Hello, I have been newly diagnosed with diabetes. My pancreas must have cut out suddenly after a shock and then at a religious fast I had stomach pain and felt ill so it must have started then. I felt that everything was too sweet and after a few weeks was diagnosed with diabetes. I have been diabetic for the past 3.5 months. It was sudden so I don’t think that I have type 2 regarding uptake of insulin into my cells. I think my insulin production has stopped, but it is possible for me to make insulin because 40mg gliclazide worked. However my BG levels are very high even with this and three metformin a day. The metformin appeared to be of absolutely no help. My readings were over 20mmol/l even on this regime of drugs and HbA1c of 125mmol/mol I get readings of over 20mmol/l BG even if I have just had a sandwhich of whole meal or brown bread and fairly low GI food even after 4hrs. So I think this is pretty bad. I also had some pain below the pancreas which felt like a stitch. Does anyone else get pain in that area ? This was before I started the diabetic medication. Anyway the drugs were causing pain and numbness in my feet and when I took more gliclazide this got much worse. I was also getting stabbing and prickling pains all over me. This got worse when I increased the gliclazide, I went up to 160mg a day. After a few days on the increased dose I started to suffer from shivers (it was affecting my liver) and the gliclazide was squeezing my muscles which went up to my chest and heart. It was affecting my nerves and I was not able to move my leg which lasted a few minutes. It was reducing my blood glucose, but not really so effective. I stopped the gliclazide and it took over a week in bed to recover. I had stopped it and then tried a tablet again but the symptoms came back. I have also developed lumps down my arm and they are itchy. The nurse gave me insulin Toujeo injections to take (which had been suggested by the GP from the start) , but I have not been able to start this because I tested myself and I think that I may be allergic to this insulin (I suffer from allergies). So what do I do? If there is any treatment to get my pancreas working again I would like to know what it is as my problem may not be age and gene related. It may be nerve related. I also found that coffee reduces my BG a lot when I was on the drugs. I know that the pancreas is able to produce insulin, but it is not doing it and it is not uptake into cells as the metformin doesn’t work. They say the metformin may help anyway but it is causing pain in my feet and it feels like I have worms going through the blood vessels in my feet. When I stopped all the drugs the feeling came back to my feet. I am just about surviving on peanuts and other very low or zero carb foods. Really I have put myself on a zero carb (or close to) diet but I can’t find foods that contain no carbs at all. On this diet and no drugs my blood sugar levels are between 8.8 and 10.5 fasting. I have been on this for the past three weeks. It would help if I could take a drug with the zero carb diet to get my BG to 5 to 7 and keep myself healthy. If anyone has any ideas on how to wake up my pancreas please let me know. Does accupunture work and has anyone tried microcurrent stimulation? I am not looking forward to life on a zero carb diet. Anyway I am worried about the fluctuating levels of BG. I sometimes go to bed with a reading of 9.4, but it will be 10.4 in the morning fasting. I am also worried about the increased BG after meals.
New what type of diabetes do i have and why don't drugs work
- Thread starter nosweets
- Start Date
I don’t take metformin at all. It just doesn’t work for me. I take insulin. 2 x Lantus long acting morning & night. Plus novorapid top ups 3-4 times a day depending on my blood glucs.
I find a low gi diet works best for me and as for acupuncture, don’t waste your money!
I find a low gi diet works best for me and as for acupuncture, don’t waste your money!
kokhongw
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Many of us find low carb meals to be helpful with glucose/insulin control. You will need to regularly test your meal response to find the level of carbs that suits you and your condition.
Have a look at Diet Doctor Low Carb recipe, it has a wide range of options.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes
I am afraid we are unable to diagnose you, your Healthcare provider would need to run the necessary test to determine if you are Type1 or Type2, then prescribe you the necessary medication/insulin.
@daisy1 will come along with more helpful info.
