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What a difference a day makes...

jacqui-anne

jacqui-anne

Active Member
Messages
26
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all! :)
I got blood results back on Monday - my hba1c is 61 :(
It was also 61 when I got it checked in March.
I have an appointment tomorrow to discuss going onto medication which I really really don't want to do.
Have been eating rubbish, feeling terrible and have put on 2 stone since my little boy was born 2 and a half years ago.
For about a year before I was pregnant and during my pregnancy I was following a low carb diet and was a healthy normal weigh and felt the healthiest I'd ever been. But since my son was born, the carbs crept back in again. I also went back to my job as an NHS secretary working full time and relying on chocolate, crisps and other carby **** to get me through the day.
The doctor asked me to keep a diary of my food and blood glucose readings for yesterday and today and bring that to my appointment also.
So yesterday I ate my usual:
Breakfast - Weetabix & banana
Snack - Coffee and a Kit Kat
Lunch - Ham sandwich, cup-a-soup, crisps
Snack - Fruit corner yogurt
Dinner - Chicken, mashed potatoes & veg
Snack - Cookies baked from a packet of ready made mix.
Apart from a fasting reading of 7.4, my BG readings ranged from 10.8 - 17.1 (!!)
The cookies we made, we've now nicknamed them "the cookies of death" as they caused the BG reading of 17.1!

So, today I've decided to give low carb a go to see if it makes a difference. Today I've had so far:
Breakfast - Cheese omelette and a slice of smoked haddock cooked in butter
Snack - Coffee with full fat milk
Lunch - Chicken breast with mash made from cauliflower & cabbage
Snack - Plain Greek yogurt with raspberries.
And as if by magic, my BG readings have been completely normal all day - fasting 6.9, then 4.8, then 5.5

I know its not even been a whole day yet but I feel so much better, not hungry at all.
Do you think its worth asking my doctor to hold back on the medication just now while I promise to stick to low-carb? Or will they tell me to take it anyway as my last 2 results were bad? I really don't want to start medication as the side effects alone fill me with fear!
I feel like I've had my chance to improve my diabetes by diet control and I've failed. I'd also like my little boy to have a brother or sister, but my health is nowhere near good enough yet.
 
Very well done. It's your choice whether to take meds and if you don't want to, don't. It looks as if you don't need them. Let us know if there's anything you're not sure about, but your meals and latest BS levels look fine. Put thoughts of failure behind you.
 
Changing your diet and going Low Carb is not a short term fix, so it will take a real commitment to follow it through, but if you can make that, then you could quite well lower that HbA1c score without Meds, plenty of posters have done so.

This is the best place to find help and support.
 
Hehe well done! Be sure to let us know what your doc has to say about your food diary results. Keep up the good work :)
 
jacqui-anne said:
Hi all! :)
I got blood results back on Monday - my hba1c is 61 :(
It was also 61 when I got it checked in March.
I have an appointment tomorrow to discuss going onto medication which I really really don't want to do.
Have been eating rubbish, feeling terrible and have put on 2 stone since my little boy was born 2 and a half years ago.
For about a year before I was pregnant and during my pregnancy I was following a low carb diet and was a healthy normal weigh and felt the healthiest I'd ever been. But since my son was born, the carbs crept back in again. I also went back to my job as an NHS secretary working full time and relying on chocolate, crisps and other carby **** to get me through the day.
The doctor asked me to keep a diary of my food and blood glucose readings for yesterday and today and bring that to my appointment also.
So yesterday I ate my usual:
Breakfast - Weetabix & banana
Snack - Coffee and a Kit Kat
Lunch - Ham sandwich, cup-a-soup, crisps
Snack - Fruit corner yogurt
Dinner - Chicken, mashed potatoes & veg
Snack - Cookies baked from a packet of ready made mix.
Apart from a fasting reading of 7.4, my BG readings ranged from 10.8 - 17.1 (!!)
The cookies we made, we've now nicknamed them "the cookies of death" as they caused the BG reading of 17.1!

So, today I've decided to give low carb a go to see if it makes a difference. Today I've had so far:
Breakfast - Cheese omelette and a slice of smoked haddock cooked in butter
Snack - Coffee with full fat milk
Lunch - Chicken breast with mash made from cauliflower & cabbage
Snack - Plain Greek yogurt with raspberries.
And as if by magic, my BG readings have been completely normal all day - fasting 6.9, then 4.8, then 5.5

I know its not even been a whole day yet but I feel so much better, not hungry at all.
Do you think its worth asking my doctor to hold back on the medication just now while I promise to stick to low-carb? Or will they tell me to take it anyway as my last 2 results were bad? I really don't want to start medication as the side effects alone fill me with fear!
I feel like I've had my chance to improve my diabetes by diet control and I've failed. I'd also like my little boy to have a brother or sister, but my health is nowhere near good enough yet.
Click to expand...

I would say honesty would be your best policy with your Doc. If you show him your meter, it might help.

Unfortunately, many Docs don't feel very positive about a reduced carb diet (although the tide is turning), but even if you were to ask for a further month to see how you settle into your new way of eating.

The initial drug therapy would be likely to be Metformin, which doesn't impact on the blood scores enormously, but does help with both insulin resistance and for some people, it also acts as a appetite suppressant.

I've never taken any medication.
 
I would suggest going low carb and if the numbers are consistent take it to your GP and just say, going to give this a go and we'll see how it goes.
You can see what Weetabix and Kit-Kats do to a DB.... my bells were ringing when I saw them listed.
I would horse down your second menu.
Good luck.
 
Hi and well done. I would be honest with the GP; they need to learn. They also need to listen as it's your choice whether to take any medication and not up to the GP to 'tell' you.
 
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