What do my results mean?

Totto said:

You are not supposed to be moving around during OGTT as this makes the reading unreliable and probably too low.

I think you should press for HbA1c to be done as soon as possible, before you change anything in your diet. I was diagnosed diabetic after OGTT of 13.8 but soon got my HbA1c down to 33 on LCHF.

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I just did as the practice nurse instructed with the OGTT - sounds like she may need to brush up on the procedure! That being said, I got a lift to and from the surgery for both tests, so in between tests I literally only walked from the nurse's office to the car parked outside, from the car to my sofa, then the same in reverse, so probably not much more than if I'd just sat in the waiting room.

Since my BMI is 34 I badly need to lose weight so I want to change my diet asap. Please could you help me understand your reasoning behind waiting until after HbA1c before starting LCHF?

AndBreathe said:

Clearly stopping taking a drug that may have had a part to play in your recent weight gain also seems, from the outside, looking in, from a lay perspective, like another positive move.

So, I would say you could be summing matters up pretty well, in suggesting you may have a bit of a golden window of opportunity to make improvements before crossing the line to any diagnosis. I think many of us probably envy you that chance.

Good luck with it all.

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I'm strongly suspecting my Consultant will want to add a new medication to replace the one I have stopped taking, as my mental health does seem to be less stable now than prior to the change. One of my concerns with this is that when unwell I tend to binge, which would obviously be seriously unwise. I will be pushing for any new medication to be one without any side effects related to weight gain, though!

Your point about this being a golden window of opportunity that many other forum users would envy is a very powerful one. If I don't do the absolute best I can to make the most of this chance, I suspect I'll regret it for the rest of my life.

Bluetit1802 said:

If your doctor offers you Metformin then do discuss it with him after reading up about it. I don't mean to discourage you from taking it, I'm not a doctor, but it won't help reduce post meal spikes. It doesn't work on the pancreas, it works on the liver and helps to a small extent in reducing the amount of glucose the liver produces naturally.

My HbA1c on diagnosis was 53. I was allowed 3 months diet and exercise, and as I got my levels down this way and have kept them down, I have never needed any meds. Hopefully this will continue as long as possible.

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If the doctor offers me medication of any kind I will indeed do my own research, just as I do with psych meds. Knowing that Metformin is the drug of first resort is very helpful though, so thank you for the information. I have always said that I would avoid taking medications for weight loss until I've really given more natural methods a concerted effort, and at the moment there is plenty I can still try.

Well done on your results, and as you say, long may it continue!

My meter arrived today and I've just posted in the Monitoring subforum about my first few results as I'm rather confused to say the least! Thread is at http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/86792/ and I'd be very grateful for any info or advice you lovely folks may have for me!