New to all this.

[Rainbow22]

Hello, I am a 58 Yr old female, I've been told I'm pre-diabetic for the last 4 years!
My Dr called me to tell me that my last blood test showed I am now diabetic, my level was 44? From what I can gather I think this is quite a low-level because my previous blood tests said 40/41 and that was pre-diabetic. He just said to change my diet ( I'm overweight) and that's all he said? Is that it, do I not do anything else!
I'm constantly tired and weak/exhausted
( severely) is this a sign of diabetes! im always waking up at night bursting for a wee and having lack of sleep because of this leaving me feeling exhausted. Also I've had a massive change in my eyesight, my very short sighted eye has suddenly gone to near perfect vision
( which is fantastic).
How do you know if things are getting worse or Ishould be seeking advice as the Dr didn't say anything at all about this. Im a bit confused.

 

[harbottle]

44 is pre diabetic, at least it is in the UK.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome, love the name.
In the UK the threshold for a diabetes diagnosis is over 47mmol/mol so you would still be classified at pre diabetic or at risk.
You have done well to stay in that range so losing some weight and tightening up on your carbohydrate intake should help you bring the level back down, aiming at below 42mmol/mol which would be normal.
Some modest changes to your diet should be sufficient. That should help with your symptoms.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for dietary changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/ It is a low carb approach which works for many, low carb being less than 130g per day but it does not mean NO carbs.
He is right that changes to your diet is just as, if not more powerful than medication. That is not to say some people don't need help with meds but usually that is if their HbA1C is very high.

 

[Rainbow22]

Thank you for replying, I did feel that I might be still in the pre-diabetic range because the number was only 44! Maybe my Dr is trying to get me to act now before I go into being diabetic then?
Thank you for that link, I am going to take a look now. X

 

[Rainbow22]

44 is pre diabetic, at least it is in the UK.

Thank you, maybe my Dr is just trying to scare me into taking action now rather than later then? I did feel 44 was very close to my previous pre-diabetic numbers!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Exhaustion and lethargy can be signs of elevated blood glucose levels.

Once levels get above 10mmol/L or so the kidneys try to flush out excess glucose which spills over into urine by making you urnate more frequently (along with a raging thirst)

High glucose levels can also affect the fluids in your eyes and cause them to distort out of shape, changing how they focus - which may explain your altered eyesight. Don’t get any new glasses until you’ve got your BG levels back into range though!

Hopefully at 44 a few relatively modest tweaks to your menu - cut out the obvious sweet and sugary things, and consider cutting back on portion sizes of carbs in meals.

Alternatively you could opt for a low calorie strategy.

There are a number of meal plans here in different styles (calorie restricted, low carb, mediterranean etc etc)

Meal plans and diabetes

Eating nutritious, healthy and downright delicious food is that bit easier with our meal planners. We've created multiple different weekly meal plans to suit all types and tastes. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight. They also...

www.diabetes.org.uk