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I think this is good news?

coby

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,092
Location
Cheshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Social mixing most sport, Soaps!
Hello everyone

I have just had my very first diabetic review, just over five months after being diagnosed with Type 2.
Initially I was put on Metformin three times per day, but today the nurse told me that I can now drop that down to two each day ... morning and evening.
My weight has remained stable at 133 lbs since last March, and my BMI is 23.6
Before that my weight was around 150 lbs and wouldn't budge, and had been like that for five or six years!
My cholestrol has come down from 7.1 to 6.1 but is still classed as raised by my doctor who advises Statins ( I've refused)
I know the bad cholestrol is pretty high because the other 2 readings were both 1 something? ( I know I know .. should have asked for a printout but forgot) but the best news of the day was my blood sugars.
I got a 12 week reading of 5.4 ... which I only really know is good because the diabetic nurse said it would be the same as hers.
I was only about 6.8 to begin with though, so not high.
My BP WAS high though and always has been from as far back as I can recall. She took it FIVE times!
I've been given a BP monitor to record 25 readings and then return to the surgery, but does anyone else suffer with this and if so do you know what I can do/take to lower it please?
I would appreciate any advice to help me with this.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post.
 
there are a few medications that can help your BP if nothing else works....

if your BP has always been on the higher side regardless of diet etc then that may be the way to go......especially important for diabetics to keep stable....
 
My nurse is concerned about my blood pressure also. She is more worried than I am. I agree it is high in general but it gets a lot higher when I have my blood pressure measured by one of those pump up machines with a nurse on the end of it..

I was put on a 24 hour monitor which showed that things were not so bad but I still got pills. My nurse also gave me the paperwork which defined high blood pressure and according to that high blood pressure means that you NEVER go into the green zone (less that 140 systolic). Mine goes up and down, above and below so it is not such a worry but I still get pills.

To ensure that white coat syndrome was not a problem I bought my own 24 hr monitor and always take a report from that to the nurse. My aim would be to come off all pills.

I can lose more weight, drink more (always fine when drunk) but I am now slowly becoming of the opinion that since I feel dreadful on pills I would rather stop the pills and take my chances.
 
Well exercise would probably bring both your BP and cholesterol levels down. I get the white coat BP - when I measure at home it's down to about 110/70, but by the time I've got to the doctors it's up to around 130/80. I must try one day to get their 15 mins early and relax before I go in. Last time she only took after giving my HbA1c result (down from 66 to 38), so I was quite excited.
 

When diagnosed, my BP was elevated, but made worse by he same White Coat Syndrome others describe. Since I trimmed up and got my diabetes sorted out, my BP is now excellent, except for any time it is measured by anyone in the medical profession.

At the end of last year, when I had an operation, it looked like it would be cancelled on the say due to a raised blood pressure readings - the most elevated of which was in the anaesthetic room, when it was 210 over something equally high. When asked by the anaesthetist what was going on, I explained and offered him my home BP monitor which could demonstrate my more usual readings. His reaction was to say something like, "In that case, we'd best get you off to sleep and stop this nonsense.

Don't be too freaked out by it all. See what the 24 hour monitor shows, and I might be inclined to suggest a home BP monitor which wouldn't cost must (£20-30), and could be used to keep an eye on things.
 

I added consistent exercise (both cardio and resistance) and intermittent fasting and that caused my BP which was at 169/95 to fully correct to under 120/78.

Combo I think


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum
 
KevinPotts said:
I added consistent exercise (both cardio and resistance) and intermittent fasting and that caused my BP which was at 169/95 to fully correct to under 120/78.

Combo I think


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum
Click to expand...
That sounds wonderful but I wouldn't be able to do the fasting because I take Metformin with meals?
 
coby said:
I wouldn't be able to do the fasting because I take Metformin with meals?
Click to expand...

The advice to take Metformin with meals is only to stop or diminish any side effects.

I had no issues taking Metformin, and frequently took it at different times to my meals (usually because I forgot)

Before I stopped taking it, I had already started the occasional 24 hour fats and had no issues doing this.
 