Welcome to the forum...
ziggy_w
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Hi @nosweets,
It is probably best to talk to your GP about your concerns. As @kokhongw has already said, we can't diagnose you or make any recommendation with respect to medication.
As to your other questions -- foods with virtually no carbs are generally cheese and meat (including fish). Also, leafy vegetables, avocados, eggs and olives tend to be very, very low carb.
Metformin takes time to build up in your system -- so the effect of metformin won't be felt immediately. Do you have any other problems taking metformin? How long have you been on it?
Hi. It does sound like the Doc needs to investigate what may be going on with the pancreas or the pains you experience. If your pancreatic insulin output is failing then the diagnosis would be late onset T1 (LADA) and insulin will be needed. Gliclazide can help during the 'honeymoon' period of LADA. I've been down that route of Gliclazide then insulin when that and all the tablets failed. Gliclazide normally has few allergic reactions; the same for insulin, but obviously your Doc may need some care in what insulins you use. Metformin only ever has a small effect on BS although I still take it for it's other benefits. BTW, the c-peptide test is commonly used to measure pancreatic insulin output.
Grateful
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- Type of diabetes
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Welcome to the forum.
I am sorry you are having such a rough time. I haven't had a similar experience to yours so hesitate to give advice.
I see that, on your own initiative, you are trying a low-carb diet. If I were you, it is something that I would want to discuss with my doctor first. It doesn't sound like you yet have a firm diagosis (Type 2 or Type 1) and you are taking Gliclazide, so low-carb is something that I would only do under medical advice.
I hope that you and your doctor can sort this out soon. Take care.
I am sorry you are having such a rough time. I haven't had a similar experience to yours so hesitate to give advice.
I see that, on your own initiative, you are trying a low-carb diet. If I were you, it is something that I would want to discuss with my doctor first. It doesn't sound like you yet have a firm diagosis (Type 2 or Type 1) and you are taking Gliclazide, so low-carb is something that I would only do under medical advice.
I hope that you and your doctor can sort this out soon. Take care.
With taking Gliclazide, it is very important to test your BG (blood glucose) often; hence your GP should have given you a meter. By law you must test your BG before driving. Don’t drive if below 4, if below 5 eat some carbs.
With the above, I don't see any problems combining low carb with Gliclazide. As soon as your BG is often below 7 see your doctor and ask for your dose to be reduced. (Most doctors in the UK still don't believe in "low carb", therefore you need to prove your case with a record of your BG readings.)
I was given Gliclazide, then discovered low carb, as soon as my BG was often in the normal range, I stopped the Gliclazide without asking my doctor, as I was not willing to eat poison (carbs), so that I could drive. If I was on a high dose, I would have halved the dose. As I am not doctors, I can’t tell you what drugs to take, but can tell you what I did……
If you do stop Gliclazide then clearly you must keep avoiding carbs, otherwise, your BG will increase. When taking Gliclazide it is not possible to have some days with very low carbs, and other days with high carbs.
With the above, I don't see any problems combining low carb with Gliclazide. As soon as your BG is often below 7 see your doctor and ask for your dose to be reduced. (Most doctors in the UK still don't believe in "low carb", therefore you need to prove your case with a record of your BG readings.)
I was given Gliclazide, then discovered low carb, as soon as my BG was often in the normal range, I stopped the Gliclazide without asking my doctor, as I was not willing to eat poison (carbs), so that I could drive. If I was on a high dose, I would have halved the dose. As I am not doctors, I can’t tell you what drugs to take, but can tell you what I did……
If you do stop Gliclazide then clearly you must keep avoiding carbs, otherwise, your BG will increase. When taking Gliclazide it is not possible to have some days with very low carbs, and other days with high carbs.
@nosweets
Reading your description of symptoms, some of them are what I would expect from a high BG over some time, others may be related to the drugs, yet others just do not make any sense. Remember that when BG reduces fast, our body takes some time to get used to it.
