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Saying Hello at Last - Type 2

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Poppie

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Hi All

I have been lurking for a while and thought it was time to actually post and introduce myself. I am a Type 2 and have always managed with diet and exercise.

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with an HbA1c of 48% and have tried to adopt the very helpful advice here on lower carbing and testing etc. I have to say though that I have got a bit complacent and stopped testing as much as I felt that I knew what would be safe to eat and what not. I had a test a week ago and I am now at 56% which has come as a bit of shock and also a wake-up call. I thought it may be a bit higher as I had a holiday a few weeks ago and ate well but i wouldn't have said that I overdid it too much. I also had an awful cold on that holiday which I guess wouldn't have helped.

I am due to see the nurse on June 1st and my main concern is that she may try to put me on medication when I would like to be given the chance to see if i can bring this down. Will she be likely to try and make me go down the medication route - am i within my rights to ask for a chance to put it right with diet and exercise? From what i have heard this nurse can be a little forceful and is not known to listen too much. She is a new diabetic nurse to the surgery.

I hope I have asked this question in the right place as I am not to au fait of the posting side of things. Many thanks for any advice - i hope to start posting on a more regular basis.
 
Poppie said:
Hi All

I have been lurking for a while and thought it was time to actually post and introduce myself. I am a Type 2 and have always managed with diet and exercise.

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with an HbA1c of 48% and have tried to adopt the very helpful advice here on lower carbing and testing etc. I have to say though that I have got a bit complacent and stopped testing as much as I felt that I knew what would be safe to eat and what not. I had a test a week ago and I am now at 56% which has come as a bit of shock and also a wake-up call. I thought it may be a bit higher as I had a holiday a few weeks ago and ate well but i wouldn't have said that I overdid it too much. I also had an awful cold on that holiday which I guess wouldn't have helped.

I am due to see the nurse on June 1st and my main concern is that she may try to put me on medication when I would like to be given the chance to see if i can bring this down. Will she be likely to try and make me go down the medication route - am i within my rights to ask for a chance to put it right with diet and exercise? From what i have heard this nurse can be a little forceful and is not known to listen too much. She is a new diabetic nurse to the surgery.

I hope I have asked this question in the right place as I am not to au fait of the posting side of things. Many thanks for any advice - i hope to start posting on a more regular basis.
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Firstly Poppie no one can force you to take medication...that has to be your decision...secondly it is a little high but nothing extreme...with a little work you can reduce that...discuss this at your appointment...you can ask if you could try diet & exercise for a short period...she may agree...essentially we do need to listen to advice from our health care professionals...however ultimately the decision will be yours...I agree the cold won't have helped & the HbA1c is very much weighted towards the last four to six weeks of our management...don't get anxious or worried...you've managed well...are still managing well...you've had a hiccup...that's all...you can pull this back...for all you know your nurse may not even suggest medication...good luck with the appointment.
 
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Thank you for the reply Bubbsie - you have helped to put my mind at rest. I don't want to go to the appt stressed as i know that will not help things . I am a bit lost with the percentage thing as my mum was a Type 2 (now deceased) but they used to give a single figure then as in 7 or 8. I could kick myself for letting things go a bit but a lesson has been learnt. Onwards and upwards.
 
Poppie said:
Thank you for the reply Bubbsie - you have helped to put my mind at rest. I don't want to go to the appt stressed as i know that will not help things . I am a bit lost with the percentage thing as my mum was a Type 2 (now deceased) but they used to give a single figure then as in 7 or 8. I could kick myself for letting things go a bit but a lesson has been learnt. Onwards and upwards.
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Sometimes they still do Poppie...at diagnosis I was given a percentage (17.4) but for the HbA1c we normally get it as mmols...and 56 is not too bad it's just above the 'normal' range for a type 2 roughly a 7.3 in old money...whereas the 48 was just inside diabetic range...are you low carbing...it's not easy managing T2...particularly without medication... you've done pretty well so far...you may be disappointed it has gone up but see it as an opportunity to address it now...before it got any higher...sometimes we need a little reminder...who knows you may even get right into non-diabetic range...I always believe any decision on medication should be a joint one...good luck.
 
Thank you for the welcome Hobie.

