Newly Diagnosed

Wurst

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,126
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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Narcissistic forum members
Hi All,
Around 1.5 months ago i was diagnosed by my GP with diabetes after a high HB1AC (around 9 %) test and a blood fasting level of 182 ml/dg. Since i had to wait around 1 month before seeing the diabetes specialist i went on major diet of mainly raw vegtables and salads and quadrupled my weekly exercise to +5 mile runs 5-6 times a week.

When i got my test kit last week i've been surprised by my levels to say the least. According internet sources i am now boderline pre-diabetes. During a week of home testing fasting blood sugars levels have been between 100 - 118 mg/dl. The highest recorded level has been 125 mg/dl two hours after a meal.

This leads me to doubt the testing kit accuracy and i was wondering if any one has any information / experience on how accurate these kits are versus the HB1AC tests ?
I would ask my diabetes specialist but i live abroad in Germany and somehow i've found the only non-English speaking doctor in the entire country.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Morning,

Don't forget that the HBA1C is a long term test - so giving an average of your levels over the last 10 weeks (If I recall). The test's you're doing only tell you your level at that moment. So If you've change your diet then your readings now are likely to be below your HBA1C. There is a complicated equation to convert average readings to an Estimate of your HBA1C.

Test kits are generally accurate - though rogue readings do occur. If you get a number you don't believe, then test again.
I think your 125 mg/dl reading equates to about 6.9 mmol (these are the numbers we use a lot here). That's an excellent number for a +2hr reading.

S
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Cblake and welcome to the forum :) This information we give to new members should be helpful to you. Ask as many questions as you like as someone always has an answer.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS


Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. You have taken the right approach in adjusting your diet and I suspect the results genuinely reflect the good effect it has had. In my experience meter readings are reasonably acurate. I assume you are taking the readings 2 hours after a main meal? Keep up the good work and hopefully you can stay on a diet only regime.