Glad I came across this forum!

Nige2

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Diagnosed with type 2 yesterday, handed a prescription for Metformin and told to book for another blood test in 2 months.
The doctor was obviously running very late and in a great hurry; I was in and out of the consulting room in about 5 minutes.
I had had 2 previous blood tests of 11, 6 and this one of 8. I got the impression that that was seriously high, until I came on here and saw the problems some of you guys have.
At the pharmacy, the pharmacist thought that I'd had Metformin before because the doctor had prescribed it for 3 times a day. She explained that I had to gradually increase the dose to 3 per day with food and only with food. Slightly different to what the drug advice leaflet says.
There was no mention of seeing a nurse or any other diabetic specialist, so I feel totally in the dark. Do my numbers seem high to you guys, should I have a meter and be monitoring my levels?
All advice gratefully received!
 

JTL

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,358
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Litterbugs war mongers hate mongers propagandists.
I'm sure there's more.
Hi nige and welcome.
I too started on three a day but within three months I dropped to one a day ... first thing in the morning with my yoghurt or egg breakfast.
Doctor wasn't happy that I did it off my own back but I said I was going to do my hardest to do this thing with as few induustrial drugs as possible and if I couldn't I'd up the dose again.
Doing mostly very well by ignoring the NHS and learning from the people on here.
 
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Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Although the numbers are not terribly high they tend to exceed all the accepted limits to qualify you as diabetic. The circumstances under which the blood was taken is important. For example, if the first two tests were random and not fasting then you barely qualify.

Anyway, welcome to the club, you are obviously one of us. Read stuff on the forum, the people who wrote it had more time than your doctor.
 

Nige2

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks Jack,
What were your numbers like, I take it you used a meter to check your blood before reducing the dosage?
 

Nige2

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Although the numbers are not terribly high they tend to exceed all the accepted limits to qualify you as diabetic. The circumstances under which the blood was taken is important. For example, if the first two tests were random and not fasting then you barely qualify.

Anyway, welcome to the club, you are obviously one of us. Read stuff on the forum, the people who wrote it had more time than your doctor.
Although the numbers are not terribly high they tend to exceed all the accepted limits to qualify you as diabetic. The circumstances under which the blood was taken is important. For example, if the first two tests were random and not fasting then you barely qualify.

Anyway, welcome to the club, you are obviously one of us. Read stuff on the forum, the people who wrote it had more time than your doctor.
Thanks, the people on here certainly seem more helpful than the medical profession.
 
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sanguine

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,340
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Hi Nige, welcome.

You seem to have been sheep-dipped through the surgery about as fast as I was. First thing to do is to sort out what you eat. Apart from the obvious sugars you will need to cut your carbohydrate intake significantly - bread, potatoes, pasta, rice. For diabetics carbs might as well be sugar.

I would say testing is essential. You need to know what specific foods spike your blood sugar levels. Only a few T2s get them on prescription, generally we have to buy our own - SD Codefree (Amazon etc) is a popular choice.

You will note that the above is probably contrary to what your GP and diabetic nurse might tell you. NHS advice to T2s is poor.

Lots to take on at first, but read around and ask any questions.
 
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mo53

Expert
Messages
7,869
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello Nige. wow you werent given much help by the doctor. This website is brilliant as you finding out first hand information from a really informed and friendly group of people.:)
 
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Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Nige,

Get a cuppa (no sugar) and settle in for the duration.
;)

This forum is fab. Just trundle around absorbing info, and I expect you will learn masses of info.
 
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JTL

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,358
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Litterbugs war mongers hate mongers propagandists.
I'm sure there's more.
Once you book in here there's no booking out I'm afraid cos there's no place left to go.
The Hotel California of the diabetes world.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. Those numbers are in the diabetic range but it's not until the teens that they get serious. You need to stay below around 8.5 two hours after a meal. Yes, starting the metformin gradually over 2-3 weeks is a good idea. Having it with food helps avoid stomach problems but if you do have stomach issues go back to the GP and ask for the Slow Release (SR) version which is kinder. Yes, a meter is essential. You should be given an HBa1C blood test after 3 months so do book an appointment and try to get a blood test form 2 weeks before so you have some results to discuss. The HBa1C will guide the GP on the best meds to proceed with. Do have a low-carb diet to try to manage your weight and blood sugar as Metformin helps but isn't a magic cure
 
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Nige2

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks to everyone for your replies, much appreciated.
It's good to know there is support out there!
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hello Nige and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Carry on asking questions as there is always someone who can 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 over 100,000 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.
 

Nige2

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I've just completed my first week of monitoring my BG. I have virtually cut out carbs and have been taking 1 metformin per day, increasing to 2 yesterday. I've been taking readings before and after each meal, but my daily average has fallen from 9.2 to 6.4. Will the metformin have kicked in yet or will this be primarily due to cutting out the carbs?
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I've just completed my first week of monitoring my BG. I have virtually cut out carbs and have been taking 1 metformin per day, increasing to 2 yesterday. I've been taking readings before and after each meal, but my daily average has fallen from 9.2 to 6.4. Will the metformin have kicked in yet or will this be primarily due to cutting out the carbs?

Hi Nige,

It will be the cutting carbs. Metformin takes a while to kick in, but in any event has very little effect on BS levels. It helps the liver a bit, helps reduce insulin resistance, and suppresses appetite so you are less inclined to over-eat, but all to a limited extent.