Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

Finally_Solvent wrote: »

I'm so glad that you managed to get such a speedy Doc's appointment:T. A couple of things strike me though.

As there is a considerable discrepancy in the fasting blood results you do at home, are these home testing kits 100% reliable?

The Doc said your surgery test measured your blood pressure over 3 months but I'm totally confused by this:o. It's pretty easy to confuse me:rotfl:. You only had the one test didn't you, and I can't see how that can be anything but a snapshot of the situation at the time it was taken. How do they know what was happening 3 months ago? Seems weird to me.


I'm assuming the consultation was mainly focussed on the blood sugar/pre-diabetes situation and that you didn't get any further enlightenment on why you seem so tired a lot of the time and have such frequent colds. I know it's common to catch all sorts when working with young children, especially in the first few terms, but you've been doing it for a good while now and I recall you had lots of colds before you started volunteering.


Well done to your lovely DH for sorting out your appointment and for cooking your meal last night:T:beer:. I hope you slept well last night and feel more ready to face whatever the day throws at you today. Take care of yourself xxx

Thanks FS . Yes there is a blood test the doctor can do that will test your blood sugar levels over a three month period. I don't understand how it works but it's very clever.

High blood sugar can cause tiredness and as that was the only thing that was flagged up by my blood tests and diabetes is a serious illness the doctor obviously wants to concentrate on that.

The home blood sugar test that DH was given by the diabetes nurse is accurate, but it can only take a snapshot at any given time and blood sugar does tend to naturally go up and down. So the three month test the doctor did is a better indication.

I suspect that my many colds could be a result of stress and tiredness lowering my immunity, and being around young children who often have a cough or cold and who don't always wash their hands thoroughly is bound to be a factor. Lots of the other staff seem to be constantly ill I've noticed.

I hope that answers most of your questions. It is a confusing business .

doingitanyway

The 3 month picture HbA1c is definitely the way forward. Wishing you a good day today

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks DIA .

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Thanks FS . Yes there is a blood test the doctor can do that will test your blood sugar levels over a three month period. I don't understand how it works but it's very clever.

I hope that answers most of your questions. It is a confusing business .

I'm so sorry, HHOD, I seem to have come across as a right old Nosey Parker with all my questions:o:o:o. t's just that I'm interested in people and want the best for them especially those I like:)

Looks as if I'm one of the few people on here who has never heard of the 3-month blood test:o, judging by other people's comments it's a tried and tested procedure.

EssexHebridean

redofromstart wrote: »

A relative of mine is a stick thin 1970s cranks healthy eating monster who hasn't eaten anything fun in the last 40 plus years. She has high cholesterol and diabetes. Healthy eating and intelligent eating held it off till her 70s which is impressive given that she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in her late 30s. My point is that its genetics, not sugar so don't fret.

Redo - well said.

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Yes it's never a good day .

I am very puzzled about it. I could ask the doctor about the diet coke.

You could, but unless he is also a qualified dietician or registered nutritionist it's unlikely he'll know.

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Try to get hold of dr Michael Moseley blood sugar diet. Well worth a read and a try.

INOD don't take this wrong but HH please don't be trying fad diets without proper consultation with a dietician or nutritionist first! the last thing you want to be doing at this stage is to do anything that will muck up ongoing test results. Ask for a referral.

EssexHebridean

Finally_Solvent wrote: »

I seem to recall that you use shop-bought cooking sauces, eat a lot of baked beans and possibly other processed food items. Don't forget they all contain sugars and over the course of a day all add up. There are 'lo' versions of most things these days that contain a lot less hidden sugar and although some may not be palatable for you I'm sure you won't notice the difference with others. May cost a few pennies more but health is priceless!


Also, I'd strongly recommend you and DH making your own pasta/curry sauces etc from scratch. Taste so much nicer, don't cost any more and you know exactly what goes into them. Tins of chopped tomatoes are a staple in this house, the basis for many a tasty and healthy sauce:j. They don't take too much time either and it was a very rare event for us to have a bought cooking sauce even when I was working full-time

There ARE "low sugar/salt" versions but in the case of baked beans they mostly taste fairly pointless. An alternative would be to have smaller portions of the tasty ones - so rather than splitting a tin between you and OH, split the tin into quarters and save the other half for another day.

