Newly diagnosed T2 trying to cope

[Hwad]

Hi. I was diagnosed in Nov 2017 with a HBa1C of 103. My doctor was very keen to start me on Metformin which I refused as my brother takes it and suffers horrendous embarrassing side effects. I helped my Mum reduce her Bg levels last year after diagnosis so decided to go in a low carbohydrate diet. I also have Familial Hypercholorestremia so I’m struggling with the high fat aspect of the LCHF advice on here. Should I have taken the medication? I am meds averse at the moment as on top of everything else I am trying to wean myself off Tramadol following back surgery last year.

 

[hammerotis]

i was diagnosed type 2 in may 2015 and like you was against medication and tried to control with diet and exercise alone.
i finally went on metformin june 2017 and have no side affects at all i am still cutting weight and exercising but the metformin does appear to have helped

 

[Guzzler]

FH is going to be a tricky one but still you can try the good plant fats like olive oil and avocados while trying to lower your carb intake slightly and slowly so that hunger does not become a problem. I would still avoid the seed oils, though as they are inflammatory.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi. I was diagnosed in Nov 2017 with a HBa1C of 103. My doctor was very keen to start me on Metformin which I refused as my brother takes it and suffers horrendous embarrassing side effects. I helped my Mum reduce her Bg levels last year after diagnosis so decided to go in a low carbohydrate diet. I also have Familial Hypercholorestremia so I’m struggling with the high fat aspect of the LCHF advice on here. Should I have taken the medication? I am meds averse at the moment as on top of everything else I am trying to wean myself off Tramadol following back surgery last year.

Hwad - I am pretty meds adverse myself, where possible, but I guess like most of us I will take meds where the pros and cons stack up.

I wouldn't like to guide you too strongly on Metformin. I have never taken it myself, as at diagnosis I was about to go overseas for several straight months and didn't want any complications of balancing meds/potential side effects/dosage adjustments or whatever, so negotiated a period meds-free, to see where I could get to without the pharmaceutical support. In the end, having reduced my HbA1c from 73 to 37 in 4 months, I have never taken meds.

Only you can decide where the balance sits. In reality, a relatively small proportion of those taking Metformin have alarming side-effects that can't be addressed by either gentle introduction/titration to the therapeutic doses, or switching to a Slow Release variant that tends to be a bit more tummy friendly in those with issues. Of course, if you are one of those poor souls tethered to the small room, it's scant consolation that you are in the minority. I appreciate that!

Metformin is a relatively gentle drug, in terms of it's impact on blood sugar numbers, but it does help our bodies work with our natural insulin better, and may have positive impacts, in terms of prevention of other conditions. It is also often linked with an improvement in weight loss, for those who need to trim up a bit.

I'm afraid you're at the beginning of a pretty steep learning curve, but you'll get there, I'm sure.

When is you next HbA1c? In your shoes, I might be inclined to wait until I saw the results of that to see where I'd got to, before thinking too seriously about meds I didn't want to take.

Do you have a blood sugar monitor to allow you to test your own blood at home? If not, please do consider that as it will give you personal, real-time feedback on how you're doing day-to-day, rather than waiting a few months for the next gripping instalment of your blood sugar journey. I call it eating to my meter. It is a system that worked very well for me.

 

[Hwad]

DCUKMod
Thanks for the advice. I am reluctant to take further medication at the moment due to the problems with the Tramadol. Just simply don’t want to put my body through any more side effects.
I have my review with the nurse booked for the 25th Jan. I’m assuming they may take another blood test then. They did a second one in early Dec for FH meds purposes and it had only dropped slightly (I was only diagnosed late Nov). The doctor was straight back on the phone to prescribe Metformin. I didn’t really feel like they were giving me a chance!

I have just ordered a blood sugar monitor for use at home after reading much about them on this forum so looking forward to ‘eating to the meter’

 

[DCUKMod]

DCUKMod
Thanks for the advice. I am reluctant to take further medication at the moment due to the problems with the Tramadol. Just simply don’t want to put my body through any more side effects.
I have my review with the nurse booked for the 25th Jan. I’m assuming they may take another blood test then. They did a second one in early Dec for FH meds purposes and it had only dropped slightly (I was only diagnosed late Nov). The doctor was straight back on the phone to prescribe Metformin. I didn’t really feel like they were giving me a chance!

I have just ordered a blood sugar monitor for use at home after reading much about them on this forum so looking forward to ‘eating to the meter’

That all sounds like a plan.

