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Hi, i'm a complete newbie here. My doctor thinks I could have diabetes but they haven't run any tests. My only symptoms are frequent urination which keeps me awake at night. I'm very overweight, but I'm addressing that. I've started using an NHS app to help me get my weight down. Does anyone have any tips for me? I shall be going to the doctor next week to ask for tests, even though two doctors have told me to wait and see if it gets better on its own.
Good morning @Rosieposie and welcome to the forum.
I find it a little odd that a doctor thought you could have diabetes and did not order up the perfectly standard blood test which would clear up whether you were diabetic or not. Have you had any blood tests at all done recently?
Hello. May I suggest you have a look at the Learning Zone, to find out about pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Also to reduce your carbs (which turn into blood sugar) as part of your plan to lose weight. If you are diabetic, it will also help. Please request an HbA1c blood test from your doctor so you get a definitive answer and are not left groping in the dark.
Strange that the doctor didn’t just do a test, especially as you say you’re overweight, which is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. You’re quite right to insist on a test.
Did the doctor rule out other causes of the excessive urination like infection?
Losing weight will help you whether you have diabetes or not. Watching how many carbs you eat (all carbs not just sweet ones) will help. Exercise will help too. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym - even walking is good.
Good morning @Rosieposie and welcome to the forum.
I find it a little odd that a doctor thought you could have diabetes and did not order up the perfectly standard blood test which would clear up whether you were diabetic or not. Have you had any blood tests at all done recently?
I thought it was odd as well. It's very difficult to actually get to see a doctor though unless you go privately. I did have a UTI in July. They did a urine test this time but found nothing. The problem with that was that I'd already had three antibiotics before i could take a sample. I think that's why they asked me to wait.
Most chemists/pharmacies will give you a finger prick blood test and a brief discussion about diabetes without an appointment, in private, also an accurate weighing and a blood pressure measurement.
It's not like full blown medical investigation, but it would be well worth doing
Nothing in the body acts in isolation, everything affects everything else
So as you investigate your problem and lose weight you may well find that things like blood pressure, vague aching & tiredness, poor sleep, your urine problem, and so on all improve
Perhaps nothing you can really pin down, but you should start to feel better
Exercise helps too, and exercise & diet together have a sort of combined or rolling on effect - as you lose weight so you can do more, so you lose weight, so you can do more ... and so on.
Finally, Welcome to the Forum!
Remember that everyone on here has been in the same sort of situation as yourself
There is no criticism or fault finding, just advice and encouragement, so ask any questions, nothing is too silly or embarrassing.
Most chemists/pharmacies will give you a finger prick blood test and a brief discussion about diabetes without an appointment, in private, also an accurate weighing and a blood pressure measurement.
It's not like full blown medical investigation, but it would be well worth doing
Nothing in the body acts in isolation, everything affects everything else
So as you investigate your problem and lose weight you may well find that things like blood pressure, vague aching & tiredness, poor sleep, your urine problem, and so on all improve
Perhaps nothing you can really pin down, but you should start to feel better
Exercise helps too, and exercise & diet together have a sort of combined or rolling on effect - as you lose weight so you can do more, so you lose weight, so you can do more ... and so on.
Finally, Welcome to the Forum!
Remember that everyone on here has been in the same sort of situation as yourself
There is no criticism or fault finding, just advice and encouragement, so ask any questions, nothing is too silly or embarrassing.
The problem with that is the finger prick is not really good enough for diagnosis and depending on just when the test is done could well be misleading.
Morrison's pharmacy did have quite a good leaflet about diabetes.
I think the OP would be wise to get a GP HbA1C blood test and then other tests could be included as well.
The problem with that is the finger prick is not really good enough for diagnosis and depending on just when the test is done could well be misleading.
Morrison's pharmacy did have quite a good leaflet about diabetes.
I think the OP would be wise to get a GP HbA1C blood test and then other tests could be included as well.
Yes, I know, I didn't say it was, but as Rosieposie is having trouble getting an HbA1c test, having a finger prick test would be a start, and reveal any seriously high levels of blood glucose.
