OMG I am confused.

[simply_h]

Hello All,
I am a new diabetic (NOT happy about it either.!!).

I kind of knew it was going to come at some stage of like, as I have a family history of it, from both parents (I blame them.!! ).

Anyway aged 35 (mid Feb 2011) I was told by my nurse after yearly GTT, which came back as 1st result was 7.0mmol and 2 hours later was 7.5mmol

My cholesterol levels were also high.

SO I was put on a metformin, and a satin drugs stright away and told you eat better, drop all sugar from my diet, exersise more...

The nurse did a HcA1c test and this came back as 6.7mmol, which confirmed the need for drugs, so she said.

My BP is very normal... My pulse is very normal.... My heart sound normal as well.

This is all I was told, nothing more, but to come back in 3 months.

I asked her should I buy a blood monitor, she advised me NO, as I did not need one, was told to take my pills and come back in 3 months for another HcA1C test...

Anyway I bought a blood monitor myself and I have not taken any drugs, as I really really dont want to take them..
With regards to the drugs - I want to try and control this condition by diet and exersize 1st before I try drugs, as the drugs causes in themselves etc..

I have moved on to a Low Carb way of eating, do miss Pizza's but hey oh.!

I have lost about 4 kgs, now weight 70kgs, my height is 5"7, not hit the gym yet either (work has kept me too busy) I still drink but only Vodka and diet coke once per week.

I don't go mad on testing, but I do test regular..

My morning reading are between 4.5 and 5.5 - Allways in this range.
Before food its always between 5.5 and 6.0
2 hours after food, its always between 5.8 and 6.8
Bedtime its always less than 6.0

I dont know what to make of these readings, I have read around this condtion a hell of a lot and think I have things undercontrol for now..

My main worry is that I have not taken the drugs give to me by my nurse and the lack of advice give by my nurse.

Any of you guys have any advise or comments please.

Kind Regards,

Simply_h

 

[sugarless sue]

Welcome to the Forum S_h,

Your numbers without the drugs are very good so why not continue without them till your next check and see what your Hba1c is then. If you can do without the drugs and control your Diabetes on diet and exercise so much the better for you.

Here is the Advice that Ken and I give to new Diabetics, it does not always agree with the 'standard' NHS advice to Diabetics but, if you read round the Forum, you will see many are having great results.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306&start=0

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002&start=0

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091&start=0

 

[cugila]

One other thing is regarding your diagnosis.

These are the usual ranges which we refer to when talking about an OGTT :

7.7 mmol/l and below is considered Normal

7.8 to 11 mmol/l is considered Pre-diabetes
(impaired glucose tolerance)

11.1 mmol/l and above means Diabetes. That is normally confirmed by repeating the test on a different day unless you have had previous blood tests.

 

[kateincornwall]

Hello and welcome from me . I dont want to argue with your nurse, but I cant help but pick up on what she said regarding your readings confirming the need for drugs ? My readings at dianosis were higher than all of yours and yet my nurse was happy to allow me three months medication free to see if I could make a difference , which I did and so have never taken any meds for the diabetes at all . I see that you are adopting a low carb aproach , thats great , should help you and I wish you lots of luck