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Introduce Yourself: Answer Some Personal Questions

Hi David if it makes you feel better my levels were really high before joining this forum. I am on the same meds as you my BS started out at almost 29 it is now down to average 7 this is after just two weeks. I have teamed this with cutting out carbs from my diet and stopping alcohol too. I have lost around 7 kilos in 7 weeks and feel so much better. It’s really hard but I think that you now know your BS levels this is a great start. My advice would be don’t rely on the drugs alone and don’t get too hung up with daily reading comparisons you should start to see a gradual reduction good luck Ali
 
I (male aged 73) was diagnosed Type 2 in mid-December, with HbA1C of 74 after some years hovering in the high 40s. At diagnosis I weighed 82kg with a BMI of nearly 26 and waist-to-hip ratio of 1.05. I modified eating and exercise habits and now weigh 75kg with BMI of 24 and waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95. I have done some 14-hour fasting glucose self tests giving average readings of 6 mmol/litre, but don't know what best interpretation to make of these. My next HbA1C test will be in April - no idea what to expect. Hopefully less than 74! I have had huge support from this organisation, incomparable. But no support or advice from GP surgery other than "lose some weight, do more exercise", no advice on targets, timescales, methods, self-testing and no literature or education at all, not even a leaflet. But, the NHS is under a lot of strain and I am not complaining, just expressing how much of a do-it-yourself business it might be for many who are newly-diagnosed. All advice would be welcome. This is my first post here, please forgive any infelicities.
 
Hello @chrisjohnh Much the same I am finding but it's really been good for me to seek out help from others with Diabetes. I'm kind of a "research" nut and enjoy digging into something, and this time, it could be as important as life or death imo. I am so glad we are both here, and for me, things are working so good. My choice was leave the pills behind, and eat what is recommended, mostly Keto, or just, plain low-carb. Mines been under 33 grams a day. My numbers are improving and my exercise is also getting a bit more intense. Only 30 minutes, but I am blessed to have 2 stairwells in my apartments and I use them, as well as, on dry days, doing laps walking around the building.

I am surprisingly losing my appetite for anything sugar, and anything above 5g's of Carb per serving. I eat meats and as much fish as I can get (good wild-caught at amazing prices at our discount market) above ground vegies (I had no idea a vegetable could have too many carbs for "my liking" in my new way of eating), dairy, fats (healthy ones) and low-carb fruits. I'm not too good at fruits, but I try to eat just a few. I really like and find blueberries frozen.

I am 68 btw, and was just diagnosed Jan. 20, 2021 It may sound weird to say this but I have to be honest. I am actually happier since being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I was scared at first, but it is changing my life for the good. It's too bad it took that much to get me straightened out, but it's happening now and that's what counts. PS I am starting to get into baking as the breads I use to eat were not good for me. There are so many yummy recipes, and I think I can safely say honestly, I feel so much younger. I have a long way to go, the rest of my life. I know this can't be a get fixed and go back thing and I don't want to in any way,
 
Thank you so much Denise for your kind reply and feedback. If I correctly read your starting HbA1C in January as 7.0% (53 mmols/mol) does this mean that you were only very marginally diabetic, just above the standard threshold? My equivalent figure in December was 8.9%, well above the threshold.
Chris (in UK)
 
yes, but also, my US guidelines say I should be between 4.2 and 5.7 mmol/l. I know you will get replies from others that have different numbers and I know I've read some that were very high and they have succeeded as well. I want to also say, if things don't go well for me w/o the Metformin, I will definitely use it

You are so welcome,

PS oops, one more thing, I learned here that the 7.0 was an average, the HBA1C labwork so I was very nervous after understanding that.
 
Ganire said:
Hi everyone I’m Pete, 50 years old from London and been diagnosed yesterday with type 2 diabetes.
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Hello Pete,

Glad you found the forum. I've been helped immensely here. I'm fairly new as well, just 3 weeks into the new journey
 
Hi, there. I'm dealing with type 2 diabetes. I discovered it about 2 years ago. Do you have any suggestions concerning the most common complications? Thank you in advance!
 
