Doctor soon.

EveryCloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have an appointment with the doc soon and I don't know what to ask. I am still off work and will be until after Christmas. I am still getting very confused with day to day things and my job requires me to be on the ball. I am on Metformin 4 500mg a day. I just don't feel any different, I have been reducing carbs but my BG always seems to be around 10, even though I was told not to test, I still do, some days it shoots up to 14. What other meds can I ask about? I want to ask about insulin but I still have a love hate feeling about it. I know it is inevitable but it still frightens me a little. I am also going to need my BP meds upped as my BP is still kinda high 150/90. I was also told I would be put on statin. I was also recommended to take a vit b complex because of the effects of metformin. I hate this waiting game, I just want to shake my doctor sometimes and yell 'Fix me!' lol.

Oh another question, I was told that from a recent blood test my iron was high... Is this a diabetes thing?
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I know nothing about meds or LADA, but may I ask exactly what you do eat? If you tell us a typical day's menu, perhaps we may have some pointers for you.
 
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K

Kat100

Guest
there are a few people with lada ...maybe a thread for that ...and insulin discussion ....hope you get some help ...bestbwishes kat

Sorry my fault you are on the right thread ...someone will know about the above , sorry you are going through this .
 
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Ian DP

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Messages
712
Type of diabetes
LADA
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Insulin
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Hi everyloud,
I assume you are LADA. If so and you have bg levels above 10, I think you have two choices. 1) ask for insulin or 2) go very low carb

As bluetit says, if you give us an example of your daily food intake we may be able to advise if you can reduce carbs further.

If you ask your Dr about low carb, he / she will likely be unable to advise further because in doing so it would go against NHS policy, so you will likely get no help with it.

A very low carb (no potatoes, no bread, no pasta, no rice etc) could well delay the inevitable insulin by months even many years. If you think you may want to go very low carb, this is the best place to ask questions.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Are you normal weight? If so then LADA becomes possible. If overweight then you may need to reduce the carbs further. There are further tablets that are commonly prescribed e.g. Gliclazide and Sitagliptin. The former is of limited use if you are overweight and insulin resistant as it will just add more insulin that you already have too much of. Sitagliptin will have similar limitations and so will insulin. If you are not overweight and possibly LADA then you may need to go thru the tablets I've mentioned and/or move to insulin which is not the problem you might think.
 
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EveryCloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I assume I am LADA, Doctor says I am type two but have symptoms of type 1. My diet varies alot, I usually eat loads of veg, I do love cheeses. Breakfast would be granola with soy milk. lunch is usually a leafy green salad and for dinner I usually do have some carbs but with pasta I have changed to wholemeal and I usually have it with some sauce tomato based, that is what I ate today anyway. I am a vegetarian. I am over weight, not massively so, 15 stone male and 6ft 1. Based on what the doc has told me and my own reasearch it certainly sounds like LADA.
 

Ian DP

Well-Known Member
Messages
712
Type of diabetes
LADA
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Insulin
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Chips
You certainly could go lower carb, and this likely will lower your blood sugar levels. Maybe worth a try.
Granola, pasta (even wholemeal) and tomato sauces all have highish carbs.

To go lower carb would mean no bread, no pasta, no rice, no potatoes, virtually no readymade sauces (Mayo is ok / good, so are most coleslaws)

Most LADA's have an underweight problem. I am lada and find it difficult to hold / put weight on.
If you are LADA most advice is to avoid all medications except maybe Metformin. LADA can normally be diagnosed with a GAD test, ask your GP for this test, especially if he / she 'thinks' you may be LADA.
 
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EveryCloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I am loosing weight gradually, but I think this is because of me cutting out so many sugars. I was 16 stone a month or so ago. I will need to have a look for low carb recipies...
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
There was a short discussion on Granola recently on another thread. It was spiking the poster far too high, even on reduced portions. I suggest you ditch this and have a different breakfast. Similarly the pasta and tomato sauce. Shop bought sauces are packed with carbs because they use starchy stuff to thicken it. You need to read some of the food labels. You may have a shock how many carbs you are eating. It's worth a try if you want to avoid insulin.

Test before you eat and then again 2 hours after. Try to keep any rise under 2mmol/l by amending the carb portions in that meal. Ideally as low as 1.5mmol/l.
 
