Sorry for the length of this, it is all relevent...
I felt paticularly unwell the other day, and having gone without food for over 12 hours I tested my blood. My mmol/L was 12.0, which is high (for me).
I was preparing my lunch at the time and wondered if I should still eat my main meal with this high reading, or not? My thinking being - if my reading is already high then eating could raise it even more.
So, before cooking, I thought I'd ring "111" and ask their opinion (as it was a Bank Holiday and my options were limited).
I talked with a very nice lady on the phone. She checked with her superior and came back to me to say it was OK to still eat it. She said a doctor would call me back within the next couple of hours, but if I felt worse to ring 111 again.
Sometime later, after having cooked and eaten, I got a call from another lady saying the doctor was busy but would still call me back at some point. No problem I thought.
When the doctor eventually did call me he asked some routine questions but then launched into a lecture on blood testing!
He insisted I SHOULD NOT BE TESTING at all, as I was on Metformin. According to him, nobody on Metformin should be testing as it interferes with doing so (?!).
I tried to explain I have always tested once a day, originally on my G.P.s instruction (and whilst taking Metformin). I told him the doctor stopped issuing test strips about a year ago (£££), however I have been buying them to continue testing myself (normally only once a day).
I also pointed out to him if I didn't test my blood HOW was I supposed to know whether my diabetes was "under control" or not?
I had only tested twice on this occasion as I felt so unwell. Without testing I wouldn't have known my blood sugar level was the (probable) cause of me feeling ill.
The doctor grew increasingly stroppy saying I was making up my readings, as what I had told him wasn't possible!
WHY would I do such a thing? I even agreed with him that, the longer I went without food, I would have expected my reading to get lower, not higher.
For information my reading(s) that day were:
On waking (my normal testing time) my reading was 7.4
I don't eat breakfast, as a rule.
At 1215 (before eating) and after 12 hours + without food it was 12.0
(Lunch was eaten about 1300)
At 1410 it had reduced to 8.1
At 1515 it was 5.8
I ate again at teatime.
But at 2355 it was back up at 10.4 and I was feeling quite ill again. This time I didn't phone 111, as my previous dealings with their doctor had scared me off doing so!
I live alone, and I went to bed wondering if it would go higher in my sleep and (perhaps) never wake up.
Anyway, if you are still awake after reading all this...
Has ANYONE else been told NOT to take blood glucose readings whilst using Metformin? It's the first time since being diagnosed Type 2, in 2008, that I've ever heard of it.
How the hell is a sufferer supposed to take control of their diabetes WITHOUT knowing what their blood glucose is?
Puzzled.
In my experience, your current blood sugar problems need medical attention, as the metformin is obviously not working so well for you.
Metformin works in 3 key ways - 1) it reduces the amount of sugar produced by cells in the liver, 2) it makes your muscle cells more sensitive to the insulin in your body, and 3) it delays the absorption of sugar from the intestines into the blood stream.
It is important to take metformin just before,with or immediately after food. Taking it with food not only helps it to work much better, it also reduces the risk of gastrointestinal side effects.
If metformin, diet and exercise are not working for you, the next step could be increase your metformin dose, or to add in another medication such as gliclazide.
If you have problems also controlling your weight, you may be suitable for a medication called liraglutide, which is a once-a-day injection.
So my advice, as well as eating breakfast with your metformin (or leaving your fist dose until you do actually eat something) I would suggest you make an appointment to see your GP or even better, your specialist Diabetes Nurse.
On the subject of self testing your blood glucose, I believe every diabetic should be given access to a free meter, testing strips and lancets. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 27, I was told I needed to test four times each day to begin with, so I could build up a picture of what was happening with my blood sugars in relation to the food I was eating, exercise taken, etc. So I started a "Diabetes Diary" whereby I recorded all food and exercise I took along with the times taken. I was also referred to a dietician, who advised me to replace white bread, rice and pasta with the brown or wholegrain varieties, as well as reduce my carbohydrate intake and increase my protein intake. After a short time (about 4 months) I had a good idea of what to eat, when to exercise, etc..., and reduced my BMs to once daily and continued to do so for many years until I became insulin dependant 4 years ago.
I know these days there are many different camps regarding dietary advice for diabetics, and things have changed quite a bit in the 12 years since my diagnosis. But it is important to try different approaches, whilst continuing to self monitor, and find the dietary advice that suits you.
Anyway, get in to see your GP. Ask him or her for a referral to a specialist Diabetes Nurse, and take it from there.
Best of wishes with your health.