Yes, I know, I didn't say it was, but as Rosieposie is having trouble getting an HbA1c test, having a finger prick test would be a start, and reveal any seriously high levels of blood glucose.
Thank you. Apart from the cystitis I don't really have any other symptoms. I have plenty of energy. I walk my dog up and down steep hills for an hour to an hour and a half a day, and then walk some more in the afternoon. I don't have any aches or pains anywhere but my sleep isn't good. It hasn't been good since I lost my husband five years ago. I may try and get to speak to a doctor next week and see if they can do a blood test.
@Rosieposie I put on weight on the standard diet advised, and lost it eating low carb for most of my adult life, but the GP and other HCPs insisted that high carb is healthy.
When I was finally diagnosed type 2 I went back to an Atkins type diet and I have lost so much weight and my waist is so much smaller these days.
I didn't feel right on the low fat high carb diet, but felt so much better when I stopped it, and it got rid of the type 2 very quickly - though I was having trouble with glucose levels for at least 10 years before diagnosis - just no one thought to mention it.
I found a few garments from previous decades when clearing out the bedroom for new windows to go it, and they were huge - I took them straight to the sewing room for alterations.
If you can get a meter and some test strips so you can check your glucose levels after eating you might be able to correct it rather quickly and start to eat a diet which is going to correct your metabolism.
Strange that the doctor didn’t just do a test, especially as you say you’re overweight, which is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. You’re quite right to insist on a test.
Did the doctor rule out other causes of the excessive urination like infection?
Losing weight will help you whether you have diabetes or not. Watching how many carbs you eat (all carbs not just sweet ones) will help. Exercise will help too. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym - even walking is good.
@Rosieposie I put on weight on the standard diet advised, and lost it eating low carb for most of my adult life, but the GP and other HCPs insisted that high carb is healthy.
When I was finally diagnosed type 2 I went back to an Atkins type diet and I have lost so much weight and my waist is so much smaller these days.
I didn't feel right on the low fat high carb diet, but felt so much better when I stopped it, and it got rid of the type 2 very quickly - though I was having trouble with glucose levels for at least 10 years before diagnosis - just no one thought to mention it.
I found a few garments from previous decades when clearing out the bedroom for new windows to go it, and they were huge - I took them straight to the sewing room for alterations.
If you can get a meter and some test strips so you can check your glucose levels after eating you might be able to correct it rather quickly and start to eat a diet which is going to correct your metabolism.
The problem with Atkins or any of these keto diets is that you have to eat a lot of meat. I don't eat red meat and my body doesn't process fat very well. People need different diets for weight loss. Some go on a carnivore diet which has no fat or sugar at all.
The problem with Atkins or any of these keto diets is that you have to eat a lot of meat. I don't eat red meat and my body doesn't process fat very well. People need different diets for weight loss. Some go on a carnivore diet which has no fat or sugar at all.
Ah - the media does no favours to Dr A with all the assumptions made about what you have to eat. All you do is replace the carbs with the essential foods, so that can be protein from any source, with the fats which occur naturally using whatever amount of carbs you can tolerate and still see normal numbers, so quite a lot of salad in the summer or stir fry and casseroles in the winter, with cheese and eggs and dairy.
I am not dieting for weightloss - I never even thought about it until my clothes started to slide off. The gain in weight seems to be a side effect of the diabetes. Controlling my blood glucose has normalized my metabolism and the weight, and size reduced as a consequence.
Ah - the media does no favours to Dr A with all the assumptions made about what you have to eat. All you do is replace the carbs with the essential foods, so that can be protein from any source, with the fats which occur naturally using whatever amount of carbs you can tolerate and still see normal numbers, so quite a lot of salad in the summer or stir fry and casseroles in the winter, with cheese and eggs and dairy.
I am not dieting for weightloss - I never even thought about it until my clothes started to slide off. The gain in weight seems to be a side effect of the diabetes. Controlling my blood glucose has normalized my metabolism and the weight, and size reduced as a consequence.
