Recently diagnosed sort of

[JohnEGreen]

Hi I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis several years ago this meant being on steroids for a long time and now have been diagnosed with type II Diabetes.

about 18 months or so ago my Neurologist wrote a letter to my then GP informing him that recent blood tests had shown impaired glucose resistance and a hb1ac of 64 and could my GP arrange an appointment with a dietician to get me on a low carb diet.

Some while later I received a copy of this letter and as my doctor had not mentioned it on various appointments I broached the subject with him I was told that as they had no dietician he could not and suggested I talk to the practice nurse who informed me that the results where normal and I should not worry but gave me a diet sheet I could follow if I wished. nothing further was done.
Recently I changed doctors the first thing my new Doctor did on my first appointment was to check my blood Glucose saying that's high not excessive but high.

So I asked does that mean I am diabetic his answer was well you where last January so yes.

So I am newly diagnosed sort of.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. You have been badly treated by the GPs and DNs. I would demand whether your records show you are diabetic or not and ask for an HBa1C blood test to confirm what your bs level is. There is no excuse for your surgery to have denied you diet guidance, although as it is often appalling this may have been a 'benefit'. There is all the diet guidance you need on this website other than anything specific for your MG. In general reducing the carbs will help and don't worry about fats and proteins but do put this in the context of your MG. BTW an HBa1C of 64 is definitely diabetic and it may well be due to the steroids which are a known cause of high blood sugar.

 

[Klangley]

64 is clearly in their diabetic range so I am at a loss to understand why they didn't make this clear to you initially.

If you do eventually see a dietician I will be interested if you are recommended a truly Low Carb diet. Many in the NHS still peddle the 'eat well plate'. They talk about healthy wholemeal bread and healthy wholemeal pasta. Whilst these have lower carbs than their normal alternatives, both of these foods had a dramatically negative effect on my blood sugar. So lower carbs yes, low carb no. But who knows, perhaps you will be lucky.

In any case welcome to the forum. I have learnt loads here. No one has had a go at me for asking a stupid question (yet) and people genuinely want to help.

 

[Liam1955]

Hello @Klangley - If you go to the top of this page and tap on FORUMS, scroll down to FOOD and NUTRITION there you will see all kinds of diets. Hope these may be of some interest to you? William.

 

[Klangley]

@liam1955 thanks mate, I have been stumbling around on the Site for months now and have found loads of interesting information on nutrition. I think that is excellent advice for any new member.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi @JohnEGreen Your HbA1c of 64 is, as others have said, clearly in the diabetic range. (anything 48 and above is diabetic). There are very clear guidelines for the management of Type 2 diabetes that your GP should be following. These are laid down by NICE. You should be being monitored regularly, ie every 3 months initially until your levels are stable, then 6 or 12 months after that. You should be having annual foot checks by a nurse, and an annual retinal eye screening test. The monitoring should normally include blood tests for an HbA1c, cholesterol, liver & kidney functions and full blood counts. With an A1c of 64 you should really have been prescribed some medication to help you, although some do suggest 3 months of diet and exercise before prescribing meds.

I think it is time to go back to your GP and find out why you seem to have slipped through the net, and make sure you get on this recommended care pathway. It could of course be that subsequent A1c tests have been done, showing non diabetic levels. In that case, all is well, but you need to find out. Please ask about this, and ask for print outs of any blood tests you have had. You can then study these at leisure, and people on here can help you interpret them if necessary.

 

[JohnEGreen]

I must clarify it was my previous GP that totally ignored the fact that I was diabetic even though I said my BG was in the diabetic range was told that it was not. Since registering with my new GP in December things couldn't be more different he actually checked my BG himself on my first appointment I have now already had a test for retinopathy which I'm afraid was positive been put on the list for the diabetes education course and he has taken on board the fact that I am showing signs of PN definite loss of sensation both hands and feet and to be honest even though my previous GP was so unhelpful I totally ignored him and started my own diet regime preds had pushed my weight up to over 17 stone I now weigh 14 stone 5 pounds and am still losing weight but now that I am on Metformin things are easier.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Good to hear you are now on the care pathway and being monitored. I still think you should be asking for your blood test print outs. They are a mine of information, and unless you know in detail what they are, you don't know where you are. Knowledge is power.

 

[MarkyP123]

My diabetes was missed when I had a blood test last July (HbA1c: 55). It wasn't until I went for a recent blood test that I was diagnosed (HbA1c now 86!) I wrote a letter of complaint to the surgery & it is now being investigated. So, like you, I probably had a doctor who thought 55 was fine.