What was your fasting blood glucose? (with some chat)

@Bubbsie thanks for your supportive message. I really don't know whats going on.
@ianpspurs no sign of any virus.
Loving the stories about the bulldogs, bless them.

PenguinMum said:

Hi Jim. Thanks for asking. I always either have a flaxseed muffin(3gcarbs?) or 1 slice HiLo toast (5g)with thick butter for breakfast.
On Sunday I had 2 high meat sausages and 2 fried eggs but then didnt eat till evening and had 3 chicken thighs and 2 tablespoons roasted med veg in evening.
Lunch yesterday was half carton Covent Garden classic chicken soup.
Supper: 3 high meat sausages and brocolli.
Lunch today tin mackrell and lettuce, 1 tomato, cucumber.
I no longer snack between meals and rarely have dessert but if I do it's Lo cal jelly pot or 2 squares Lindt 90%. Plenty of tea and water throughout the day.
I wondered if my two G&slimlineTs were a problem so have cut them back to Fri and Sat only. I ate a lot of cheese since Christmas but must admit too much cheese never makes my tummy feel great.

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Im not sure if I can be of help at all but wondering two things that you could may be think about or try
1) Have you checked your meter against another type? Do you use codefree by any chance? i know that your bgs were significantly higher than your hbaca1 which was gratifyingly low so wonder if this is an issue at all. Know that others such as @Rachox and @Goonergal have had lots of issues with high numbers with code free and have switched to other meters. Tee2 for example I know that @Goonergal switched to - when she rang spirit health care they gave her the meter free with her strips that she purchased and think the strips are similar in price to the code free. maybe a trial period? Only a suggestion penguinmum and you may already be using a different meter i was just thinking it and thought should write it down. I, like many Im sure, miss pages of threads at times when life gets busy and may well have missed a discussion on this point.
2) Many report - including myself especially in early days - that they find it better to avoid carbs first thing and although not a lot the carb option breakfast may not be stoppping the morning rise or certainly stop it lowering through the day. It could be worth a try to go much lower carb first thing most days eg maybe a scrambled egg or omlette with just a bit of mushroom? Maybe keep your low carb additions to lunch or dinner time??
Hope this is helpful @PenguinMum its difficult as it is all so individual and I know that you have some unique health challenges compared to some of us on here. I count myself very lucky.

PenguinMum said:

Hi Jim. Thanks for asking. I always either have a flaxseed muffin(3gcarbs?) or 1 slice HiLo toast (5g)with thick butter for breakfast.
On Sunday I had 2 high meat sausages and 2 fried eggs but then didnt eat till evening and had 3 chicken thighs and 2 tablespoons roasted med veg in evening.
Lunch yesterday was half carton Covent Garden classic chicken soup.
Supper: 3 high meat sausages and brocolli.
Lunch today tin mackrell and lettuce, 1 tomato, cucumber.
I no longer snack between meals and rarely have dessert but if I do it's Lo cal jelly pot or 2 squares Lindt 90%. Plenty of tea and water throughout the day.
I wondered if my two G&slimlineTs were a problem so have cut them back to Fri and Sat only. I ate a lot of cheese since Christmas but must admit too much cheese never makes my tummy feel great.

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Potentially quite a lot of protein there. Chicken, sausages, eggs, cheese.

All good stuff of course, but potentially suboptimal for perfect glucose control if you’re consuming more than your body needs for repair and maintenance. Obviously “excess” is a very personal thing though in this context, and depends a great deal on activity, lean body mass and age. You could try dialling back the protein just a small amount. Others may disagree but it can and does result in creeping glucose numbers in some individuals.

Anyway, not to bog this discussion down with techno-babble. Just something for you to think about. Protein isn’t always the free-for-all that many diabetics think it is

Quote for today

I just got my cholesterol results from yesterday's blood draw. "Bad" cholesterol is too high. I've got a call back in to the office to ask if that is LDL (I didn't even know enough when the assistant called to ask!).

Thankfully she didn't recommend statins, just even more exercise and water, very little beef or pork (chicken or fish instead), more veg, no egg yolks, more oats. Seems the diet that was helping lower my weight and BG wasn't helping my cholesterol. I hardly ever eat pork, but have been eating too much beef because I get so tired of chicken and fish. Maybe I eat too much cheese?

