Struggling to understand things.

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Steveh44

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I was told three weeks ago via a phone call that I have a HbA1c level of 52 and have another blood test on the 20th of September. If that is above 48 I will then be officially diagnosed with diabetes according to the nurse that called me.
I’m not really sure if im doing things right but I have cut out takeaways (which I had a lot of) crisps, sweets, sugar in tea and coffee, fizzy drinks and juice. I’ve changed from things with ordinary flour to things with whole grain flours and stopped adding salt to meals.
I have purchased a blood monitor which I use to check my blood before and two hours after meals. It seems to range from 5 to 6 before meals to between 7 and 8 after, except from when I had shredded wheat with blueberries it went up to 12.8.
Am I doing okay if I can keep my blood readings similar to above?
I feel like I’m blundering along without any real direction until I get my next test in three weeks and then get to see the diabetes nurse face to face.
 
Even if you are around the 48mmol/mol mark you will still need to be making some dietary changes.
The readings you have been getting with the exception of the 12.8mmol/l look as if you are doing the right thing. But what it does show you is the shredded wheat (high carb) and blueberries (one of the higher carb berries) is too much carbohydrate for your body to cope with. So you have a number of options, try strawberries or raspberries with the shredded wheat or have some full fat Greek yoghurt with the blueberries and may be just a small portion of a lower carb cereal like All Bran or a low sugar granola or have eggs and bacon or boiled eggs instead.
The advantage of having the monitor is that you can make these adjustments to your diet.
I don't know if you have seen this link but I found it very good explanation with some good principals to adopt. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Hi. Sugar is not the only carb that is a problem for us. All carbs can be a problem including whole grains so keep them all under control. Look at Total Carbs on the back of food packs. In general Fat is not a problem and neither is coffee or salt.
 
I wondered why you'd stopped having salt too - no need to unless you have kidney disease in which case you'd already have been told to. Having said that - of course many people put far too much on their food. Personally I'm not fond of it BUT must have on eggs, chips and eg a cold meat sandwich.
 
Sounds like you are off to a flying start @Steveh44

Those 5s, 6s, 7s and 8s are spot on!

One of the troubles with takeaways can just be portion sizes, which can be huge! And yes, I could never cope with breakfast cereals either (sob!). no matter how high fibre they promised to be, they always seemed to hit my system like a train. Probably not helped by my mornings being a bit more insulin-resistant.

Hope you begin to see some positive changes with your next hba1c, but do bear in mind that the red blood cells which make up the test live for 120 days, so a proportion of them will have been in circulation and may have got glycosylated before you started making changes. It can take 3-4 months for changes in average BG to fully work through the system.

Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂
 
I need to add salt to meals as we really do need it, particularly in hot weather and I get cramps if I forget.
I'm afraid that wholemeal flour is still a high carb food and not very much different to eating the white stuff, but as you seem to have made big changes elsewhere and your Hba1c was not that high (compared to some) it might not be something you need to be concerned about as long as your numbers head back towards normal.
 
Steveh44 said:
Thanks for the replies, noted and taken on board. The bit about salt was I thought strange as well, but the nurse did tell me to cut back on it.
One good thing is I have lost 7 kilo’s since this started.
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Everybody needs some salt in their diet to maintain their electrolyte balance and when they cut down on pre-prepared foods they actually are not having enough salt especially in hot weather.
I think the thought is that many people do have too much salt hence the blanket advice to cut down on salt.
 
You sre doing all the right things and a few that will make no difference.

I would suggest that you test four hours after a meal. It is normal for BG to fo up and the quwation is will it come down in a reasonable time.

Salt and (change of) bread will make to difference to BG. Fat is not a no-no either BUT chips are becouse the temptation is to eat too much potato.

Eat what you enjoy. If you don't you still wont live for over 100 years, but it will feal like it.
 
I don't know why 4 hours is suggested. The usual time to test is 2 hours after starting to eat, as that seems to give the best overall view of the situation.
As you have cut out a lot of carbs you might not need to be concerned about more changes, just let your metabolism adjust to lower levels now and continue to watch your weight reduce because of it.
 
leonS said:
You sre doing all the right things and a few that will make no difference.

I would suggest that you test four hours after a meal. It is normal for BG to fo up and the quwation is will it come down in a reasonable time.

Salt and (change of) bread will make to difference to BG. Fat is not a no-no either BUT chips are becouse the temptation is to eat too much potato.

Eat what you enjoy. If you don't you still wont live for over 100 years, but it will feal like it.
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4 hours is suggested for people who use insulin because the profile of the injected insulin is that it lasts for about 4 hours.... ie. it is significantly slower than endogenous insulin. For a Type 2 diabetic who is trying to manage their diabetes through diet possibly plus oral meds, the 2 hour post meal test gives better information on how their body responded to that meal and if the meal needs some adjustment because their levels were still too high at the 2 hour point or if their body coped fine with it. 4 hours is way too long to be spending above target each meal and may lead to BG levels slowly and progressively increasing over days and weeks with Type 2 because of the insulin resistance.
 
A bit of good news today. I had a blood test done last week to confirm the previous result of 52. I’m down to 41, the nurse said to carry on as I am and to go back in a year to make sure I’m being good.
Of out to celebrate with a chicken salad and a glass of wine tonight.
 
Many congratulations and enjoy your celebration. That is a fantastic result in a relatively short space of time!

WELL DONE!
 
Steveh44 said:
A bit of good news today. I had a blood test done last week to confirm the previous result of 52. I’m down to 41, the nurse said to carry on as I am and to go back in a year to make sure I’m being good.
Of out to celebrate with a chicken salad and a glass of wine tonight.
Click to expand...
Congratulations and well done you!! Enjoy your celebration 🙂
 
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