New to all this & really need some support/advice :-(

[Charlotte_1987]

Evening all,

Where to start.....

Well I went to the doctors for some blood tests as I felt very down and was just not feeling right in general. The results came back that my glucose levels were quite high, so i then had to have a fasting test done. When the results came back it showed that I was diabetic (Type 2) and my results were in fact quite high for someone of my age (26). This was all in October/November time.

I did not know what to think really as there were so many emotions.

I went to see my diabetic nurse who is lovely other I really did feel like it was information overload!!

I was told that it was nothing that I had done to cause this and emotional stress (there has been a lot) would have played a part in this. She said to me that I was not a patient of hers that she would class as 'needing to lose weight' or that weight was an issue. Don't get me wrong I could do with losing a wee bit of weight but so could most people apparently.

So i am on metformin/Gliclazide x2metformin in the morning with x1 Gliclazide, and x2 metformin in the evening. I was told that metformin can help with weight loss however so far........nothing!!

I have to say I have no idea what i need to be doing, what I should/should not do, i feel very confused overall :-(

My face is in a terrible state and it has never been like this which is not helping with stress levels, it is red and dry (flakey) and sore and itchy...boy is it itchy. I don't know if it is the tablets that are causing this reaction as I said I have never had this before. Has anyone else had this happen??

I am due to see my diabetic nurse in May (not seen her since January time, so I am having some BT's done and then a review with her.

When I test my bloods I am between 4-5 at the moment and she said ideally between 6-7 would be good. I think I am at the point where I can tell if I am having a hypo (if thats the right word) or if it is too high.

Any advice or just general support would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you x

 

[this is too difficult]

Hi charlotte. I am type 2 but unmedicated so cant help much, but there a loads of people use this forum so someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon.

 

[Mazzer]

Hi Charlotte, I am T2 and on 2x500mg Metforming per day. The only side affect I had with the Met was feeling nauseous for about 3 weeks. Unfortunately I can't comment on the Gliclazide, but I am sure someone will be along soon to help.

Marilyn

 

[ricardoharrison]

Hi Charlotte, I echo mazzer, I'm on 4x500mg Metformin, knocked me for six for a couple of weeks, general feeling sick. Now it's okay no ice effects. Can't comment on the weight loss aspect, it apparently is a known side effect but I wouldn't rely on it to lose weight.

Check out the T2 forum and diet forums, there is loads of advice and guidance you can read through and don't be scared of asking questions on here !! everyone's dead helpful!.

the three things I've picked up

Diet - for me I'm low carbing, low GI'ing make sure you have three meals a day!.
Exercise - for me running
Monitor - get a monitor / strips / lancelets from your docs if you can

I've picked up info from these forums, diabetes.org and a book called Type 2 diabetes 'the first year'.

hope this helps!!.

 

[ConradJ]

Evening all,

Where to start.....

Well I went to the doctors for some blood tests as I felt very down and was just not feeling right in general. The results came back that my glucose levels were quite high, so i then had to have a fasting test done. When the results came back it showed that I was diabetic (Type 2) and my results were in fact quite high for someone of my age (26). This was all in October/November time.

She said to me that I was not a patient of hers that she would class as 'needing to lose weight' or that weight was an issue. Don't get me wrong I could do with losing a wee bit of weight but so could most people apparently.

I'm surprised: 26, not overweight and yet type 2? Very unusual.

So i am on metformin/Gliclazide x2metformin in the morning with x1 Gliclazide, and x2 metformin in the evening. I was told that metformin can help with weight loss however so far........nothing!!.

Tablets and pills are all very well, but improving your diet and increasing your activity levels will have a far more beneficial effect. Check out other pages and posts elsewhere (low carbing, healthy meals, etc.)

My face is in a terrible state and it has never been like this which is not helping with stress levels, it is red and dry (flakey) and sore and itchy...boy is it itchy. I don't know if it is the tablets that are causing this reaction as I said I have never had this before. Has anyone else had this happen??.

You need to contact your GP surgery ASAP - this could be a side-effect of the drug or it could be something else.

I am due to see my diabetic nurse in May (not seen her since January time, so I am having some BT's done and then a review with her.

When I test my bloods I am between 4-5 at the moment and she said ideally between 6-7 would be good. I think I am at the point where I can tell if I am having a hypo (if thats the right word) or if it is too high.

Any advice or just general support would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you x

Check out the following, they should help you get a better picture of diabetes:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Newly-diagnosed-with-diabetes/

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/newly-diagnosed-with-type2-diabetes.html

Also, ask your DSN (Diabetes Specialist Nurse) about courses, such as DESMOND and X-PERT - they should offer you one to go on.

Best wishes,
Conrad

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Gliclazide doesn't normally cause any side effects apart from moving you towards a hypo if you are having to much, so it's possible you need to discuss reducing the prescription a bit. Metformin has little effect on weight or even blood sugar but helps if you are overweight by reducing insulin resistance. Metformin does have a few side effects and it sounds like you may be suffering some. As you are only slightly above normal weight you may want to suggest to the nurse to try stopping them for a while to see if they are the cause? You are very young to be a T2 especially as you are not overweight. I think you need to bear in mind the possibility of being a late onset T1 (LADA) which is often mis-diagnosed as T2. I may be wrong, but if your blood sugar starts rising despite low-carbing and with the meds then do discuss this possibility with the DN

 

[daisy1]

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the forum

Here is the general advice I think you are looking for. This is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 90,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Aldebaran]

Hi Charlotte. I'm still a newbie at this. I'm on Metformin and it has made me nauseous. I also get stomach ache a little and wind but the nurse warned me about these side effects. It does settle down. I have to up my dosage a bit at a time. I can't help you with the Gliclazides as I don't take them. Believe me, your emotions will be all over the place for a while. It does take time to settle down. You'll get all the help you need here. Best of luck to you. I'm not there yet and still worry. You'll feel a lot happier once you know how it works.

 

[ziyaad_diabetes]

Hi im type 1 i take injections and im just used to it now got diagnosed last year in july

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[Robbity]

Hello Charlotte:

Re metformin & weight loss - it can sometimes act as an appetite supressant, but as AFAIK it doesn't actually cause you to lose weight directly - unfortunately.

Also read the leaflets enclosed with your tablets as they will list possible side effects, and I believe that Metformin can very rarely cause redness and itchiness. I was OK (apart from a bit of initial upset tum trouble) with one brand of metformin, and since having been given a different brand -pharmacy seems to swap brands all the time(!!), I've been suffering various side effects, including very recently (after I requested a change to the low release version to see if it helped with nausea & "wind") I've had a very itchy back but no rash or redness according to my husband... Since I've just received the new stuff it remains to be seen if it "cures" me! I've a feeling that another lady has posted recently about very bad itching too, but I don't know if she found out what was causing it.

But do check with your nurse, doctor, or possibly even your pharmacist, and they can probably find alternative medication for you.

Robbity

 

[ziyaad_diabetes]

I went for a wee loadz wen i did not kno

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