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results of 2nd A1c

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Janybaby

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Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
just had my 2nd A1c test and its 42, my doctor has said this is normal and that I can go back to a normal diet, I thought being pre diabetic meant that I had to keep to the low carb diet can anyone help please
 
Hi @Janybaby. Im not sure why your Dr would tell you to 'go back to a normal diet' - and frankly i find it somewhat alarming! As far as I understand the 'diabetic condition', once you hit that threshold of 48 whether or not you ever get below it - you will always remain a diabetic. Your body obviously has some issue with insulin production and it just doesn't suddenly disappear! Its great you are now below that threshold, please try to keep it there, for the sake of your long term health.

Personally I do not believe in that 'cure' i believe diabetes is purely 'well managed' and i would encourage you to keep on managing yours. I got my diagnosis last April - You will see from my notes under this text. But i treat myself as a full blow diabetic, (especially since I recently got myself a BG monitor and I now see the spikes!)....I will never go back to my old eating habits (even though I considered myself to have a very healthy diet), I obviously had a reaction to the modern high carb diet!)....and because in all honesty, i saw what diabetes did to my mother, and i dont want to be in her shoes when im older. All the best - carry on making cauliflower and low carb foods, your best friend.
 
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Hi Tee G
I did buy a BG monitor when I was first told about the pre d but I couldn't afford to keep paying for the strips and lances so I asked my surgery if I could have them on a prescription only to be told that I cant as I am not a full blown diabetic and that I shouldn't be using a GB monitor as it would give false readings for pre D, * confused muchly*
 
just had my 2nd A1c test and its 42, my doctor has said this is normal and that I can go back to a normal diet, I thought being pre diabetic meant that I had to keep to the low carb diet can anyone help please
Try and keep to a diet that will keep diabetes at bay. Not sure what your GP means by a mormal diet.
 
Hello @Janybaby and well done on getting your HbA1c down to 42.
I agree with @Tee G that you need to take care about returning to whatever the doctor calls a 'normal diet'. Did he/she say what they considered this to be?
You obviously made changes to your diet to achieve the results, and they worked.
Personally I have found that I can only keep my Blood Sugar levels steady by maintaining the diet that works for me, and they soon go up if I stray from this.
 
Hi again @Janybaby - Surgeries dont usually give out monitors to T2 Diabetics. (only T1 on meds?) --I am in absolutely the same place as you - on my notes at the doctors, i am not 'full blow diabetic' although I am being monitored each 3/6 months for HB1Ac levels as I had tipped over that 'line'. But.....going back to normal/high carb diet may set you back to being over that 48 marker sooner than you think. If possible just stick to the diet that brought you down to below the threshold. It obviously worked for you. Furthermore, you dont necessarily need to test yourself. You can ask for an annual check at the doctors - just to see how its all ticking along.... Just keep carb/sugar off your plate and you will have better prospects than if you go back to 'eating normally' - im hopeful of this.

And the other reason (so I understand) is clinicians dont want you self testing because it can become obsessive. - Which again I think is a daft idea, We ALL need to take control of our own health, no one else is going to do it for us!.
 
Doctor said a normal healthy diet but I am going to stick to the low carb anyway as I could do with losing some weight. I had 2 angioplasties this year and my endinocrologist (excuse the spelling) did say that the iodine from the dyes injected into my system could have affected my thyroid and caused this to affect my BG, thyroid has been up and down more times that a yoyo, I wonder if anyone else has experienced this
 
Hiya, I had close relative with thyroid issues (Illness can effect BG levels too) - It took the hospital/Dr a year to get her meds balanced enough for her to start feeling better again - I do hope you get it sorted. There are loads of threads/info in here and links you will find, which Im sure will help you discover a path that suits you. Pull up a chair, make a cup of tea and enjoy poking around to see what you can see. Education is the way forward. All the best.🙂
 
All Type 1 would be given a monitor and be on Insulin. Type 2 on Insulin or medication that can cause hypos should be given monitors too!
 
I think its all down to NHS cuts, to be honest any kind of diabetes should be monitored how else would you know when your condition changes apart from when you have your A1c done. I have a no further action for the pre D on my doctors notes
 
It was not practice 20 years ago for so called prediabetics to use monitors to check their own bloods, so that is not due to cut backs.
I would have thought your GP should check your HBA1C at least annually.
 
I paid for the monitor myself but just cant afford to keep buying the strips and lances but maybe I could just do a couple of random test once a month for my own peace of mind and that would keep costs down
 
Many people self fund testing equipment , some monitors are alot cheaper than others to buy strips for. Ranging from around 8-99 to 25-00.
 
If you are in the happy position of knowing that you are at risk of diabetes sooner rather than later, then I really do advise spending the rest of your life eating lower carb foods, as I found low carb and Atkins early on, but was unlucky enough to have doctors determined that healthy carbohydrates were essential for life. I had decades of strife and ever increasing weight, all my fault, apparently.
I use the Spirit Healthcare Tee 2 meter and supplies as it is cheap enough for there to be no concerns about using it regularly. These days, however I only check after my evening meal to see if I should have a dessert, and that only once in a while, so once you have got things sorted, blood glucose levels not spiking, the rest is easy.
 
All Type 1 would be given a monitor and be on Insulin. Type 2 on Insulin or medication that can cause hypos should be given monitors too!
Yep, when I got put on Gliclazide they gave me free tester and strips, came off it got cancelled.....got a Codefree before prescription strips run out 🙂
 
Im not sure why your Dr would tell you to 'go back to a normal diet'
As a full blown diabetic with a HbAc1 I was told to do normal diet, and not change it. My impression is they don't want us to manage using diet.
as I am not a full blown diabetic and that I shouldn't be using a GB monitor as it would give false readings for pre D
I don't see being pre D, D or "normal" would affect the accurace of a meter. And those on insulin are supposed to use these same meters, including when they are in "normal" range. Challenge them on this.
 
Yep, when I got put on Gliclazide they gave me free tester and strips, came off it got cancelled.....got a Codefree before prescription strips run out 🙂
I have been fairly lucky I have been off GLiclazide a few years and I have manged to kept my script for 50 strips a month.
 
@Ralph-YK - that surprises me.... When I had my..."glitch" over Xmas and had to look my doctor in the eye afterwards, showing the rise back up to 48, she turned to me and said very sincerely "I dont want you to be diabetic", (even through with an HB1Ac at 51 technically i was/ am). But she basically implored me to get back on track using my diet as a way to keep me off the meds. I applaud her for that. Its really opened my eyes to what certain foods can do to some of us.
 
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