Pre diabetes - support/advice?

[Ragamuffin8]

Hi,

I found out today I am pre diabetic (HbA1c was 45 mmol/mol), but fasting glucose that day was 5.5 mmol/L.

I have a family history of type 2 diabetes and am guilty of eating badly (too many take aways/sugary treats). Please don’t judge me, I know it needs to change.

This has given me a wake up call and I’m determined to tackle my diet.

The thing is my GP didn’t want to talk about the results or talk about next steps etc. The GP told the receptionist to tell me my results were “satisfactory”, I had to pay for a print out of my actual results and had to use Google to work out I’m pre diabetic.

I’ve insisted on a follow up appointment to discuss my results, which is next week.

I know that in the end I need to put in the work myself to lose weight and eat more healthily. I am prepared to do that.

But is it normal not to get any real advice/support when you’re pre-diabetic? I’ve heard of others being referred to the NHS or Second Nature programmes.

Also, don’t I need to have my blood sugar tested again 3/6 months time to see if I’ve made an improvement?

If any of you were pre-diabetic, what advice/support did your GP offer? Is pre diabetes not a big deal or something and so not worthy of medical attention?

Also, if people have any success stories of lowering their blood sugar level. Please let me know. How long does it take to see an improvement?

Thanks in advance- sorry for such a long post! Just obviously feeling a little anxious about it, given the lack of advice.

min 5.6 is the diagnosis for prediabetes

when you had any symptoms?

but you know what needs to be done irrespective of a diagnosis, so get cracking!

Yeah I think you've got a "satisfactory" because of the 5.5 but you are totally right to start making changes now @Ragamuffin8.

How are you getting on?

Thanks both, I’ve started a low carb diet, and been reading up on it. It’s early days, but it’s the wake up call I needed.

It's really good that you've seen it as a positive thing to enable you to make changes and be more healthy. I think that's admirable

Hi my husband had a pre diabetic result, his GP called him(I’m sorry but I can’t remember the exact figure) and told him and advised him to exercise more and watch sugar intake. My husband wasn’t that overweight but had eaten a lot of sugary things over the years often in one sitting! He cut out sugar and stated exercising (start slowly if you haven’t been doing any) and after a few months it had come down but it takes a while.
On a positive note at least you have found out early and can do something about it. I also follow a lower carb diet to keep my weight down and also the carbs I do have are unrefined portige , brown rice whole meal pasta etc and no white bread or white rice etc this turns almost immediately to sugar. It’s not easy but it is achievable, I hope it goes well💐

I got my blood sugar down from 68 to 37 in 3 months by doing fasting, no upfs and low carb. It's totally doable. I've realised that I just had to learn how to say no to myself and choose foods I liked (I eat a lot of yoghurt and berries). I've also lost 70lbs and my hba1c is 35.

Fasting - I reduced my prediabetes in 3 months too coupled with walking a lot more.
I found eating in the morning really increased my glucose levels throughout the day so I cut out breakfast.
You can do this! Plan meals a bit more, eat a few mouthfuls less and try not to snack or snack better.

My hba1c result was 42. I asked if there was any support I could be given and my dr said that I qualified for the free pre-diabetes management programme. It's a 9 month course on the nhs, where every few weeks you go to a group meeting and they talk you through different aspects of weight management and healthy lifestyles. I've found it really helpful, made new friends and because it had a weigh in each time, it motivated me to lose weight. My bloods are now in the normal range.

Ask your gp to enrol you on the course, there should be one running in your local area.

preventing-diabetes.co.uk

Thanks all - it’s really inspiring to hear the positive stories of turning it around, especially in such a relatively short time. I don’t know anyone in real life that’s managed to reverse it via diet, so great to hear it can be done.

I’ll ask my gp if I can join the diabetes prevention programme as suggested. I can do with all the support available!

As others have said - my mum reversed diabetes in less than 6 months by intermittent fasting and very low carb, plus increased activity but only relatively 'gentle' stuff like walking more.

Anecdotally, she also found the GP lacking in any advice really - other than to take metformin. I mean, she obviously will always have diabtetes but her blood sugar levels dropped right down as a result of her action so that tests no longer recongised her as diabetic.

Good luck, OP!

I’ll join. My husband has been diagnosed diabetic and had almost no information for 5 months, so not surprised you have had none.

I haven’t had a check but know I am probably on the same track. In any case am in my 50s so need to get healthier. Have downloaded a calorie counting app and am using that to help me cut out the crap snacks (my problem). Have also joined a gym and am working on strength/mobility with a bit of cardio.

My DH is on the programme with the Nurse at our GP practice, I wouldn’t bother with GP, but asked to see the Nurse. He managed to lower his levels, by cutting out cakes, biscuits and pies. He lowered his alcohol content too. He get checks every 6 months, Nurse is very proud of him. He has the occasional cake and biscuit now, but nowhere near the amount he was having.

I went on the diabetes prevention course too and it was good.
Portion control is a big one too

Hi I'm another one. My HbA1C was 43 and my surgery referred me to the Second Nature programme. It was portion control, low carb and I also did intermittent fasting 16:8. My HbA1C was 39 at the end of the programme. OP you can do this. Ask to be referred to the Diabetes Prevention Programme.

I have a long complicated tale, but essentially the last hba1c I had was 42 at beg of December and Dr basically said I'm fine now. It came down from 51 in September. She was over the moon...

I don't have any weight to lose, I'm only just in the lowest end of the healthy bmi category after putting on half a stone (with great difficulty). Im pretty strict on low carb but not due another hba1c until May. At which point if it's not gone up GP says she'll remove diabetic marker from my record.

And yet others on here with same score are going on courses etc.