Newly diagnosed with prediabetes

[Gregoor]

Hi and welcome,

Yes, it can be a shock, but panic not, we are all here to help you.
The most popular meters for self funding T2's are the Codefree and the Tee2 because the strips are much cheaper than other meters, and you need a lot of strips. You can't buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here and the meter is free.
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/

Getting a meter is the very best thing you can do as a first step. Next step is when you see the nurse - ask her for a print out of your blood test results. It is important to have these in black and white, and not just the glucose ones but also all the others you may have had, especially cholesterol, lipids, liver and kidney functions. We can help you understand them if necessary.

Have a good read round and ask a lot of questions.

 

[canoncheryl]

Thank you for the tips.

 

[Katiecargo]

I am shocked at how little help I am getting as someone diagnosed with prediabetes and feel utterly at sea. First of all no one told me I was pre-diabetic until quite by accident while getting some antibiotics I asked about recent blood tests and the nurse said 'Don't worry, you're still pre-diabetic, but don't worry we test your blood every year.' This seemed to imply that they're not interested until I actually have diabetes, a situation I would prefer to avoid; so apart from losing weight I have no idea what to do or where to start. Browsing these forums has helped a bit but can anyone point me to some basic advice as to how to get my blood sugar back into the 'normal' range. I should I start testing my blood sugar or what- grateful for any pointers people can provide.

 

[gardengnome42]

Thanks for your reply Alexandra 100. What my son said was that it was the dr he sees about his thyroid problems who did the blood test which showed the HbA1c of 43. He didn't seem unduly concerned and just said that it was reversible. He lives abroad and has private healthcare. I know he cares very much about his health but is going through a divorce which adds a lot of stress.
3 months after the initial HbA1c they did another test which I think he asked for along with a full blood count.
The full blood was fine but they also did Glucose. 'Post prandial 7.5 mmol/l [PP] 2 hours, Plasma' - up to 7.78 mmol/l - test method Hexokinase'
None of that makes much sense to me. Why would they do a Post Prandial and what is Hexokinase?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thanks for your reply Alexandra 100. What my son said was that it was the dr he sees about his thyroid problems who did the blood test which showed the HbA1c of 43. He didn't seem unduly concerned and just said that it was reversible. He lives abroad and has private healthcare. I know he cares very much about his health but is going through a divorce which adds a lot of stress.
3 months after the initial HbA1c they did another test which I think he asked for along with a full blood count.
The full blood was fine but they also did Glucose. 'Post prandial 7.5 mmol/l [PP] 2 hours, Plasma' - up to 7.78 mmol/l - test method Hexokinase'
None of that makes much sense to me. Why would they do a Post Prandial and what is Hexokinase?

I believe that Hexokinase is a pure glucose drink they use sometimes when doing an OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) which is an alternative diagnostic test for diabetes. It is a fasting test. You are tested before the test (fasting) then given the drink, then tested again at 2 hours. A non-diabetic will be under 7.8 at the 2 hour mark. A diagnosis of diabetes can be given if the level is above 11 at 2 hours. In between is pre-diabetes.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/oral-glucose-tolerance-test.html

 

[gardengnome42]

I believe that Hexokinase is a pure glucose drink they use sometimes when doing an OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) which is an alternative diagnostic test for diabetes. It is a fasting test. You are tested before the test (fasting) then given the drink, then tested again at 2 hours. A non-diabetic will be under 7.8 at the 2 hour mark. A diagnosis of diabetes can be given if the level is above 11 at 2 hours. In between is pre-diabetes.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/oral-glucose-tolerance-test.html

That makes sense Bluetit, I didn't register that it was an OGTT. So with a result of 7.5mmol/L he is classed non-diabetic. I rather hope it was a wake up call for him!
I did put him in the direction of this website and various other links - which perhaps he took seriously. I know he only drinks moderately and the same goes for eating but he probably eats out too much being on his own. Anyway thanks for clarifying that.