Hello. I am new here.

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Daffodils

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Type 2
I was diagnosed weeks ago after an initial blood test showed a HbA1c Level of 56.

A second blood test a week later showed an increase to 57 as well as high cholesterol and a fatty liver - a bit of a triple whammy.
The GP suggested medication, but we have agreed to try using improved diet and reduced carbohydrates in the first instance to try and reduce weight and lower levels.
I am awaiting a blood glucose monitor to arrive so that I may have more insight into how my levels may fluctuate with different foods.
I have also signed up to a DESMOND course for the beginning of April and purchased the Carbs & Cals book
When I saw the GP he poked and prodded my feet and all seemed well. But that was it really. I suppose my query really is - should I be awaiting a referral to a diabetic clinic or diabetic nurse or do I just wait for the next blood test in 3 months?
It just all seems a little bit vague.
 
Daffodils said:
I was diagnosed weeks ago after an initial blood test showed a HbA1c Level of 56.

A second blood test a week later showed an increase to 57 as well as high cholesterol and a fatty liver - a bit of a triple whammy.
The GP suggested medication, but we have agreed to try using improved diet and reduced carbohydrates in the first instance to try and reduce weight and lower levels.
I am awaiting a blood glucose monitor to arrive so that I may have more insight into how my levels may fluctuate with different foods.
I have also signed up to a DESMOND course for the beginning of April and purchased the Carbs & Cals book
When I saw the GP he poked and prodded my feet and all seemed well. But that was it really. I suppose my query really is - should I be awaiting a referral to a diabetic clinic or diabetic nurse or do I just wait for the next blood test in 3 months?
It just all seems a little bit vague.
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The only additional thing you should expect is retinal screening of your eyes but I think you have had pretty well all that is usually offered in fact more than some get. The DESMOND course is useful but no reason not to make some more immediate dietary changes. That course does follow the standard NHS advise based on the Eatwell Plate which for many is too high in carbohydrates for many trying to manage with diet only, which is very possible with the right changes. There is good explanation in this link which is a program developed by a GP surgery who found that NHS advice did not work for their patients, take time to read the introduction and there are recipes and menu plans to suit various tastes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Brilliant you have a monitor on the way as it is a valuable tool to enable you to make some good food choices.
Welcome to the forum by the way.
 
Hi and welcome.

Sounds like you are off to a great start and have obviously done your homework and equipped yourself with what you need. If you are a normal Type 2 then you should manage to bring your HbA1c down within that timescale using the info you gain from your BG meter. The right diet is far more powerful than most diabetes medications and you are not far into diabetes territory at the moment so should not be too challenging to push it back.
Wishing you lots of luck! @Leadinglights has covered your other questions I believe but if there is anything else you don't understand or need help with, do let us know.
Presumably you will be keeping a food diary with your before and 2 hours after meal readings so that you can see which meals work well for you and which foods need portion reduction or a wide berth!
Do keep us posted with your progress too.
 
Welcome to the forum @Daffodils

The HbA1c checks you have had so far are so similar as to not really consider the difference significant. These sorts of tests (even the lab ones) will have a degree of ‘margin of error’, so don’t be disheartened by that small rise - you‘ve basically held steady. 🙂

If you’d like to get a bit of a headstart on the ins and oits of diabetes, you might want to register for an account with the Learning Zone (the orange tab in the main menu) which is packed full of informative bite-sized modules. Additionally, for a more personal take, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter to the Newly Diagnosed

Hope the Desmond course is helpful - let us know how you get on 🙂
 
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