A low dose of insulin is a sensible option, (it is unlikely you are allergic to Toujeo) start with the lowest possible dose and increase slowly monitoring what your BG does. I have a feeling that your pancreas may unexpectedly produce lots of its own insulin at times if so you have a great risk of Hypos unless you monitor your BG very carefully.
Action points
Reading your description of symptoms, some of them are what I would expect from a high BG over some time, others may be related to the drugs, yet others just do not make any sense. Remember that when BG reduces fast, our body takes some time to get used to it.
A low dose of insulin is a sensible option, (it is unlikely you are allergic to Toujeo) start with the lowest possible dose and increase slowly monitoring what your BG does. I have a feeling that your pancreas may unexpectedly produce lots of its own insulin at times if so you have a great risk of Hypos unless you monitor your BG very carefully.
Action points
- I think you would benefit from buying yourself a libre and recording the graphs of your BG levels.
- Get your GP to do a C-peptide test if it has not been done.
- Ask for an ultrasound if you have not had one to check your liver and pancreas. (Cancer is uncommon but possible, so best to check given the pains you are having.)
- Ask your GP to refer you to a diabetic consultant, as it is possible you have“brittle diabetes”
- Keep your carbs low, as“low carbs” will reduce the swings in BG. Try to eat at the same times each day, with the same amount of carbs and proteins, as consistent eating removes one set of variables.
- See if you can get some training in mindfulness so as to reduce stress
- Avoid all alcohol until your diabetes is under good control, as alcohol makes it harder for the liver to work.
daisy1
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- Tablets (oral)
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- Cruelty towards animals.
@nosweets
Hello Nosweets and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 well over 276,000 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:
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding.
Hello Nosweets and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 well over 276,000 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
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
Resurgam
Expert
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I suspect that you do not understand that diabetes is not just about sugars, the bread, the peanuts and 'low GI foods' are all going to be problems, all sugar and all starches become simple sugars to be dealt with in the blood.
Peanuts are not actually nuts, they are legumes like peas and beans, and high carb.
Brown or wholemeal bread is still full of starch, high carb.
Low GI simply means that the same, or more sugar eventually reaches your blood, just more slowly.
Peanuts are not actually nuts, they are legumes like peas and beans, and high carb.
Brown or wholemeal bread is still full of starch, high carb.
Low GI simply means that the same, or more sugar eventually reaches your blood, just more slowly.
Thanks for the tips. I am due to see the consultant at the end of Nov but is not soon enough for me. My worry is that I had injected my self with Tujeo and there was pain and redness at the injection site and it continues. I have been allergic to synthetic vaccines. It could be the adjuvant/preservatives or the insulin itself. It will be liberating to get the treatment that I need. if you know of a type of insulin that is least likely to cause problems please let me know.
I do understand about carbs as I am a life scientist and the peanuts are strangely effective even though they have 15g/100g carbs. Brazil nuts have the lowest carbs but they are expensive for my budget. I'm managing on low carb veg as I am vegetarian. I use quorn and soya for protein. However people who eat meat say that their fasting BG maybe much higher than night time levels due to synthesis of proteins into carbs. My levels on this diet are on the high side and I can't get them lower but they are generally about the same.
I do understand about carbs as I am a life scientist and the peanuts are strangely effective even though they have 15g/100g carbs. Brazil nuts have the lowest carbs but they are expensive for my budget. I'm managing on low carb veg as I am vegetarian. I use quorn and soya for protein. However people who eat meat say that their fasting BG maybe much higher than night time levels due to synthesis of proteins into carbs. My levels on this diet are on the high side and I can't get them lower but they are generally about the same.
ickihun
Master
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Toujeo is for diabetics who need to inject a lot of insulin or get reactions from another insulin. Is toujeo basal insulin your only insulin you've been prescribed?
Hi yes it is the only insulin that I have been prescribed but I have only tested myself on it so far with two very tiny doses. It is best if I wait and let the doctor test me for allergy to it.
ickihun
Master
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Not long to wait. Being diagnosed only a few months ago and awaiting clearer instructions with insulin therapy cannot be any fun.
