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sallyj

sallyj

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Hi everyone, I am an oldie who has just been diagnosed wirh prediabetes and CKD stage 3A. Feeling a hit overwhelmed and trying to get my energy levels under control. I over-reacted and almost starved myself to try and get my sugar down. Lesson learnt and my doctor has told me to eat normally until I am stable!
I'm trying to get my head around all the terminology, portion sizes etc.
Do you find smaller meals more times a day help with the energy please.
I tried to do a glucose test this morning and can't get the blooming thing to work but practice makes perfect lol
Thanks for any advice
 
Welcome to the forum. I had the same thing, but with high cholesterol thrown in as well - triple whammy.

prediabetes
Did they tell you what the result of your HbA1c blood test was? That number will tell you how far into the prediabetes territory you are at the moment. It may be that modest changes to your diet will reduce it.
The key thing is to eat enough food definitely, but choose smaller portions of foods which are high in carbohydrates (look at total carbohydrates "per 100g" on the back of packets). Or substitute a higher carbohydrate food for a lower carbohydrate one.

Generally speaking the diabetes blood tests are once a year, and not less than 3 months apart, so this is a marathon, not a race. Take your time to gather a bit of information and change one part of your diet at a time.

CKD
The aim with ckd is to reduce the chance of it getting worse.
Your surgery should have checked your blood pressure as controlling blood pressure is important for you, hopefully this is ok
Did your surgery advise you to avoid ibuprofen and full strength aspirin? The 75mg aspirin often prescribed as a blood thinner is ok.
Kidney Care UK says "Paracetamol is fine to take for all CKD patients. Co-codamol or co-dydramol are also safe, but you may need a smaller dose."

Don't panic and just take things slowly as you learn more.
In 6 months I took my HbA1c from 42 to 40 with weight loss and diet changes, and at the same time put my cholesterol in the normal range, and improved my kidneys eFGR score.
So it's not all doom and gloom, you can improve this.
 
Thank you so much for replying s'nic. At the moment I am experiencing really low energy very quickly as I cut out sugar much too quickly for a couple of weeks.
My reading on the 2nd August was 42mmol/mol and my g.p. isn't worried but I think I had a hypo a few days ago cramps, feeling sick, leg spasms. A friend told me to drink pepsi and then toast and jam and it worked!
It's lovely to have someone to discuss things with, thank you x
 
I have read Ibruprofen is a no no. And glad Paracetemol is OK. BP is always higher at the surgery but within range at home so doctor not concerned on that. When I feel more stable energy wise I will book a health check with the pharmacy.
Yes my default was panic lol.
 
sallyj said:
Thank you so much for replying s'nic. At the moment I am experiencing really low energy very quickly as I cut out sugar much too quickly for a couple of weeks.
My reading on the 2nd August was 42mmol/mol and my g.p. isn't worried but I think I had a hypo a few days ago cramps, feeling sick, leg spasms. A friend told me to drink pepsi and then toast and jam and it worked!
It's lovely to have someone to discuss things with, thank you x
Click to expand...
I think you have overreacted to the diagnosis as it is just on the first point of prediabetes but because of your age the NICE guidelines are that there should be more leniency in the level that people who are more mature would be diagnosed as diabetic or more so prediabetic so would be higher.
With whatever your diet was before your level would be acceptable so really needed no change. Reducing your carbs all of a sudden has impacted on your wellbeing.
If you are concerned which I don't think you need to be then just watch portions of potatoes, rice, pasta and have enough protein and healthy fats.
 
sallyj said:
My reading on the 2nd August was 42mmol/mol and my g.p. isn't worried but I think I had a hypo a few days ago cramps, feeling sick, leg spasms. A friend told me to drink pepsi and then toast and jam and it worked!
Click to expand...
You shouldn’t be treating hypos (readings under 4) as you aren’t on any medication that causes dangerous hypos. Did you test to see if the reading was under 4?
 
Hi @sallyj , your HbA1c was 42 mmol/mol and as @Leadinglights has said you are just at the entry point for pre-Diabetes and you are NOT diabetic. Further with due recognition of your age there is some ill-defined leeway anyway. This HbA1c is nothing more than a gentle cautionary marker, from which you might choose to ease back a little, note the use of little, in your consumption of high carb foods.

So be kind to yourself, do what you need to do to look after your kidneys and make those your focus for your health care.
 
Thank you all so much, I really value all your comments and advice ❤️
Lucyr I have bought a home testing kit but havent been able to work out how to use it yet.
I feel such an old fool not knowing anything about this but I will get better at it!
 
Proud to be erratic said:
So be kind to yourself, do what you need to do to look after your kidneys and make those your focus for your health care.
Click to expand...
This is what I did with the starting HBA1c 42.

Small dietary changes - because blood sugars do impact CKD, but just small changes to ensure blood sugar stays low.
Keeping an eye on blood pressure, because that impacts it too.
And trying to persuade myself to get a bit more exercise as that's beneficial (I loath exercise just for the sake of doing exercise lol 🙄). I've also been trying to ensure I stay hydrated as I'm not good at that.

A lot of ckd information talks of limiting salt - I checked that with my doctor as I have low BP and am at stage 3a - she said salt should not be an issue if BP is ok
The nhs has a list of things you may like to check - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-disease/treatment/
From what I can gather at stage 3a you don't really need make dietary changes, but I decided to get a little ahead and have smaller quantities if a food was very high in potassium or phosphates.

