[babsyboo]

Hi
My name is Barbara I am very new to Diabetes only been told 2 days ago that I have diabetes and I am very worried about my readings, at the pharmacy after a 16hr fast my level was 7.3, I told my gp who asked me to have another test a H.... Test which has been recorded as 9.6, does anyone know if this is a serious reading or is it mild I am visiting the nurse tomorrow what is she likely to do at the appointment
thanks for any help
Barbara

 

[Shanny]

Welcome, Barbara. Your numbers are up there, and I expect the nurse will make some suggestions for meds/insulin and diet/exercise. If the H... test you refer to is the HbA1c, then a reading of 9.6 converts to average glucose levels of 260 or higher. For comparison, non-diabetics average about 80-90, and well-controlled diabetics often average around 90-120. So they'll want you to start working to get that down.

We're here to help, so let us know how it's going . . . everyone here has been through it too, and while it's unnerving at first, it is not a death sentence. The risks of complications can be reduced and greatly reduced. The bad news is you have it, but the good news is that YOU can control it if you decide to do so. And we'll give you all the support we can.

Thank you for joining us! I hope you'll visit often and we can get better acquainted!

take care,

 

[Richard157]

Hi Barbara, welcome! In the UK your HbA1c should be between 4 and 7 to be nomal. Your 9.6 is rather high. Once you adjust to your new routine and get better control your numbers will better and you will feel better too. You should be following a diet that is low in carbohydrates and getting exercise to try and get those numbers under control. Good luck in the months ahead!

Richard

 

[babsyboo]

Hi Barbara, welcome! In the UK your HbA1c should be between 4 and 7 to be nomal. Your 9.6 is rather high. Once you adjust to your new routine and get better control your numbers will better and you will feel better too. You should be following a diet that is low in carbohydrates and getting exercise to try and get those numbers under control. Good luck in the months ahead!

Richard

Hi Richard & Shanny
Thank you both very much for your extremely helpful replies, I have been to the nurse today, she has put me on Metformin 500mg x 1 daily and I will increase to 3 per day my bs reading was 12.2 but I was ready to have my lunch, I must say I feel a little less stressed having had a 1 hr talk with her, hopefully, I will start to feel better once the tablets start to work
I will most certainly be on the site here as I have found the forum and topics very interesting and informative
thank you all once again for the kind replies and welcome
kind regards
Barbara x

 

[breezeonby]

Hi Richard & Shanny
Thank you both very much for your extremely helpful replies, I have been to the nurse today, she has put me on Metformin 500mg x 1 daily and I will increase to 3 per day my bs reading was 12.2 but I was ready to have my lunch, I must say I feel a little less stressed having had a 1 hr talk with her, hopefully, I will start to feel better once the tablets start to work
I will most certainly be on the site here as I have found the forum and topics very interesting and informative
thank you all once again for the kind replies and welcome
kind regards
Barbara x

Hi Barbara and welcome aboard! The first several times that you see your doctor or nurse to talk about your diabetes after your diagnosis, you probably will feel a little stressed out. There must be a million questions and thoughts racing through your mind. Hopefully your Metformin will start to kick in and bring your blood sugar readings down. There is a wealth of information to be learned from the forum members. Come and visit often, we are all here to help each other!

 

[babsyboo]

Hi Barbara and welcome aboard! The first several times that you see your doctor or nurse to talk about your diabetes after your diagnosis, you probably will feel a little stressed out. There must be a million questions and thoughts racing through your mind. Hopefully your Metformin will start to kick in and bring your blood sugar readings down. There is a wealth of information to be learned from the forum members. Come and visit often, we are all here to help each other!

Thank you, yes, there is loads of questions I can ask but I am already picking up lots of info and ideas from the forum, all your ideas and advice I'm finding extremely valuable and intend to stay on the site
Barbara x

 

[Shanny]

Thank you, yes, there is loads of questions I can ask but I am already picking up lots of info and ideas from the forum, all your ideas and advice I'm finding extremely valuable and intend to stay on the site
Barbara x

We look forward to seeing you around here, Barbara! So happy we're providing some good help for you.

 

[babsyboo]

We look forward to seeing you around here, Barbara! So happy we're providing some good help for you.

Today is my 1st day on Metformin, this morning I did feel very washed out don't know if I did right but I ate a Banana and about 1hr later I had 3 Wholemeal sandwich's with lean ham & tomato on them and you know what I've certainly felt much less tired than of late, just hope it's the medication that has made a differance, if so, I most certainly look forward more quality time that I have had today, so sorry if I'm boring everyone but I need a little reassurance about my meals, tonight I had approx 5ozs steak grilled with a jacket potato and side salad, I'm probably going to have a small amount of fruit later
take care everyone
Barbara xx

 

[Shanny]

Do you have a glucose meter, Barbara? If you could test before and after meals for awhile, you could get a feel for what foods cause spikes in your BG, and which ones you tolerate better. For me, the banana, the wholemeal and the potato would all be off limits. I tolerate tomatoes pretty well, and the lean ham & steak have hardly any carbs at all. I tried using whole grain breads/crackers at first, but anything with grain of any kind just doesn't agree with my meter!

Metformin is one of the meds which takes some time to build up in your bloodstream, but it's working even when it may not seem to. It just takes several days/weeks to reach maximum blood levels.

 

[babsyboo]

Do you have a glucose meter, Barbara? If you could test before and after meals for awhile, you could get a feel for what foods cause spikes in your BG, and which ones you tolerate better. For me, the banana, the wholemeal and the potato would all be off limits. I tolerate tomatoes pretty well, and the lean ham & steak have hardly any carbs at all. I tried using whole grain breads/crackers at first, but anything with grain of any kind just doesn't agree with my meter!

Metformin is one of the meds which takes some time to build up in your bloodstream, but it's working even when it may not seem to. It just takes several days/weeks to reach maximum blood levels.

Hi Shanny

No I don't have a monitor but when I next visit my nurse I will ask her for one as I agree being so new to diabetes I really must see how the food I'm eating affects me, I am going to buy a book on the GI Diet so that it gives me a better indication as to what foods have better energy levels, at the moment I'm really in a turmoil over my meals, next week will be a real trial as I am on holiday in the south of England for 1 week and just hope between now and then I'm able to understand the values of food a little better, unfortunately, I'm overweight so food values upto now have meant absolutely nothing to me. Thank you for explaining the Metformin to me, I guess yesterday may have been coincidental but I hope it wasn't as I hadn't felt so well in months and months.
speak to you soon, have a good day
Barbara xx