A bit shell shocked

@ashovelfullofsugar yes it can be confusing, as I say I'm no expert and still new to this myself, but I also know that in the past in the UK and in some other Counties still, eg: USA, they would quote the HbA1c levels as a %.
But usually now in the UK the HbA1c is quoted as a large number eg: 30 and 100+.
So not sure why they have given your HbA1c as 6.8.
Did you actually have a blood test or did they just do a finger prick test?
 
pjgtech said:
@ashovelfullofsugar yes it can be confusing, as I say I'm no expert and still new to this myself, but I also know that in the past in the UK and in some other Counties still, eg: USA, they would quote the HbA1c levels as a %.
But usually now in the UK the HbA1c is quoted as a large number eg: 30 and 100+.
So not sure why they have given your HbA1c as 6.8.
Did you actually have a blood test or did they just do a finger prick test?
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This number was given by the surgery receptionist, who looked it up on my records. I had a full blood test a few weeks ago which revealed the diabetes (was pre diabetic for a couple of years before) I've not had a finger prick test
 
ashovelfullofsugar said:
Thank you for that. After contacting my surgery I was told my HbA1C level is 6.8...but I see from looking at the above chart that must be the blood glucose level. I have so much I need to learn about this illness :-(
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Suggest you look at the chart again, it could be 6.8% just above 58 mmol/mol, or a glucose level of 8.x mmol/L

When you looked at Freshwell, did you see this helpful chart: https://www.lowcarbfreshwell.com/documents/8/Freshwell_Red_Amber_Green.pdf ?

Focus on protein and vegetables, keep you glucose levels down and, if you can, lose some weight (what would you like it to be?) - and hopefully you should be fine.
 
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pjgtech said:
Hi , I'm no medical expert, but my understanding is that if you have the Patient Access app on your phone or access their website, you can see any recent test results on there. (as well as other stuff, meds, etc) .NB: You need your NHS number to sign in to the app/webpage.
It is also my understanding that a finger prick test gives you your current blood glucose reading, whereas a HbA1c sort of gives an average of your previous three months blood glucose, so its more accurate, but they use different numbers and there is no direct comparison as far as I can see, although there are rough conversions.

An HbA1c of 42 to 47 is pre diabetic, and an HbA1c of above 47 (so 48 or higher) is when they diagnose you as diabetic.
I think they would need to see two three monthly test results showing you in the diabetic range before diagnosing you.
So if you've not had a HbA1c test or only one, you need to get one done.
Cheers
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Definitely ask for a second blood test. I didn’t know that was an option, and I really wished I had known.
 
ashovelfullofsugar said:
The road of taking the medication is, I admit, beckoning as it seems (with the little information I've got) that if I take the medication I won't need to diet! (honestly, this is what a couple of friends have confessed to me).
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Hi and welcome from me too.

Your friends are kidding themselves so please do not believe them unless you want to risk your long term health. Diabetes complications are slow and insidious and by the time you notice them it is usually too late to do much about them and can lead to a life of pain and suffering. Tat is the big problem with diabetes, you don't see/feel the damage until it is too late in many respects, so it is all too easy to think like your friends, until it is too late. Medication alone will not keep a lid on the problem which is why many GPs believe diabetes is progressive, because they end up prescribing stronger and stronger medication to patients who do not make the right dietary changes. Please do not be one of those patients. You must know that your current diet is not healthy, so use this diagnosis to motivate you to change. I did and it has improved a number of other unconnected health issues which I had been suffering from for years. I am now healthier and fitter than I was 10, maybe even 20 years ago and at 60 that has to be a big bonus. There are plenty of other people here on the forum who have made similar lifestyle changes and feel the same benefit, so I hope you will become one of our group.

6.8 will be the old way of presenting HbA1c as a % and is equivalent to 51mmols/mol, so you are only just over the diabetes threshold of 48 and so it shouldn't take too much effort to push it back without meds. A few dietary changes and a bit more activity like a walk every day if you are able, should see things looking better. It doesn't have to be all sack cloth and ashes either, it is just about learning which foods you can get away with and which ones cause you problems and substitute different ones for those. I am not a great cook but I manage a low carb diet without too many problems, although I struggled a bit at first, particularly with removing bread from my diet as it is such a convenient carrier for so many foods. I still feel a bit guilty when I have a slice of ham with a dollop of coleslaw and some tomato and cucumber and maybe some cheese all rolled up like a wrap, but without the bready bit or scrambled eggs on ham instead of toast. I try to incorporate as many veggies as I can with meals and sometimes it will be as simple as opening a jar of pickled beetroot or pickled gherkins. You might not like those but you will find other things like packs of ready prepped veg that you can zap in the microwave for a few minutes. Most people can make an omelette and fill it with whatever you like and have it with a salad and coleslaw. It doesn't have to be complicated or fancy.

It is generally easier if you live on your own so that you can leave the tempting stuff in the supermarket and others are not eating it in front of you, although once you get used to eating low carb, many of us stopped craving that stuff. I was a sugar addict, chocoholic and major comfort eater pre diagnosis... No wonder I feel better now!!
 
ashovelfullofsugar said:
The road of taking the medication is, I admit, beckoning as it seems (with the little information I've got) that if I take the medication I won't need to diet! (honestly, this is what a couple of friends have confessed to me).
Click to expand...

I would ignore your friends.
They are idiots.
I have a friend who is a GP who despairs of his diabetic patients thinking tablets means they can carry on eating pizza.
You have to change lifestyle to control it. Medication can help.
 
ashovelfullofsugar said:
This number was given by the surgery receptionist, who looked it up on my records. I had a full blood test a few weeks ago which revealed the diabetes (was pre diabetic for a couple of years before) I've not had a finger prick test
Click to expand...

The blood samples from your arm will most likely have been checked for spot glucose value, similar to a fingerprick check (measured in mmol/L), and also your HbA1c (measured in mmol/mol)

Diabetes can be a bit confusing where surgery staff sharing results don’t provide the units, because as you can see it becomes easy to confuse one result with another!

Hopefully you can get your surgery to give you access to your results via the NHS app (or patient access) so you can get them in full without having to go via the receptionist.

You may need to fill-in a request form to enable this, depending on your surgery’s approach.
 
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