The NHS recommend a daily intake of 3500 mg of potassium a day. http://bit.ly/29gfB8r Which is a lot for someone not eating fruit and root vegetables. Potassium helps regulate the sodium in your body to reduce blood pressure. http://bit.ly/1fpbC6c
I've been using potassium supps from Amazon for a few weeks and my BP dropped from 154/84 to 120/66 last week. http://amzn.to/29qPnmN
 
I do eat a banana every day. I would be afraid to take pills not prescribed by my doctor, in case of side effects
 
coby said:
I do eat a banana every day. I would be afraid to take pills not prescribed by my doctor, in case of side effects
Click to expand...

Do bananas raise your BS levels? I imagine they do as they are instant glucose, which is why tennis players used to eat them between games. There is no need to rely on bananas for potassium.

Here is a list of foods that contain potassium, taken from the NHS Choices website.
Good sources of potassium
Potassium is found in most types of food. Good sources of potassium include:
  • fruit – such as bananas
  • some vegetables – such as broccoli, parsnips and brussel sprouts
  • pulses
  • nuts and seeds
  • fish
  • shellfish
  • beef
  • chicken
  • turkey
 
coby said:
That sounds wonderful but I wouldn't be able to do the fasting because I take Metformin with meals?
Click to expand...
Those 'things' that come with metformin are mitigated by taking with food, and that came true for me on Very Low Cal days, in the end I didnt take a Metformin if I hadnt eaten. In my case it did not have a negative impact on my BG levels, and in fact fasting helps bring mine down
 
I also suffer with white coat Syndrome .... Had the 24 hr and my BP was fine !!!!!
 
Enclave said:
I also suffer with white coat Syndrome .... Had the 24 hr and my BP was fine !!!!!
Click to expand...
Hi, When you say that you have 'reversed your type 2' does that mean you don't have diabetes any longer? I got the impression from my doctor that it's a life long illness once you have it so now I'm confused!
 
coby said:
Hi, When you say that you have 'reversed your type 2' does that mean you don't have diabetes any longer? I got the impression from my doctor that it's a life long illness once you have it so now I'm confused!
Click to expand...

There are loads of debates on this throughout the forum if you do a search.. One thing that sticks out is most people believe it can't be cured. People prefer to use "reversed" or "in remission". Basically, it is life long, but can be controlled to the stage where you are in remission. Note the word controlled. Slip back to old ways and we can be back where we started. There are one or two people on here that have gone back to eating carbs, but most of us find that when we try, our levels spike just like before. Plenty on here have been in remission for a while and have come off all meds and been taken off the diabetic register. However, they know they still need to control what they eat in order to remain that way.
 
Thank you for explaining that to me so well. I must be the worst person in the world for being able to understand this crazy new world that diabetes has thrust me into! So much still confuses me ... even 5 months into having the condition. I still don't get the carb thing, the diet, or the fact that doctors say one thing and on here say different
 

Nor do I, after 2 and a half years of being a regular on this forum! You are not alone. We are all learning new stuff by the day.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Nor do I, after 2 and a half years of being a regular on this forum! You are not alone. We are all learning new stuff by the day.
Click to expand...
I'm so glad to hear that. It's nice to know I'm not the only one
 
I am with those researchers who believe that for diabetes and arterial disease, the lipids that matter are HDL and triglycerides (TG), not LDL. All three are included in the lipid profile test.

My total lipoprotein ("cholesterol") used to be 6.6, with LDL 4.4 (I didn't think the 4.4 was a problem). I took up exercise, and after a year of walking twice as far daily as before, LDL fell to 2.5. Now, I should add resistance training. Also, HDL rose, and more HDL is better. Statins can have nasty effects.

The top factor for diabetics to control is blood pressure. All the professional diabetology literature seems to agree on this. Everybody should aim for below 120/80, but doubly so for diabetics.

With my new exercise, A1c fell from 46 to 36. (Then it went up some, alas.)
 
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