Just eat healthy and don't panic 🙂
 
sallyj said:
Hi everyone, I am an oldie who has just been diagnosed wirh prediabetes and CKD stage 3A. Feeling a hit overwhelmed and trying to get my energy levels under control. I over-reacted and almost starved myself to try and get my sugar down. Lesson learnt and my doctor has told me to eat normally until I am stable!
I'm trying to get my head around all the terminology, portion sizes etc.
Do you find smaller meals more times a day help with the energy please.
I tried to do a glucose test this morning and can't get the blooming thing to work but practice makes perfect lol
Thanks for any advice
Click to expand...
You seem to be a prime example of the lack of care many newly diagnosed people experience.
42 is the very lowest number in the prediabetes range. A little advice on diet was all that was required, but it seems that was never given.
A couple of minutes explanation and - well - I do sometimes despair of our GPs.
Starvation is not part of diabetes management. I can only suggest that you eat meat, fish, cheese, eggs, dairy products just as you like, as they are probably not going to do anything but nourish you and make you feel better. Add in fresh veges and some fruit - salads, stir fries, casseroles and thinking back to how you were eating remove or reduce a few of the highest carb foods, replacing them with something lower.
Low carb seems to be a powerful tool to reduce blood glucose even for people with far higher HbA1cs - mine was 91 at diagnosis, and it can lower problematic blood pressure readings. My own blood pressure is normal - much to the puzzlement of those who check it as they are led to expect it to be high.
 
Yes Drummer I was just sent letters for both the pre-diabetes and the CKD. I've been fumbling about in the dark and made very bad choices. Ive never had ill health and am woefully unprepared. I am a carer for my husband who has acute anxiety, but the amazing thing is now I am the one not feeling brilliant, he is being an absolute brick. Funny old world!
 
sallyj said:
Thank you all so much, I really value all your comments and advice ❤️
Lucyr I have bought a home testing kit but havent been able to work out how to use it yet.
I feel such an old fool not knowing anything about this but I will get better at it!
Click to expand...
*
You will probably find some YouTube videos on how to use the monitor.
Just keeping a periodic check on your morning level and also if you feel unwell or wobbly so you will know if your level has dropped a bit to low. Normally your liver will release some glucose to bring it back up if it is but you may just be getting symptom of low blood glucose without it actually being low because of your sudden reduction in carbs.
Your nurse should have told you to go easy and make any changes gradually, not that I really think you need to do much.
 
@s'nic is right - the aim with ckd is to reduce the chance of it getting worse. I was diagnosed 3A a couple of years ago and after doing some research discovered that high BG, high BP, high salt intake and too much protein were all bad. I didn't have a problem with the first three, and still don't, but guilty as charged on the protein. I reduced my protein consumption and my eGFR improved enough to put me back at Stage 2 (mild).

If you're having trouble with finger prick tests there's a complete tutorial here on this very site, including a video of how to do it:-

Checking your blood sugar levels

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. What are blood sugar levels? Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
Martin.A said:
@s'nic is right - the aim with ckd is to reduce the chance of it getting worse. I was diagnosed 3A a couple of years ago and after doing some research discovered that high BG, high BP, high salt intake and too much protein were all bad. I didn't have a problem with the first three, and still don't, but guilty as charged on the protein. I reduced my protein consumption and my eGFR improved enough to put me back at Stage 2 (mild).

If you're having trouble with finger prick tests there's a complete tutorial here on this very site, including a video of how to do it:-

Checking your blood sugar levels

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. What are blood sugar levels? Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
Click to expand...
I reduced my protein a little too.

But remember you only need to make small changes, nothing big or dramatic. Good healthy food, and ensuring BP and blood sugars do not become too high is the aim.
 
Hi @sallyj. I'm also at the wrinkly end of the forum age group and beginning to wear out, and my thought for you is to stop worrying about this thing called pre-diabetes. It was an idea brought in more to give younger people a boot up the backside than anything else. It was to get them to realise that if they did not sit up and take notice it was almost inevitable that their blood glucose control would deteriorate and that that may lead to stuff they could well do without in the longer term as they approached their maturity. Having reached wrinkly status, I am sufficiently pragmatic not worry too much about long term problems as a result of elevated blood glucose levels.

My HbA1c hovers around 50 mmol/mol and I am happy with that and the DSN at the surgery is happy with that. Indeed the DSN does not want to see it lower because of the implications of low blood glucose in those whose physical stability is being affected by ageing. I can keep it there by a bit of this and that...watching my weight, watching carb intake and some medication. Nothing too drastic or taxing. Don't get any short term problems and the long term will take care of itself.

Don't know much about CKD stage 3 but a quick look suggests it is a similar sort of thing. A bit of this and that will keep the lid on it without any stress.

So, my thought for you is to get on and enjoy the good bits of being a wrinkly and not get too wound up by those downsides where you do not have immediate symptomatic problems.

PS...... Apologies to those younger whipper snappers on the forum who might not agree with my approach but if anybody complains I am prepared to smash the emergency glass to get out and use the old codgers get out of jail card.😎
 
Thank you all so much and if I can help in any way with any Arsenal related questions, I am very happy to do so
 
sallyj said:
Lucyr I have bought a home testing kit but havent been able to work out how to use it yet.
Click to expand...
I’d watch some videos on YouTube or the manufacturers website, there will be some that explain how to do it
 
Thanks Lucyr, the instructions in the booklet are so small its difficult to read!
 
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