[Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread

johnnie T2

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Ring the diabetic unit in beaumont and ask them for advice on getting a meter. i haven't heard of pharmacies giving out free meters, i cant see the incentive for them to do that.

http://www.beaumont.ie/diabetescentre

you said your hba1c was 55 which isnt terrible so i wouldn't worry about getting a meter immediately, as in, today.

when you get the book bring it back to your gp and ask them to add strips and lancets. that should not be an issue.

cheers will try ringing them, just wanted to see where I am at after largely cutting bread and rice out of my diet past 2 weeks.

The GP said with my 55 reading, I could afford to wait until the book arrived, but that seemed to mean I should start Metformin as soon as book arrived. I know its only opinion, but should I hang on until seeing the Endo before going on those meds?

I had a read back over the last 6 months of the thread and I'm a bit concerned as well about feet issues as I play contact sport football, I didn't get a cut on my ankle which took ages to heal and there is still a mark there, but I don't have ulcers etc on feet as someone was describing.

its these sort of things i'm worried about waiting around at moment on.

ohnonotgmail

johnnie T2 wrote: »

cheers will try ringing them, just wanted to see where I am at after largely cutting bread and rice out of my diet past 2 weeks.

The GP said with my 55 reading, I could afford to wait until the book arrived, but that seemed to mean I should start Metformin as soon as book arrived. I know its only opinion, but should I hang on until seeing the Endo before going on those meds?

Personally i would start the meds as soon as the book arrives.

johnnie T2 wrote: »

I had a read back over the last 6 months of the thread and I'm a bit concerned as well about feet issues as I play contact sport football, I didn't get a cut on my ankle which took ages to heal and there is still a mark there, but I don't have ulcers etc on feet as someone was describing.

its these sort of things i'm worried about waiting around at moment on.

dont be driving yourself over stuff like this. I did that as well when i was first diagnosed until a doctor told me i was being a raging hyponcondriac. Neuropathy takes time to develop.

johnnie T2

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Personally i would start the meds as soon as the book arrives.

dont be driving yourself over stuff like this. I did that as well when i was first diagnosed until a doctor told me i was being a raging hyponcondriac. Neuropathy takes time to develop.

thanks - if I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing in terms of checking meters etc. Will it be a danger to start taking these while still doing high intensity workout or going on any drinking sessions? I read about people getting sick after taking them.

ohnonotgmail

johnnie T2 wrote: »

thanks - if I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing in terms of checking meters etc.

just ask questions here if you're not sure.

johnnie T2 wrote: »

Will it be a danger to start taking these while still doing high intensity workout or going on any drinking sessions? I read about people getting sick after taking them.

to be honest the metformin will upset your stomach for a while until you get used to them. nothing dangerous though from my experience.

banie01

johnnie T2 wrote: »

thanks - if I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing in terms of checking meters etc. Will it be a danger to start taking these while still doing high intensity workout or going on any drinking sessions? I read about people getting sick after taking them.

Sure if the sessin matters more than your health to you, you may as well never take them.

Your GP gave you a prescription, granted you may not have been happy with how he framed the diagnosis and acceptably so.

My advice at this point would be stop drinking or at least cut it back for a while,
One of the complications of Diabetes is funnily enough liver disease, which isnt helped by excess alcohol.

I'd also advise that you either write up a list of questions and get another appointment with your GP and put those questions to them, or contact the Diabetes team at Beaumont.

Yes many of us on here are dealing with the long term impact of Diabetes, but we aren't doctors and your posts are veering ver close to requests for medical advice which are not allowed.

johnnie T2

banie01 wrote: »

Sure if the sessin matters more than your health to you, you may as well never take them.

Your GP gave you a prescription, granted you may not have been happy with how he framed the diagnosis and acceptably so.

My advice at this point would be stop drinking or at least cut it back for a while,
One of the complications of Diabetes is funnily enough liver disease, which isnt helped by excess alcohol.

I'd also advise that you either write up a list of questions and get another appointment with your GP and put those questions to them, or contact the Diabetes team at Beaumont.

Yes many of us on here are dealing with the long term impact of Diabetes, but we aren't doctors and your posts are veering ver close to requests for medical advice which are not allowed.

thanks - I just got my bloods sent over from GP, I have webdoctor so may try that now they have results they can use, but too late today.
I have 55 - HBA1C, FERRITIN - 492, Fasting Triglyceride - 2.3.
and the rest seem to be normal range, bar Testoserone <0.3

EDIT - I have managed to get a webdoctor appointment for 8:30pm today!

