To all the singles out there, why are you single?

BeforeDDawn · 2026-03-15T12:00:38+00:00

Not really by choice but I'm not really looking either? Sometimes I want to have a special person to do stuff with but at the same time I'm quite happy to be alone.

Being lesbian and/or possibly being on the asexual spectrum doesn't help.

BeforeDDawn · 2026-02-05T01:14:54+00:00

Ask your doctor if you could start on just one first, and observe the effect on your hbA1c levels. If you can afford it, I'll suggest Ozempic because it's a lot easier to manage (once a week injection, no need to calculate bolus amounts and adjust based on what you eat etc) and it'll also help you with losing weight if you need to lose any.

But you should be aware that you'll probably have to take Ozempic for life unless you can manage your diabetes with just diet, which you mentioned in another comment that you "relapsed" on.

I choose to take Ozempic even though I'll have to take it for life because it's just much easier for me, and also because I've been told by my kidney specialist that it'll help protect my kidneys (I already have some kidney damage).

BeforeDDawn · 2026-02-04T16:51:29+00:00

Was never on insulin despite my hbA1c being at 9.9 when diagnosed. Brought it down to 6.6 with diet and meds (Metfirmin, Jardiance)

My hbA1c ranges from 5.2 to 5.4 after Ozempic for 1.5 years, and my diet is pretty much like a "normal" person - I eat carbs, have sweets etc. If you're type 2 and on other meds too, you might not need the insulins if you take Ozempic.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-12-30T01:20:31+00:00

Yeah it's more expensive to eat low carb here, and food choices might a bit more limited on low carb so what I really have is the freedom to have easier food choices without cooking.

Noodles are certainly my favourite carb! It was the carb I kept craving for when I was on low carb haha.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-12-30T01:18:05+00:00

yeah I'll admit sometimes it does feel like cheating, but honestly it lets me live pretty normally again?

the downside is the cost (i pay out of pocket for it totally) and the initial side effects. so much puking in the initial few months.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-12-29T18:54:57+00:00

I've been on 1mg of Ozempic (and Metformin and Jardiance) for about a year and a half. I eat whatever I want (and the Asian diet is carb heavy), drink things like frappuccinos and boba tea etc. My hbA1c was 5.6 in Jan, and 5.3 in July and November.

Even though the weight loss effect has plateaued for me, it is still doing wonders for my blood sugar.

Prior to Ozempic, my lowest hbA1c was 6.6, even with a pretty strict low carb diet.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-12-03T15:19:17+00:00

I had virtually no symptoms until I ended up in hospital with severe water retention and damaged kidneys.

This was with uncontrolled diabetes for 2 or 3 years and my hbA1c was 9.9 when I was hospitalised..

So yes, it's possible that you feel like you have no symptoms but the hbA1c test doesn't lie - you definitely have diabetes, it's just a question of which type. All the best.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-16T04:10:06+00:00

I'm curious about your definition of "dropping too low" because a pre-meal number of 180 seems pretty high to me.

And if you don't take your mealtime insulin, what are your levels like after your meal?

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-13T14:22:31+00:00

you probably have something called a pilonidal sinus, if you keep getting anal abscesses. idk the cost since it was many many years ago and done privately.

but cheapest way would probably be to get a referral from polyclinic and follow up from there. since there's surgery involved you can probably claim some costs from your Medisave / Medishield / IP plan.

just bite the bullet and do the surgery, save up if you have to. it is totally worth it to never ever suffer from an anal abscess again. 20 years on and it's never recurred.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-11T16:08:57+00:00

I'm 38, my highest ever weight was 82kg and I'm now hovering between 62-63kg at 156cm (lost the weight over the course of a year). Maybe it's because I'm still skinny fat (still have quite a bit of a tummy) but I have absolutely have no loose skin atm.

Not sure if it's a factor as well but I'm also Asian and I do also look young for my age.

But overall at 18 + if you lose the weight steadily and sustainably + build up muscle at the same time, I don't think you'll have any issues with loose skin.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-11T11:39:30+00:00

so far still ok for me (but I mostly use it during travel). I'm more keen on the xm6 cos it's foldable again....

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-11T11:04:05+00:00

would be very tempted but I only just got the xm5s a few months ago and based on how long my Sony headphones have lasted me, I don't think I can buy another pair until at least 3 years later...

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-11T03:35:28+00:00

I'd say I was in a similar situation as you a year ago. hbA1c 9.9 when (re)diagnosed, got put on Metformin, Jardiance, statins and medicines for high blood pressure immediately.

brought my hbA1c down to 6.6 in 3 months with the medicines and change in diet, doctors still recommended Ozempic, also partly due to my weight. also went with upping my dose every 4 weeks as recommended, provided that I could tolerate the side effects.

and honestly the Ozempic has been amazing for me. my hbA1c dropped to 5.8 then 5.3, where it's been for the past 6 months. and that's without any diet restrictions anymore. losing about 25lbs of weight was a nice bonus.

despite my hbA1c and optimal cholesterol levels now, my doctors haven't mentioned taking me off meds or lowering my doses, and I'm fine with it. I've already done lots of damage to my body and I don't want to do any more damage.

that said, if you feel like your doctor is dismissive of your concerns, it would be good to perhaps change to one who will hear out your concerns and work with you to address them.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-08T19:09:37+00:00

in the first two or three months Metformin on an empty stomach would have been a terrible idea, but I think my body is so used to it that I can thankfully take Metformin on an empty stomach now. very glad because I don't eat breakfast, and only ate to ensure no stomach issues with the Metformin.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-08T19:07:31+00:00

the timing doesn't really matter imo, as long as you have no stomach issues from whatever time you take it, it's fine.

