Pre diabetes help!

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Birdsong

Birdsong

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Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
I’ve posted on here before an people have been so incredibly helpful. I was told I was pre diabetic with a Hba1 of 45. After 6 weeks of not really knowing what I was supposed to eat with regards to carbs etc I managed to get my HB down to 41 and lose 9lb. I’ve had no follow up from my doctor and still feel anxious and confused about what I should eat. I also have headaches and feel sick with it every couple of weeks. Could this be a sign of anything? I know someone on here was so supportive with carb suggestions as to how may have I should eat. I just feel so lost with it all. I will contact my GP I’m just sad I’ve had no follow up as was promised. Thank you to anyone reading x
 
Headaches with feeling sick could be (amongst other possibilities) migraines. I can't see gender in your profile but if you're female then from your age possibly could be perimenopause related. Or could be anxiety related if you're already struggling with feeling anxious.

What helps with the headaches? Are you drinking enough fluids?
 
Thank you for reply. I’m female and 44… I think you could be right with peri menopause. I just try and ride out the headache as I’m worried if I take anything it could make me worse. I suffer with health anxiety and feel so low at the moment. My GP doesn’t really help me. They only ever talk over the phone now. It’s so hard to see anyone face to face. I do drink lots of water. My gp told me to cut carbs to 20g a day… I tried but was again a little lost with it all. Surely I need some carbs. I go back to work on Thursday and my job is quite stressful. I work in a school as a 1:1 with children with additional needs. I don’t feel like I can handle it right now.
 
Also I do suffer with migraines due to periods- so always get one each month.
 
Birdsong said:
I’ve posted on here before an people have been so incredibly helpful. I was told I was pre diabetic with a Hba1 of 45. After 6 weeks of not really knowing what I was supposed to eat with regards to carbs etc I managed to get my HB down to 41 and lose 9lb. I’ve had no follow up from my doctor and still feel anxious and confused about what I should eat. I also have headaches and feel sick with it every couple of weeks. Could this be a sign of anything? I know someone on here was so supportive with carb suggestions as to how may have I should eat. I just feel so lost with it all. I will contact my GP I’m just sad I’ve had no follow up as was promised. Thank you to anyone reading x
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Carbohydrates and diabetes: What you need to know

Many of us rely on carbohydrates as our main source of energy. Carbohydrate-containing foods also provide important nutrients for good health. All the carbohydrates you eat and drink are broken down into glucose. The type, and amount, you consume can make a difference to your blood glucose...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
lots of info on DUK site have a wander round should get you started
 
20g is a very tight restriction on carbs. There are a few on here who have Type 2 who have got their HbA1c below 42 by diet while eating more carbs than that.

In fact I wonder if that could be a reason for headaches. Your brain really really likes to use glucose. I wonder if aiming for 20g per meal might be better. That's still low carb (in fact below 130g carbs per day is low carb).

Do you have a blood glucose meter?
 
Are you sure your GP said 20gm carbs a day, as that's very drastic? Did they actually say 20gm carbs a meal which is still low carb but much more normal. One large apple is 20gm carbs and a mixed salad is approaching that. Some people are very carb sensitive and do have to go that low, but the general suggestion is less than 130gm carbs a day. I experimented and felt dreadful on 50gm a day, so now average around 90gm. Why not get an app which measures cals and carbs and record absolutely everything, so you can see what you are having?
 
20g carb per day is really at the keto level which most people find would be unsustainable. If you are only at the prediabetes level then some modest changes to your diet are usually sufficient to get your blood glucose into the normal range of below 42mmol/mol so you really do not have too far to go.
It is better to make modest and sustainable changes. So things like just having 1 slice of bread not 2, 2 potatoes instead of three, change the fruit you have to be berries rather than bananas, in other word look at the big carb hittters and reduce portions of those.
Headaches can be as a result of cutting carbs suddenly as initially you lose fluid (hence the weight loss) so really important to stay well hydrated.
This link may help reassure you as to where you can reduce carbs without overdoing it. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/ and still have enjoyable meals.

