"fed UP"

elaine ann

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
LADA
Hi I was diagnosed type 2 early in March. I had been itching at night in bed for approximately 9 months, so GP ran some routine bloods. I found out my BG was 20 so was put on 500 Metformin twice a day. I had lots of other symptoms too such as a really dry mouth, very thirsty, peeing more, dizzy, very dry skin on face and body, sweating, breathless, overwhelming fatigue but the worst thing was my blurry eyesight which I had been complaining about for months, I went and had an eye test beteen Christmas and New Year only to be told I had very dry eyes and was recomended to use systane eye drops (which didnt help). I hadn't put all these syptoms together and never thought about diabetes.

I was refused a BG meter and told Type 2 don't need to test. Told to loose weight although I had already lost 7lb despite being hungry all the time and pigging out on sweet things. Was given a booklet about diabetes and told I would be recalled for a blood test and review in 3 months time. I was advised to make an appointment with my optician asap and advised she would put a referal through to podietry as I have some loss off sensation in some of my toes. My optician wasnt too happy and put a referal through to the hospital who have told me the pressure in my eyes is too high and will see them again in 6 weeks time. The podiatrist checked my feet and cut my nails and said she will see me 3 monthly. From reading this forum I decided I definately needed a BG machine if I were to help myself as much as possible so rang my diabetic nurse and put my argument forward, she reluctantly agreed to me having one.

My Bg readings came down a bit but fasting was never lower than 13. Before meals was around 11 to 17 and 2hours later around 13.5 to 18.4. Two weeks ago I began feeling unwell, tired all the time, jittery and a feeling of not being "right" untill I got up one morning feeling much worse, I kept going hot then cold, I had palpitations, my tummy was churning, I felt sleep and just wanted to sleep. I checked my blood 2 hours after breakfast, it was 23.3. As I felt so lousy I rang and spoke to a GP who wanted to check my urine for keytones which was ok but she said it was full of sugar so doubled my Metformin and added Gliclizide in a morning. Two days later I felt ill with an upset tummy and the "run's". I spoke to my diabetic nurse who advised to reduce the Metformin to the 500 morning and night. I carried on taking the Gliclizide but still have an upset tummy.
I found this forum a couple of days ago and was reading about peoples problems with Gliclizide. The penny dropped that it could be that as well as the Metformin causing my problems. I have now stopped taking it for the last 2 mornings and although my tummy still isn't better I am not running to the loo as much, and don't feel quite as sick. I guess I better ring my nurse on Monday to tell her what I have done.
Does anyone have any idea what they may do next with me?

I also have Fibromyalgia (20yrs now) which gives me a lot of aches and pains but mainly my legs, hips and back. I already take megga amounts of medication to try to be as pain free as possible and have always found exercising very painfull. Having been told to loose weight and exercise I have joined a local gym and have been swiming 2 or 3 times a week. Having cut back on carb's and portion size I have now lost almost a stone. I feel I am trying to help myself but the medication issue concerns me and all I want to to is feel better. I have read various accounts about diet and don't really know what to do for the best, the no carbm higher fat diet seems to go against all the dieting advise I have heard for the last 30 years. Help anyone?

I feel a bit like a walking disaster area at the moment so would love to hear from anyone, I hope you can cheer me up!
Thanks for reading my tale of woe. Hope to hear back from some of you soon.
 
Messages
18,448
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies, Liars, Trolls and dishonest cruel people
Hello and welcome :wave: I'm sure some fellow type 2's will be along with some support, help and advice.

Best wishes RRB
 

daisy1

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

Here is the basic information we give to new members which I think will be useful to you. Ask all the questions you need to 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 blood glucose 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.
 

Geocacher

Well-Known Member
Messages
165
If they have put you on normal metformin, it's very likely the cause of your stomach problems. Very few people can take that without ending up feeling sick and running to the loo regularly.

There is another option and that is slow release metform, normally under a brand name like Glucophage or Metabet with 'SR' or 'MR' behind the name for slow release or modified release. Slow release metformin helps considerably with any side effects. Especially if you need to take a higher dose. Most people seem to be able to take slow release metformin with very few side effects.

Be aware of what you eat, when you first start on metformin it helps to increase the fibre in in your diet and decrease fresh fruit and veg unless you are eating them as a small part of a meal that includes cooked veg and protein. For some reason metformin can make it more difficult to digest foods like cucumber and lettuce and some fruits like melons until you are used to taking it. Cooked fruit and veg don't seem to cause any problems. Also avoid any simple carbohydrates like white bread, white rice, pasta, and potatoes. Replace them with whole grain equivalents and reduce portion sizes. Whole grain bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and new potatoes are better options. If you like oat porrige, replace it with oatbran porridge which is much lower in carbohydrates and full of fibre... and just tastes nice. Adding a tiny pinch of salt when you cook it will make any fruit you add taste sweeter without adding sugar.

