Pre Diabetes

gardengnome42 said:

As a fairly newly diagnosed pre diabetic myself I'm curious what the programme was that you were offered. If it was anything like the appointment with the nurse [which I'm sure it wasn't] that I had then you probably missed nothing. I was merely shown the wall chart of the 'eatwell plate' which I'm afraid I told her I thought was rubbish and it was irresponsible of the NHS to be pushing at patients. All that carbohydrate - oh dear.
I'm trying to work myself into the right frame of mind to start 'the 8 week blood sugar diet' although I don't have too much weight to lose. I hope it will lower my HbA1c the next time it is taken.

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Alexandra100 said:

Hello Neil, I am a pre-pre-diabetic with an A1c of 41 (42 is the start of the pre-diabetic range in the UK). Like you I am not getting any official help, but I have learned a lot here and found lots of good company too. Like you, too, I am very interested in my health and alongside getting suggestions here I have found it very helpful to read Jenny Ruhl's book "Your Diabetes Questions Answered". When I found out I had a problem with my blood glucose I took out all the books on diabetes in my local library system, but this is the only one I have kept on extended loan. JR is over 70 and has coped successfully with T2 diabetes for many years without developing serious complications. Her approach is very human and non-fanatical. She even has a chapter on how to get the best out of your GP, and on how to evaluate diabetes gurus you may come across. Good luck!

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Guzzler said:

Hello and welcome to the forum. You must have been left feeling a bit lost when you could not access the educational course for pre Diabetes but members here will guide and support you in your efforts to improve your health and well being. I have learned more here than any course could have possibly taught me no matter how long that course was. Grab a cuppa and wander the forum and ask as many questions as you like.

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Down-Jai 001 said:

Go to' Diabetic UK' there should be a topic on Pre Diabetic.

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Alison Campbell said:

Hi welcome to the forum.

There are loads of pre d's here so I'm sure we can answer any questions you might have.

I going to start by tagging @daisy1 for her new member post which was so helpful to me when first diagnosed.

To get the best answers to any questions you have, it helps to explain if you are on any medications, have any other health conditions and your HBA1C if you know it.

There is also a section for prediabetes on this forum here: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/prediabetes.40/

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daisy1 said:

@Neil40381
Hello Neil and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

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Alison Campbell said:

Hi welcome to the forum.

There are loads of pre d's here so I'm sure we can answer any questions you might have.

I going to start by tagging @daisy1 for her new member post which was so helpful to me when first diagnosed.

To get the best answers to any questions you have, it helps to explain if you are on any medications, have any other health conditions and your HBA1C if you know it.

There is also a section for prediabetes on this forum here: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/prediabetes.40/

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Jo123 said:

Hi Neil, I was diagnosed as pre diabetic about 8 years ago when I had a normal bmi and got loads of exercise.
I bought a blood glucose meter tested before and 2 hours after eating and never eat anything which raised my above 2 points. It turned out these were high carb foods. I don't eat high fat, I eat moderate 'healthy' fat. My next hba1c was normal and still is.
If I were you I would get a meter and test, if your bmi is 25 or over them lose weight, and lastly exercise if you don't already.

What motivated me if I felt like cheating was seeing a TV programme about diabetes saying that excess sugar in the blood was like shards of glass in your arteries damaging them constantly giving you heart disease and damaging your nerves. I found this really helpful, I imagined the shards of glass of I craved something.

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