Help needed as just been told pre diabetic

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Anne-MarieH

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At risk of diabetes
In not sure how I feel with this. I had a routine blood test for a chest infection and got a text saying borderline blood and need to speak with a nurse.

I had that call today and feel.confused . She mentioned diet - cut down on refined carbs , by how much ? No suggestions as to how much .

Mentioned yearly blood tests , so what happens is .

Do I need it monitor my levels . I think she said high-level was 41.

My mum is diabetic but doesn't do insulin.

I just need some help.

My weight is within a healthy BMI
 
Welcome to the forum. If she said your level was 41 then I assume that was the result of an HbA1C test used to diagnose diabetes, which is an average blood glucose over the previous 3 months, however 41mmol/mol is below the threshold even for a 'at risk' diagnosis. 42-47mmol/mol is 'at risk' and anything over 48mmol/mol is diabetes. Might be worth checking on that as it will be important in knowing what your next step is.
If you are indeed diabetic then some dietary changes will be needed and yes reducing your carbohydrate intake will reduce your blood glucose level. The suggested amount of carbs per day is no more than 130g total carbs not just sugar.
You will need to compensate for the reduced carbs by increasing protein and healthy fats especially if you don't need to lose weight.
This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet, https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
You have your Mum who can likely help you but ideas have changed over the years as to how to manage diabetes.
You would normally expect to have another HbA1C in 3 months to check that the changes you have made are being effective and you should also have retinal eye screening and have your feet checked.

As far a monitoring your blood glucose with a home monitor then many people find it useful as it helps then check what foods they can tolerate without blood glucose increasing too much and to check progress day to day, week to week etc.
It occurs to me that if you had been unwell from an infection then that can increase blood glucose anyway so do check the result of your test before doing anything too drastic.
 
Hi Anne-MarieH, welcome to the forum.

At 41 you're not usually classed as pre-diabetic but it's something to pay attention to.

There's no set amount to reduce carbs by so it's wise to keep a log of what you eat and see where you can reduce or substitute carbs and sugar.

We've got some info on our site that may be useful so do have a look when you get the chance https://www.diabetes.org.uk/preventing-type-2-diabetes/can-diabetes-be-prevented

It can be a lot to take in at once so have a read around and let us know if you have any questions.
 
Anne-MarieH said:
I think she said high-level was 41.
Click to expand...
That's the upper limit of the normal range. You need to find out what your HbA1c actual result was.
 
Hi, I'm pre-DM2 as well (but 45 - closer to DM2 than you!). I'm 'fighting back' by slashing carb intake (no idea what down to, weight-wise, ie, grams of carbs, but as little as I can bear!), and going high-protein, high- fibre (to make me feel 'full') but not too much fat as I do need to lose weight (ie, not just cut back on carbs)

I went and bought a blood glucose monitor off the Internet for £17, and am having huge fun with it....!

I do find it helpful in that it is key to my learning curve of what effect it has both in terms of the time I eat, how long I go without food for, and then the effect of what I eat.

It gives me a 'map' of what my body is doing and how it reacts.

I'm also doing 'more' exercise, though not enough yet! And, again, taking BG readings to see what effect exercise has, and when (eg, pre/post/much later) etc

It's a question of working out the variables (basically what I put into my body, and then how much work/exercise my body does) and seeing what happens to my blood sugars.
 
Callista said:
Hi, I'm pre-DM2 as well (but 45 - closer to DM2 than you!). I'm 'fighting back' by slashing carb intake (no idea what down to, weight-wise, ie, grams of carbs, but as little as I can bear!), and going high-protein, high- fibre (to make me feel 'full') but not too much fat as I do need to lose weight (ie, not just cut back on carbs)

I went and bought a blood glucose monitor off the Internet for £17, and am having huge fun with it....!

I do find it helpful in that it is key to my learning curve of what effect it has both in terms of the time I eat, how long I go without food for, and then the effect of what I eat.

It gives me a 'map' of what my body is doing and how it reacts.

I'm also doing 'more' exercise, though not enough yet! And, again, taking BG readings to see what effect exercise has, and when (eg, pre/post/much later) etc

It's a question of working out the variables (basically what I put into my body, and then how much work/exercise my body does) and seeing what happens to my blood sugars.
Click to expand...
Please do not cut your carbs too quickly as that can give you issues with your eyes and nerves. I reduced my carbs to 70g per day all at once and had problems with my vision for several months. Reducing from what you were having over a few weeks, say by one third for a couple of weeks, then another third etc until you get to where you need to be as that is kinder on your body.
Low carb is suggested as being no more than 130g per day.
 
Eeek - too late! I've been low carb for several weeks now! That said, I did take a good couple of weeks to reduce my carbs intake, so hopefully that 'eased' the drop.
 
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