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First Hba1c since diagnosis ...

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jill55

jill55

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone .....On friday i had my first Hba1c result since diagnosis at the end of september .... my result in september was 113 pretty high ! since then i have followed the great advice of you folks here have lost weight following a low carb diet and self test and my test results came back as 44 ! which i feel quite proud of , However the G.P seemed to think now was the time to prescribe me Metaformin to make me get to undiabetic levels ! but i dont really want it and would rather keep doing what im doing myself , am i right to do this ? I feel a wee bit deflated by his attitude as although i know my readings still not normal i thought i was heading the right way !
 
That's terrific news Jill! Well done, you've done a fantastic job! 🙂 I'm surprised your GP wants to prescribe metformin as you are already below the level that is considered non-diabetic, which is 48. I would ask the GP to explain their reasoning more fully. You don't have to take it if you don't want to, of course - I'd certainly want to wait until the next HbA1c to see if I was able to maintain the level without medication 🙂 The advantage of being on diabetes medication, if you are in England, is that you will get free prescriptions 🙂
 
jill55 said:
Hi everyone .....On friday i had my first Hba1c result since diagnosis at the end of september .... my result in september was 113 pretty high ! since then i have followed the great advice of you folks here have lost weight following a low carb diet and self test and my test results came back as 44 ! which i feel quite proud of , However the G.P seemed to think now was the time to prescribe me Metaformin to make me get to undiabetic levels ! but i dont really want it and would rather keep doing what im doing myself , am i right to do this ? I feel a wee bit deflated by his attitude as although i know my readings still not normal i thought i was heading the right way !
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Excellent @jill55
Congratulations.
I too am surprised he wants to put you on Metformin, you are, as @Northerner states, below the non-diabetic range which is 48 if I remember correctly.
Pehraps just covering his bases.
My goal was to get off it ASAP
Terrific results anyway Jill
 
jill55 said:
Hi everyone .....On friday i had my first Hba1c result since diagnosis at the end of september .... my result in september was 113 pretty high ! since then i have followed the great advice of you folks here have lost weight following a low carb diet and self test and my test results came back as 44 ! which i feel quite proud of , However the G.P seemed to think now was the time to prescribe me Metaformin to make me get to undiabetic levels ! but i dont really want it and would rather keep doing what im doing myself , am i right to do this ? I feel a wee bit deflated by his attitude as although i know my readings still not normal i thought i was heading the right way !
Click to expand...

Your doctor has seemingly missed the point here. You are now under diabetic levels!

I think you may need to assert your wishes here Jill because you’ve done brilliantly without medication and there’s absolutely no reason why that shouldn’t continue. Doctors never seem to quite believe that.
I was given Metformin initially and couldn’t tolerate and didn’t want it so took myself off it and informed the GP. My Hba1c following that was 40. Show him by your actions that it’s not needed and well done!
 
Well done! You can tell that GP to shove his Metformin where the sun don't shine.:D
 
Well done Jill that’s amazing work! My last Hba1c a year ago (I am due another soon) was 42 and at that deemed ‘well controlled. No action required.’ I know, though that my levels have crept back up, so determined to avoid the meds (which I have never yet had to take since diagnosis in 2012) I am working like crazy to get them down again! So if I were your position I would ask for a little more time to see if they stay that way or even go down a little on their own! Katie x
 
Great Jill
 
Great news on your progress Jill. Agree with Northie’s post entirely - might be worth a phone consultation with your GP now that you’ve had a chance to digest their suggestion?
 
You must be truly elated.
Good results certainly do inspire us to keep on the straight and narrow and make it all worthwhile.
 
Well done Jill, you've every right to be proud of that!
As others have said, very much worth a followup call with the GP about the Metformin.
 
Well done Jill, can't think of any reason why your doc would want you to go on metformin either.
 
Sounds like you are managing well enough without meds. I would decline the offer to take them if it was me.
Can’t understand why your doctor thinks you need to take medication when you have done so well without.
Well done.
 
Thanks guys for your kind words i really appreciate the care that folks show on this site and to be honest i did not realise under 48 was a non diabetic range , i think perhaps my gp is a bit out of date with his thinking ! anyway i will phone tommorow and see what he says then ... now hoping they have not given me somebody elses result ! joking aside i plan to keep doing what im doing and see if i can get the levels down but as said before im so grateful for this forum as felt completely lost without you all x
 
Amazing results, I hope the GP had something encouraging to say!
 
Prediabetic HbA1c levels are 42-47 mmol/mol (6.0 to 6.4%) so you are easily into that range and doing darn well. Congratulations!
I think you need an informed discussion with your GP - possibly he/she needs to be better informed ! 🙄
To get into a nondiabetc range "normal", range you'd need to be <42 mmol/mol or 6.0%.
There's some useful an informative info about blood glucose levels on this site - https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
I'm off to see my GP tomorrow, she reduced my Gliclazide by 50% three months ago and my most recent HbA1c was 46 mmol/mol 6.4% (improved from 6.5%) so I'm half expecting that she'll suggest stopping the medication and restesting in another 3 months.
 
Well done @jill55.🙂 Brilliant result!😛:D😛
 
First of all, Jill, that is a cracking result, well done!

I'm also surprised the doc has now mentioned Metformin to you, but more surprised that you weren't prescribed them straight away when you were diagnosed! My diagnosis level was 107, and I was prescribed both Metformin and Gliclazide as it was so high. Now you're at 44, it seems very much 'after the horse has bolted' as it were.

If you're happy with your diet, then avoid the Metformin. They are way more trouble then they're worth if you really don't need them.
 
jill55 said:
Hi everyone .....On friday i had my first Hba1c result since diagnosis at the end of september .... my result in september was 113 pretty high ! since then i have followed the great advice of you folks here have lost weight following a low carb diet and self test and my test results came back as 44 ! which i feel quite proud of , However the G.P seemed to think now was the time to prescribe me Metaformin to make me get to undiabetic levels ! but i dont really want it and would rather keep doing what im doing myself , am i right to do this ? I feel a wee bit deflated by his attitude as although i know my readings still not normal i thought i was heading the right way !
Click to expand...

I'm surprised they didn't give you meds straight off. I was 117 and given metformin twice a day and they implied they would be increasing it in 3 months at my first review. I too got my levels down to pre- diabetic levels 3 months later at 42 with info. from this forum so instead she talked about reducing meds at next review in 6 months. 6 months later I'm 43 so said I could continue with my meds or reduce to one a day to see how I got on. My notes stress how I am controlling my diabetes by self testing so GP will continue to provide me with meter and strips. I do feel lucky that my DN is supportive of my choice to go low carb even though she initially suggested the healthy plate thing.
 
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