 

[NaijaChick]

Hi,

I thought I should post some advice. I was like you and it took a long time to go on metformin. When I did go on it, I went two years on and off. The diarrhoea and the stomach issues were no laughing matter.

I did everything that everyone suggested but nothing worked and then my mums friend who is a nurse, told me I needed to fibre up. I have found that if my fibre is down then I get all the side effects even with no carb intake. I eat a small portion of oats in the morning and then a fibre mix in the afternoon and its all stopped. Even with the modified release dose, I still had issues but now I take my 1500mg dose in the night just before getting into bed and sleep on my left side.

The fibre has worked wonders and it might be something worth considering.

 

[Hwad]

Hi,

I thought I should post some advice. I was like you and it took a long time to go on metformin. When I did go on it, I went two years on and off. The diarrhoea and the stomach issues were no laughing matter.

I did everything that everyone suggested but nothing worked and then my mums friend who is a nurse, told me I needed to fibre up. I have found that if my fibre is down then I get all the side effects even with no carb intake. I eat a small portion of oats in the morning and then a fibre mix in the afternoon and its all stopped. Even with the modified release dose, I still had issues but now I take my 1500mg dose in the night just before getting into bed and sleep on my left side.

The fibre has worked wonders and it might be something worth considering.

Thank you I will let my brother know about this

 

[lesfb74]

Hi. I was diagnosed in Nov 2017 with a HBa1C of 103. My doctor was very keen to start me on Metformin which I refused as my brother takes it and suffers horrendous embarrassing side effects. I helped my Mum reduce her Bg levels last year after diagnosis so decided to go in a low carbohydrate diet. I also have Familial Hypercholorestremia so I’m struggling with the high fat aspect of the LCHF advice on here. Should I have taken the medication? I am meds averse at the moment as on top of everything else I am trying to wean myself off Tramadol following back surgery last year.

Hi. I was put on Metformin first too but it didn’t suit me and neither did the slow release version. My doc had no problems putting me onto Gliclazide and I’m very pleased. No nasty side effects at all - for me anyway - and I had been having a really bad and embarrassing time with the Metformin. I understand your anti-med feelings but don’t forget that the sugar in your blood is doing damage every day too.

 

[Scimama]

Hi @Hwad I am adverse to taking medication and beg my GP to allow me to try diet only fr three months first, that as in 2010. I am still diet controlled over seven years later. My family has multiple generations with diabetes and heart disease, so whilt not the same as your FH, I am keen to keep a check my cholesterol levels

I saw a dietitian at diagnosis and was told my diet at the time was "perfect" and she couldn't see how I could improve it, I was eating porridge, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, very low fat and lots of fruit and veg.
I bought my own meter and like many members on this forum was shocked to see how much my BG levels spiked following my "healthy" NHS approved diet.
I started to follow a low carb diet, not easy as a lifelong veggie, I used all the help I could get from forum members, there are lots of recipes listed. I use flax seeds to get more fibre in my diet.
I have adapted my way of eating to be low carb and healthy fats, which works for me, I still check my BG levels daily. My cholesterol levels have decreased, which I was surprised at.

 

[Resurgam]

There is some indication that lowering carbs is the way for some people to lower their cholesterol - mine never went down on low fat, but changing to LCHF and - what a surprise, my cholesterol dropped. It might not work for everyone, metabolism and genetics all play a part, but the mechanisms are just guesswork as far as I can work out. No research was done to discover if high cholesterol is actually a bad thing, so how can anyone make the best decision?

 

[TheBigNewt]

If you really have FH you'd better be on a high dose statin for that. Untreated that's Bad News Bears for the old ticker. Add untreated Type 2 diabetes to that and I'm not sure how that looks on paper.

 

[Hwad]

Hi @Hwad I am adverse to taking medication and beg my GP to allow me to try diet only fr three months first, that as in 2010. I am still diet controlled over seven years later. My family has multiple generations with diabetes and heart disease, so whilt not the same as your FH, I am keen to keep a check my cholesterol levels

I saw a dietitian at diagnosis and was told my diet at the time was "perfect" and she couldn't see how I could improve it, I was eating porridge, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, very low fat and lots of fruit and veg.
I bought my own meter and like many members on this forum was shocked to see how much my BG levels spiked following my "healthy" NHS approved diet.
I started to follow a low carb diet, not easy as a lifelong veggie, I used all the help I could get from forum members, there are lots of recipes listed. I use flax seeds to get more fibre in my diet.
I have adapted my way of eating to be low carb and healthy fats, which works for me, I still check my BG levels daily. My cholesterol levels have decreased, which I was surprised at.

