Hello!

[jcm]

Hi all,

I'm in the early stages of being diagnosed with Type 2, having a second A1c next week, first was 14.7mmol, and phone appointment with Doctor the following week and seeing the DN at the end of May. I've had a good read through some posts on here and its been a massive help as I feel like I've got a few weeks of limbo while I wait for these appointments.

One question I have that I've not seen yet, forgive me if I've not used the search enough, while I'm in this interim period would it be advisable to start making some changes in diet?

Thanks

J

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all,

I'm in the early stages of being diagnosed with Type 2, having a second A1c next week, first was 14.7mmol, and phone appointment with Doctor the following week and seeing the DN at the end of May. I've had a good read through some posts on here and its been a massive help as I feel like I've got a few weeks of limbo while I wait for these appointments.

One question I have that I've not seen yet, forgive me if I've not used the search enough, while I'm in this interim period would it be advisable to start making some changes in diet?

Thanks

J

Sorry the number you quote as being your HbA1C doesn't quite make sense as an HbA1C is normally either mmol/mol and would be a number above 47mmol/mol or in the old units of % where anything over 6.5% would be a diabetes diagnosis. If it is 14.7 and that is % there really would be no doubt as that would be very very high and I would imagine you would have been put on medication pronto.
You need clarity on exactly what that number is or we are second guessing what you should be doing.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @jcm Rather than question which units your blood test result is in, I will answer your question:
Yes, if your first HbA1C result put you into the diabetic range, then you should use this time to start addressing what you put in your mouth! Not calories so much as carbohydrates, meaning starches as well as sugars. Starches turn into glucose when digested in fact some of them have a higher Glycaemic Index than table Sugar.
The sooner you start the better, but if you level is high then it's best to reduce carbs at first rather than trying to cut them out completely.

 

[jcm]

Sorry the number you quote as being your HbA1C doesn't quite make sense as an HbA1C is normally either mmol/mol and would be a number above 47mmol/mol or in the old units of % where anything over 6.5% would be a diabetes diagnosis. If it is 14.7 and that is % there really would be no doubt as that would be very very high and I would imagine you would have been put on medication pronto.
You need clarity on exactly what that number is or we are second guessing what you should be doing.

Sorry, I thought the fasting BG was the same as HbA1C, FBC wass 14.7 mmol/L and the HbA1C 101 mmol/mol

 

[jcm]

Hi @jcm Rather than question which units your blood test result is in, I will answer your question:
Yes, if your first HbA1C result put you into the diabetic range, then you should use this time to start addressing what you put in your mouth! Not calories so much as carbohydrates, meaning starches as well as sugars. Starches turn into glucose when digested in fact some of them have a higher Glycaemic Index than table Sugar.
The sooner you start the better, but if you level is high then it's best to reduce carbs at first rather than trying to cut them out completely.

Thanks, I have started using MyFitnessPal to keep track on how much of what I'm consuming and will reduce the amount of carbs I have

 

[Drummer]

Sorry, I thought the fasting BG was the same as HbA1C, FBC wass 14.7 mmol/L and the HbA1C 101 mmol/mol

That Hba1c is - well - rather high - but the good news is that cutting out carbs will - if you are a plain ordinary type 2 make all the difference.
It is a good idea to make the transition to low carb in stages - rather like doing Atkins backwards.
If you take a long hard look at your intake of carbs both starch and sugar and decide on the easiest targets, that would probably be the easiest way to succeed.

 

[jcm]

That Hba1c is - well - rather high - but the good news is that cutting out carbs will - if you are a plain ordinary type 2 make all the difference.
It is a good idea to make the transition to low carb in stages - rather like doing Atkins backwards.
If you take a long hard look at your intake of carbs both starch and sugar and decide on the easiest targets, that would probably be the easiest way to succeed.

Thanks, I’ve cut out the three biggest culprits and set a goal of 180g which I know is by no means low but is about half of what I was having.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks, I’ve cut out the three biggest culprits and set a goal of 180g which I know is by no means low but is about half of what I was having.

That is a good start, it is better to reduce your intake slowly to avoid eye and nerve issues so doing that for a few weeks, then reducing further until you get to where you need to be, 130g is a good place to aim at and see how that helps your blood glucose.

 

[Felinia]

Hello and welcome. Leadinglights is spot on with advice to reduce carbs slowly. Your HbA1c was high at 101, but there are some members who were higher and have been successful in reducing their HbA1c. I expect you will be prescribed medication if you have not already, but they do like to have 2 readings for confirmation. Metformin is usually the starting medication. It can cause tummy problems, which if they don't settle in a few weeks, you can ask for the slow release version. It should always be taken in the middle of a meal to reduce side effects. Best wishes

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @jcm

Glad to hear you are starting to make adjustments early. As others have said a gradual reduction of carb portions (perhaps by a percentage each week) is often kinder on the eyes and nerve endings.

