Concerns on Diabetic treatment and symptoms

Mrs_mammar

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello,

I was diagnosed as diabetic type2 in November 2014 but I still feel newly diagnosed because I've just been given metformin and nothing else has happened. I had the first hbc1 test in early November and had a result of 95 I think and was put on 1x500 twice a day then had another hbc1 in Feb 2015 which was about 69 so my dose was doubled to 2x500 twice a day. I have not had another blood test as yet.

I am housebound due to health and mobility issues and agoraphobia and the GP visits me at home, she has not put me down to attend checks for diabetes but I am getting quite concerned because I feel the metformin might not be working as well as hoped because I do still get excessively tired still but I am also getting intense burning stinging tearing kind of pain in one of my feet, I know its not joint related and my carers have said they cannot see any cut or split but it is extremely red in that area. I feel its something inside. I'm worried if its the diabetic neuropathy or some kind of ulcer developing inside. The pain happens when I move my foot up or inwards and its around the outer heel area and down the side and stops just before the ball area of my foot. I believe I have had diabetes for years undiagnosed because I was never checked for it.

What help can I get at home for this? Can I get podiatry at home? I have had no advice or leaflets or test machine and I have not questioned this but I now think I do need something. I think having a test machine would help me see the results and control and understand it more, am I entitled to one?

Should I be on statins as I read that a lot of diabetics are put onto them, I am also on high blood pressure tablets Losartan, indapamide and anti depressant sertraline if this makes any difference

Any advice would be very helpful, Thankyou
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. Can you let us know what your BMI/weight is and age. With that HBa1C you should be receving an HBa1C and check every 3 months until it comes down. What sort of diet are you on? It needs to have reduced carbs. You need to get hold of a meter and test occasionally. The SD Codefree is low cost and many have obtained one. I suspect you may need further tablets added as the Metformin is max dose and not helping enough. It is at it's best if you are overweight. Do discuss thia with the GP. BTW statins have nothing to do with diabetes and I wouldn't worry about them; the important thing is tablets to get the blood sugar down together with the right low-carb diet
 

Indy51

Expert
Messages
5,540
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the forum. Hopefully @daisy1 will be along to give you the basic information for newcomers. As @Daibell says, it is carbohydrate intake that has the biggest effect on our blood glucose levels.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi and welcome to the forum. Hopefully @daisy1 will be along to give you the basic information for newcomers. As @Daibell says, it is carbohydrate intake that has the biggest effect on our blood glucose levels.

@Mrs_mammar

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information which Indy referred to which I hope will be useful to you, and in particular with diet and carbohydrate advice. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to 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 150,000 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.
 

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 @Mrs_mammar , welcome.

If you are housebound presumably someone does your food shopping? As mentioned above (and in the items linked in my signature below) your best weapon against diabetes is your diet, particularly reduced carbohydrates as well as obvious sugars. If possible go for foods with less than 10g carbs per 100g (ignore the 'of which sugar' bit).
 
C

catherinecherub

Guest
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Other people have answered most of your queries with good advice.

What help can I get at home for this? Can I get podiatry at home? I have had no advice or leaflets or test machine and I have not questioned this but I now think I do need something. I think having a test machine would help me see the results and control and understand it more, am I entitled to one?

If your Dr. will agree to a home visit from podiatry then it can be arranged with a NHS podiatrist.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/foothealth/Pages/Foot-problems-podiatrist.aspx

Can I see a podiatrist at home?
If your foot problems are so bad that you find it difficult to walk, it may be possible to arrange for a chiropodist to come to your home. Tell your GP if you need to have a home visit and they should be able to find you a suitable chiropodist or podiatrist.

Testing machines are a postcode lottery and you need to ask your G.P. for one. If you cannot get one from them then the cheapest one that most Type2s self fund is the Codefree.
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
 

SueB743

Well-Known Member
Messages
376
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Just wanted to say hi and welcome. Some great advice on the site.

Hope you have some improvement with your feet soon.