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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sotyred" data-source="post: 413760" data-attributes="member: 76224">HelloI thought I would share my short experience of diabetes.  Short in that I was only diagnosed with type 2 in January.To say that the diagnosis came as a shock was something of an understatement.  I went to my GP for an annual health check up and she was worried about my blood pressure – so was I as I hadn’t suffered from it before.  I was sent off for a blood test after two weeks on meds for the BP and duly went back to see my GP.  The results:-    BP still high-    Cholesterol high (another first)-    Blood glucose level higher than normal (***!)So it’s off for a second blood test to check and, sure enough, the blood glucose was higher than normal.  And also higher than the first test.  At 8.6 it is a lot lower than what some of you are experiencing but it was still a worry to me.  But at least this explained why I had been feeling like utter **** for the past couple of years and had to struggle to stay awake in the afternoon. And there was me thinking it was sleep apnoea!My GP agreed to give me three months to get the diabetes under control with diet and exercise.   The exercise part was easy as I am a very keen cyclist, often riding 50 – 60 miles each weekend and doing part of my commute to work by bike.  The advice from my GP (and then my diabetes nurse) was simple.  No sugar.  None.  In any way, shape or form.Being new to all this, the weekly grocery shop took twice as long as every packet was read to see if it had the demonic ingredient ‘sugar’.  And the chances are, if it came in a packet, it did.   Even something as simple as cheese and onion crisps contain sugar.   The only breakfast cereals I could find (and can still only find) without sugar is shredded wheat and porridge.  And it is surprising how much you fancy a piece of fruit when limited to three portions a day (apart from bananas, where I can only have three a week!).  No white bread, no cake, no puddings and, worse of all, no beer.  And being a lover of real ale, this was a toughie!  Still, the nurse said that I could have wine and spirits, subject to responsible drinking levels of course.When out for long bike rides, I had always used energy drinks and bars to keep me going.  No more though as these are almost pure glucose.So, six months on how had I done?I won’t deny it hasn’t been tough.  A raw carrot just doesn’t replace carrot cake.   And man have I fancied a pint now and then.  But I have been determined to keep to a zero tolerance regime. So, here are the latest figures:-  HbA1c  - 44-  Cholesterol – 4.2 (way down)-  BP a little high but averages at 130 / 80-  I have lost 24lb in weight and gone down a trouser size-  do not have take meds for diabetes.Plus my cycling is better than ever!</blockquote>

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