Yet another new Type 2.

[NickS]

Hi Everyone,
I'm Nick.
58, A little overweight, a little bit active, a little bit eating rubbish!
Since diagnosis around a month ago I have eaten loads better, exercised more and tried to do "time restricted eating". I was a nightmare for the late night snack.
Since I started T.R.E I have definitley slept better and have lost a reasonable amount of weight.
I seem to have more energy too. Possibly coincidence, but I feel more in contril knowing I have a specific goal.
I have so many questions, but I think I'll drip feed them, I don't want to annoy anybody!
My blood glucose was really high and my next blood test is in 3 months. I'd really like to know if what I'm doing is helping, but I'm not sure how I can test that.
Take care everyone.
Cheers
Nick

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Nick and welcome.

It sounds like you have made a great start in tackling the issues.
The way that you can observe your progress is by investing in a Blood Glucose meter. Using it to test before and 2 hours after each meal will show you how well or otherwise your body responded to the carbs in that meal and enable you to tailor your diet to your body's response to particular carbs and it can be highly individual. ie. Some people can manage a small portion of porridge for breakfast others can't but a slice of lower carb toast is OK. If you also test your fasting reading first thing on a morning before you get oput of bed, you should see a steady reduction over time (a few weeks) if your dietary changes are having a beneficial effect.

If you are self funding, the 2 meters most recommended her on the forum for reliability and economy of use are the Gluco Navii and the Spirit Healthcare Tee2. Both meter kits are available online for about £15 but you would need extra pots of test strips (approx £8 for 50) and a box of lancets for the initial intensive testing that most of us feel is hugely beneficial. The test kit just comes with 10 lancets and test strips and you usually mess up a few before you figure out how to use it, so extra strips are definitely necessary if you get a kit. Many of us are rather naughty and reuse our lancets multiple times but as long as you are only using it for yourself and not testing friends and relatives this is usually fine, so the box of lancets depends on how scrupulous you want to be.

Anyway, best of luck and let us know how you get on, whether you get a test kit or not. Being able to see your results day by day and meal by meal can be really motivational especially once you start to see progress but also acts as a deterrent when you are tempted to be naughty.

 

[NickS]

Wow, thanks Barbara.
How does the result from a blood glucose monitor relate to your hba1c number? Or doesn;t it?
Thanks again for your advice.
Ordering one shortly.

 

[Windy]

@NickS I'm new to this diabetes malarky, but from a book I bought, "glycated haemoglobin A1c test gives an estimate of average blood sugar levels over the past few months", whilst a blood glucose monitor is a snap shot of what your blood sugar is doing now, ie, it will go up after a meal.
More knowlegable people may need to correct me though! Cheers, Sarah

 

[rebrascora]

@Windy has it right.
Your meter can calculate an average of the readings you have taken and you can use that in a conversion table to give you an idea of how you are doing but bear in mind that the very few BG tests you do in a day , even if it is 10 or 20 are still a small sample compared to the whole day and night but they will be mostly fairly representative if you test before and after meals. What the BG meter will show you is if your weekly average is going down week on week and give or take the odd wobble and that makes it a fair bet that your HbA1c is too.
The big advantage of the BG test kit is that it gives you direct feedback on your food choices for each meal you test, so that by reducing the impact your food has on your BG levels at each meal (by reducing portion sizes of the things which cause large BG spikes or possibly ditching them altogether and choosing lower carb alternatives), you can be pretty sure that you are lowering your HbA1c at the same time. Diabetes is sometimes liked to driving without a speedometer. You can't be sure you are keeping within the limits despite your best efforts and you might still get an unwelcome speeding fine or high HbA1c at the end of 3/6months or a year. The BG meter helps you to see where you are exceeding the limits at that mealtime and enables you to make better choices next time so that gradually you eat within the limits your body can manage..... and it can be highly individual.

 

[EmmaL76]

Loving the grumpy faces !

 

[Lucyr]

I’m not sure how encouraging it is when for some their best efforts will be summarised as red highlighting and sad faces about their appearance, health and achievements.

 

[Kopiert]

Hi

I am also Nick and also 58!!

I was diagnosed with an HbA1c of 88. Four months later I was tested an 39. I did that through a low carb diet, exercise (just walking) and at the time metformin (totally not convinced by those!). Eating between meals was the biggest struggle for me.

I agree that you should invest in a BG meter, it really helped me understand what food did what and also it was a clear manifestation of the condition - I could see what was happening. You doctor and nurse might not agree with you though. Ignore them.

I would also recommend looking at some of the links at the top of the newbies area here. There is a ton of useful information and articles. The first four links in this post were the most useful for me.

Nick

 

[Kopiert]

Loving the grumpy faces !

That is brilliant - where is it from?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @NickS

Glad you have found the time restricted eating helpful, and are beginning to see positive effects from your efforts.

Often you don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually. Making a few positive changes can give you more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook. Plus the regular checks you get after a diagnosis with diabetes mean that any potential problems may be spotted earlier, and can be sorted out sooner.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, many people on the forum later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years. 🙂

Keep firing away with any questions you have as and when they arise, and let us know how you are getting on.

 

[chaoticcar]

I will just add that the Gluco Navvii monitor it bought from Home Health online has a discount code for extra strips Navvii5 for 5 boxes of strips saves 20% .Also don't be put off by the GP of nurse saying that you don't need to test your blood .I had a problem with.My glucose levels going up after my Gliclazide was stopped my levels began to climb so I rang for a telephone consultation and I spoke to a doctor who I had never met or even spoken to before who told me that I was very sensible for checking my BGs !!! and not waiting for my next Hba1c
Carol