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Another New Member!

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scottishlass

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Good Morning. I was diagnosed with "probably" Type 2 eight weeks ago and since then have been using this website daily as a source of information and support - thank you so much, you've made a real difference during these first few difficult weeks. My diagnosis came completely out of the blue; I thought I was very well, took no medication and after not having seen my GP for 3 years just went in to have blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked as it seemed a sensible thing to do. The good news was that my blood pressure is fine at 114/71. The rest of the news was not so good. Cholesterol at 6. BG of 22, followed the next day by an HbA1C result of 132. Metformin (1000mg daily) and Atorvastatin swiftly followed. The GP gave me this website address and I had an appointment with a Practice Nurse a couple of days later - small rural Practice so no specialist diabetes nurse. Dietary advice comprised the nurse pointing vaguely at a poster on the wall showing a "healthy" plate of food. I was aware from yourselves of the importance of BG testing and so enquired about a meter. Told that testing was not necessary and not funded by the NHS. I was astounded by this and asked the nurse to check with the GP, who confirmed that this is the case. I am self-funding testing.
So far I have lost a bit weight (around 10kg to go to get where the GP says I should be), have cut out refined carbs and lowered carb intake generally, and have begun to increase my exercise - just walking more at the moment.
BG levels before meals are now generally in the range 6.0 - 8.0 and two hours after eating between 7.0 and 9.0. Is this what I should expect at this stage? My problem area seems to be waking BG level. I've heard of the "dawn effect" but don't know how to tackle it. BG level first thing in the morning is wildly variable but frequently at 10.
Another question. After my HbA1C result the GP muttered something about my possibly having Type 1.5 but said I would be treated as Type 2 "for now". At the time this meant nothing to me but now that I understand a little more I wonder if I should be asking to be tested for Type 1.5 when I see the nurse in September?
Okay, that's it for now, thank you for getting to the end of this long post - will be briefer in the future!
 
Hi Scottishlass , Welcome to our select club that no one wished they'd joined and to our friendly forum.🙂.

It's good to hear that your GP is aware that you may not be a straightforward T1orT2 many are not and continue to try and fit square pegs into round holes.

We here know that eatwell plate or whatever it's called now, very well, as you're probably aware, it doesn't go down well with us here.

Often our waking BG (blood glucose) is the last to start coming down, so don't worry about that atm. It may or may not be due to Dawn effect

Ask as many questions as you need to , we'll do our best to help
 
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Hello and welcome to you.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum from a fellow Scottish lass 🙂 x
 
scottishlass said:
Good Morning. I was diagnosed with "probably" Type 2 eight weeks ago and since then have been using this website daily as a source of information and support - thank you so much, you've made a real difference during these first few difficult weeks. My diagnosis came completely out of the blue; I thought I was very well, took no medication and after not having seen my GP for 3 years just went in to have blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked as it seemed a sensible thing to do. The good news was that my blood pressure is fine at 114/71. The rest of the news was not so good. Cholesterol at 6. BG of 22, followed the next day by an HbA1C result of 132. Metformin (1000mg daily) and Atorvastatin swiftly followed. The GP gave me this website address and I had an appointment with a Practice Nurse a couple of days later - small rural Practice so no specialist diabetes nurse. Dietary advice comprised the nurse pointing vaguely at a poster on the wall showing a "healthy" plate of food. I was aware from yourselves of the importance of BG testing and so enquired about a meter. Told that testing was not necessary and not funded by the NHS. I was astounded by this and asked the nurse to check with the GP, who confirmed that this is the case. I am self-funding testing.
So far I have lost a bit weight (around 10kg to go to get where the GP says I should be), have cut out refined carbs and lowered carb intake generally, and have begun to increase my exercise - just walking more at the moment.
BG levels before meals are now generally in the range 6.0 - 8.0 and two hours after eating between 7.0 and 9.0. Is this what I should expect at this stage? My problem area seems to be waking BG level. I've heard of the "dawn effect" but don't know how to tackle it. BG level first thing in the morning is wildly variable but frequently at 10.
Another question. After my HbA1C result the GP muttered something about my possibly having Type 1.5 but said I would be treated as Type 2 "for now". At the time this meant nothing to me but now that I understand a little more I wonder if I should be asking to be tested for Type 1.5 when I see the nurse in September?
Okay, that's it for now, thank you for getting to the end of this long post - will be briefer in the future!
Click to expand...
Hi scottishlass...as @Ljc says our 'old friend' the eat well plate rears it's ugly head again... made me laugh....not surprised..I have a particular interest in the 'testing debate'...believe everyone who is motivated to test...should be supplied with the necessary equipment on prescription...however...that's a whole other debate...fortunately you are aware of the benefits of testing so are off to a great start...as for whether type 2 or 1.5 my knowledge/experience is limited to type 2...however...if there is a question of where you are on the diabetes spectrum...no doubt there should be other tests to determine that...any weight loss will help lower those BG's...your levels above seem fine particularly for someone just a couple of months in (just slightly higher than the recommended range after eating)...with your resolve shouldn't be too difficult for you to lower them...incidentally the waking BG level is usually the last to come down...frustrated me initially...then I was advised not to rush...find a routine that suited me at my own pace...very much a matter of patience I'm afraid...as for the dawn effect...I started to have a small snack just before bed (protein with minimal carbs)...something to convince my liver there was no need to push out extra insulin to start my day with...that may not work for everyone...so far working for me...this is where testing comes into it's own...we can try different techniques...foods...assess the effect it has...whether it works or not...I wish I'd been as 'clued up' as you and other new members are when they join the forum...heartening to see that...I knew absolutely zero when I arrived here just over a year ago...still learning TBH...good luck...be interested to hear your progress.
 
