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Hba1c of 52 given till March to bring it down or will be diagnosed as diabetic

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Ccash

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Type 2
Hi I'm 36 (37 next week) and had very difficult to control gestational diabetes with both of my pregnancies. I was on 72 units of insulin, 3 Metformin and hypoing on average 3x a day towards the end of second pregnancy.

I have been prediabetic since giving birth and have had my Hba1c closely monitored. My latest result was 52. I was told by my GP that as I am not symptomatic they will only diagnose diabetes if I have a second Hba1c in March within the diabetic range. Due to my age and history (I'm guessing) She has said that she will refer me for more tests in March if the result is in the diabetes range again. This will be to establish what type of diabetes I have.

Just wanted to say hello and to get a bit of support from others who have been through this. I just remember the DN saying after my second baby that she believed it was a case of when I become diabetic permanently not if.
 
Welcome to the forum
An HbA1C of 48mmol/mol and over will give a diabetes diagnosis so at the moment you are just at the bottom end of the zone but it would be very possible to reduce that by the time of the repeat test in March if you start now with some lifestyle changes. It is normal to give 3 months between tests as the HbA1C is an average over the previous 3 months so sooner might not fully reflect the changes people make.
You don't say how long ago your pregnancy was but if you still have some excess weight then many find a low carbohydrate dietary approach successful in both reducing blood glucose and losing weight.
This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
If you have been having quite a high carb diet then reducing your carbs slowly over a few weeks will allow your body to adjust without giving you problems with your eyes and nerves which some people can get by reducing blood glucose too quickly.
If you can increase your exercise that will help also. Brisk walking is fine, it does not need to be going to the gym unless that is your thing.
 
Thankyou for your reply. The gym is definitely not my thing, more a cost issue than anything my Hba1c was last taken very end of November. I was training for a half marathon until injury had me sit out in November and cold after cold since then has prevented my return. I am a healthy weight but I have tried reducing my carbs by reducing the sweet treats in the main. 1 treat every three days instead of 3 treats every day . I do feel like I have more energy. I am finding that reducing my refined sugar means fruit tastes incredible
 
Ccash said:
Thankyou for your reply. The gym is definitely not my thing, more a cost issue than anything my Hba1c was last taken very end of November. I was training for a half marathon until injury had me sit out in November and cold after cold since then has prevented my return. I am a healthy weight but I have tried reducing my carbs by reducing the sweet treats in the main. 1 treat every three days instead of 3 treats every day . I do feel like I have more energy. I am finding that reducing my refined sugar means fruit tastes incredible
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As you reduce the sugar that you previously were adding to things your tastes change and things start to taste far too sweet.
I still allow myself some dark chocolate at the weekend, the Aldi Moser Roth have some good ones. I also have the protein nut bars like the Nature Valley, Kind or shop own as they are less than 10g carb per bar but I still only have a third at a time.
The protein yoghurts or quark Kvarg deserts are low carb and are pretty good.
Just be careful of fruit as some can be high carb, berries are the lowest but things like bananas, grapes and tropical fruits are the highest.
Injury can put a real spanner in the works, I ruptured my patellar tendon over a year ago and am still struggling to do as much walking as before.
 
@Ccash You mention tests to determine your diabetes type, and I see from an earlier post of yours that there was some concern you could be possibly developing Type 1 diabetes. I also see you’re a healthy weight. Type 1 can come on more slowly in adults.

It’s possible for adult-onset Type 1 to be mistaken for gestational diabetes. If you are in the early stages of Type 1, it’s better to know sooner than later, so don’t worry about any tests - they’d be a good thing. Do you test your blood sugar at home?
 
Yes I test at home but haven't got a routine for it yet. Do you test two hours after a meal? With gestational diabetes it's an hour after meals but I think that is because they want extra tight control
 
Welcome to the forum @Ccash

Hope the uncertainty over your diagnosis clears up, and that you are able to reduce your HbA1c with the changes you are making.

Do you know which extra checks and investigations are being considered? Is it something like GAD antibody and cPeptide?
 
Ccash said:
Yes I test at home but haven't got a routine for it yet. Do you test two hours after a meal? With gestational diabetes it's an hour after meals but I think that is because they want extra tight control
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Just before a meal and two hours after the time you started the meal is a good time to test as you can then see the effect on your blood sugar. The one hour test during pregnancy is just to ensure you’re hitting the tight targets.

Bear in mind that if you do turn out to be Type 1, then eating very low carb will potentially mask that. If it was me, I’d be experimenting with various meals to see what effect they had on my blood sugar, including meals with a fair amount of carbs. Type 1 and Type 2 are very different conditions. Diabetes in adults is often assumed to be Type 2, but Type 1 is actually more common in adults than children.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @Ccash

Hope the uncertainty over your diagnosis clears up, and that you are able to reduce your HbA1c with the changes you are making.

Do you know which extra checks and investigations are being considered? Is it something like GAD antibody and cPeptide?
Click to expand...
Not sure what other tests, she just said more tests. Are the GAD and cpeptide tests just blood tests?
 
Inka said:
Just before a meal and two hours after the time you started the meal is a good time to test as you can then see the effect on your blood sugar. The one hour test during pregnancy is just to ensure you’re hitting the tight targets.

Bear in mind that if you do turn out to be Type 1, then eating very low carb will potentially mask that. If it was me, I’d be experimenting with various meals to see what effect they had on my blood sugar, including meals with a fair amount of carbs. Type 1 and Type 2 are very different conditions. Diabetes in adults is often assumed to be Type 2, but Type 1 is actually more common in adults than children.
Click to expand...
I was just cutting out the handfuls of biscuits and cake etc. and just eating normal healthy meals. I don't want to go to mad and mask the problem. My food intake so far today has been:
Breakfast: porridge with a small handful of sultanas and a pear
Lunch:chicken in mushroom sauce, new potatoes and green beans
 
Ccash said:
I was just cutting out the handfuls of biscuits and cake etc. and just eating normal healthy meals. I don't want to go to mad and mask the problem. My food intake so far today has been:
Breakfast: porridge with a small handful of sultanas and a pear
Lunch:chicken in mushroom sauce, new potatoes and green beans
Click to expand...
It seems strange that you have not been diagnosed with diabetes as you are over the Hba1c level for diagnosis, and they are confident that you will develop it at some point - but HCPs are not really dependable and consistent.
If you want to reverse your diabetes then not eating the healthy foods, aka high carb options, will do the trick if you are an ordinary type 2.
The oats, dried fruit and fresh fruit, possibly the sauce, the potatoes and perhaps the beans would all elevate the blood glucose. The beans seem to affect some people more than others. I react to peas and beans as though they have about 80% more carbs than expected.
 
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