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At Risk of being diagnosed

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AnthonyC2025

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At risk of diabetes
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Hello

I’ve been tested for diabetes and the test results show that I could have type 2. I’m really nervous about Chang my lifestyle as I am unsure what to do. It’s really knocked me. I have an appointment with my Nurse on Tuesday but cannot stop thinking about it.

My glucose was 12.6 and I have high blood pressure. I’m always on the toilet and constantly have cold hands and feet. I’m overweight and not really eat healthy if I’m honest. My groin itches at times too.

Sorry for messaging directly just thought you could point me in the right direction for info as google can be read in the wrong way and you think the worse.
 
Many type twos can reduce their blood glucose levels by reducing their intake of carbohydrate, sometimes right down to normal even without medication.
Your cold hands and feet problem wasn't something I experienced with diabetes, but it might be worth asking for a test for your thyroid function as way back when I was first given Thyroxine due to my failed thyroid the first alteration I noticed was the warmth in my hands and feet, like a warm bath.
 
AnthonyC2025 said:
Hello

I’ve been tested for diabetes and the test results show that I could have type 2. I’m really nervous about Chang my lifestyle as I am unsure what to do. It’s really knocked me. I have an appointment with my Nurse on Tuesday but cannot stop thinking about it.

My glucose was 12.6 and I have high blood pressure. I’m always on the toilet and constantly have cold hands and feet. I’m overweight and not really eat healthy if I’m honest. My groin itches at times too.

Sorry for messaging directly just thought you could point me in the right direction for info as google can be read in the wrong way and you think the worse.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum.
The first thing is not to panic as it is a condition that can be easily managed with some lifestyle changes. The test for diagnosis will be an HbA1C test which would be done from a blood sample taken from your arm and sent to the lab. The threshold for diagnosis will be anything over 47mmol/mol. The glucose level of 12.6 sounds like it was from a finger prick test and is a moment in time which will mostly reflect what you have recently eaten or if it was fasting then what your level is inthe absence of food and at 12.6 is a good bit higher than is desirable and so I suspect you will be given a diabetes diagnosis particularly as you are showing some symptoms of frequent loo visits and itching which could indicate thrush, a common issue if blood glucose is high.
However there is plenty you can do by looking at your diet and reducing carbohydrates not just sugary foods and drinks.
This link may point you in the right direction for doing that, it will mean some changes but is very doable and still gives options for tasty filling meals.
https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
Hi and welcome.

When was that glucose reading taken and was it a finger prick test? Just wondering if it was a fasting test or an hour after breakfast or after lunch perhaps?

As regards information, you would probably be well advised to look at the Learning Zone which you can access if you click the red button at the top of the screen.

Basically the carbohydrates (sugars and starchy foods) you eat are broken down into glucose in your digestive system and absorbed through the intestinal walls into the blood stream. Ordinarily insulin sort of escorts that glucose to the cells in the body and opens the cells and pushes the glucose into them. Glucose is used by the body as fuel. Unfortunately any surplus glucose is converted to fat and stored throughout the body to keep us alive in times of famine. Once the cells start to get a bit too full of fat, they don't want to take any more glucose and you become insulin resistant, so it takes more insulin to try to get rid of that glucose in the blood stream and the levels in the blood get higher and that extra glucose in the blood puts you at risk of cardiovascular problems, because it can clog up the blood vessels. Your feet, eyes and kidneys are particularly vulnerable to damage from the blood vessels clogging, so it is important to reduce those glucose levels in your blood. One of the simplest ways of doing that is to stop adding more glucose by reducing your carbohydrate intake, a bit like you would turn a tap off if you had a blocked sink that was overflowing. Then you need to tackle the "blockage" which is too much fat, often visceral fat in and around the liver and pancreas, as well as subcutaneous fat throughout the body, so basically lose weight and make your body burn off some of that fat, so that it can hopefully go back to being able to balance your BG (Blood Glucose) levels properly again, but generally you need to lose weight and keep it off. We all know that is challenging but many people here on the forum are succeeding and there are different ways of achieving that. It isn't a one size fits all. Different approaches suit different people. You may have an idea of what has worked for you in the past. You may be an all or nothing person or able to moderate your eating. I had been a comfort eater and "sugar addict" for quite a few years prior to diagnosis and the more I ate, the more wanted, especially those high carb foods. For me, going low carb has revolutionised my health in lots of very significant ways and once I got the hang of it my cravings more or less stopped and it has been relatively easy to stick to it for the past 6 years. Other people find a short term very low CALORIE approach like the FAST 800 or Newcastle diet works for them perhaps using meal replacement shakes for a period of 12 weeks to rapidly loose weight and then start to reintroduce real food, but in smaller quantities than previously to keep the weight off.

