My first 3-month Diabetes Review

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Listlad

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Great news Shiela.

I noticed you still take porridge. I don’t blame you as I enjoyed it very much for many years. Porridge with brown sugar, dried fruit, stewed fruit, maple syrup and either milk, fresh cream or carnation milk. :D

However I have not had porridge since late February.
 
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I never used to have porridge but my Diabetic Specialist Nurse advised me to change to it. She suggested I have blueberries because grapes, which I used to have with fruit and fibre, contain too much sugar!
Listlad said:
Great news Shiela.

I noticed you still take porridge. I don’t blame you as I enjoyed it very much for many years. Porridge with brown sugar, dried fruit, stewed fruit, maple syrup and either milk, fresh cream or carnation milk. :D

However I have not had porridge since late February.
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Sheila L said:
I never used to have porridge but my Diabetic Specialist Nurse advised me to change to it. She suggested I have blueberries because grapes, which I used to have with fruit and fibre, contain too much sugar!
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I couldn’t get lower than 40/41 for a few years and importantly my symptoms were becoming more prominent so I ended up following advice from the forum to drop porridge etc, that lead to my more recent levels of HbA1c 35/36 and the reversal of symptoms,
 
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How interesting. Thanks for telling me that. You've done very well to achieve such a result. I'm not sure I could drop my porridge yet - I really love it!!
Listlad said:
I couldn’t get lower than 40/41 for a few years and importantly my symptoms were becoming more prominent so I ended up following advice from the forum to drop porridge etc, that lead to my more recent levels of HbA1c 35/36 and the reversal of symptoms,
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Resurgam

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The porridge is are going to be at least half carbohydrate by weight, so why a nurse would recommend them rather baffles me. I suppose if you were eating ordinary breakfast cereals they would be even higher in carbs, but many type twos have eggs in various forms - omelettes or bacon and eggs as they are low carb options.
As I wrote before, I am impressed that you can cope with porridge, but if you have problems lowering your blood glucose that might be a place to start considering reductions.
 
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Yes, I appreciate what you say about the amount of carbohydrate in porridge. I don't know why the nurse recommended it. I never had porridge before but now I have got to love it. If I can't get my glucose levels down, I'll have to reconsider. It would be difficult for me to eat eggs or bacon and eggs.
Resurgam said:
The porridge is are going to be at least half carbohydrate by weight, so why a nurse would recommend them rather baffles me. I suppose if you were eating ordinary breakfast cereals they would be even higher in carbs, but many type twos have eggs in various forms - omelettes or bacon and eggs as they are low carb options.
As I wrote before, I am impressed that you can cope with porridge, but if you have problems lowering your blood glucose that might be a place to start considering reductions.
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Sheila L said:
I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 in May 2019. I was told by the doctor that it was hereditary as both my paternal grandmother and my father both had it. My grandma used insulin and my father was on tablets. In May, my HbA1c was 110 and out of control. My doctor immediately put me on Metformin 500 prolonged-release tablets to take each morning with food. I saw the Diabetic Specialist Nurse the following Tuesday and she showed me where 110 came on her chart and said it was very high. It was a real wake-up call.

I immediately cut out all cakes, puddings, chocolate, biscuits, sweet drinks, etc. I eat more fish and chicken now and just a little red meat. I eat lots of salads and lots of fresh vegetables. I know that a lot of fruit contains natural sugar but I do eat fruit. Instead if grapes, I substitute blueberries. For my breakfast I have porridge. I drink only tea, coffee and sparkling or filtered water.

I did a lot of research online. I read that walking helps to reduce the level of sugar in the blood. I bought us season tickets for our local castle and gardens and we aim to go out for a walk a few times a week. We try to walk where we can instead of using the car. In three months since I was diagnosed I’ve lost 1.5 stone in weight, through diet and exercise.

My doctor phoned me whilst I was on holiday at the end of August. She told me that my HbA1c is now 50 and said she was really pleased at how well I’ve done. I’ve had to be very self-disciplined in order to avoid all those tempting foods, particularly when my husband is eating them. I’d like to encourage anyone else in a similar position to keep to the plan - it does work!

Many people on this Forum have been very supportive to me and I wanted ti thank them and to inform them of my success. I just wish I knew how to reply to those people who wrote to me but I trust they will see this post. I intend to continue in the same way and I would like to lose a little more weight. I hope my story will help someone else reading this who has recently been diagnosed and encourage them to persevere and not to lose heart.

Thanks to everyone for your support; it is much appreciated.
Sheila
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Well done on these results, keep it up!
Just had my first 3 month review (started well with the DN asking me what I needed to see her for...) anyway I'd cut my Arc to 44 from 84 with metformin, curcumin and exercise, all other levels normal. With a smile so wide I thought the top of her head would fall off she told me off for buying myself a meter, insisted they would not fund strips and said it was to protect my "peripherals"...
She also said that I don't need to see her for 6 months or even a year. What sort of care is that with a condition like this?
 
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DUCADUCADUC said:
Well done on these results, keep it up!
Just had my first 3 month review (started well with the DN asking me what I needed to see her for...) anyway I'd cut my Arc to 44 from 84 with metformin, curcumin and exercise, all other levels normal. With a smile so wide I thought the top of her head would fall off she told me off for buying myself a meter, insisted they would not fund strips and said it was to protect my "peripherals"...
She also said that I don't need to see her for 6 months or even a year. What sort of care is that with a condition like this?
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I’m really sorry you’re suffering in such a way. With your condition, as mine, we need all the support we can get. You’ve done very well to reduce your A1c to 44. Keep doing all the right things and you will win in the end.

I receive excellent care and my GP and Diabetic Specialist nurse are always at the other end of the phone if I need them. I was also told I will only be seen for a Review once a year. I asked the DN if I should buy a meter and she said I didn’t need to with the medication I’m on. I know most on this Forum would advocate buying a meter but I resist doing so because I can’t bear pricking my fingers and drawing blood! As a child, I saw my Granny injecting insulin into her legs and that remains with me.

I wish you all the best. What I do is keep eating plenty of vegetables, salads and moderate fruit, eggs, chicken and fish such as cod, tuna and salmon. I know mackerel and sardines are also good but I don’t like them. I try to avoid red meat. I keep the carbohydrate low, as this turns to sugar in the blood stream. I seldom eat cake, puddings, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, flavoured or fruit drinks. I have porridge with blueberries for breakfast but I know this is debatable

Do keep in touch if I can be of any help or encouragement.
Kind regards, Sheila
 
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@Sheila L ,
Congratulations on your huge reduction in Hba1c.
That is particularly impressive since you have done it without a Blood Glucose Meter and by following your DSN's advice to eat oats for breakfast.

Before I was diagnosed as T2, I too was having porridge (sometimes with Blueberries) for breakfast every day - thinking it would keep my Cholesterol in check. What struck me upon diagnosis was that they were advising the same 'Eatwell plate' that they had already persuaded me to adopt over 10yrs ago. - So how was eating the same high crab diet going to suddenly stop hurting my BG and suddenly start helping it? It just didn't add up, so I found these Forums and am doing OK without any difficult sacrifices.

It is too bad that you say it would be difficult for you to eat eggs for breakfast. If you had a BG meter you would be able to confirm whether Porridge was indeed OK for you or not. For me it was an easy swap once I saw the BG reading 2hrs after porridge. So I now have 2 hard boiled eggs with salt, pepper and a little drizzle of Olive Oil instead of my boiled oats. I do my eggs in batches, boiling 8 (4 days of breakfasts) at a time.
 
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