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EveryCloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Just an update. Went to the docs and was told that my HBA1C results are really high, doc tested my BG there and it was 9. I have another apointment near the end of December, more bloods to be taken next week. The doc said that I am being considered for insulin, Doc also noted my weight loss. This is good news for me. I just wish all my appontments wern't so far apart! lol.
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
HI
16 stone and blood glucose 9, I think you have a good chance with diet, is there a reason he didn't prescribe metformin? it's normally the first drug

with metformin and diet it took about 3 weeks to see normal levels
I would cut all grain=rice etc grain product= bread pasta etc starch veg=potato corn. fruit and sugary stuff and it should soon drop, or do the newcastle diet
in anycase it should be enough to keep you off insulin for a while or a smaller dose

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf it’s a long page and a video

For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

blood testing
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

food counting
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

another diet site
http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com/blog/carbohydrate-restriction-an-option-for-diabetes-management

Newcastle diet aims in 8+ weeks to mimic the rate of ~70% remission, for surgery T2
“It is now clear that Type 2 diabetes is caused by abnormal fat storage. Research on how this may be reversed is available. “click that link on this page http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/
Lectures
http://www.fend-lectures.org/index.php?menu=view&id=94
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/events/public-lectures/item.php?roy-taylor-diabetes
upload_2014-11-30_14-7-52.png


American diabetic association ( http://www.professional.diabetes.org/)
http://www.professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0 - Sean/dc132042 FINAL.pdf
Evidence is inconclusive for an ideal amount of total fat intake for people with diabetes;
therefore, goals should be individualized; fat quality appears to be far more important than quantity.
In people with type 2 diabetes, a Mediterranean-style, MUFA-rich [mono fats-rich] eating pattern may benefit
glycemic control and CVD risk factors and can therefore be recommended as an effective alternative to a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate eating pattern.

SD codefree meter
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
if you buy extra boxes of strips there is a discount code ..5 packs 264086
 
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EveryCloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It I am on metformin at the moment, it was a fasting test finger prick they did, I hadnt had breakfast, I never asked what my HBA1C was at. Main concern was that my arms were loosing definition and skinny compared to my body, doctor said he could see it. More bloods to be taken. I follow fairly low carb, lower than the NHS diet anyway, god knows what my levels would be at otherwise.
 
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Scandichic

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,708
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Michael Gove and his insane educational? policies!
It I am on metformin at the moment, it was a fasting test finger prick they did, I hadnt had breakfast, I never asked what my HBA1C was at. Main concern was that my arms were loosing definition and skinny compared to my body, doctor said he could see it. More bloods to be taken. I follow fairly low carb, lower than the NHS diet anyway, god knows what my levels would be at otherwise.
I would contact the doc again and insist on the GAD test. If you have to wait then I'd contact the diabetic dept at your nearest hospital and express your concerns. You might get the test quicker. In the meantime I think you should seriously consider the diet doc website which @jack412 posted. The less carbs the better for your bs. I am type 2 and my bs was somewhere between 13-16 fasting. It's now in the 6s fasting and the mid 5s by midmorning. Good luck!
 
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jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It I am on metformin at the moment, it was a fasting test finger prick they did, I hadnt had breakfast, I never asked what my HBA1C was at. Main concern was that my arms were loosing definition and skinny compared to my body, doctor said he could see it. More bloods to be taken. I follow fairly low carb, lower than the NHS diet anyway, god knows what my levels would be at otherwise.
I would cut my carbs right back...it's good that you are on metformin and it;s been a month and you BG has come down for before..but it it' isn't an insulin/diet either/or, whether you are T2 or late onset T1 diet is important..I would cut the carbs more and get your BG down..this will also drop weight.

the first 2-3 days suck, then you don't crave for them
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm
 
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AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,323
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It I am on metformin at the moment, it was a fasting test finger prick they did, I hadnt had breakfast, I never asked what my HBA1C was at. Main concern was that my arms were loosing definition and skinny compared to my body, doctor said he could see it. More bloods to be taken. I follow fairly low carb, lower than the NHS diet anyway, god knows what my levels would be at otherwise.

What does "fairly low carb" mean to you? I'm not challenging your integrity or anything else, but going lower carb than the NHS guidance doesn't really say much to be honest.
 
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Ian DP

Well-Known Member
Messages
712
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Chips
Fairly low to me is around 100g per day (I am on 36g). I think NHS guideline is around 250g. If you cut out all potatoes, all bread, all rice and all pasta you would probably be around 100g per day.
 
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EveryCloud

Well-Known Member
Messages
124
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I mostly eat veg, Honestly I am like a rabbit, I am at the moment making vegan lentil soup. I have a weak spot for brown bread and I love pasta, I know these are terrible for BS. I don't eat carbs with every meal, usually with my evening meal. With me being a vegetarian I am still finding recipes to try as most low carb seem to include meat. I have had days when I pretty much starved myself, but that was a while ago, when I was paranoid about everything I ate and when everything seemed to be pushing my sugar up. I really should be more forceful with the doc, but I am scared of being scalded like a small child - after all he is the 'expert' even though pretty much everything I know I have learned in here.
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
if you are hungry..eat more fats and oils in your diet, they replace the lost carb energy, eat normal amounts of protein
 
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AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,323
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
if you are hungry..eat more fats and oils in your diet, they replace the lost carb energy, eat normal amounts of protein

Nice downward tweak in your stats Jack.
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Nice downward tweak in your stats Jack.
thank you, it's looking good :)
except for my triglycerides, which I had hoped was going to be under 1...still losing weight and some fatty liver still ..maybe?
my egfr was down a bit, but still good and that can also be affected by weight loss
 
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