Anyway, that is a rough precis of what it is all about. Medication might also be needed depending upon how far into diabetes territory you have strayed, but dietary changes and weight loss are a very key part of good diabetes management and can be more powerful than many diabetes medications. We have lots of members of the forum who have lost lots of weight and brought their levels down significantly and are far healthier as a result. Having the support of others here is really helpful in keeping you focused and on track although we are all human and have the odd day when we fall off the wagon a bit. The important thing is that it doesn't happen too often and you get straight back on it.
 
Thank you for your message and the info this is very helpful.

I did my finger test at a private clinic with a 12 hour fast. It was taken yesterday morning.
 
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AnthonyC2025 said:
Thank you for your message and the info this is very helpful.

I did my finger test at a private clinic with a 12 hour fast. It was taken yesterday morning.
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Did they also draw blood from your arm to do other tests on as well as the finger prick test?

Do you know the units of that 12.6 reading? Was it mmols/L or %. Just wondering if you got a print out with it on.

12.6mmols/L as a fasting reading is quite high. Ideally you would want a reading between 4-7mmols/L fasting. If 12.6 is a % reading then it is likely an HbA1c result and that may mean that things are considerably worse, which would tie in with weeing a lot and the itching as it is likely thrush which is a yeast infection which thrives on a sugary environment and when levels are high, the kidneys start removing the excess glucose from your blood which comes out in your urine and the yeast infection sets in.

Either way your levels do appear to be high and it looks like some lifestyle changes are probably in order. If it is any consolation, it was the kick up the pants I needed to change my diet and improve my health and get fitter and all those things have improved many other aspects of my life and health, so I see my diagnosis as the turning point for me to become healthier rather than the opposite. You do have to face up to it though, but it is so worthwhile. We have one member who has just lost 8 inches off his waist in the past few months and feels so much better, so whilst it might seem daunting, it is really worthwhile making those changes and there are lots of benefits to be had, so don't despair. Just take it step by step. Start gaining some knowledge as knowledge is power and hopefully you will start to make some slow steady changes towards a healthier you.
 
Hi

The reading was fasting:
TC 4.99 mmol/i
HDL 0.83 mmol/i
TC/HDL 5.80 mmol/i
LDL 2.99 mmol/i
Triglycerides 2.39mmol/i
Glucose 12.6mmol/l
Blood pressure 157 to 153 on the 3 readings.

If I’m honest I don’t really know what they mean but guess as they are red and amber it’s not too good.
 
AnthonyC2025 said:
Hi

The reading was fasting:
TC 4.99 mmol/i
HDL 0.83 mmol/i
TC/HDL 5.80 mmol/i
LDL 2.99 mmol/i
Triglycerides 2.39mmol/i
Glucose 12.6mmol/l
Blood pressure 157 to 153 on the 3 readings.

If I’m honest I don’t really know what they mean but guess as they are red and amber it’s not too good.
Click to expand...
I am surprised that you did not have an HbA1C test at the same time as that is the test used for diagnosis, perhaps check your results again to see if that was done, the glucose level if fasting is definitely high. The result from an HbA1C will be in mmol/mol, 48mmol/mol being a diabetes diagnosis.
The other results are for cholesterol and although perhaps high will hopefully be improved by tackling your high blood glucose by reducing the carbohydrates as many people find that happens.
If that test has not been done then you need to request it as it will determine where your starting point is and what treatment may be required. Hopefully with some dietary changes you will avoid medication. The Freshwell program should help you with that.
 
The top 5 are your lipid panel. TC is total Cholesterol which isn't too bad in itself, but a little higher than they like us people with diabetes to be, it is the make up of that total which is rather out of kilter. Particularly the HDL (often considered the good cholesterol) being relatively low and the Triglycerides and LDL being too high. Hopefully with some dietary adjustment that will change.

