Devastated and overwhelmed

[Yvonne31]

I had my annual review with the Practice Nurse at my doctors surgery yesterday and was informed that my HbA1c is 54. (I have a yearly blood test as I have an underactive thyroid.) I was advised to go on Metformin which will also help with weight loss. I must admit that my weight has crept up as since Covid I have worked from home and had little to no exercise.
The nurse advised me to up my exercise and try to lose some weight and sent me home with leaflets but didn't talk me through what the next steps would be. I know that I will need to have my feet checked, an EEG and probably my kidneys checked too. She said that my blood pressure was too high, but didn't say what we were going to do to reduce it.
I feel completely devastated and overwhelmed. I hope that she is arranging my future appointments, but at the time I couldn't think straight let alone ask any questions.
I'm looking forward to finding some answers on here, and when I'm feeling a little more human, I will try to arrange an appointment with my GP to answer some of my questions.

 

[Martin.A]

Sorry you've had to join us but welcome to the forum. An HbA1c of 48 and above is diabetes, so 54 isn't that far over the line and I'd be surprised if you couldn't turn that around through a combination of diet, weight loss, exercise and medication. Some of us were diagnosed with an HbA1c in 3 figures but have still managed to get our numbers down and in many case back into normal range, and off meds.

Feet checks, eye screening and checks on kidney function are routine when you have diabetes so that any complications can be picked up before they become a problem.

You should be able to get some answers to some of your questions right here so feel free to fire away.

 

[Leadinglights]

I had my annual review with the Practice Nurse at my doctors surgery yesterday and was informed that my HbA1c is 54. (I have a yearly blood test as I have an underactive thyroid.) I was advised to go on Metformin which will also help with weight loss. I must admit that my weight has crept up as since Covid I have worked from home and had little to no exercise.
The nurse advised me to up my exercise and try to lose some weight and sent me home with leaflets but didn't talk me through what the next steps would be. I know that I will need to have my feet checked, an EEG and probably my kidneys checked too. She said that my blood pressure was too high, but didn't say what we were going to do to reduce it.
I feel completely devastated and overwhelmed. I hope that she is arranging my future appointments, but at the time I couldn't think straight let alone ask any questions.
I'm looking forward to finding some answers on here, and when I'm feeling a little more human, I will try to arrange an appointment with my GP to answer some of my questions.

I am disappointed that your nurse has not given you the opportunity to make some lifestyle changes, diet etc as with an HbA1C of 54 it should be perfectly possible to reduce it without medication as you would need to do that anyway, metformin only helps by enabling the body to use the insulin it produces more effectively but dietary changes are also needed.
Have a look at this link for some ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

I think we probably all felt overwhelmed at diagnosis, but for some of us it has been the kick up the backside we needed to become healthier.... eat better, get fitter/more active and lose weight.... so the diagnosis doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing. As a result of changing my diet, a number of other health issues have resolved or improved. I am not saying that changing your diet is easy by any means but there definitely have been positives for me and whilst most of my old treats have had to go, I have found new lower carb ones that I enjoy, so it hasn't been all "sack cloth and ashes" and in many respects I consciously enjoy my food more now because I have to put more thought into it.

With an HbA1c score of 54 many people here would consider negotiating a period of dietary changes with their health care professionals before resorting to medication, as you are not far at all into diabetes territory. If your levels were very high, then a combination of medication and lifestyle changes would be important, but dietary changes can be more powerful than even the most powerful diabetes medication (insulin) and Metformin is the lowest level medication for diabetes and will only have a relatively small impact. HbA1c tests are usually not done any more frequently than 3 months, so a 3 month period of diet and increased activity may well see you back into normal figures without the need for tablets..... but if feel you want that extra help by taking medication, that is fine too. Just mention it so that you know that you have choices and if after 3 months of lifestyle changes there was no improvement in HbA1c, then there is nothing to stop you accepting the medication then. I think we tend to think of what medical professionals say or prescribe as non negotiable, but many of us have learned with diabetes that we do have choices about how we manage it and in many respects it is important to take responsibility for managing it ourselves, because doing so is much more in our hands than in those of the doctors and nurses. They are just there to support us.
Not sure if I have explained that very well. 🙄

Anyway, if you have any specific questions, please ask. Most of us knew very little about diabetes when we were first diagnosed or had misconceptions but this forum is a goldmine of knowledge and practical experience from people who are wearing the Tshirt so you have come to the right place for answers.

 

[Martin.A]

for some of us it has been the kick up the backside we needed to become healthier.... eat better, get fitter/more active and lose weight.... so the diagnosis doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing. As a result of changing my diet, a number of other health issues have resolved or improved.

I'm with you on that. My IBS barely bothers me since I dumped my old diet and went low carb; the migraines that were so frequent that I never went anywhere without painkillers on me have stopped completely; I no longer sleep with a pack of Rennies on my bedside cabinet for when I'd sometimes wake up with gastric reflux; and I feel fitter and healthier than I've felt since the days when I was playing cricket and squash. Some days I feel I could run marathons and climb mountains (though obviously I couldn't).

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, my migraines have also gone and mine were getting dangerous as I was vomiting and passing out sometimes with them and I was averaging about one a month where I lost the best part of a day in bed in the dark in agony. I wasn't diagnosed with IBS but probably only because I didn't go to the docs about it, but bowels now much happier and regular and the best they have been for decades. My skin is better and my joint pain is significantly reduced. I had started snoring occasionally (not something any woman wants to admit to 😱 ) before diagnosis, but I am pretty sure that has stopped too, even though I mostly sleep on my back. Certainly not caught myself doing it like I had previously. So lots and lots of positives from going low carb.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so overwhelmed by your diabetes diagnosis

It’s something we see quite often on the forum, so you aren’t alone in feeling this way. But take heart - as you can see, members here often remark that they feel ‘fitter’ and ‘healthier’ once they’ve brought their diabetes into line.

Hope it’s not too long before you hear a rough timeline of your next checks, appointments, and follow-up.