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Triumph (HbA1c) tinged with frustration (cholesterol)

CaptainTwitchy

Member
Messages
22
Location
UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Spiders, long walks in the countryside
Hello lovely people.

I've had my follow up blood test following my initial diagnosis at the end of July. I started out with an HbA1c of 100, and was told today that I've brought it down to 45. The Horrible Nurse Who Makes Me Feel Like Rubbish (of THNWMMFLR for short) couldn't quite believe it. She seems to see me as her star pupil now, which considering she was nothing but rude and unkind to me when I went for the blood test a couple of weeks ago made me smile to myself. She wants me to go back and see her in three months so "we can celebrate your new body." She seems stunned that a lard-bottom such as myself can manage to shift getting on for three stone (a drop in the ocean, still a long way to go) in this time too. Obviously I'm going to change surgery way before then. This lot are awful, and I deserve a less humiliating experience.

Anyway, then she said my cholesterol was high and that I should be cutting all the fat off my food and eating low fat. I said "okay then" and got off the phone as quickly as I could. I'm kicking myself for not asking for a breakdown of the numbers, but after a day of waiting for this call my nerves were pretty shot. I eat fairly low carb but not fully keto because, after much umming and erring I decided to take the canagliflozin I'd been prescribed and you wonderful lot told me that keto and this stuff doesn't mix well. I'd say I'm eating about 50 - 80 grams of carb a day. Do I need to worry about the cholesterol? Do I need to stop eating rib-eye steak and butter and switch to the low fat options like she said? I'm delighted to have a handle on one but obviously don't want the other to get out of control either.

Anyway, I'm off to celebrate my HbA1c results with a low carb lager and a few squares of dark chocolate!
 
@CaptainTwitchy, WOW, what a result!!!! IGNORE her, you have proven her wrong and now it seems like SHE is trying to take the credit for your success. I bet she is proudly touting your achievements as if they were hers. There will always be people like her no matter the surgery. When you have chance, phone them again and ask for the cholesterol numbers, they are OBLIGED to provide them so don't allow them to treat you as a nuisance. Once you have the numbers, come back to us. In the meantime I'll say it again, what a STAR!!! xxxx
 

Thank you so much! I will endevour to get in touch with them to claim my cholesterol numbers just as soon as I have the mental energy to deal with them!
 
bulkbiker said:
Probably not but without the full breakdown we'll never know...
Click to expand...
I'll get hold of them. Thinking back to the call she didn't seem overly concerned so I'm hopeful.
 
I spent almost two years eating a low fat diet which did nothing at all to lower my cholesterol - it kept going up and I was told that I could not possibly be following the diet.
When I was diagnosed type two I went back to low carb high fat and my cholesterol went down to what it was before the 'cholesterol lowering' diet was prescribed.
I have just had a blood test done, and the nurse is going to ring me for a routine follow up - exactly the wording used when I had been diagnosed and they prescribed Metformin and Atorvastatin - so I can guess what that will be about. It isn't for weeks yet though so it can't be all that important - can it?
 

Hi!
I was diagnosed with similar figures to yours in March with HbA1c 107. Have been following lowish carb 70-90g and higher fats (loving cream in my coffee) Cholesterol was 5.3 in June and is now 4.7 with HDL & LDL in the right proportions at last. Only thing I have done extra to you is having a daily shot of blueberry Benecol. As I understand it the weight loss is a massive help in lowering it. I’ve lost 5st and pretty much got to where I need to be weight wise. HBA1c now 49 but in last couple of weeks starting to see fasting blood sugars in the 5’s so hope this might mean it will be lower again next March.

Hoping you manage to get your cholesterol figures including the full breakdown if poss.
 
My GP surgery has a web portal that you sign up for and then you can see your lab results, order repeat scrips online etc. Yours might too. If not, just ask the receptionist to print off your lab results. They’re your results and you are entitled to see them.
 

It is worth noting that (as I understand it, and I am no expert) the reason keto diet is said to ‘not go’ with diabetic meds is that the keto diet can work so damned well that renders those previously-appropriate diabetic meds dangerously over-strong in a hurry, and that can land folks in trouble.
 
Another 'danger' from a low carb diet is blood pressure dropping to normal, so the tablets cause people to fall over, as doctors refuse to believe that there can be any improvement from diet alone, so keep on taking the tablets.
 
Thanks everyone. I've still not summoned the energy to collect the cholesterol results, anxiety is getting the better of me at the moment and the thought of trying to contact the surgery is a wee bit too much. Just having to engage last week was hellish. I'm trying to sort it in my head but it may have to wait until after Christmas.

I was told that the canagliflozin can lower blood pressure which the Supply DN I saw the first time thought was a good thing as when she took mine it was high. I did try explaining that my BP is actually pretty good (self monitored and records kept) but it always high at the doctors surgery because of White Coat Syndrome. She just smiled at me like I'm an idiot. I keep an eye on it still and it's within normal ranges and not dipping too low but it's a possibility I'm aware of. Such fun! I'm keeping up with the pills as I do enjoy the slight bit more freedom with carbs than when I first started out (pre DN appt which took a while to come through) as although full Keto was okay it was a bit heavy going to begin with. I did have a lengthy internal debate over whether to keep Keto and stay off the meds or allow myself a few more (sensible) carbs and take them. In the end my stalled BG numbers helped persuaded me to give them a go. I'm hoping that when my HbA1c lowers further and I've become more used to all of this I'll be able to ditch the meds and manage a low carb lifestyle.
 
Remember triglycerides are probably the one to watch out for. I think rib-eye steak is optimal for cholesterol loss. I've had quite big cholesterol issues and heart disease, and I've really brought my numbers down with eating things like beef, pork, oily fish, green leaf veg. I would actually say that if you're overweight, like me, then some of the good foods like cheese and butter are just a touch too much to help with weight loss- I'm a fan of them in general, but when I'm working on my weight, they're not optimal. Carbs and alcohol are the big cholesterol raisers for me.
 
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