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<blockquote data-quote="KennyA" data-source="post: 2424366" data-attributes="member: 517579"><p>Hi and welcome to the club you didn't want to join. Being "diabetic" can seem overwhelming at first but stick with it. </p><p></p><p>The eye screening is absolutely standard - diabetes is diagnosed at an HbA1c of 48 precisely because diabetic retinopathy is "rare" beneath that figure, so everyone diagnosed gets screening. You are probably right that you have had diabetic symptoms for years. I had symptoms for over ten years pre-diagnosis but was told (despite the symptoms) that I didn't have diabetes. </p><p></p><p>The good news is that getting your BG back into normal range should reduce your symptoms - mine fell away really quickly, although I had a couple of new ones during the transition and in the early months of normal. My guess is that the body system is out of whack and needs time to reset: while that's happening symptoms appear. I still have a bit of foot tingling but it's at 5% of what it used to be. </p><p></p><p>The other good news is that low-carb works, but some willpower needed. I was back at normal readings in four months, and others have brought their BG down from much higher levels more quickly. You do need a meter because (in my opinion) you need to test and see which carbs in what quantities raise your BG unacceptably. Then you cut those out. Example - I react really badly to pastry but am relatively OK with chickpeas. Both have carbs but one is a cereal and the other is a legume (I think). So I (unfortunately) never have pastry but can manage moderate portions of chickpeas within a daily carb allowance of about 20grams, which is what works for me. Other people will have different experiences, and you need to find out what your pattern is. </p><p></p><p>Final point: try to forget everything you think you know about "healthy food". We have had a relentless barrage of <em>"base all your meals around starchy carbohydrates"</em> and <em>"eating fat will give you heart disease"</em> from the NHS and the media. For T2s like me that diet is positively unhealthy - it's the diet I was eating up to the point of diagnosis. I have friends who simply can't understand how I'm losing weight by eating a higher proportion of fat and red meat. According to them I should have had several coronaries by now - instead my lipids are the best they've been for ever and I didn't even have the statin discussion last time I was reviewed (first time without a statin discussion for about 20 years) because my bloods "are fine".</p><p></p><p>So - stick with it. It can and will get better. I put together a "six things that helped me" list based on my first year after diagnosis which you can get to via the link in my signature. Might be useful. Also look at dietdoctor for low carb options for food and alcohol. Best of luck - this forum is really helpful and there are a range of views and opinions to listen to and learn from.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="KennyA, post: 2424366, member: 517579"] Hi and welcome to the club you didn't want to join. Being "diabetic" can seem overwhelming at first but stick with it. The eye screening is absolutely standard - diabetes is diagnosed at an HbA1c of 48 precisely because diabetic retinopathy is "rare" beneath that figure, so everyone diagnosed gets screening. You are probably right that you have had diabetic symptoms for years. I had symptoms for over ten years pre-diagnosis but was told (despite the symptoms) that I didn't have diabetes. The good news is that getting your BG back into normal range should reduce your symptoms - mine fell away really quickly, although I had a couple of new ones during the transition and in the early months of normal. My guess is that the body system is out of whack and needs time to reset: while that's happening symptoms appear. I still have a bit of foot tingling but it's at 5% of what it used to be. The other good news is that low-carb works, but some willpower needed. I was back at normal readings in four months, and others have brought their BG down from much higher levels more quickly. You do need a meter because (in my opinion) you need to test and see which carbs in what quantities raise your BG unacceptably. Then you cut those out. Example - I react really badly to pastry but am relatively OK with chickpeas. Both have carbs but one is a cereal and the other is a legume (I think). So I (unfortunately) never have pastry but can manage moderate portions of chickpeas within a daily carb allowance of about 20grams, which is what works for me. Other people will have different experiences, and you need to find out what your pattern is. Final point: try to forget everything you think you know about "healthy food". We have had a relentless barrage of [I]"base all your meals around starchy carbohydrates"[/I] and [I]"eating fat will give you heart disease"[/I] from the NHS and the media. For T2s like me that diet is positively unhealthy - it's the diet I was eating up to the point of diagnosis. I have friends who simply can't understand how I'm losing weight by eating a higher proportion of fat and red meat. According to them I should have had several coronaries by now - instead my lipids are the best they've been for ever and I didn't even have the statin discussion last time I was reviewed (first time without a statin discussion for about 20 years) because my bloods "are fine". So - stick with it. It can and will get better. I put together a "six things that helped me" list based on my first year after diagnosis which you can get to via the link in my signature. Might be useful. Also look at dietdoctor for low carb options for food and alcohol. Best of luck - this forum is really helpful and there are a range of views and opinions to listen to and learn from. [/QUOTE]
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