Hello All,


- What is your name? Dawn
- How old are you? 43
- Are you male or female? F
- Which country are you from? USA
- Which city/area do you live in? MD
- Are you religious? In the sense that I believe in a higher entity, yes, and I try to live by most of the tenets of what I was taught as Christianity such as charity and love, but not in the sense that I attend a church at this point or would describe myself as anything other than Eclectic
- Pick three words to describe your personality. Realistically optimistic, chaotic
- Do you have any pets? 3 cats
- Microsoft or Apple? microsoft and android
- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play? Video games
- Do you get angry easily? only with my 13 year old when they're being .... 13
- Do you have any tattoos or piercings? If so, where? Ears, total of 3 extra holes, one healed over waaaay too quickly, thus the odd number
- List your five favourite musicians/bands. Evanescence, Musicals (in general), Ave Q and Rent specific, Lindsey Sterling, Post Modern Jukebox, Pentatonix
- What would you say your favourite music genre is? musicals or random
- What is your favourite flag? pride
- Ever gone camping? yup
- Ever been in love? yup
- Ever used fake tan? nope
- Which countries have you visited? UK, France, Canada
- Favourite city? London
- List your five favourite TV programmes. HGTV and DIY (property bros, ect), Food or Cooking (almost everything), Dr Who, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Bones, Haven
- List your five favourite films. 5th Element, umm...like a lot of them, trying to think of faves, Captain Marvel, White Christmas, honestly I've lost a lot of my focus over the years so I fast forward through even my favorites
- Are you wealthy? Middle class at the most
- Do you work? If so, as what? Yes, IT/Customer support for a hospitality software
- List the subjects you study/have studied. :laughing: right, no focus here, so.... officially: Engineering, stage management, childhood edu, programming... unofficially on my own? several languages that I have bits of, accounting, finance, taxes, photography, other programming langs, ect, ect, ect.... actually finished? none
- What do you like most about yourself? personality
- What do you like least about yourself? self esteem
 
oh, and I've just been diag Type 2, adding that to PCOS (3 years ago), and then high BP, high Chol, and everything else along with. Potentially ADHD (realized after my kiddo was diag and I started looking at the traits and going huh) but I didn't get to a psych to figure it out before last March, sooooo.....

Trying mostly to learn how to eat for the whole combo and cook for the whole family, having the hardest time getting un-addicted to bread/crackers/pasta/ect. Trying to switch to the more whole grain for bread and wheat type for the pasta but...:Wry smile:
 
I have no idea if this will work but here goes..
- What is your name?
Pete
- How old are you?
67 << I look at that and think, really? I don't feel that age..
- Are you male or female?
Male
- Which country are you from?
England
- Which city/area do you live in?
Blackburn, the Northern English one
- Are you religious?
No
- Pick three words to describe your personality.
Practical - (former engineer, still tinkering), Curious - (as in, how does that work?) and Erudite - (I love books)
- Do you have any pets?
2 - pet hates and pet loves, do they count? No cat, dog, budgie or goldfish here.
- Microsoft or Apple?
I can't afford Apple! Am on a pension here, so it's Microsoft and Freewares for me.
- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play?
Sport bores the backside off me but I try to keep up, for the sake of pub conversations.
I can explain the offside rule, unlike some that I know, especially illegitimate blind referees!
- Do you get angry easily?
I used to get 'roid rages, without the steroids but am mellowing with age.
I tend to laugh at situations that used to rile me.
- Do you have any tattoos or piercings? If so, where?
No but I got a temporary tattoo, years ago.
- List your five favourite musicians/bands.
Police, UB40, Dire Straits, The Jam and Portsmouth Sinfonia (because they make me smile..)
Very special mention here, for the little known, Rachel Yamagata, who just writes songs that speak to me.
- What would you say your favourite music genre is?
Am stuck in the 80's, I think.
- What is your favourite flag?
If you mean, rag up a pole, not got one but, Flag is a type of brown sauce, sold in the NAAFI shop, used in place of HP or Heinz.
- Ever gone camping?
Not me, Sailor! Did 15 years in the Army, that puts you off camping for life!
- Ever been in love?
Yes, twice. First time with a childhood sweetheart that I managed to marry and have two children. She died of Cancer. It's specific name I can't remember but it's best to think of it as a lot of brain tumours; sort of like someone tips a tin of beans in your brain, highly inoperable but painless, which is a blessing.
Second love was a Polish woman, who left me to go back home after her Father had a stroke. We still keep in touch but the heat has gone out of that passion.
- Ever used fake tan?
No, as I tan very easily. When I go on holiday, in the Winter, when it's cheaper, I've got a tan within 3 days. After a fortnight, they scrutinise my passport, really carefully, as I'm far too dark to match the pasty photo.
- Which countries have you visited?
The Army took me to Northern Ireland, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Oman.
After that, I worked for a company that sent me to Brazil, US, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, China and India.
After I retired, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura. I try to stay in Peutro Rico de Gran Canaria for a month, as you all freeze over here. UK temp is around 32F, over there it's about 32C.. Fan heaters for you, fans for me!
- Favourite city?
Rome. Took my wife for a week. "Ooh look, it's the Colleseum", I said. She looks up from her Jackie Collins book, spots the scaffolding on the building and says, "It'll be nice when it's finished.."
- List your five favourite TV programmes.
Got me there, as I don't own a TV. Watch a lot of YouTube, some Amazon movies and all the BBC iPlayer documentaries.
- List your five favourite films.
Ben Hur, Spartacus, Troy, 300 and of course, Apollo 13. I own the box sets of the Dr Lecter movie trilogy and the TV series, Hannibal. I have the TV series of The Sopranos, after I saw one episode and got hooked.
- Are you wealthy?
Wealth has no appeal to me, as I live well within my means. State Pension and a Private Pension that I use to finance my Grandsons' University expenses. He studying Forensic Sciences.
- Do you work? If so, as what?
Now and again, as the mood takes me. I operate a Telehandler, a specialist tool for lifting things into awkward places, normal FLT - counterbalance and reach, Traffic Marshal and rarely, Clerk of Works.
- List the subjects you study/have studied.
O level, Woodwork.
A level, English Lit, Chemistry, Math, Physics, History and Geography.
MA in Mechanical Engineering
BSc(Hons) in Engineering
Advanced ECDL
Fist Aid, inc CPR and AED
plus a lot more from college courses through the Winter nights. College is great place to meet educated women!
- What do you like most about yourself?
My ability to be told something and say nothing. Then do the research to find out that they were talking rubbish.
- What do you like least about yourself?
Impatience, especially in dealing with Customer Service Reps, who read what it says on the screen and can't/won't think out of the box! Trained chimps, who couldn't get a proper job! Rant over..

