And the results are in...

[What the..?]

Hello, just to let you know that I had my three month HbA1c test on Monday - at the hospital, and as predicted they weren't going to let me go without getting the required samples. And the nurse from my surgery has just phoned to say it was 46, which is down from my initial diagnosis result of 53. I'm delighted to get a reasonable reduction after just ten weeks from diagnosis, (including the potential pitfalls of Christmas...). The nurse checked what medication I'm taking, and when I told her I had chosen not to take the statin and metformin prescribed she was really chirpy and positive. I told her I've reduced my carb intake and upped my exercise level, and she said that I should just keep that up and have another test in six months. I know it isn't as much of a reduction as some have managed, and there's still a long way to go, but I am very relieved that something so relatively simple works, and as always grateful for all the useful info and support from everyone on the forum.

 

[Christy]

Well done! It's all going in the right direction. It shows you were using the right approach for you not to take meds. Hopefully you'll see a further improvement at your next test and as you say making relatively minor changes has made a big improvement to your health!

 

[Toucan]

That's great news @What the..?. Well done. 46 is a really good results and puts you back into the pre-diabatic range.
You have obviously made some great life style changes that work.
Hopefully you are happy with them and taking things steadily gives you the best chance of sustaining them,

 

[Pine Marten]

Well done! It's not good to reduce numbers very quickly so you've achieved a great result - keep doing what you're doing as it is obviously working

 

[Loobyloo]

Well done! Keep it up 🙂

 

[Stitch147]

Great results

 

[Bloden]

Well done @What the..? Brilliant result!

 

[Nick Cliff]

That's great news @What the..? !!
Well done for trying to make lifestyle changes rather than rely on the medication. And good that your clinical team support you in that. Not always the case.
Keep it up - it's a marathon not a sprint (unfortunately )

 

[What the..?]

Well done! It's all going in the right direction. It shows you were using the right approach for you not to take meds. Hopefully you'll see a further improvement at your next test and as you say making relatively minor changes has made a big improvement to your health!

Thanks Christy, yes, I'm relieved that it has dropped, although I know it's not a massive reduction it shows it does work.

 

[What the..?]

That's great news @What the..?. Well done. 46 is a really good results and puts you back into the pre-diabatic range.
You have obviously made some great life style changes that work.
Hopefully you are happy with them and taking things steadily gives you the best chance of sustaining them,

Thanks Toucan, I will carry on as I have been doing, and will try not to let complacency creep in.

 

[What the..?]

Well done! It's not good to reduce numbers very quickly so you've achieved a great result - keep doing what you're doing as it is obviously working

Thank you Pine Marten. If I'm honest I would have liked it to be a bit lower, but am taking comfort from what you and others have said about it not being good to reduce too quickly.

 

[What the..?]

Well done! Keep it up 🙂

Thanks Loobyloo, and congratulations on the great progress you've made!

 

[What the..?]

Fantastic result, a powerful motivator to keep doing what you're doing, and an inspiration to others working on bringing to their BG levels down - and you did it without meds, which is even better.

Thanks Anitram, I'm grateful for your support.

 

[What the..?]

Great results

Thanks Stitch, and well done by the way on your weight loss...it is tough, I know how hard it is, I lost six stone in my twenties, but not in a particularly healthy way (both mentally and physically), and now in my sixties I'm doing it differently!

 

[What the..?]

Well done @What the..? Brilliant result!

Thanks Bloden, it is a real boost to have the support.

 

[What the..?]

That's great news @What the..? !!
Well done for trying to make lifestyle changes rather than rely on the medication. And good that your clinical team support you in that. Not always the case.
Keep it up - it's a marathon not a sprint (unfortunately )

Hello Nick Cliff, thanks for your kind message. However I haven't really had any support since diagnosis - the doctor dismissed my questions about perhaps turning things around through diet and exercise, saying it was all 'shakes and things, and doesn't really work', and sent me away with a prescription for medication without putting my HbA1c level of 53 into any sort of context. When I got home, really upset, I found this site and realised that I was at the lower end of the diabetic range, and that this was something that I could try to sort out myself. My first appointment with a nurse was a month after diagnosis, and frankly I think I'd learnt more from reading about forum users' experiences on here than she may ever have known about diabetes. Thankfully the other nurse (who I'll always opt for if at all possible) seemed much more tuned in when she phoned to give me the results yesterday. I am so glad that I didn't need to take the medication. Obviously it is useful in many cases, but I worry for those who could, like me, manage it without the tablets, but are dismissed as foolish by their doctor.

 

[Nick Cliff]

Hello Nick Cliff, thanks for your kind message. However I haven't really had any support since diagnosis - the doctor dismissed my questions about perhaps turning things around through diet and exercise, saying it was all 'shakes and things, and doesn't really work', and sent me away with a prescription for medication without putting my HbA1c level of 53 into any sort of context. When I got home, really upset, I found this site and realised that I was at the lower end of the diabetic range, and that this was something that I could try to sort out myself. My first appointment with a nurse was a month after diagnosis, and frankly I think I'd learnt more from reading about forum users' experiences on here than she may ever have known about diabetes. Thankfully the other nurse (who I'll always opt for if at all possible) seemed much more tuned in when she phoned to give me the results yesterday. I am so glad that I didn't need to take the medication. Obviously it is useful in many cases, but I worry for those who could, like me, manage it without the tablets, but are dismissed as foolish by their doctor.

Yes it's annoying that many GPs seem to have a mechanical approach - if you tick the boxes for the condition, they then tick the boxes for the medication.
I have found it necessary to suggest that maybe trying lifestyle changes first would be better than sticking me straight on medication. I suppose if the information they have is that there is a high probability that the meds will improve your condition, then they feel obliged to put you on it. I guess also there is that nagging fear of the no-win-no-fee (and no moral purpose) solicitors lurking round the corner if they don't give you meds and you get worse..
Fortunately, my GP is open to discussion and mutually agreeing my course of treatment, and the diabetic nurses are also very good at our surgery. I'm lucky in that it would seem.
Good luck with your diet and exercise routine!
Nick

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Well done on your great results @What the..?

Keep doing what you are doing!

Glad you didnt get a hard time from your nurse too.

Hope your next check in 6 months shows further progress. Onward and downward!