It may be worth looking to increase your intake of complex carbs and decrease the simple ones too - so brown rice, brown pasta, potatoes not peeled and so on. This can I believe have a very positive effect on stabilising blood sugar.

Cooking sauces etc from scratch is a sure-fire win and SO much tastier than the pre-made versions. Some chopped tomatoes, finely chopped onion, and garlic, a sprinkle of dried herbs, with salt/pepper to season and half a teaspoon of sugar to take the edge off the "sharpness" of the tomatoes - then let it gently blip away to itself on a very low temperature....the slow cooker is amazing for slow cooking sauces. Let it col, portion up and freeze and bingo - just add protein for a bolognese to die for!

DrSpendLittle wrote: »

A couple of my family members are pre diabetic. I've done lots of research into this topic to try and help them make changes to their diet / lifestyle. However, their local NHS group are fantastic and have really supported them in changing to a healthier lifestyle.

Sugar is hidden in all sorts of foods - ketchup, baked beans, tinned soups, healthy breakfast cereals etc. It's worth looking at the labels of everything you regularly eat to see how otherwise benign foods can contain secret levels of sugar. High sugar is classed as food having over 15g of sugars per 100g.

Fibre slows down the body's processing of sugar and can regulate insulin production - all fruit contains fibre, which is why eating a piece of fruit rather than juicing it or having smoothies (which break down the fibre) is much better for you.

Carbs are also essentially sugar and elicit an insulin response in the body when eaten. If you eat a heavily carb diet (veggies, fruit, bread, rice, pasta etc), this could be a secret cause. Also, recent research suggests that artificial sweeteners trick the body into thinking its ingesting sugar and so elicits an insulin response. The Diet Cokes might be another hidden culprit. Funnily enough, my body is really sensitive to carbs and I can't eat porridge for breakfast, even though it has lots of fibre, as it causes an insulin spike and I feel shaky and clammy mid morning. I only eat protein for breakfast now (plain yoghurt or eggs) and feel much much better.

The biggest myth peddled about diabetes is that obesity / being overweight is a cause. Recent research shows that it's simply not true. The broader health problem that both 'illnesses' are linked to is metabolic syndrome. So, you can be overweight and 100% healthy or thin and sick (TOFI - thin on the outside, fat on the inside). In most cases, someone with metabolic syndrome will have more than one associated illness (diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, lipid problems, obesity, heart disease, stroke etc), but as Redo says, its all about genetics and the sensitivity to each individuals body to these factors.

It's really good that its been caught early - its 100% reversible at this stage and I'm sure you'll do a fab job of adjusting your diet / lifestyle to beat it! Good luck!

Remember that a lot of products marketed as "low fat" have additional sugar to make them taste better - there is a reason that low fat/low sugar products often taste quite bland to us!


And another big yes to the latest research showing that "looking overweight" or "looking slim" has no real bearing on diabetes - for years the medical profession have specialised in trying to make people feel as though they are somehow to blame for getting T2 Diabetes and it's simply unfair an it's about time it stopped. Yes weight can make a difference in the management (in some people) but being a larger size does NOT make you any more likely to suffer in the first place, if you are healthy and active at that size.

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

DH took my blood sugar before breakfast this morning and it was 6.4 which is a bit high for a fasting blood test .

I felt better after a night's sleep although I still felt like I had a cold coming on. School was fine and it was dry although I did feel tired in the afternoon.

I asked DH to make a doctor's appointment for me after school and he did. The doctor said they had done a blood test which measured my blood sugar over three months and I am definitely prediabetic. The doctor was as puzzled as I am as I'm slim, hardly ever eat sugar and get plenty of exercise. So they want to test if I have visceral fat around my organs which could be causing it. I do still feel a bit anxious. I can cope with the possibity of diabetes, as long as it's not something more serious.

I asked DH if he would cook tonight as my cold is progressing . Luckily I don't have to be in until lunchtime tomorrow so I can have a lie in until 8am. I feel as though I could do with one!

I hope everyone has had a good Monday .

See that bit in bold? This is why GP's are not experts on diabetes!

It might be worth you taking a look at Dr Joshua Wolrich on instagram or twitter - he does some great stuff cutting through the rhetoric on all things around weight, nutrition and weight stigma and has touched on the subject of T2 diabetes on many occasions. It makes eye-opening reading.