I think I've given a good account of myself here but if you feel you want to ask something relevant/irrelevant, fire away.
This computer does not say, NO!

(Edited by mod)
 
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Hello Pete, I think you're the first UK person to appear on this thread after me. I was diagnosed in December and am on a do-it-yourself regime aiming to get into remission. Have you had any useful advice from your GP?
Chris.
 
Luvly said:
Thank you. I'm new to this forum. Still exploring it x
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I didn't know how to navigate to write on the site. I have been here for a while, a couple of years a go. but ya the thought of something being lifelong is sad. i know I should post a new thread.
 
Hello, so glad to be here! My roots are in the UK and look forward to learning as well as sharing on this diabetic journey with you all. Recently I’ve been prescribed Ozempic and I’m a little hesitant due the side effects I’ve been hearing about. Hope you all are warm & well. Cheers!
 
Hi Everyone
Diagnosed last month with a HC whatsits reading of 58.
Had my first meeting with the Surgery Diabetic Nurse last week for the foot, weigh, height and blood pressure check and had my Retinol Screening done on Friday.
I’m a bit lost , the Nurse said nothing is off limits, reduce portion size when I was diagnosed and I went off checking the carbs and sugar in everything in the hope of reducing carbs.
She told me last week there was no need to do finger pricking and that I was going to be left until Easter when I had to book in for another HC whatsit test and then, once the result was know, they would decide if I need to go on Metaformin.

I feel lost.

I don’t eat fruit or veg and trying to at least be good with fruit and prepared some grapefruit and oranges and took some to work.
I really enjoyed it and was quite on form and someone laughed and said someone’s been on the sugar.
They didn’t know I had just be diagnosed but it was like a lightbulb went on....I must have had too much sugar , they only thing I had had was the fruit and I was gutted because I really enjoyed it. Now I am scared to eat the little fruit I like, Apples, Oranges, Grapefruit and Pineapple.

I read on here people finger prick through the day and have learned what gives them a sugar spike.
I am seriously wondering if I should ignore the nurses advice and get a test kit just so I have somewhere to start.

I know there is so much info on here but I just feel so Confused and lost
 

Hi @Tigragirl ,

A warm welcome to the forum.

Your post may get a little lost in this topic. Would you like me or a member of the mod team to give you your own thread with it.
You may get more specific replies to your questions..?
 
With a list like that suggest you need to re evaluate.

What do you like least about yourself? self esteem !

Should be high self esteem, life is for living start today.
 
Treat carefully, look great but Siberian Husky/Malamute forget that idea had 2 , ok if you get a good puppy but too much of a lottery, they'll eat anything smaller than themselves, won't last seconds. I've Black lab retriever easy to teach and mega intelligent. You only live once, go and visit, by rights the puppy will pick you.. can't explain it happened to me three times. Good luck
 
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