Following blood tests last week following a chest infection I returned a score of 48 on Hb1ac. GP said repeat in two weeks rather than start me in meds. Is there any way i can bring this down. I am shocked. I am slim take loads of exercise low BP but have family history and had big babies. I can’t get my head around this. Don’t know what to eat to change this
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Hi there
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Hi @Silver2 - It is a shock isnt it, especially when it come out of the blue. I understand illness can cause an elevation thats probably why your Dr wants to re-test again quite promptly to see if a more 'usual' level is reflected. If it doesnt come down, dont panic, I know its frightening and a little bewildering, but its a good opportunity to look at diet and lifestyle and you have come to the right place for reassurance and information. We are all here to support each other and you can ask as many questions as you like. I cannot give advice but i can tell you my story which started last year When I went to the Dr as I was some emotional stress and after a blood test I was told im diabetic!!! I was NOT expecting that. The 1st thing the Dr told me was 'cut out all obvious sugar from the diet' and I did extremely well during the 12 week period. on a repeat testing my levels had dropped and both my Dr and I were very encouraged by this and I was given a further 6 months to see if i could improve things further. I was doing ok until Xmas arrived and during those 2 weeks I was eating what i wasn't suppose to and it pushed me back into that diabetic bracket. But the Doctor realises i acknowledge this mistake and again im on a 3 month trial. Its taught me a valuable lesson and given me incentive to 'get it right' this time. I have made further cuts to carbs (I only eat veg that grows above the ground, as I feel they are less in carbs than the others) I keep all carbs such as potatoes, pasta, bread, rice etc (regardless of white or brown) to a minimum, and i have reduce my portion size (now eating off a side plate - this sound drastic but side plates these days are the same size as a main dinner plate back in the day). I dont bother with 'low-fat' stuff, i find its bulked out with either sugar /salt and no good for my blood pressure. Ive lost a few pounds in the process too, which is great. I see you good with exercise, thats great, what kind do you do? Mr Dr told me to 'switch around' what I do as the body gets used to things, and its good to challenge new muscles. Hopefully with these tweaks im hoping for a good result in April when im tested again, fingers crossed.🙄 The one thing I have learned about this disease is its very individual and a food item thats suits one person wont suit another. You will only know what suits you if you self test. Others on here will advise you about finger prick tests (I dont do this yet, so i have no experience of it) You will see many and varied topics on here, all of which im sure you will find informative and interesting, We are glad you joined, and if you have any questions, just post them up and someone will be along to give you nuggets of wisdom. Good luck
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Welcome to the forum @Silver2
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Having a close family member with T2 does significantly increase your risk of developing the condition unfortunately, especially if it's one or both of your parents. It can come as a real shock to people newly diagnosed, but while it is very serious, T2 diabetes is a condition that can be well managed (and in some cases put into remission) with a combination of weight loss and dietary changes to improve your glucose variability. In fact some members later reflect that their diagnosis was a real turning point, a catalyst that motivated them to make changes towards a healthier more active version of themselves.
If you’ve not found it already, many new members here find Maggie Davey’s letter a useful overview of T2 diabetes
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s.61307/
One of the initial questions for people who have just received a diagnosis is often ‘what can I eat. What you will quickly find is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Different people can respond very differently to different types and amounts of carbohydrates (and reactions can vary at different times of day). One of the simplest options to discover ‘can I eat that’ is to examine BG readings before and 2 hours after different meals to see what your individual glucose response is. Then adjusting the meals to reduce the BG variation. AlanS’s ‘test review adjust’ a simple, methodical way of measuring blood glucose outcomes around food and understanding how different carbohydrates affect each of us individually.
https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html
You might also like this post by the same author entitled ‘painless pricks’
https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/painless-pricks.html
If your surgery is reluctant to provide a BG meter (and many will only offer them to people on medication which put them at risk of hypos) one of the cheapest options members here have found is the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Having a close family member with T2 does significantly increase your risk of developing the condition unfortunately, especially if it's one or both of your parents. It can come as a real shock to people newly diagnosed, but while it is very serious, T2 diabetes is a condition that can be well managed (and in some cases put into remission) with a combination of weight loss and dietary changes to improve your glucose variability. In fact some members later reflect that their diagnosis was a real turning point, a catalyst that motivated them to make changes towards a healthier more active version of themselves.
If you’ve not found it already, many new members here find Maggie Davey’s letter a useful overview of T2 diabetes
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s.61307/
One of the initial questions for people who have just received a diagnosis is often ‘what can I eat. What you will quickly find is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Different people can respond very differently to different types and amounts of carbohydrates (and reactions can vary at different times of day). One of the simplest options to discover ‘can I eat that’ is to examine BG readings before and 2 hours after different meals to see what your individual glucose response is. Then adjusting the meals to reduce the BG variation. AlanS’s ‘test review adjust’ a simple, methodical way of measuring blood glucose outcomes around food and understanding how different carbohydrates affect each of us individually.
https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html
You might also like this post by the same author entitled ‘painless pricks’
https://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/painless-pricks.html
If your surgery is reluctant to provide a BG meter (and many will only offer them to people on medication which put them at risk of hypos) one of the cheapest options members here have found is the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
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