I just have a birthday tomorrow so that's why I was asking as I haven't told the family etc about this yet so would be having few drinks with them and didn't want to be sick while out.

jimf

complications of diabetes don't happen overnite they are as a result of long term uncontrolled high sugar levels

so relax a little have a few pints but forget the sessions your health is your wealth

a meter is a must have imho otherwise you wont know what foods are spiking your blood sugar levels


certain fruits for example will spike you

johnnie T2

Got a free meter on way home in my local pharmacy. Just did my first test - was 4.7 mmol/L

What is this in the other reading I had 55 for previously?

banie01

johnnie T2 wrote: »

Got a free meter on way home in my local pharmacy. Just did my first test - was 4.7 mmol/L

What is this in the other reading I had 55 for previously?

You need to convert the numbers, old style that a lot of people still use is a %.
New style is mmol.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

johnnie T2

banie01 wrote: »

You need to convert the numbers, old style that a lot of people still use is a %.
New style is mmol.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

4.7 would be 27%? like nearly half of what I was with the GP 55%?

from reading here it appears I should be around 40%?

jimf

4.7 is your reading at this particular time which is perfect however you may not have eaten in the last few hours

eat your normal food for this time of evening

test again I hour later ideally should be under 8

test again 2 hours later it should now be coming back down

again the 55 was your hba1c test which gives an average for your blood sugar over a 3 month period

this could be made up of good numbers like above 4.7 at other times after eating and been on the lash it could have went as high as 12 etc a hba1c of 55 would equate to an old reading of 7.2 %

johnnie T2

thanks lads appreciate the help on here thus far!
wouldn't have even got the meter if not reading here.

jimf

jimf wrote: »

4.7 is your reading at this particular time which is perfect however you may not have eaten in the last few hours

eat your normal food for this time of evening

test again I hour later ideally should be under 8

test again 2 hours later it should now be coming back down

again the 55 was your hba1c test which gives an average for your blood sugar over a 3 month period

this could be made up of good numbers like above 4.7 at other times after eating and been on the lash it could have went as high as 12 etc a hba1c of 55 would equate to an old reading of 7.2 %

to simplify this a bit more it means your blood sugar averaged out at 8.9 mmol over the past 3 months

jimf

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html


this a handy chart to have

banie01

jimf wrote: »

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html


this a handy chart to have

That's the one I thought I linked to but made a balls of

jimf

banie01 wrote: »

That's the one I thought I linked to but made a balls of

im fairly good at that myself :p

johnnie T2

jimf wrote: »

4.7 is your reading at this particular time which is perfect however you may not have eaten in the last few hours

eat your normal food for this time of evening

test again I hour later ideally should be under 8

test again 2 hours later it should now be coming back down next

again the 55 was your hba1c test which gives an average for your blood sugar over a 3 month period

this could be made up of good numbers like above 4.7 at other times after eating and been on the lash it could have went as high as 12 etc a hba1c of 55 would equate to an old reading of 7.2 %

Just checked hour after food & I was 6.1 - had scrambled eggs, steak, Franks hot sauce and a blue fulfil protein bar. I suppose this is my new lower carb meals rather than rice stir fry I had been having!

Do you buy these strips and needles in bulk must fly through them

jimf

6.1 is very good keep it up


certainly nothing wrong with what you eat in that reading

once you have the lti book everything is covered that the doc thinks is needed for your treatment

Royal Legend

jimf wrote: »

4.7 is your reading at this particular time which is perfect however you may not have eaten in the last few hours

eat your normal food for this time of evening

test again I hour later ideally should be under 8

test again 2 hours later it should now be coming back down

again the 55 was your hba1c test which gives an average for your blood sugar over a 3 month period

this could be made up of good numbers like above 4.7 at other times after eating and been on the lash it could have went as high as 12 etc a hba1c of 55 would equate to an old reading of 7.2 %

The chart is now confusing me?

Think the doc said my Hb1AC was 54, my average readings on my meter (90 days) are 7.1 MMOL, where do i put in the mmol on the conversion chart?

