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Newly Diagnosed and looking for some answers

J

JonnyCee

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi Guys,

I was diagnosed with type 2 in March of this year, with an HbA1c count of 109. Doctor was very worried but the specialist in the hospital he rang during my consultation said this level (along with high cholesterol) was not unusual in an undiagnosed case.

I was immediately put onto 2 x 500mg Metformin and sent on my way, Three month check showed that my HbA1c was around 66 (found this level out at education session mentioned below) and I was required back in at the end of August for a follow on.

Come August my check came and went with what I believed were satisfactory results but no more information than that until I turned up to my education session in October where I was heaped with praise by the nurse (nice, but confusing) as my August check showed the HbA1c level was 42.

There was lots of talk about 42 being 'pre-diabetes' but I have no idea what that would mean for me, and of course this result is most likely due to my ongoing prescription of Metformin.

I don't like bothering the NHS outside of prescribed appointments - could anyone give me an idea of whether I should bring up the subject of coming off medication at my next appointment if my results are good - or should I take this 42 as something which would be much higher if it were not for Metformin and therefor be aiming to get the result much lower? Any ideas?

Also - apologies for such a long opening post!
 
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.
 
Thank you for the responses guys. To answer some questions - only one test done originally but Doc said results were so high that it was conclusive. Yes, in addition to the Metformin I did change my diet - drastically cutting down on things like bread, pasta, potatoes and most sweet things. Nothing scientific about it, I was told to avoid carbs and particularly sugars from carbs.Typical day for me these days is a bowl of porridge in the morning (plain) followed by heaps of oven cooked chicken breast and vegetables in the evening. I've substituted potatoes largely with sweet potatoes, which I have been told are better for me....I probably went over the top to begin with, then relaxed a little - then relaxed too much but am back on it again.

Weight wise I had dropped quite a lot of weight over the last couple of years (Down from 17.5 stone to 14.6 as of this morning)and am continuing to do so - I need another stone off to be fairly comfortable I would say. Side affects of Metformin for me - to start with nothing. I was told it could make it a little rumbly down below, but I was diagnosed 2 days before an operation to put wires into a broken bone so I guess the metformin counteracted the potential blockages I was warned about with Oramorph and Codeine. Sometimes have what I would class as short term IBS, but nothing other.

I will keep working on it and continue to take the medication and see where it takes me over the year.
 
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.
 
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