@shelley262 thanks for your suggestions. I do use Codefree and intend to change to Tee2 when I get near the end of my stash of strips. That was the reason I was surprised by my HBA1c before Christmas. But I am not used to 7s in the mornings and 6s most of the day like this week. I could defo try and eat something different some mornings. I must admit I would love to keep the slice of HiLo toast though if possible.

@Jim Lahey thanks for your reply. I am dialling back on the portions this week. I might well be having bigger portions than I need and of course it is mostly protein. I had a check up with the DN today and my weight hasnt changed in 6 months. I am not going to panic just yet and try changing a few things to see if it helps.

SaskiaKC said:

I just got my cholesterol results from yesterday's blood draw. "Bad" cholesterol is too high. I've got a call back in to the office to ask if that is LDL (I didn't even know enough when the assistant called to ask!).

Thankfully she didn't recommend statins, just even more exercise and water, very little beef or pork (chicken or fish instead), more veg, no egg yolks, more oats. Seems the diet that was helping lower my weight and BG wasn't helping my cholesterol. I hardly ever eat pork, but have been eating too much beef because I get so tired of chicken and fish. Maybe I eat too much cheese?

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That's good she didn't recommend statins. I know cholesterol isn't as straightforward as some people think and there are a lot of factors. (If I remember correctly, some members here also saw temporary rises as a result of rapid weight loss that settled down. I also remember than there are several subtypes of cholesterol other than the 2 basic types.) Other people more more knowledgeable than me who've dealt with higher numbers should be able to tell you more.

PenguinMum said:

@shelley262 thanks for your suggestions. I do use Codefree and intend to change to Tee2 when I get near the end of my stash of strips. That was the reason I was surprised by my HBA1c before Christmas. But I am not used to 7s in the mornings and 6s most of the day like this week. I could defo try and eat something different some mornings. I must admit I would love to keep the slice of HiLo toast though if possible.

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Why not try eating the hi lo at lunch or dinner or even reduce to half a slice? I have had an egg on half a slice and been ok but would prob still not have whole slice at breakfast. It’s individual though.
Do ring spirit healthcare direct for your tee2 when you change over they are very nice and may send you meter for free if you buy strips and ask. I use their caresens duo as take ketones weekly the strips are more expensive but I find it reliable. My code free results when using early last year were higher than my hbaca1 but my caresens was identical to hbaca1 last test so for me I’m sticking with it. I always ring now though rather than online order as they are so pleasant and they do provide some peripherals such as replacement batteries for free.

SaskiaKC said:

I just got my cholesterol results from yesterday's blood draw. "Bad" cholesterol is too high. I've got a call back in to the office to ask if that is LDL (I didn't even know enough when the assistant called to ask!).

Thankfully she didn't recommend statins, just even more exercise and water, very little beef or pork (chicken or fish instead), more veg, no egg yolks, more oats. Seems the diet that was helping lower my weight and BG wasn't helping my cholesterol. I hardly ever eat pork, but have been eating too much beef because I get so tired of chicken and fish. Maybe I eat too much cheese?

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Hi @SaskiaKC pleased not pushing statins probably means they are not that high. Jury is out on effect of saturated fat and it’s relationship to LDL would be a good idea to do some reading about it and a good starting point would be the following thread from @bulkbiker
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/
Hope this helps

dunelm said:

Ah, so the GP surgery is funding a lovely buffet of carbs - hope your salad does spark some conversation.

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UPDATE
My salad did get lots of attention. As did my 3 cups of coffee with double cream! I was sitting opposite one of the three Drs attending (other 2 down the bottom end). The practice manager talked on and off about my future role within the surgery. Everyone seemed to think it was positive. The Dr opposite asked me which diet I had followed 'has it a name?'. 'low carb' I said leaving it at that! 'More fats then' he replied. 'Yes more healthy fats' i added. He didn't seem phased. Just waiting for a follow up email saying all future presentations I'm going to be doing have been cancelled!!!

I have attached pics of the food. Although the afternoon tea looked lovely I didn't feel I missed out. I thoroughly enjoyed my ham salad with lashings of mayo!

JohnEGreen said:

Hurts like hell doesn't it will try to test next time normally I just have to get out of bed as it is worse when lying down and hobble round the house till the pain subsides .

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Thanks

@JohnEGreen and @alf_Josiah sorry to hear about the cramps. Must be horrible. I remember during a growth spurt as a child used to get cramped legs at night and would call out “Mum my legs are locked”! Its no joke when you are a grown up.