Don't be afraid to ask for the care you need. You've already done well to get a meter. Some GPs will only offer generic metformin until a person complains about the side effects or refuses to take it because it's a bit cheaper than Glucophage. Ask for a referral to a dietician, ask for a referral to an endocrinologist, ask if you can get on the Desmond training. Desmond diet advice isn't the best, but at least you'll be able to meet other diabetics and compare experiences and that can make a real difference. All the things your are finding out now about your health can be a shock to the system and a lot to take in, but everything you do now to get yourself into a better state of health will pay dividends in the long term. Take one day at a time and one problem at a time and soon everything that is new and strange will become routine and you'll start to feel better.
 

pav

Well-Known Member
Messages
361
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, the upset tummy and the need to be close to the loo is a side effect of metformin, and from what others have said you could well be better off with the slow release version which is more person friendly.

Also having blurred vision is sign that your blood sugar is high, if you go to the option and have a new lens prescription, be prepared to have another eye test and lens as when your BS levels come back down to vision will alter back to normal or near as normal.

As you are on meds that can cause a low BS (hypo) it is a very good reason to have a meter and get test strips on prescription Because DVLA guide lines say you must be above 5.0 to drive and retest every 2 hours until you have finished driving (I get through a fair few strips doing this).

You should also be referred to hospital for an annual eye screening, where they check for any damage, you should also be referred for annual foot screening programme once you have settled down, (I am on 6 monthly due to nerve damage), this monitors the condition of your feet and any problems like nerve damage.

As a type 2 you will probably end up on a annual HbA1c blood screening test, though while your BS is in its current high state I would guess you could well go on a monthly one as 3 monthly sounds to infrequent at the moment (I had one done in Dec, Jan, Feb, and next one is in June).

You may feel like a walking disaster area and you will find this is not uncommon as its a lot to take in, and you may get the feeling that the doctors / nurses are not saying much to you about diabetes again this is common and is down to the doctors / nurses not giving you the required information.

The good points are as you are on meds for diabetes your prescriptions are now free, just get the form of the docs and get them to sign it you are on meds and send it off to your relevant area. You are also entitled to have free annual eye tests (you may need another form) and as your eye sight will be changing as your B comes down you may have to have extra tests, which I had for free as well.

Assuming you get your test strips on prescription, and can get a good supply of them. If so worth checking BS before a meal and 2 hours after, noting what food you have eaten, this way you can start to identify which foods cause major problems. White bread or any thing made with white floor is one of my major problem foods.

Also you need to cut out sugary foods and drinks, as these will shoot up your sugar levels, some on here adopt a low carb diet, some thing I have not got to grips with. I know I need to eat carbs in my meals as if I don't my BS drop rapidly. Again this is where a meter comes into play again.
 

destiny0321

Well-Known Member
Messages
219
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
people who think nothing is wrong with you because they do not see blood or a plaster cast, i suffer with arthritis & use a zimmer & wheelchair but because they cant see anything wrong people assume nothing is wrong with you.
Re: "fed UP"

I could not take normal me form in runs,breathing difficulties went to go put me on metformin the slow release one no problems since. Christine

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. The most likely cause of the stomach upset is the Metformin; Gliclazide doesn't normally cause many problems. Yes, ask for the SR version of Met. You don't have to have zero carbs, but do reduce portion sizes and have low-GI ones when you do as others have said. Set yourself a daily carbs target of, say, 150 gm max and see how you go. As you are overweight, you are probably insulin resistant and the Met should help more than the Glic so do persevere with it if you can. As you lose weight the blood sugar should reduce a lot. Good luck and see what the HBa1C blood test shows.
 

elaine ann

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
LADA
Hi and thank you for your helpful replies. I will speak to my diabetic nurse tommorow about slow release Metformin as it sounds a much better alternative. I am still undecides about the gliclizide as although my BG came down since taking it I have read on this forum that it can make you put on weight which is the last thing I need as I still need to loose at least another stone. Has anyone experienced weight gain on gliclizide or found it gives them an upset tummy. I ask this as I read one of the main side effects can be tummy problems?
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. I think the main reason Gliclazide, like insulin, has a reputation for causing weight gain is that when it works well users are tempted to increase their food intake. I've been in Glic for 8 years with no weight gain and even my insulin has had hardly any effect on weight in 2 months. This is probably because as a Type 2 I just had to keep the carbs down and it's become a (good) habit. The Glic didn't work for me as my pancreas was obviously already knackered. Reading 100s of posts on this forum over several years now, complaints of stomach problems with Glic are rare whereas they are very common with Met non-SR.