to help monitor at home ? Can I ask if it was treated with metformin only?
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Hi yes I am just on metformin tablets and I bought my own meter to monitor myself so I could see what foods were no no’s and what I could eat without a rise in glucose. I don’t understand why they don’t offer glucose monitors ( obv costs) but how else can you what foods are working and what’s not.
 
kikic said:
Hi Mezza glad to hear it has reduced was you offered anything to help monitor at home ? Can I ask if it was treated with metformin only?
Click to expand...

Hi yes I am just on metformin tablets and I bought my own meter to monitor myself so I could see what foods were no no’s and what I could eat without a rise in glucose. I don’t understand why they don’t offer glucose monitors ( obv costs) but how else can you see what foods are working and what’s not.
 
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Hello and welcome @kikic

Your husband is very lucky to have you to give him help and support :)

I also think you have found the best place in the world to get information and advice about diabetes.

So I agree with what previous posters have said You should get a meter for your husband and he should test regularly. I have a pretty stressful job so be aware that things like stress, sleeplessness and illness can also affect a person's blood sugar levels- so my approach has been to control my diet as much as possible as I can't control the other stuff well if at all.

I'm in Australia and self fund my meter and strips- for me they are an investment in my health and wellbeing. I am fortunate that we are able to do so without any real financial concerns. I know that isn't the case for everyone. What I will say is that at the beginning I tested obsessively I now test much more infrequently. I know what foods I can eat safely and what foods I can't eat at all and what is in between which I need to be careful of.
So you will find the first few months the most 'test strip heavy' months.

I was on mertformin but am now diet controlled only. I have gone very low carb. I find I crave carbs less the lower my carb intake is. I found it a difficult transition but the advice and support people gave me here and my amazing husband as well made all the difference. The medical advice I received was to eat 'healthy carbs'. My husband was a sceptic of the very low carb approach until my meter showed that that approach brought my levels back into the normal range. He is now fully onboard with my need to be very low carb. And it is carbs- not just sugars but all carbs.

Anyway please keep posting and reading and asking questions. People here are only to willing to provide support and suggestions.

Welcome and good luck to you and your husband :)
 
Hi,







Sounds very similar to my journey into being diagnosed as diabetic.







i was given 2 blood test machines,1 tested sugar levels and 1 tested ketones. I was given the ketones tester as my sugar levels where high 20s and apparently over 14mmol you can get ketones, all i know about ketones is they are bad and require hospitaI. I was initially put on glixide tablets that tablets they help produce insulin I was on them for a month then I was put on 2000mg of meta now down to 1000mg.







I totally cut out all sugar and cut carbs right down, no white rice or white bread as I found them to be ruthless. Best thing I did was buy myself 2 months worths of libre devices expensive but well worth it. I was also signed off work I have been off 4 months now, due to my job being mega stressful and rarely have time to eat or drink or visit the lav. My eyesight bizarrely went perfect for 2 weeks after 20 years of glasses but it has eventually settled now and I'm back to wearing glasses it took over 3 months to settle though its now .worse than pre diagnosis I have found that eating 6 small portions of food a day has levelled my sugars right out I don't go from hyper to hypo any more
 
There is an opposing view to the above about frequency of eating.
I and many others in remission got there by Low Carb plus eating fewer meals and no snacks. Once we get 'fat adapted' i.e. able to switch to using our own body ft as fuel at will, then we found that we didn't feel hungry sometimes when a mealtime occurred. SO we just skiped that meal.
Personally I eat 2 meals per day (skipping Breakfast) on weekdays and have just one per day on weekends and holidays when I have the time to eat a longer, larger meal.
The theory behind eating fewer meals (even if the same calories as before) is that it gives the body a longer rest from insulin production (to deal with the carbs) and so helps bring us back from being insulin resistant !
 
One question. Did they actually do tests to ascertain type, or just make the type 2 assumption? Age is no barrier to type 1 and that should be ruled out in view of the weight loss.
 
becca59 said:
One question. Did they actually do tests to ascertain type, or just make the type 2 assumption? Age is no barrier to type 1 and that should be ruled out in view of the weight loss.
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No test they are just assuming type 2
 
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