Reading of 51

[Joyce2730]

Hello All or Anyone

I have a reading of 51 from the GP and have suddenly been sent for eye and foot tests and booked onto a weight management course, it has upset me a lot, and at the same time I am waiting for a trapped nerve operation and withdrawing from my antidepressant.

Can anyone tell me if my diabetes 2 is serious or not, I cant get a telephone appointment with a the diabetic nurse for months.

Help it is horrible

Joyce

 

[Lucyr]

Hi and welcome. All diabetes is serious but with good management it is something that you can live with for a long healthy life. All of the tests you mention are completely normal practice and you’ll have the eye and foot and blood tests done every year to make sure any problems are picked up early.

 

[Vonny]

Hi @Joyce2730 and welcome from a fellow type 2. It is a real shock when you are first diagnosed, and it's not surprising you are feeling upset.
Your reading of 51 isn't too far into the diabetic range. 42-48 is classed as pre-diabetic and anything over 48 is diabetic. I was 76 to start with and there are many people here who were in 3 figures at the start.
While you are waiting for a conversation with the nurse, you may want to start reducing your carb intake, as this is the single biggest thing you can do to help reduce your blood sugar and to lose weight. That means smaller portions of bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. I just cut them all out straight away, but this can cause complications with eyesight, so a gradual reduction is advised. Also, losing weight more gradually means you don't end up baggy like me!
As @Lucyr says, the tests you've been referred for are standard for diabetics and are an annual event. I look forward to mine to make sure I'm still doing ok and that my eyes and feet haven't deteriorated.
It seems like an uphill struggle to start with, but you will soon get used to living with this condition 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

Hello All or Anyone

I have a reading of 51 from the GP and have suddenly been sent for eye and foot tests and booked onto a weight management course, it has upset me a lot, and at the same time I am waiting for a trapped nerve operation and withdrawing from my antidepressant.

Can anyone tell me if my diabetes 2 is serious or not, I cant get a telephone appointment with a the diabetic nurse for months.

Help it is horrible

Joyce

Welcome to the forum, sounds like you have been given a rather abrupt introduction to your diagnosis. Any pain can elevate blood glucose levels so I can imagine a trapped nerve to be somewhat painful.
However an HbA1C of 51mmol/mol is just into the diabetic zone, the diagnostic threshold being anything 48mmol/mol and over.
You are in a good position to be able to reduce the level by some dietary changes and I would say exercise but that is probably difficult at the moment.
Many people find that a low carbohydrate approach works for both weight loss and reducing blood glucose levels as it is ALL carbs which convert to glucose and people with diabetes are unable to metabolise it well as they either do not produce enough insulin or it is not used efficiently by the body. So reducing those high carb foods and having meals based on protein and healthy fats does not overwhelm the system.
you may find this link useful in giving you ideas for modifying your diet, https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Also the Learning zone (orange tab at the top) will give you explanation and some links to managing blood glucose levels.
People find making a food diary of everything they eat and drink estimating the TOTAL carbs is useful for knowing where you are at in your carb intake, it is suggested that less than 130g per day is where to start for being able to reduce blood glucose level. Carb info is on back of packets and on the internet by searching for food X total carbs.

 

[Deleted member 34756]

Hi @Joyce2730, sorry to hear that you've been upset recently. If you want to speak about how your feeling we have a great helpline team that are available for a bit of a chat about your diabetes. You can give them a call on 0345 123 2399, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Let us know how you get on. 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Joyce2730

Big hugs to you! It is quite common to feel overwhelmed and knocked sideways by a diabetes diagnosis. At 51 your hba1c is just over the line for diagnosis - so yes, while diabetes is a serious condition (potentially devastating) it is also usually a slow-moving foe, which can usually be well managed with a few adaptations, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Just want to say that I am fitter healthier and slimmer as a result of my diabetes diagnosis. I won't deny that changing my diet was difficult at first but once I quit my sugar addiction and stopped eating carb rich foods like bread and pasta and potatoes and rice and breakfast cereals at every meal, I stopped craving them. I eat tasty food still but just different to the stuff I used to eat and since I changed my diet, I have stopped having the debilitating migraines I have suffered for 20+ years..... completely stopped.... and my teeth and bones feel stronger and healthier and my mental health has improved and I don't suffer the joint pain that sometimes left me hobbling down the hill home..... Now I can run and skip even (if I want to .... and sometimes I do.... when no one is looking 🙄 ) just because I can.
So.... far from diabetes making me less healthy or shortening my life, I actually feel that the diagnosis has given ,me the kick up the pants I needed to improve my health and diet and has improved my quality of life and short of getting knocked down by a bus tomorrow, I feel that it has resulted in a potentially longer lifespan.

Managing your diabetes well is in your hands and there are many people like me on the forum who feel fitter and healthier and slimmer as a result of the lifestyle changes we have made, as well as managing our diabetes well.

Good luck with your diabetes journey and if you have any questions, you are in the right place to ask them.