Glad to have you as part of our friendly community. Hopefully you will find this place a source of support, encouragement, and a space where you can ask any questions as they come up, or simply vent and let off steam at the frustrations of living with a long term condition.

 

[Purls of Wisdom]

Hi @jcm Rather than question which units your blood test result is in, I will answer your question:
Yes, if your first HbA1C result put you into the diabetic range, then you should use this time to start addressing what you put in your mouth! Not calories so much as carbohydrates, meaning starches as well as sugars. Starches turn into glucose when digested in fact some of them have a higher Glycaemic Index than table Sugar.
The sooner you start the better, but if you level is high then it's best to reduce carbs at first rather than trying to cut them out completely.

Pls simplify HbA1c 99 for peace of my mind. Thanks.

 

[trophywench]

Pls simplify HbA1c 99 for peace of my mind. Thanks.

Sorry - no idea what you are asking.

 

[jcm]

Welcome to the forum @jcm

Glad to hear you are starting to make adjustments early. As others have said a gradual reduction of carb portions (perhaps by a percentage each week) is often kinder on the eyes and nerve endings.

Glad to have you as part of our friendly community. Hopefully you will find this place a source of support, encouragement, and a space where you can ask any questions as they come up, or simply vent and let off steam at the frustrations of living with a long term condition.

Thanks for the welcome.

Can I just clarify when you say about a percentage each week, is that from my new lower amount or from what I was having?

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks for the welcome.

Can I just clarify when you say about a percentage each week, is that from my new lower amount or from what I was having?

Good question, if you have already made some reduction maybe stick with that for a while if you haven't any problems with your eyes. It depends partly on what you have already reduced it by and to what.
If somebody is just starting out then reducing by one third for a couple of weeks, then another third until they get to whre the need to be and that they would determine by testing their blood glucose.

 

[jcm]

Good question, if you have already made some reduction maybe stick with that for a while if you haven't any problems with your eyes. It depends partly on what you have already reduced it by and to what.
If somebody is just starting out then reducing by one third for a couple of weeks, then another third until they get to whre the need to be and that they would determine by testing their blood glucose.

It’s hard to say what I’ve reduced it by exactly as I wasn’t really keeping track of it before, I’ve reduced it to circa 180g a day since Monday and not had any issues, i don’t know the timeframe of issues? I would have been having double that, sometimes more. I was thinking of staying at this until I speak to the doctor on the 9th to find out what he wants to do next.

 

[trophywench]

ER NO, DISCUSS WITH YOUR DOC THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU - AND REACH AN INFORMED JOINT DECISION.

Sorry - didn't notice Caps Lock was engaged.

 

[Leadinglights]

It’s hard to say what I’ve reduced it by exactly as I wasn’t really keeping track of it before, I’ve reduced it to circa 180g a day since Monday and not had any issues, i don’t know the timeframe of issues? I would have been having double that, sometimes more. I was thinking of staying at this until I speak to the doctor on the 9th to find out what he wants to do next.

I took a little while for me to get issues with my eyes, certainly not straight away. If you have reduced by half already I would perhaps stick there for another couple of weeks then cut down gradually until you get to 130g per day. If you have a blood glucose monitor you can track how much difference it is making and see if you are making good food choices.

 

[jcm]

I have a monitor that I got on Weds, I’m taking a morning reading at 7am as soon as I wake and logging it. Yesterday was 12.7, today 9.9

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It’s hard to say what I’ve reduced it by exactly as I wasn’t really keeping track of it before, I’ve reduced it to circa 180g a day since Monday and not had any issues, i don’t know the timeframe of issues? I would have been having double that, sometimes more. I was thinking of staying at this until I speak to the doctor on the 9th to find out what he wants to do next.

I think doing things in stages is generally felt to be safer and gentler on the system (though some members find it easier to go ‘all out’ and experience no issues).

If you reduce by the same proportion each time, the reduction gradually gets smaller until it is making no practical difference. So 20% reduction from 250g might be

250 -> 200 -> 160 -> 128

and if you found you needed to keep reducing

128 -> 102 -> 82 -> 65

So that an initial 50g drop slows to a 17g drop 🙂

However, in practical terms it’s unlikely you would be eating to the gram(!) so it’s more a general approximation I think. And everyone is different, of course.