Update

[Tom11479]

In Feb of this year I had my Hbac1 tested it came back at 48 I was told to see how I got on first with diet today my result came back at 37 cant believe it very happy, all he did say the doctor that my cholesterol is 4.6 and to consider meds anyone been in same position?

Thanks

 

[Leadinglights]

In Feb of this year I had my Hbac1 tested it came back at 48 I was told to see how I got on first with diet today my result came back at 37 cant believe it very happy, all he did say the doctor that my cholesterol is 4.6 and to consider meds anyone been in same position?

Thanks

Well done on your HbA1C result. They like cholesterol to be below 4 for people who are considered to be 'at risk' and being diabetic counts as that.
There has been lots of discussion about cholesterol on the forum and in other places so do your own research and make an informed decision about taking statins.

 

[Martin.A]

In Feb of this year I had my Hbac1 tested it came back at 48 I was told to see how I got on first with diet today my result came back at 37 cant believe it very happy, all he did say the doctor that my cholesterol is 4.6 and to consider meds anyone been in same position?

Thanks

Well done on the HbA1c drop. That's a great result. My cholesterol was 5.1 when diagnosed, 4.4 at my most recent test, but medication has never been suggested. As often seems to be the case it seems to depend on where you live and who you see.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Congratulations @Tom11479

Great to see your efforts being reflected in a reduced HbA1c!

Whatever you are going, keep going!

 

[rebrascora]

Many congratulations on reducing your HbA1c back down into the normal zone. Keeping it there is the next challenge.

Cholesterol is a very divisive subject and you will need to do your own homework in order to make a decision.
Sometimes your cholesterol can temporarily rise whilst you are actively losing weight. Do you know what your cholesterol results were at diagnosis? If they have gone up a bit since Feb and you have been losing weight then you may want to wait and see what happens when your weight stabilizes. 4.6 is not desperately high and in fact if you did not have diabetes then it might be considered normal, so the fact that you are now in normal figures for diabetes could influence your decision whether you want to accept the offer of medication.

Some of us believe that cholesterol is an essential building block of our body and particularly the nervous system and feel that having a slightly elevated level of cholesterol is far from detrimental. Others are happy to take statins when offered to lower levels.

When I was diagnosed my total cholesterol was 5.2. Since adopting a low carb higher fat way of eating which means I eat lots of cheese and fatty meat and full fat milk and yoghurt and double cream in my coffee each morning, my cholesterol has come down to 4.5. I feel fitter and healthier than I have for years and I put a lot of effort into managing my diabetes well. 2 years ago my DN and my consultant both encouraged me to start on statins, but I personally feel that I have reduced my risk factors of CVD by the lifestyle choices I have made and my cholesterol level has come down to only a bit above their diabetes threshold of 4, which they supposedly apply to all diabetics.
I believe there are risks associated with statins and whilst I accept that there are also risks associated with high cholesterol, I do not personally believe mine is high. I also believe that it would be morally wrong to take statins when I follow a higher fat way of eating and I have no intention of changing my diet because over the past 4 years I have seen a number of significant health benefits since following a low carb and higher fat way of eating. I am fitter and healthier now than I was 15 years ago and at 60 next birthday, I don't think that can be a bad thing. I did a lot of research online and yes there are some quacks but there are also plenty of genuine and compelling clinicians on both sides of the argument and for me it made sense to refuse statins at this time.

 

[Tom11479]

Thanks everyone my cholesterol was 4.1 last test, I have been eating more eggs cheese Greek yogurt and cutting out overeating and sweet stuff as well, I just have to make sure I keep it to this level. Dr said that it can creep so just must be careful.

 

[pistolpete]

Well done Tom, my A1c was 40 last time and its still 40 on the Libre Link App, that I am told is more than accurate enough. Cholesterol 4.4 doc said she would like it bellow 4 so could be offered statins next time if Its not coming down.

 

[rebrascora]

Well done Tom, my A1c was 40 last time and its still 40 on the Libre Link App, that I am told is more than accurate enough. Cholesterol 4.4 doc said she would like it bellow 4 so could be offered statins next time if Its not coming down.

Wow!" 40 is very low for a Type 1. Hope you aren't having too many hypos!

 

[pistolpete]

Wow!" 40 is very low for a Type 1. Hope you aren't having too many hypos!

No hypo's for over 90 days, well I've been close a couple of times but always caught them and sometimes a little lower than I'd like due to the change to Abasaglar. Since I got my insulin to carb ratio I weigh any carbs that I eat. I do low carb, low GI and trying to avoid processed food. My basal insulin has halved to 9 units. Still experimenting with foods and insulin so expecting the odd hiccup but so far so good. Been told that being hypo is worse for the body than being hyper (I'm talking long term not for a few minutes). My personal aim is to make life easier, I can go out for the day and leave my insulin at home now and not worry. I know what foods I can eat and what to avoid. Any fluctuation to my BG levels and I need to know what happened or why it happened, I genuinely do find it interesting how the body deals with food.