scottishlass said:
Good Morning. I was diagnosed with "probably" Type 2 eight weeks ago and since then have been using this website daily as a source of information and support - thank you so much, you've made a real difference during these first few difficult weeks. My diagnosis came completely out of the blue; I thought I was very well, took no medication and after not having seen my GP for 3 years just went in to have blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked as it seemed a sensible thing to do. The good news was that my blood pressure is fine at 114/71. The rest of the news was not so good. Cholesterol at 6. BG of 22, followed the next day by an HbA1C result of 132. Metformin (1000mg daily) and Atorvastatin swiftly followed. The GP gave me this website address and I had an appointment with a Practice Nurse a couple of days later - small rural Practice so no specialist diabetes nurse. Dietary advice comprised the nurse pointing vaguely at a poster on the wall showing a "healthy" plate of food. I was aware from yourselves of the importance of BG testing and so enquired about a meter. Told that testing was not necessary and not funded by the NHS. I was astounded by this and asked the nurse to check with the GP, who confirmed that this is the case. I am self-funding testing.
So far I have lost a bit weight (around 10kg to go to get where the GP says I should be), have cut out refined carbs and lowered carb intake generally, and have begun to increase my exercise - just walking more at the moment.
BG levels before meals are now generally in the range 6.0 - 8.0 and two hours after eating between 7.0 and 9.0. Is this what I should expect at this stage? My problem area seems to be waking BG level. I've heard of the "dawn effect" but don't know how to tackle it. BG level first thing in the morning is wildly variable but frequently at 10.
Another question. After my HbA1C result the GP muttered something about my possibly having Type 1.5 but said I would be treated as Type 2 "for now". At the time this meant nothing to me but now that I understand a little more I wonder if I should be asking to be tested for Type 1.5 when I see the nurse in September?
Okay, that's it for now, thank you for getting to the end of this long post - will be briefer in the future!
Click to expand...

Hi @scottishlass, welcome to the forum 🙂 Souds like you have made a very good start to getting your levels under control, so well done on all your research and hard work 🙂 It's a shame you were refused the test strips prescription, it's not blanket NHS policy, but is something that should be discussed on an individual basis, which clearly didn't happen, but it is apparent that you have found it to be extremely beneficial. It might be worth returning to your GP and discussing your results and how you are achieving them - often, when they see people taking the initiative and getting good improvements, they will relent and prescribe some strips, so worth a try 🙂

It's often difficult to determine whether Type 2 or a slow-onset Type 1 (also sometimes referred to as Type 1.5 or 'LADA' - Latent Autoimmune Deficiency in Adulthood) as in both cases your body is still producing insulin. With Type 2, however, you may be producing lots of insulin, but using it inefficiently due to insulin resistance, with Type 1.5, you are likely to be producing insufficient insulin for your needs. There are tests that can be done (called GAD antibody and C-peptide) that can help to tell which it is. I would see how things go - it may be that the adjustments you have made mean that you are producing sufficient insulin (nearly!) to meet your current needs, but if levels start to rise again despite your best efforts, then certainly press for the tests 🙂

It's surprising that you didn't have symptoms with an HbA1c of 132 mmol/mol, which is very high, and from what I have read about the experiences of others here, higher than usually seen in newly-diagnosed Type 2s, so perhaps this is what got the GP speculating?