Good to see the glucose reading is 12.6mmols/l as that is probably the lesser of two evils than if it was a blood spot HbA1c result as a percentage, which would be unlikely, but some clinics do have finger prick HbA1c machines, so I just wanted to be certain.

Your diet is going to need some work to bring that down and many people find that the cholesterol results improve as their diabetes is better managed and similarly their blood pressure too.

Have you thought about what dietary approach you might like to try or might be the most effective for you? The NHS in some areas have "The pathway to remission" program which is an initial "soups and shakes" meal replacement option designed to give you about 800calories a day for the first 12 weeks I think for rapid weight loss and then offer support with reintroduction of food for the remainder of the year.
Alternatively many people here just follow a low carbohydrate diet but don't worry too much about their Calorie intake and find that focusing on cutting carbs to keep their Blood Glucose (BG) levels in range has the knock on effect of losing weight, sometimes without consciously trying.

There are many success stories from people on the forum who have followed each approach and some who have done a homemade combination of the two.
 
Leadinglights said:
Yes I was thinking it might take longer to be back and go up on the results which is why I suggested checking again.
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This is this first time I have waited this long. I was being to think it either had not been done or lost by the laboratory. In the intervening wait I had to ring to book appointment to discuss Cholesterol result, so I queried that, assured they could see it had been taken on there record but not mine.
 
Hi @AnthonyC2025 welcome to the forum and as you have seen there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here to help you get through that initial panic/fear stage of a diabetes diagnosis. As someone who was only diagnosed just over six months ago, I fully understand how you are feeling and the concerns you have but I can highly recommend the advice to use the Freshwells website and the app with lots of good ideas for different foods that you can eat. You might also want to look at some of the books that often get recommended on here such as Cals and Carbs and the Fast 800 book. These are good if you need to lose some weight but also offer some nice meal ideas that can give you good food while keeping the carbs low.
For your appointment with the diabetes nurse I would recommend using the learning zone of this site and watching the videos, that should raise questions you might want answered. When I went for my first session with the nurse I took a long list of written questions and she kindly went through them all with me answering them. It left me feeling very reassured and helped direct me down the right road.
I also had my blood pressure checked twice as part of various medical reviews just after diagnosis, but by the end of the year my move to a low carb (130 grammes/day) and upping my exercise meant that my blood pressure is now within the limits that apply for my age.
In summary, my advice is don't panic, make sure you get answers to your questions and as others have said, look at what changes you can make simply and easily without throwing your life into chaos. Making changes to your lifestyle have to be sustainable.
 
Hi @AnthonyC2025 welcome to the forum
you might only need a few lifestyle changes to be healthy and get the condition that none of us on here wanted,
there is a wealth ok friendly knowledge on here

I see you’ve already been recommended to take a look at freshwell
which is healthy lower carb diet advice

Whatever you need to know just post on here, somebody will be able to help out
 
Hi and welcome, lots of good advice already given, so I'll not repeat that.
Read up on it here, and using the links and books already recommended. Knowledge is power!
Once you know what diabetes is, what the numbers mean, and what steps you can take, you will then be in control of your own destiny, so to speak. Good luck with it and keep us updated on progress. Cheers
 
Welcome @AnthonyC2025 . This site and forum is a much better place to get information about living with diabetes than Google. The problem with Google and social media is although there are nuggets of good information, it's swamped by dross and sound bites from people whose agenda is to sell you dubious "cures" or improve their own social media presence.
I can't add anymore helpful advice or information, but even as a skinny T2 I found reducing carbs and increasing exercise in addition to the prescribed medication has made a huge difference to my blood glucose and cholesterol levels in the past 10 months.

Wishing you all the best on your diabetic journey. It is very normal to feel bewildered and scared when newly diagnosed. We have all been there. This forum is also a safe place to vent if you need to. Look around at earlier posts and you will see a wide range of issues raised.
 
Welcome to the forum @AnthonyC2025

Hope you find the shared experiences of other forum members helpful. Keep firing away with questions, worries, and requests for ideas.

We have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum, with lots of different people finding their own ways through the maze of options, to build a ‘diabetes toolkit’ that works for them 🙂
 
Is it normal for you glucose levels to go further up in the early stages. It’s now at 14 from 12.5.
 
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