Yes I am low(ish) carbing Bubbsie. I don't think i could go extremely low carb but I am watching the carbs. I seem to be better in the mornings and lunch time but have noticed that my tolerance level seems to drop around tea time. We have a cooked lunch as i work from home and my husband is retired. I will update you on the nurse's appt - I have a wedding to go to this weekend so will have to be careful there too.
 
Welcome Poppie, sounds like you have a good understanding of what you need to do and how, I am sure the nurse will take that on board. As Bubbsie said, no one can make you take anything you really don’t want to take, if she feels it’s best for you then ask her to explain why so you can weigh up the facts and make an informed decision.
 
Thanks CathyB - I will let you know how it all goes. She may be fine with it if she can see that I am taking it seriously. I am going to tell her about this forum as i wouldn't have learnt anything if it wasn't for all the kind helpful people on here. The old nurse that was at the surgery just gave me a leaflet with the Eatwell Plate and told me to follow that. I did some research and found that that was the opposite of what i should do.
 
Don't worry too much.
I was 58 at diagnosis and was told to cut out sugar sweets cakes and biscuits, go on Google and come back in a year.
That's how I found this forum and the advice to get a second opinion.
Happily the receptionist arranged for my G.P.s wife, also a G.P. and the other half of the practice to call me and after better advice told me to come for another blood test in three months, by which time I was down to 51 and am now normal, whatever that means.
I have done this by reducing all my carbs and testing to see what I can tolerate and what I carn't, once you have that info the rest is up to you.
 
Thank you for the warm welcome - I knew I had chosen the right place to come. Thank you Ralph for the helpful link - lots of very helpful reading there. Beats the Eatwell Plate leaflet I was given !
 
Hi Poppie when I was initially diagnosed I bought mine down from 63 to 47 with diet and exercise- unfortunately I had a blip last year and was advised to go on meds but I asked to be given another 6 months to see if I could control it again.....I was allowed but unfortunately my body didn't cooperate but the point is you are obviously well aware of what you need to do so you should be allowed to try, after all it is your body. Good luck and welcome. X
 
CathyB said:
Welcome Poppie, sounds like you have a good understanding of what you need to do and how, I am sure the nurse will take that on board. As Bubbsie said, no one can make you take anything you really don’t want to take, if she feels it’s best for you then ask her to explain why so you can weigh up the facts and make an informed decision.
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Well put Cathy...that's exactly how we should approach appointments.
 
Poppie said:
Thank you for the warm welcome - I knew I had chosen the right place to come. Thank you Ralph for the helpful link - lots of very helpful reading there. Beats the Eatwell Plate leaflet I was given !
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OOh we've all been there Poppie...and been presented with the 'good old' Eatwell plate...it makes me want to scream.
 
I feel left out...I never got the 'eatwell' plate:(
 
Zillah said:
I feel left out...I never got the 'eatwell' plate:(
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I don't think you have missed very much Zillah - thank goodness for forums like these otherwise we would all be following the 'Eatwell' advice. Sorry to hear that you ended up on the meds after all your hard work - I may well end up there too in time. I have nothing against taking the meds as such it is just that I am on a few meds for other things like blood pressure, underactive thyroid and acid reflux so trying to keep the meds down for as long as I can. My cholesterol was 5.1 but when I asked the receptionist to break it down for me and give me the numbers she got it all muddled up and so I am trying to sort out what is what with it - she said she thought it was good. We seem to live our medical lives by numbers now don't we.
 
Poppie said:
I don't think you have missed very much Zillah - thank goodness for forums like these otherwise we would all be following the 'Eatwell' advice. Sorry to hear that you ended up on the meds after all your hard work - I may well end up there too in time. I have nothing against taking the meds as such it is just that I am on a few meds for other things like blood pressure, underactive thyroid and acid reflux so trying to keep the meds down for as long as I can. My cholesterol was 5.1 but when I asked the receptionist to break it down for me and give me the numbers she got it all muddled up and so I am trying to sort out what is what with it - she said she thought it was good. We seem to live our medical lives by numbers now don't we.
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I have to admit I do get fed up with it all-which I am assured is only natural-just feels like my body has decided that it will do what it pleases LOL. But am on a positive stretch at the moment as increased cycling and so feel much better, I am so grateful for this forum because its only people with this pesky thing that understands the pesky nature of it (Note how I politely refer to it as pesky-----takes some doing haha) Nice to speak to you X
 
Hello Poppie, I think many of us had a little lurk and loiter before joining, I know I did. Anyway, welcome.
 
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