Keep up the good work, and please let us know if we can help in any way 🙂
 
Hi scottishlass & a warm welcome to our forum. You've been given very good advice above from other members - but if you need to know or learn more about diabetes- then do feel free to ask as often as you wish. We are here to help you on your diabetes journey so you don't feel alone. Take care x

.................................................
Dx Type2 April 2016
Diet control and exercise only
 
Hello Scottishlass, welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
Good Morning and thank you all sooooo much! Valuable advice and I already feel less lonely on this unwanted odyssey. Interesting about the early morning high BG, guess I'll just have to be patient (not my strong point!) and see what happens in the next weeks/months then try Bubbsie's suggestion if it's not resolving itself. Yes, GP was surprised that I am so well with such high BG levels, said it's unusual but not unknown. Think I'd rather be ordinary! I'll try again with the GP on the subject of testing when I'm back there in a couple of months time.
 
Hi Scottishlass...by the time of your next review...with your resolve I would expect those BG levels to have come down...at that time good tactics to ask for meter/strips...point to your results...justify the need for those to be issued on prescription...oddly enough I felt reasonably well at the time of my diagnosis...diabetes only diagnosed as a result of other health issues...when you're ready...if you want to challenge the refusal for strips etc...let me know...happy to give you a hand if you need one...good luck...keep us updated..be interested to hear if you try the bedtime snack!
 
Hi Scottishlass a warm welcome to the forum
 
Hi Scottishlass. I too suffer from smallruralitis here on the Isle of Mull. Don't worry too much, a few months on this site will tell you all you need to know. That said, an HbA1c of 132 is mighty high for a bog standard T2. You definitely do need to test, in the morning and before and 2 hours after eating. If you could let us know some your scores, it would help focus our advice.

Best of luck, and welcome to the gang🙂 If you want your advice in Gaelic, I'm only on Chapter 2 of the complete Gaelic course.😳
 
Feasgar math, Mike - you're at least a chapter ahead of me on the Gaelic course! I'll post some scores in the next few days for you knowledgeable people to look at. Thank you.
Slàinte
 
Welcome to the Forum Scottishlass. I was diagnosed pre diabetes last year and sent on a diabetes prevention programme. The "Eat Well" plate was shown to us but, after coming on here and listening to experienced members on here and also reading books by Michael Moseley and Dr David Cavan,a Diabetes specialist, I decided to use it as a "guideline" only. I have no intention of eating that many carbs.
 
Hello, mikeyB suggested that I post some scores for perusal by those of you who know what they're doing (a status to which I aspire!), so here goes. These are readings over the last 7 days:
Waking. Average 9.0, highest 10.7, lowest 8.2
2hrs after breakfast. Average 8.4, highest 10.8, lowest 6.8
Before lunch. Average 6.8, highest 7.4, lowest 6.3
2hrs after lunch. Average 7.5, highest 8.5, lowest 6.8
Before evening (main) meal. Average 7.1, highest 7.8, lowest 6.0
2hrs after evening meal. Average 7.7, highest 7.9, lowest 6.6

Any help in improving these numbers would be appreciated. A banana is deeply implicated in the 10.8 score after breakfast one day - shan't do that again!
I've drastically reduced carb intake & slightly increased exercise levels (am fairly active anyway), around 9kg still to lose, BMI currently around 26.
 
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Hi folks, I posted the above results yesterday in the hope that someone might be able to give me their thoughts on them. Anyone able to do this? I'm particularly concerned about my waking levels and also would like to know if the sort of scores I'm getting generally are what could be expected from a newbie at this stage. Thanks.
 
Aye, I can't really help because I'm T1. I can say your numbers aren't terrible, but you do need to improve a wee bit. I can also say you are doing very well for a Newbie🙂 Have you found any particular kind of food makes you high? The numbers will come down if you get a bit more exercise. That doesn't mean running marathons, just get a bit more walking in while the weather is half decent.

Any T2s out there like to comment?
 
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