Recently i was found to have prediabetes due to an HbA1c test of 5.9%.

[Gardengnome]

I discovered this after gaining my medical notes online and was upset as it was taken 12 months ago at a health check and was never mentioned. They had found hypertension and borderline high cholesterol and focused on that. My dr said to have it done again and the result was the same. He says the changes I've made to my life style over a year including losing loads of weight, my BMI is <19, will have helped keep it at the same level but it will rise he says and when it does he will have the metformin ready. His words - "We don't treat prediabetes you just have to wait for the numbers to rise and the change in lifestyle will have helped keep it at the same level. However it will rise and we will treat it when it does". From this I assume he is confirming it is prediabetes? I've not had any dietary advice but have looked and am still looking on this website for advice, I already cut my carbs over the past year and now don't really know what I should do.

On this site you suggest it is possible to stop T2 developing but my doc seems to think it's all in the genes. What do I do? My grandmother had it later in life and I should mention that I'm 71.

On Monday I have a hypertension check up - should I perhaps ask about a glucose meter. Without one how can I possibly know what foods send the numbers up. Otherwise should I buy one and if so which one. I suspect they only give you one when diagnosed finally as a T2 and by that time it's too late to do anything about it.

 

[AnnieC]

Most GP's will not give a glucose meter and prescription test strips for T2's unless on insulin so most here buy their own. The meters are cheap enough and some companies will even give you one free but it is their test strips that are expensive so a lot of us here have the Codefree meter available from Amazon and the test strips for this are the cheapest at £6.99 for 50

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_8?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=codefree blood glucose meter&sprefix=codefree,aps,255

Web address for the Codefree meter kit
I am prediabetic and use this one

 

[Squire Fulwood]

should I perhaps ask about a glucose meter. Without one how can I possibly know what foods send the numbers up. Otherwise should I buy one and if so which one. I suspect they only give you one when diagnosed finally as a T2 and by that time it's too late to do anything about it.

They don't even give you one when diagnosed as a T2 unless you are prescribed the stronger medication capable of giving you a hypo. Most of us buy our own and that is what I recommend. As to which meter, everyone will have a different opinion about that.

 

[Gardengnome]

Thank you Annie for that link. I will ask the drs advice tomorrow and see what she says. As for the other dr's comment that they only give dietary advice for prediabetes: although I've lost a lot of weight, healthily I think, and exercised a lot, it made no difference to the A1c but then I didn't know about that until a few weeks ago.Is it a different regime I wonder. How long have you known you were prediabetic and what do you do about it? Did you have the A1c or one of the other tests?

 

[Mud Island Dweller]

You can get free meters approach the manufactures they advertise on the main front page of the site. You will have to buy strips but get them direct from the manufacture again they are cheaper than the chemist or elsewhere.

MID