Your meds indicate type2 but I'm no consultant and wise to work with your team. Hopefully you'll see your nurse too. I think gliclizide may get increased if working for you but does make the pancreas work harder.
A lot you can chose but consultants can be very adamant on the treatment they want for you. I trust mine and can converse easily with him. There is a lot of meds for type2 now. Toujeo is fairly new to the nhs but I've not heard of any negstive reviews but its always possible to be allergic, to anything.
Your wise to see what your options are from your team.
Please keep us updated and your decision for a way forward. Even type1s are given a dietician from their team so carbs can be monitored.
Hi, as I had to stop all the drugs due to hypersensitivity to them and I have been doing alright on the zero carb diet, the consultant has allowed me to continue. He wants me to do the Newcastle eight week diet to see if my diabetes will reverse if I lose weight.this was also on the news a few days ago. I am still taking fresh foods and a little fat to burn on a ketogenic diet as I have no insulin to remove the carbs. So my body is making energy from ketones rather than from carbs. He said that it is difficult to tell whether I am type 1 or type 2 without more tests but my C-peptide was about 5. I get quite ill if I have any carbs. Even the tiny piece of sacrament bread sends my blood glucose to over 16 mmol/l. The good news is that I have recovered from the nephropathy and all the negative symptoms which I had when I was on the drugs. I had been unable to feel my feet and had sensations all the way up my leg.
Is there any comprehensive guide to new diabetics who want to stay off drugs and about the drugs and alternative treatments?
Is there any comprehensive guide to new diabetics who want to stay off drugs and about the drugs and alternative treatments?
ickihun
Master
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If your team thought you were type1 you would be on insulin asap.
Secondly type1s cannot benefit from the Newcastle diet.
So as a type not type1 and recommended a diet for type2s from your consultant, they must think your type2. Or maybe trying to eliminate what type you aren't?
Let us know once its confirmed your type. As only after that would I be happy to advise any diet, not in the dark.
Monitoring your bgs regularly and not heavy carb diet will at least cover every type, for now.
Secondly type1s cannot benefit from the Newcastle diet.
So as a type not type1 and recommended a diet for type2s from your consultant, they must think your type2. Or maybe trying to eliminate what type you aren't?
Let us know once its confirmed your type. As only after that would I be happy to advise any diet, not in the dark.
Monitoring your bgs regularly and not heavy carb diet will at least cover every type, for now.
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Hi @nosweets
If you are found to have type 1 diabetes, then you will need to use insulin eventually, since your own body's capacity to produce insulin will fail. However, there are different brands of insulin that can be tried to find one that you don't react to.
If you are found to have type 2 diabetes, then you may find that dietary control will reduce (and maybe even eliminate) the need for medication.
Unfortunately, many of us have reactions to medication. Sometimes these reactions subside over time as we adjust to the drug, and sometimes they escalate. So it is always important to report adverse reactions to your health care professional so that they can report it via the Yellow Card scheme.
http://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
Please let us know how you get on, and what the final diagnosis is.
If you are found to have type 1 diabetes, then you will need to use insulin eventually, since your own body's capacity to produce insulin will fail. However, there are different brands of insulin that can be tried to find one that you don't react to.
If you are found to have type 2 diabetes, then you may find that dietary control will reduce (and maybe even eliminate) the need for medication.
Unfortunately, many of us have reactions to medication. Sometimes these reactions subside over time as we adjust to the drug, and sometimes they escalate. So it is always important to report adverse reactions to your health care professional so that they can report it via the Yellow Card scheme.
http://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
Please let us know how you get on, and what the final diagnosis is.
I am on the zero carb diet which as you say covers both type 1 and 2.
Has anyone had any problems with this diet or think there are any dangers?
Has anyone had any problems with this diet or think there are any dangers?