Thank you very much. You have reassured me me to try and keep to my idea of low carb and healthy fats. My blood glucose tester has arrived today, so much bedtime reading of instructions ahead!

 

[Hwad]

If you really have FH you'd better be on a high dose statin for that. Untreated that's Bad News Bears for the old ticker. Add untreated Type 2 diabetes to that and I'm not sure how that looks on paper.

I do really have FH. My father had a heart attack at 39 and died at 42. My younger brother had a heart attack at 33 and a triple heart bypass at 53. I was diagnosed with FH about 9 months ago and my cholesterol is now at 3. Prior to being diagnosed I was on 40mg of a different statin for many years and it never dropped below 7. For the first time in years I feel like my cholesterol is under control. I understand the risks in being medically untreated for diabetes but I am doing everything I can to lower my BG with diet and lifestyle changes for the time being which I hope I can reassess as I go along. With the help of the forum, of course

 

[Hwad]

There is some indication that lowering carbs is the way for some people to lower their cholesterol - mine never went down on low fat, but changing to LCHF and - what a surprise, my cholesterol dropped. It might not work for everyone, metabolism and genetics all play a part, but the mechanisms are just guesswork as far as I can work out. No research was done to discover if high cholesterol is actually a bad thing, so how can anyone make the best decision?

It does seem to be a minefield. The FH medication has lowered my level to 3 so it’s one less thing to worry about at the moment. My brain can’t quite get my head around full fat milk and pork scratchings quite yet tho!

 

[TheBigNewt]

I do really have FH. My father had a heart attack at 39 and died at 42. My younger brother had a heart attack at 33 and a triple heart bypass at 53. I was diagnosed with FH about 9 months ago and my cholesterol is now at 3. Prior to being diagnosed I was on 40mg of a different statin for many years and it never dropped below 7. For the first time in years I feel like my cholesterol is under control. I understand the risks in being medically untreated for diabetes but I am doing everything I can to lower my BG with diet and lifestyle changes for the time being which I hope I can reassess as I go along. With the help of the forum, of course

My FH people either take atorvastatin (Lipitor) 80mg or Crestor (rosuvastatin) 40mg/d. I bet you're on that one.

 

[Hwad]

My FH people either take atorvastatin (Lipitor) 80mg or Crestor (rosuvastatin) 40mg/d. I bet you're on that one.

Yes to the Crestor 40mg and Ezetimibe 10mg
Better than my brother who injects plant stanols! Eek thank goodness I don’t have to do that

 

[Hwad]

Hi Hwad - So you are quickly discovering the minefield of information around Diabeties - quite startling when you first read it.
Yes - Metformin can give unpleasant side effects, so a lot of people use the slow release version to help with this.

In the beginning I was reluctant to take loads of Meds as I was also taking other Meds for a different condition as well. My blood pressure drugs had to be altered as they did not go well with the diabetic drug etc etc.

However talked things through with my GP and the Diabetic Specialist Nurse, (I prepared before the appointment and took questions with me). Looked at both diet and exercise, which needed radical re-think.

The Nurse suggested trying the Metformin for a few months just to see if they helped reduce my BG. She said that if it worked then we could look at a doseage reduction plan. For the 10 months or so I was on 1500 per day, this was reduced to 1000 and then at the 18 month mark 500. I am now Metformin FREE and controlling myself through diet / exercise. Yes - I could slip back and need the drug in the future, but by recording my food intake and exercise everyday plus keeping a log of blood test results, blood pressure etc I have learned what is best for my body.

It is important to remember that everybody is different. What we eat and how it effects us is completely different to the effects on others. The same with exercise - Some people can run a marathon, but others only manage half.

My personal opinion is that a mixture of food control, exercise and drugs is needed to keep you healthy. You need to take time to work out how the changes effects on you. Don't rush into things, your body will take time to adapt. Keep talking to your GP or Nurse. See if a local support group operates in your area.

Good luck

Thank you for your comments. I am going out walking after my dinner in the evening for 45 minutes to one hour each day. I haven’t had my review with the DN yet that’s on the 25th.
I think my anti med stance is probably partly due to my current Tramadol dependence. It all seems a bit much at the moment. I spoke to my doctor today and he has a new plan for me in that regard
This forum is helping so much with the diabetes issues. You all are really supportive.