The thing is you have been given a bit of a warning so you can take action to prevent going over that threshold of 47mmol/mol putting you in the diabetic zone.
 
Thank you all so much. Just reading through helpful comments. You really are all amazing. Yes, definitely said 20g of carbs- Keto diet. Very drastic especially as I think my problem was eating too many. I just get myself into a tizz… if I eat potato I then think ohh do I feel funny, then I get a raving heart - all anxiety I guess. Also I think because I drastically cut to start my body went into shock. My eyesight has deteriorated- have an eye test tnrw - am anxious about that too. As you can tell I’m a bit of a worrier. I just want to sit down with someone and fire loads of questions at them. My gp said don’t eat cereals bread potatoes pasta biscuits crisps etc. she said have salmon for breakfast but I can’t afford that!! I’ll take a look at all the links you have all suggested. Are any of you part of zoom or local groups?
 
With a reading of 41, you are not even pre-diabetic but right at the top of the normal range. Unless you are also being treated for other medical conditions, I almost think your GP has suggested a "crack a peanut with a sledgehammer" approach. I also suspect the headaches and sickness might be because you have too few carbs now. As you are no longer even pre-diabetic I wonder if you should increase your carb intake over the next few weeks and see how you feel. The HbA1c measurement looks at a 3 month average so a few weeks increase should have a minimal effect. What do others think? Stress and worry can have actual physical effects - I used to be physically sick through worry when I was younger, and even to this day I am hyper sensitive to niggles.
 
You could make an appointment with your local NHS dietician, mine was good and answered all my questions, she explained to me that my diet at present was a bit drastic and not to be so hard on myself, cutting down is ok but not all at once, many of us do it so you're not alone
 
My Hb was 45 and have managed to get it down to 41. @Felinia I think you are right. Maybe introducing carbs is a good idea. You definitely are right. I think I’m just scared I’ll go back up. I think I also need to stop googling at 3am in the morning. This site is fantastic. Are you pre diabetic too?
@john e do you know if you can self refer to see a dietitian?
Many thanks again
 
do you know if you can self refer to see a dietitian?
Many thanks again

I think so, my wife booked it for me
 
Birdsong said:
I’ve posted on here before an people have been so incredibly helpful. I was told I was pre diabetic with a Hba1 of 45. After 6 weeks of not really knowing what I was supposed to eat with regards to carbs etc I managed to get my HB down to 41 and lose 9lb. I’ve had no follow up from my doctor and still feel anxious and confused about what I should eat. I also have headaches and feel sick with it every couple of weeks. Could this be a sign of anything? I know someone on here was so supportive with carb suggestions as to how may have I should eat. I just feel so lost with it all. I will contact my GP I’m just sad I’ve had no follow up as was promised. Thank you to anyone reading x
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Hi Birdsong
I'm with you on this. In the same boat and v confused. I get the headaches and nausea too. And I've been getting blurred vision. I can't offer you any advice (don't know enough) just letting you know you're not on your own. The members on this site are amazing with their help and advice. Can't thank them enough. Carole x
 
Birdsong said:
My Hb was 45 and have managed to get it down to 41. @Felinia I think you are right. Maybe introducing carbs is a good idea. You definitely are right. I think I’m just scared I’ll go back up. I think I also need to stop googling at 3am in the morning. This site is fantastic. Are you pre diabetic too?
@john e do you know if you can self refer to see a dietitian?
Many thanks again
Click to expand...
I was pre diabetic for several years and hovered between 38 and 43. Then my hip gave out on me, I had to stop power walking, put on a lot of weight and went up to 57. By following a low carb diet I went down to 48 in 3 months. Then I became ill during lockdown and it took 5 months with various diagnoses before I finally got the right treatment. In that time I went up to 88. Now I've been whittling it down and am currently 59. I lost 11kg during my illness but am struggling to lose more, even though I have started doing aquafit 3 times a week, and watching my diet.
 
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