Finally Solvent the kits that HH is using are the ones that her OH uses for his blood sugar checks and he is a diagnosed diabetic so this is not just your standard "off the internet" crank kits that they're using, I believe.

HH you're absolutely right to feel that a T2 diagnosis is something you can deal with - even should it come to that which currently it isn't, after all. The pre-diabetic "warning flag" means that you can take steps - with expert advice - to try to reverse things too.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Finally_Solvent wrote: »

I'm so sorry, HHOD, I seem to have come across as a right old Nosey Parker with all my questions:o:o:o. t's just that I'm interested in people and want the best for them especially those I like:)

Looks as if I'm one of the few people on here who has never heard of the 3-month blood test:o, judging by other people's comments it's a tried and tested procedure.

Not nosey at all FS . I don't mind you asking .

HairyHandofDartmoor

EssexHebridean wrote: »

There ARE "low sugar/salt" versions but in the case of baked beans they mostly taste fairly pointless. An alternative would be to have smaller portions of the tasty ones - so rather than splitting a tin between you and OH, split the tin into quarters and save the other half for another day.

It may be worth looking to increase your intake of complex carbs and decrease the simple ones too - so brown rice, brown pasta, potatoes not peeled and so on. This can I believe have a very positive effect on stabilising blood sugar.

Cooking sauces etc from scratch is a sure-fire win and SO much tastier than the pre-made versions. Some chopped tomatoes, finely chopped onion, and garlic, a sprinkle of dried herbs, with salt/pepper to season and half a teaspoon of sugar to take the edge off the "sharpness" of the tomatoes - then let it gently blip away to itself on a very low temperature....the slow cooker is amazing for slow cooking sauces. Let it col, portion up and freeze and bingo - just add protein for a bolognese to die for!



Remember that a lot of products marketed as "low fat" have additional sugar to make them taste better - there is a reason that low fat/low sugar products often taste quite bland to us!


And another big yes to the latest research showing that "looking overweight" or "looking slim" has no real bearing on diabetes - for years the medical profession have specialised in trying to make people feel as though they are somehow to blame for getting T2 Diabetes and it's simply unfair an it's about time it stopped. Yes weight can make a difference in the management (in some people) but being a larger size does NOT make you any more likely to suffer in the first place, if you are healthy and active at that size.



See that bit in bold? This is why GP's are not experts on diabetes!

It might be worth you taking a look at Dr Joshua Wolrich on instagram or twitter - he does some great stuff cutting through the rhetoric on all things around weight, nutrition and weight stigma and has touched on the subject of T2 diabetes on many occasions. It makes eye-opening reading.

Finally Solvent the kits that HH is using are the ones that her OH uses for his blood sugar checks and he is a diagnosed diabetic so this is not just your standard "off the internet" crank kits that they're using, I believe.

HH you're absolutely right to feel that a T2 diagnosis is something you can deal with - even should it come to that which currently it isn't, after all. The pre-diabetic "warning flag" means that you can take steps - with expert advice - to try to reverse things too.

Thanks you EH for some very good points .

HairyHandofDartmoor

The doctor rang me after school and said he'd emailed a diabetologist at the hospital who said I was barely in the prediabetic range and he didn't think it was anything to worry about. So I just need a blood test in six months. But the doctor said I should make an appointment before then if I start getting very thirsty or suddenly lose more weight. As my weight has been stable for six months and my weight loss is explained by life style changes after my Mum's death, he thought that wasn't anything to worry about. So that is good news .

Anyway I've decided to cut right down on my diet cokes and only have one a day (at most). I haven't had any since Saturday and I only had one can. I've just been drinking tea instead. I'll also try and eat more sweet potatoes than baked as I think that would be healthier for me anyway and stick with trying to eat more vegetables.

School was good today although I seemed to be helping lots of children who had no one to play with and it was dry weather which helped.

My cold seems to have gone onto my chest and I have a cough so that's probably why I feel so tired the past few days. Hopefully it'll go soon. It's baking hot in the classroom and freezing cold in the playground which probably doesn't help. I must look for my scarf.

I hope eveyone is having a good Tuesday .

beanielou

Good news today then & well done on the coke.