@shelley262 very helpful thanks so much.

@SaskiaKC try not to worry about the cholesterel until you know more. Your HBA1c was great and it may take a while for everything to settle down. There are people on here who understand these things better than me but you (and KittenCat) should stand proud.

Debandez said:

UPDATE
My salad did get lots of attention. As did my 3 cups of coffee with double cream! I was sitting opposite one of the three Drs attending (other 2 down the bottom end). The practice manager talked on and off about my future role within the surgery. Everyone seemed to think it was positive. The Dr opposite asked me which diet I had followed 'has it a name?'. 'low carb' I said leaving it at that! 'More fats then' he replied. 'Yes more healthy fats' i added. He didn't seem phased. Just waiting for a follow up email saying all future presentations I'm going to be doing have been cancelled!!!

I have attached pics of the food. Although the afternoon tea looked lovely I didn't feel I missed out. I thoroughly enjoyed my ham salad with lashings of mayo!

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Oh dear, hope that your salad was tastier than it looks.
Adding the work “healthy” to the “fats” - good for you.
We have to remember, I think, that we are part of a group who have a great deal invested in current science about how our bodies interact with what and when we shove things into our mouths. The medical professionals have quite a few years of knowledge to unravel; change, especially change due to being fed on incorrect knowledge, is a struggle.

Debandez said:

UPDATE
My salad did get lots of attention.

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i'd be tempted to ask how many bottles of rum & coke they normally supply the Alcohol abuse clinic with after their meeting is over or how many peanut butter sandwiches for the Nut allergy patients
and of course not forgetting the free silk cut for the Stop smoking groups..

i means it's not like any of those groups could possibly feel insulted, annoyed or tempted.
what smoker trying to quit, doesn't need the extra help a room full of 2nd hand smoke provides..?

are we really led and managed by people of such low intelligence..?

utter, utter morons..how do you keep your temper...???

(Yes i know YOU are a lady, and there is more then one way to skin a cat....but really.....)

rant over...as you were, nothing to see here..move along, there's good people.

Thanks, @Chronicle_Cat and @PenguinMum and @shelley262 .

The LDL cholesterol was 216; doc wants it under 100. Of course I immediately went to the fridge and cupboard and started taking out food containers to read the nutrition info chart. All list "cholesterol" but don't break it down into HDL/LDL. The doctor's assistant did take a good amount of time on the phone with me this morning to give me a list of recommended foods, and I like a lot of them, so that's good. And giving up beef for most of the time means that the KittenCat doesn't get any either for awhile and at 14 she does not need even tiny treats of people roast beef (but, oh, I have loved pink roast beef for as long as I can remember). Sigh.

I just finished some very good "vegetarian" chicken (?????) chili that hopefully was as nutritious as it was delicious.

Maybe this is part of why my body has been craving oatmeal at night recently; it was as tired of meat as my mind was getting.

I just read a horrifying thread on another BB about a new horse owner who was feeding her new horse the craziest mixture of "feeds" I have ever seen, and other respondents more knowledgeable than I am about feeding were horrified too. But hey. At least the horse doesn't seem to be insulin-resistant.

jjraak said:

i'd be tempted to ask how many bottles of rum & coke they normally supply the Alcohol abuse clinic with after their meeting is over or how many peanut butter sandwiches for the Nut allergy patients
and of course not forgetting the free silk cut for the Stop smoking groups..

are we really led and managed by people of such low intelligence..?

utter, utter morons..how do you keep your temper...???

(Yes i know YOU are a lady, and there is more then one way to skin a cat....but really.....)

rant over...as you were, nothing to see here..move along, there's good people.

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More than one way to do WHAT??????!!!!!!?????

I don't know whether to laugh out loud or faint dead away.

dunelm said:

The medical professionals have quite a few years of knowledge to unravel; change, especially change due to being fed on incorrect knowledge, is a struggle.

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i do hear what your saying, and fully agree @dunelm

and not to disagree with you,my friend,

just making a point in general, when some one comes forwards, such as @Debandez...
says there IS another way.
and the powers that be say..PLEASE tell us and our patients of this magic you use.

i think, it behooves them to have done a little homework, and embraced the idea.

And at the very least they should have ASKED themselves, what does low carb look like, IS it feasible, and can it be enjoyed...?
i'd have liked them to have tried to provide EVERYONE with a low carb alternative.

but your right, until they 'get' it..
it is what we are stuck with, sadly.