[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,

 

[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.

 

[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.