If i put in 7.1 in dcct that equals 54, but then says mmol is 8.7???

jimf

hba1c as you know is your average blood results over the previous 90 days the fact your monitor says average 7.1 means all your tests over the previous 90 days came it 7.1 mmol but this on your own meter


whereas your hba1c is 90days x24 hours which would be a completely different scenario


7.1 in the dcct is the old way of calculating your hbac which was in %


so this is calculating your average bloods over that period as 8.7mmol

banie01

Just on the HbA1c mmol/mol and % quandary.

It is a pain in the arse when all the clinics are consolidating to mmol but seemingly none of the meters supplied can just switch between displaying your preferred unit.

My current meter does have a handy function built into its app that allows a comparison of HbA1c and meter average.

Heres a look

jimf

jesus tis easy to see why we get lost trying to calculate this

jimf

johnnie T2 wrote: »

Just checked hour after food & I was 6.1 - had scrambled eggs, steak, Franks hot sauce and a blue fulfil protein bar. I suppose this is my new lower carb meals rather than rice stir fry I had been having!

Do you buy these strips and needles in bulk must fly through them

forgot to say you don't need a new needle every time you test

I might change mine every 6 weeks

gerrybbadd

jimf wrote: »

forgot to say you don't need a new needle every time you test

I might change mine every 6 weeks

Look at you flash with the needles! I might do mine every 6 months 😂😂😂

CramCycle

johnnie T2 wrote: »

Got a free meter on way home in my local pharmacy. Just did my first test - was 4.7 mmol/L

What is this in the other reading I had 55 for previously?

To be honest, stick with a healthy diet and based on the readings you have put up so far, I imagine you are very early prediabetic. It shouldn't take any medication unless your bloods start staying high. Better diet, more exercise and lower the drinking (no point living if you can't feel alive is the expression and I enjoy a drink now and again). keep a record for a week and post it here. Record your bloods before eating, and 3 hours after eating, and what you eat (and portion size). Certain foods will send a normal person high for half a day, hnce record the food and portion size, everything changes your readings differently. Post it up and let us rip you to shreds seriously though, I find when I record what I eat, I eat better and my bloods are better as you have to think about it, which most people never really do.

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Look at you flash with the needles! I might do mine every 6 months &#55357;&#56834;&#55357;&#56834;&#55357;&#56834;

I change it every time I lose a machine or the fingerpricker, so once every few years, flash git yourself :pac:

jimf

CramCycle wrote: »

To be honest, stick with a healthy diet and based on the readings you have put up so far, I imagine you are very early prediabetic. It shouldn't take any medication unless your bloods start staying high. Better diet, more exercise and lower the drinking (no point living if you can't feel alive is the expression and I enjoy a drink now and again). keep a record for a week and post it here. Record your bloods before eating, and 3 hours after eating, and what you eat (and portion size). Certain foods will send a normal person high for half a day, hnce record the food and portion size, everything changes your readings differently. Post it up and let us rip you to shreds seriously though, I find when I record what I eat, I eat better and my bloods are better as you have to think about it, which most people never really do.



I change it every time I lose a machine or the fingerpricker, so once every few years, flash git yourself :pac:

ara jaysus might as well use a fork

gctest50

CramCycle wrote: »

...........

Post it up and let us rip you to shreds ..

That user won't be posting anything, it be a rereg troll yarrr

johnnie T2

gctest50 wrote: »

That user won't be posting anything, it be a rereg troll yarrr

haha just had a rereg account as my mates would know my other username on here and haven't told anyone about it.

didn't look after my diet at weekend as was at a birthday party, had a burger then over ten pints of beer. then unfortunately a Chinese on the way home. I checked my blood at about 4am and it was 5.9 which seems low.
I am wondering what's really going on!
really want to start the testosterone treatment as getting that issue sorted is one my main short term worries! so hoping the Endo can help me with that.
anyway back to try and eat less carbs again after that weekend

johnnie T2

CramCycle wrote: »

To be honest, stick with a healthy diet and based on the readings you have put up so far, I imagine you are very early prediabetic. It shouldn't take any medication unless your bloods start staying high.

yeah was wondering this as my blood hasn't been very high when i've checked it so far so wondering why i'd take blood lowering medication in that case. my medical card hasn't yet arrived anyway.
that's good to know about the needs id been throwing out the need and strip each time, do you just leave the needle you use in the machine? is it not a risk of infection?

Xofpod

As bad as things can be for diabetic care in Ireland sometimes, just be thankful you don't live in this dystopian hellhole:

https://twitter.com/vicenews/status/1153302647853764608?s=20

(and I'm not talking about Mexico...)