I have watched somebody on a TED talk who had the theory that it was indeed having Type 2 diabetes which caused people to be overweight or find it hard to lose weight.
Having had 50 years of accusations about over eating and the like, I am convinced that all my family have faced the same denial and 'I know better' attitude, and it killed some of them.
Hope you get some clarity over your risk of diabetes when your results come through. It should help you to develop a plan of action once you have an idea of your starting point.
Sincere condolences for your loss. I am 5 years into the grieving process too - so you have my sympathies.
We have lots of different people on the forum, using a variety of different food choices to suit their different metabolisms, tastes, and aspirations - some choose a low carb approach, but others use a variety of different approaches. There’s no one approach that suits everyone! So it’s a question of looking for an approach or series of approaches that suit you 🙂
The problem with Atkins or any of these keto diets is that you have to eat a lot of meat. I don't eat red meat and my body doesn't process fat very well. People need different diets for weight loss. Some go on a carnivore diet which has no fat or sugar at all.
Yes you should cut down on the amount of carbohydrates you eat, and that includes all carbs, not just the obviously sugary things
But you don't have to go full carnivore or eat lots of meat
I eat a low carb Mediterranean diet, both from 'official' sources, and as I got to know the principles, also of my own making
A Mediterranean diet does include meat & fish, but in small amounts; there is more emphasis on beans/legumes/pulses and lots of veg
Find low carb Med diet on YT or just ordinary Med diet and miss out the carbs, substituting more veg
Recent thinking is that fats & cholesterol are not the baddies they have been made out to be, so as long as you don't absolutely pig out on vast amounts of fat, don't worry too much
The only fats I eat are olive oil and butter, and I only do shallow frying/sauteing
Using this and moderate exercise I have gradually lost weight this year, from 96kg on New Year's Day, now 81,2kg, and I hope to reach my target of just below 80kg by Christmas
The problem with Atkins or any of these keto diets is that you have to eat a lot of meat. I don't eat red meat and my body doesn't process fat very well. People need different diets for weight loss. Some go on a carnivore diet which has no fat or sugar at all.
Briefly, a few suggestions for substitutes for red meat -
Lentils/beans/legumes/pulses. I've never had much success with cooking dried beans so I use canned. Yes they are a bit more expensive, but still cheap enough
Search around the supermarket shelves and Asian stores - there is quite a variety; and baked beans are simply haricot beans in tomato sauce, I use them in stews and it just blends in
there are also lentils in shelf stable plastic pouches; a bit more expensive, but interesting variations. Merchant Gourmet are a widely available brand, but there are others, including supermarket own
Cheese, including feta & Greek
Tofu; not strictly Mediterranean but you can include it in a Med diet. Various ways of flavouring it and frying so it doesn't fall apart so easily
Fish, just search the shelves & freezers.
I make salads with canned chick peas or sardines, in brine or oil
Hope that gives you an idea; after that search YT & recipe books
I have watched somebody on a TED talk who had the theory that it was indeed having Type 2 diabetes which caused people to be overweight or find it hard to lose weight.
Mmm … could that be reconciled with the fact that proactive weight loss resolves the underlying pathology of T2? I suspect that theory on TED is just twaddle.
The problem with Atkins or any of these keto diets is that you have to eat a lot of meat. I don't eat red meat and my body doesn't process fat very well. People need different diets for weight loss. Some go on a carnivore diet which has no fat or sugar at all.
Hi, welcome to the forum. It's a lovely, friendly place with loads of good advice
As others have already said, be insistent with your GP and get a HbA1C test done. That way you will know for definite if you are diabetic or not. In the meantime however there are loads of things you can do to help.
I've quoted your post above because there is no need to turn into a mega carnivore when trying a different way of eating. I've lost a LOT of weight by going low carb (roughly 130g of carbs per day although I don't religiously count). I eat chicken and fish generally and never eat red meat. The rest of my food is made up of other proteins; eggs, cheese etc. I then have lots of veggies, berries and salad.
