Newly Diagnosed and looking for some answers

Metformin doesn’t usually make a dramatic difference to blood sugar levels, certainly not to the extent you’ve seen. Did you have a second HbA1c test at diagnosis, my GP wouldn’t diagnose on one test alone, as very rarely mistakes are made. Have you changed your diet since diagnosis, as diet would have a much larger effect?
42 is prediabetic if you don’t have a Diabetes diagnosis, but for someone like myself who is definitely type 2 then a pre diabetic or non diabetic number just indicates good control not elimination of the disease.

Edit: Sorry forgetting my manners, I’ve just noticed this is your first post. Welcome to the Forum!

Hello and welcome!

Wow - that is an outstanding achievement in a short time. Well done, however you did it!

First of all, my advice is to ask for print outs of all the blood tests you have had from diagnosis to now. These will show exactly which tests you had, what the results were, and what the standard range for each test is. You will then be a lot wiser. These tests will not just be blood glucose, they will also include the cholesterol, lipids, liver and kidney functions, and full blood counts. All these are important for us as diabetics to know. Many reasons for this, but the main one being you can keep tabs on yourself and see which aspects are improving and which are not. Doctors and nurses are too fond of saying "well done" or "OK" or "satisfactory" or whatever, but you need to know in which direction everything is trending - towards good or towards bad. Then you can do something about it. You will be having many more such tests for the rest of your life and need all the results.

(If you are in England you can ask your surgery if they put blood test results on line as many of them do, and how to register for this.)

These are the cut offs for the HbA1c test
under 42 is non-diabetic
42 to 47 is pre-diabetic (at risk)
48 and above is diabetic.

So your 42 is borderline non-diabetic/pre-diabetic and is very, very good considering what you were earlier this year. However, you are still diabetic - just well controlled.

We can't advise on whether to come off medication. There is no harm in asking your nurse/doctor if that is what you want.

Please ask as many questions as you like.

Hi. I agree with the other posts. That is an amazing drop in blood sugar which Metformin alone wouldn't done. Did you reduce the carbs in your diet? Personally I would stay on the Metformin for a while until you know you are stable and now pre-diabetic. Yes, do get online if you can at the surgery and ask for the additional access to test results. Have your blood test done at least a week before you see the DN so you can go online to look if possible and be armed with your results at the appointment. Yes, get a lipids breakdown which ideally needs a fasting test even though the HBa1C doesn't. I always do fasting for the lipids even though the DN says not necessary as it is. Use the lipids ratios to judge whether statins should be started and most of us might ignore the rather daft NHS scoring system as it puts all diabetics automatically on statins.

What an incredible story yours is. Excellent work! I am amazed that Metformin alone could have had such an impact, did you have any side effects at all? Keep up the great work.

hi, welcome to the forum. i was diagnosed with a similar result to yours (104). on metformin and cutting out sugar and sweet foods my levels came down quite quickly, and i was off metformin after about a year, with an hba1c in the 50s. however, my levels slowly rose again, even though i was still watching my diet, and i had to go back on metformin a year later. that was when i came across the lchf diet, and since adopting that pretty rigorously, my hba1c has come right down - i've now been off metformin for a year, and my ha1bc in oct was only 36. personally i always think it's worth trying to come off medication if possible, but that's just my gut feeling about myself, only you know what the right course of action is for you. so i guess just to say that, if you do come off metformin, you may need to adjust your diet further to keep your levels respectable - but you may not, you won't know until you try.