Hi I'm newly diagnosed and confused!!

[Strewthy22]

My name is Ruth and I have been diagnosed as borderline with symptoms whatever that means.
This all initially occurred over a year ago and I was just told to have test repeated in 12 months. Having had bloods done again as advised they came back slightly higher 46.5 and I have for several months had an excessive thirst/dry mouth and could pee for England.
Still no medical advice so researched online but found info very confusing. Back to GP to say I'm not happy as feel fuzzy headed and kind is drunk at times and they sent me to diabetic nurse for support. Nurse said I'm overweight which I am aware of and having eating disorder she said not to follow any particular diet but rather cut down on portion sizes of carbs. The suggestion was jacket spud no bigger than my fist, 75gr uncooked rice or pasta and added if I had to choose between Mars bar and 2 slices bread, go firbthe chocolate ! Told this should reduce my weight by about 1 stone over 12/18months. I feel very dissatisfied with the advice so I have decided the join this group and try to get some help. Apologies for chapter and verse.
Best wishes
Ruth

 

[Northerner]

My name is Ruth and I have been diagnosed as borderline with symptoms whatever that means.
This all initially occurred over a year ago and I was just told to have test repeated in 12 months. Having had bloods done again as advised they came back slightly higher 46.5 and I have for several months had an excessive thirst/dry mouth and could pee for England.
Still no medical advice so researched online but found info very confusing. Back to GP to say I'm not happy as feel fuzzy headed and kind is drunk at times and they sent me to diabetic nurse for support. Nurse said I'm overweight which I am aware of and having eating disorder she said not to follow any particular diet but rather cut down on portion sizes of carbs. The suggestion was jacket spud no bigger than my fist, 75gr uncooked rice or pasta and added if I had to choose between Mars bar and 2 slices bread, go firbthe chocolate ! Told this should reduce my weight by about 1 stone over 12/18months. I feel very dissatisfied with the advice so I have decided the join this group and try to get some help. Apologies for chapter and verse.
Best wishes
Ruth

Hi Ruth, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear you're not feeling great Are there particular times of the day when you feel worse? If so you may be able to pin down the cause - sometimes it's down to a particular food choice which our bodies don't tolerate well and raise blood glucose levels quickly - I know when this has happened to me because I feel a bit nauseous and lethargic.

Do you have any family history of diabetes? Your number (the 46.5) looks like it is from a test called the HbA1c, wich measures your blood's exposure to glucose over a period of 6-12 weeks prior to the test. 48 mmol/mol is normally seen as being the level for diagnosing diabetes, so as you have been told, this is just hovering under that mark. As such, it may just be a case of knowing what things your body can tolerate well and what you may need to reduce or replace in your diet. People's tolerances for things can vary quite a lot (it's now thought that our individual gut bacteria may play a big part in this), so it's important to discover what works well for you as an individual 🙂 The general advice about reducing carbs is good, but by refining things so that you can more accurately tailor your food choices will mean you can retain maximum flexibility in your diet - no reason to miss out on things you really like if you don't actually have to! 🙂

I'd suggest starting by writing a food diary and marking down the amount of carbs in the things you eat and drink each day. This will give you an accurate idea of your current carb intake, and provide a tool for finding areas where things might be improved. Ideally, you would also be testing your blood glucose levels before and after eating, as described in Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S. It's unlikely that your GP or nurse will prescribe a meter and test strips for this purpose as you have not yet received a diagnosis (and even then they are reluctant unless you are put on certain types of medication). However, if you can manage it, it's well worth funding your own for a while as you learn how your food choices affect you. The cheapest option we have come across is theSD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50, and is used by many of our members.

For a really good general overview of managing diabetes I'd recommend reading Maggie Davey's letter 🙂 Although you are not diagnosed, it's best to proceed as though you have been - a diet which is suitable for people with diabetes is a healthy diet for everyone, it's not all salad and misery! Many people find that the adaptations they make to their diet leads to them feeling much happeie and healthier than they have for some time, so this is a good incentive! 🙂 Finally, it's really helpful if you can get some regular daily exercise - a brisk walk is fine, whatever you can manage, but try to make it something you will enjoy (maybe not at first, but it will feel better the more often you do it!). This can help enormously with keeping your blood glucose levels under control, especially after eating, and not just to help with weight loss - it makes your body more sensitive to the insulin it is producing 🙂

Let us know how you get on, and if you have ANY questions at all, please ask away - nothing is considered 'silly'! 🙂

 

[KARNAK]

Hi @Strewthy22 welcome to the forum.🙂 I hope things settle down for you soon, @Northerner has given you enough good advice to be going on with at the moment. As he says any questions just ask.🙂

 

[Pine Marten]

Hi, @Strewthy22, welcome to the forum.

I would just add to the good advice by saying have a read around the different threads here to get a feel of the place - there are many and very interesting topics, not least the food & recipe ones! No question is daft, so ask away!