My Hb1Ac was apparently "ok", (Doc didn't tell me the figure) but my cholesterol was high he said, 5.6 and since all this started a few weeks ago it has become more apparent that I have been drinking more, weeing more, been tired and have lost a few pounds over a short period of time. The doctor has cautiously decided to class me as Diabetic and is starting me off on 40mg of Gliclazide just once a day for now to see how it goes.
Have an appointment with the clinic early July. He has told me to eat low fat, which I do to a degree now, and my carb intake hovers around 130 daily. (I have used MyfitnessPal for years to track my weight).
Think I am going to find it hard to cut back and find alternative foods ..... I am a creature of habit, like certain things and stick with them.
I am feeling slightly confused and overwhelmed to be honest with the amount of help on this site ...so many questions and so many answers to choose from! I admire you all for your daily battles with Diabetes, it must be tough for many and I feel that I have no problem compared to some.
Anyway, I have noticed that people are encouraged to test themselves which sounds a good idea to me, so on that note can anyone suggest what products are better to use? I would like to keep an eye on things and I don't think I will be getting anything from the Doctors.
Sorry to ramble on!
Welcome to the club nobody wanted to join Jo! There's a lot in your intro message, so forgive me for asking a million questions, but it all helps.
Firstly, I'd really want to know exactly what "OK" means. Until you know what the underlying figure is, all you know is you need to improve, but is that a bit, a lot or a ginagerous amount? Your Doc knows that, but he isn't the one having to make the adjustments. Give the surgery a call and ask for the results. The HbA1c figure is just one number, like "50", so that could be easily captured in a phone call. Many of us find it useful to keep ongoing records of out blood scores, so that we can compare each set with the last. Over time that all helps.
Secondly, I'm quite surprised you seem to have been started on Gliclazide, without Metformin beforehand? Most, who take medication (I never have taken meds) start on Metformin. The two drugs work differently, which I could explain, but not sure if that would just be mind blowing for where you are now in the learning curve.
Nevertheless, you are in Gliclazide. It seems you would like to test, but haven't been prescribed any meter or strips by your GP? Whilst most newly diagnosed aren't given this kit, it is usually given to those on Gliclazide because of the way that drug works. Briefly, it encourages your body to produce more insulin, and can therefore drop your blood sugars a bit low. If you drive, you
MUST test before you drive, to ensure your blood score is in an acceptable range. To be honest, it's likely to be in the early days at least, but the DVLA have rules for drivers taking blood glucose lowering drugs, such as Gliclazide. So, if you drive, I would urge you to talk to your surgery asap to remedy this situation.
As for what you need to eat? Most of we T2s find we needed to curb the carbs more than anything else. Fat and protein have little impact on blood sugars, but carbs tend to fuel the blood sugar rollercoaster. There are loads of threads on the forum with general discussion around this. But, the great news is you are used to using myfitnesspal, and I am assuming you are comfortable reading food labels? How much you need to reduce your carbs will be informed by understanding what your HbA1c score is, and testing. You mention you have been tracking your weight for a while. Do you have any to lose, or has the weight you lost around diagnosis trimmed you right up?
And finally, you say you're a creature of habit? Well, that's a great thing and a bad thing! Clearly change is difficult for everyone, when the change has to be long term. Anyone can change anything for a day or two. But, the great news is that once you've got a handle on your new way of eating, that habitual eating is a great thing. If, say, you need to drop bread (as many find they do), once you've eaten that way for a while, it just becomes your new habit.
Obviously, that's very simplistic, and I'm not trying to trivialise the changes we all find we need to make, but just saying that you will become a creature of a slightly different habit than you have now.
You'll get your head around it, but for now, I'd encourage you to talk to your surgery about your blood results and talk to your GP or nurse about testing - particularly if you drive. If you drive, you must do the latter, or you could find yourself on the wrong side of the long arm of the law.
Keep posting, and asking questions. It's the way we learn.