Diagnosed 7 days ago and feeling overwhelmed!

[Northerner]

Ah I see. Will do a bit of research on that. I thought it was my statins, so didn’t take it last night, so was most surprised to see that my bg was up regardless. Thank you for that information.

Hi, I'd suggest reading Dawn Phenomenon for a good explanation 🙂 Also, it's worth getting a free book of tips from Diabetes UK - 100 things I wish I'd known about diabetes, all tips submitted by people living with diabetes 🙂

 

[Ralph-YK]

I was started on statins as a heart patient by the hospital (I was in with a heart attack). Two months after being diagnosed as diabetic.

 

[Ralph-YK]

From what you've said, you're making a good start on managing your diabetes.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

Hi and welcome to the gang 🙂

 

[Mark Parrott]

Hi Zena & welcome to the forum.🙂 I am one of those who is now in 'remission'. I no longer need to see the diabetic nurse, just have a blood test once a year. I still test every now & then just to check i'm still on track. Need to keep following a low carb diet, but do have some treats now & then. I have never been offered statins, despite my overall cholesterol level being 7.2. OK, one GP I saw considered them but left the decision to the DSN who looked at my ratio & said no need. LDL is always considered that bad part. LDL is only bad if it's small dense LDL. Yes there are two types of LDL. The other type is large fluffy LDL. Sounds daft but that is what it's called. That is the harmless type of LDL & eating saturated fat increases this type of LDL, not the bad type. Unfortunately, the NHS do not split the LDL's as this is a more complex check that the standard cholesterol test does not show, probably down to cost. Another very important part of the breakdown is Triglycerides. These are key to heart health. The lower, the better. Under 1.5 is ideal. Mine is 1.0. Hope all this helps.🙂

 

[trophywench]

Neither the GP nor the hospital diabetes clinic here do a full, fasting lipids test any more for diabetes patients. (If you don't fast and abstain from alcohol for at least 48 hours, then it's not going to have the correct results anyway)

I don't understand this since I always understood that they can't even calculate your LDL without first measuring your total chol, HDL and Trigs, then calculate the LDL from the HDL and Trigs results - using 'the Friedwald formula'.

You still don't get the split between the good 'fluffy' LDL and the dense 'bad' LDL though. As Mark says, they can measure it but it's more complicated, takes longer and costs more - so they don't generally.

My own experience is that the doctors at our surgery can't have a discussion about the ins and outs of either the actual numbers or the ratios - I've always just got the reply delivered in varying words 'I'm a GP not a cardiologist'. yeah I know you are but I want further explanation of hat you are telling me and to answer 'because someone else has told me to' (eg NICE Guidelines or whatever) isn't acceptable unless you can tell me WHY.

 

[Glitter]

Zena I have no idea if you have system online at your surgery...if you have you can check your results online...those figures sound like the total cholesterol number...the breakdowns/ratios would be lower...if you can't view your notes/results online ask your surgery for a print out...I've copied a link to a cholesterol calculator...I found this helpful when attempting to understand my results...its well worth a look.

http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php

I will most certainly look in to that. Thank you so much for the info 🙂

 

[Glitter]

Hi Zena & welcome to the forum.🙂 I am one of those who is now in 'remission'. I no longer need to see the diabetic nurse, just have a blood test once a year. I still test every now & then just to check i'm still on track. Need to keep following a low carb diet, but do have some treats now & then. I have never been offered statins, despite my overall cholesterol level being 7.2. OK, one GP I saw considered them but left the decision to the DSN who looked at my ratio & said no need. LDL is always considered that bad part. LDL is only bad if it's small dense LDL. Yes there are two types of LDL. The other type is large fluffy LDL. Sounds daft but that is what it's called. That is the harmless type of LDL & eating saturated fat increases this type of LDL, not the bad type. Unfortunately, the NHS do not split the LDL's as this is a more complex check that the standard cholesterol test does not show, probably down to cost. Another very important part of the breakdown is Triglycerides. These are key to heart health. The lower, the better. Under 1.5 is ideal. Mine is 1.0. Hope all this helps.🙂

Very useful stuff indeed. Its so empowering having this knowledge, it enables you to take control (to a point)
Many many thanks.

 

[Glitter]

From what you've said, you're making a good start on managing your diabetes.

Yes. Largely because Im absolutely terrified of complications! I know people with diabetes that mostly ignore it, I hadn’t really given that much thought until now, to ignore diabetes is a little like signing your own death warrant (at the risk of sounding dramatic!)

 

[Drummer]

Taking controlling diabetes seriously means that you are unlikely to be bothered by it - trying to ignore it and you'll be more than a bit bothered - just from my own personal experience.
I stick to low carb foods since diagnosis in November 2016.
In 80 days I was no longer in the diabetic range, at 6 months I was in the normal range.
I don't eat foods with sugars or starches over 10 percent by weight, but that leaves me with a lot to go at, and it is delicious too.
At 6 months my triglycerides had gone down to 1.5 so I can't really take the fat is bad camp seriously - the high carb diet I was put on to lower cholesterol just did not work at all, and then I was diagnosed with diabetes. Thanks a bunch for that, doc.

 

[Maz2]

Welcome to the Forum. .I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You may find Dr Michael Moseley's books helpful - Blood Sugar Diet and Blood Sugar Diet Recipes. Dr David Cavan's book "Reverse your Diabetes" is also a good one. The most important thing is to test how different foods affect you. I have found this invaluable. I am pre-diabetic at present, had got out of it, but, unfortunately, gone back into it again. Testing again and trying to use foods which affect me the least and trying to put weight on at the same time. (I am underweight). It is not all done to being overweight/obese.