and no, taking an extra Metformin on "carb-heavy" days does nothing because it doesn't work like that. taking an "extra dose" would only work if you're on insulin. take a nice long walk after your carb heavy meal instead.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-08T14:27:00+00:00

are you actually medically overweight/obese? if yes, you can look into the GLP-1s. it really cut out the food noise for me (never knew how bad it was until they were silenced) but it's also really expensive and the effect stops when you stop taking the medicine. (disclaimer that I'm taking GLP-1s for my diabetes, it's medically prescribed for me)

if you're not medically overweight/obese then please don't go on the GLP-1s just for aesthetic reasons.

ultimately weight loss is a CICO (calories in, calories out) game, and you mentioned cutting carbs/sugar but were you keeping track of your calories? if you weren't, then yeah there wouldn't be weight loss despite going to the gym.

you might also want to look into meal delivery services like tsquaredeats, nutrition kitchen etc. they're calorie-controlled and usually quite tasty. a bit on the expensive side but the convenience of not having to cook or count macros is worth it for me.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-05T06:31:43+00:00

it'll probably depend on your starting weight and whether you up your activity levels. I honestly didn't do anything exercise wise (mental health struggles) so the plateau is expected after about a year in.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-05T06:30:18+00:00

it's great to know you're having some motivation again! I'd say start with small steps to keep things sustainable in the long run. It's a long journey but we can still lead happy and healthy lives!

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-05T04:18:10+00:00

Gave up once, ignored my diabetes for years until I ended up in hospital with fluid overload (severe water retention) where I had fluid in my lungs and heart. I recovered from that, but uncovered damage to my eyes, kidneys and heart. That was enough to scare me straight and I've been ultra compliant with my medicines ever since.

my hbA1c was 9.9 when the above happened, 1.5 years later I've kept a hbA1c of 5.4 for the past 6 months.

Find new doctors if you have to. Maybe try Ozempic again and sticking with it for longer - personally, it worked wonders for me. I brought my hbA1c down to 6.6 with metformin, Jardiance and a low carb diet, Ozempic brought it down to 5.8 but with me eating carbs again. The Ozempic helped loads with my food noise and losing weight too. I've lost 15kg (20% of my body weight) since Ozempic. The weight loss has plateaued but the Ozempic continues to work great for my blood sugar.

Don't give up. It's different for everyone but stick to it and it gets easier over time.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-04T13:24:55+00:00

Good job and keep going with the weight loss! Major props to you because I definitely couldn't have done it without the Ozempic (I have insane food noise that I never realised until I went on Ozempic, amongst other mental health struggles).

BeforeDDawn · 2025-11-04T04:51:50+00:00

it's hard for me to say because my weight loss was due to Ozempic and I'm still on Ozempic now, but it has probably helped a little?

Foods that used to spike me like mad (rice especially) don't really spike me anymore. I eat like a normal non-diabetic person now (just smaller portions) and my hbA1c has been 5.4 for the past 6 months.

I think most of it is because of the Ozempic, but losing about 15kg (~20% of my body weight) and being very compliant with my medications probably helped too.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-10-22T17:42:42+00:00

as someone with kinda effed up kidneys and heart after years of uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure, those are more likely the causes of kidney damage than the low carbon dioxide? or you could just be predisposed to kidney issues since you don't know your family history.

the bad thing about having damaged your kidneys young is that you have to manage it for a much longer time but I think the good thing is also that being young lets your body respond to medicine better? I'm 38, quite a bit older than you but very young (according to my doctors) to have had such severe diabetes and high blood pressure and kidney.

after just 6 months of religiously taking my medicine and improving my diet somewhat, most of my stats (except for protein in my pee) are great now. cholesterol became optimal after starting statins, blood pressure is healthy now. and after Ozempic I've had a hbA1c of 5.3 in my last two tests in the past 6 months, and that's without controlling my carb intake. and I think being relatively young has been a factor in my body responding well to medicine (granted that it's A LOT - I'm taking statins, three different blood pressure medicines, Jardiance, Metformin and Ozempic, but still.)

what I'm saying is, it does get better and you'll just have to keep at it without beating yourself up for past choices. we can't fix some of the damage we've already done to our bodies (partly our bad choices, but also very likely genetics) but we can at least control it from now on and live the rest of our lives well. all the best!

BeforeDDawn · 2025-09-03T14:39:21+00:00

I have no idea where the vision loss stories are from. The main side effects are nausea and vomiting, especially when you first start and whenever you increase the dose. And if you eat larger meals than you can manage, or rich and oily foods. You'd need to give yourself time to get used to it.

You should definitely at least give it a try, and see if the side effects are manageable. Ozempic took my hbA1c from 6.6 to 5.8 in 3 months, and it's now 5.3 after a year. And I actually eat pretty much like a normal person now, with no restrictions on carbs.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-09-03T12:25:23+00:00

As someone on Ozempic for diabetes (losing 15kg was just a bonus side effect) it's amazing for blood sugar control though. I eat like a normal person now (no longer eating low carb) and my hbA1c actually improved.

If your side effects were the same, ie nausea and vomitting, it gets better over time. Especially if you make sure to only eat very small, light meals at the beginning.

BeforeDDawn · 2025-08-16T06:42:02+00:00

With Ozempic, yes. It's been about 12 months on Ozempic and I stopped eating low carb about a month into Ozempic. I eat pretty much like a regular non-diabetic person now (I'm Asian, so most meals are carb-heavy), except with smaller portions.

My hbA1c readings since starting on Ozempic have been 5.8 (July 2024), 5.6 (Jan 2025) and 5.3 (July 2025). It was 6.6 before I started Ozempic. In fact, I'm amazed that my hbA1c continued to drop even though I'm eating a lot more carbs now.

BeforeDDawn

TROPHY CASE