New and nervous...

[Leeboy1982]

Morning all,

Firstly hi, my name is Lee I'm 33 a type 2 diabetic diagnosed In November 2012 and I currently live in Horley.

So last night I had a doctors appointment, and they have finally tied me down to get on medication. Thus far I have been managing reasonably ok through diet control but these past 4 months the symptoms of the diabetes has started to present themselves more frequently.

So today is day 1 on the meds, I'm to take 1 tablet in the morning for a week then a week of morning and evening then from then on morning lunch and dinner. I'm slightly nervous about the side effects especially the diorreah as I'm a mobile refrigeration engineer and don't want to get caught short in the van if you catch my drift? I know everyone is different but did many of you experience bad side effects to the medication?

Another problem my job presents is the amount of hours I put in making it hard to eat properly, can anyone suggest a good diet/recipes for food on the go for diabetics?

Up until last night I have not taken my condition seriously, a stern talking to from the quack last night has changed my mindset and now I'm on a bit of a mission to possibly defy the odds and attempt to reverse it. The main reason for the change of mindset is the thought of medication for the rest of my days, really didn't want that!

Anyhoots thanks for reading and any advice would be welcomed!

Cheers
Lee


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[Liam1955]

@Leeboy1982 - Hello Lee and Welcome to the Forum. I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive. Have a read around the threads and ask questions, there will always be someone to answer. A lot of people are fine on the Metformin - (I have been taking it for over 14 years.) But, if you don't get on with it? Just go back to see your Doctor and ask for SR Metformin which is much kinder to you body.

 

[dawnmc]

If you don't get on with the 'ordinary' Metformin, go back and ask for the Slow Release (SR) version.
Have you got weight to lose? Are you reducing carbs like, bread, rice, pasta? Ditch the white stuff basically.
As for snacks, boiled eggs, bacon strips, salad with chicken, and take a little pot of oil and vinegar to pour over.

 

[Patricia21]

Hello and welcome to the forum x

 

[daisy1]

@Leeboy1982

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information, mentioned above, which we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.

 

[Prem51]

Hi @Leeboy1982 and welcome to the forum. You say you had previously managed to control your diabetes by diet since 2012 until 4 months ago. Do you know why you have not been able to keep it under control recently? Do you know what your bs figures are? If you can give us some more information about your testing and diet I expect people on here will be able to give you helpful advice.

 

[4ratbags]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Its a matter of wait and see if Metformin affects you unfortunately. If you are after recipes ect the web has an endless supply of great ideas, especially Pinterest. It really depends what you like to eat, there are many low carb swaps to be made. If I am caught out in town I eat chicken or cheese and bacon and egg mini muffins are quick, easy and tasty.

 

[magsiesss]

I must have a cast iron stomache - had a tummy upset 2 days after starting 4x metformin a day (no gradual start for me) and that was it ... been fine since

Welcome to the forum ... you have come to the right place to find out information. Just remember that we are all different and what works for one person may not for another ....

 

[muzza3]

Hi @Leeboy1982 and welcome to the forum
This has been a tremendous resource for me since I decided to take my Diabetes seriously at the start of the year. A couple of quick points that I believe are critical if you are taking your diabetes seriously

1. You need to get a meter and test your blood sugar levels - if you do not know what is happening to your levels how can you hope to control them or even know if you are improving or getting worse - testing puts you in control of your diabetes and from there you can measure the impact of various food on your diet. If you have one or get one post your results on this site and you will get heaps of feedback and suggestions
2. Restrict and cut out carbohydrates- Rice, Bread, Pasta, Potato, Sugar, Biscuits, Soft drinks etc spike blood sugars and raise blood sugar levels - you can test this yourself with a meter and modify your diet accordingly

Have a look thru the various forums and you will see tons of post and then ask any questions you may have. If you are on a mission to really get on top of this you should have a good look at the Newcastle Diet which claims to reverse Type 2 in over 40% of people who do it. It was fantastic for me
Cheers

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. I agree with the other posts about Metformin and diet. Can you let us know your weight or BMI to put the T2 into context.

 

[6cats]

Make sure you know where loo's are as much as you can! It can sometimes be a supersonic run! I did not get any real problems until I hit the 1500 daily dose. Keep a food diary sometimes you can make a link and eliminate it. Make sure you eat when you take it. I am only 13 weeks in no SR for me until week 24 week HbAC1 blood test! Good luck.

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[eddie1968]

Welcome @Leeboy1982. If you get the runs from Metformin there is a SR (slow release) tablet you could ask for. I had problems with Metformin but I have had a lot of bowel surgery and was deemed unsuitable for it. Give it a try - there are alternatives.

 

[AnneMurray]

hi. I've been type2 for over twenty years and recently been started on insulin. Been on metformin for a couple of years and never had a bad reaction to it. Insulin however has given me extremely bad flatulence, bad enough to kill potted plants and relationships (luckily husband married me before I was put on insulin, can't get rid of me now ;-) ) anyway have found that keeping nuts or mini cheddars help especially if your work doesn't always allow you to eat regularly. good luck and welcome

 

[chalup]

If diarrhea becomes a problem at work you can try loperamide. It is called immodium in canada and is sold OTC.

 

[Catlady19]

I was a little dodgy for a few weeks but it soon settled down. If not, then try slow release.

 

[Liam1955]

You can buy Dia-calm capsules and they do exactly what Immodium do and much cheaper. (Available from Home Bargains, Savers)

 

[Leeboy1982]

Guys thanks so much for the advice apologies for the delay in posting been having difficulty posting as I'm a newbie!

I will work out my bmi and post it here or do I add it to my profile?

I'm on day 2 of 1500mg dose, the stomach seems to be settling down now hopefully adjusting to the meds! Difficulty I'm having is remembering to take the pills still need to get a meter to test my blood if any one has suggestions fire away...

Thanks again


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[Tanny35]

Guys thanks so much for the advice apologies for the delay in posting been having difficulty posting as I'm a newbie!

I will work out my bmi and post it here or do I add it to my profile?

I'm on day 2 of 1500mg dose, the stomach seems to be settling down now hopefully adjusting to the meds! Difficulty I'm having is remembering to take the pills still need to get a meter to test my blood if any one has suggestions fire away...

Thanks again


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Hope your stomach settles soon.

I'm a type1 - but with regards to the BG meter, there are so many out there to choose from, but u can buy big standard meters from boots for around £20. They usually come with a few testing strips to start u off too.
Mine is more advanced, as it tells u what insulin units to take vs carbs (when it's programmed correctly). Mine has malfunctioned at the mo typically!
Have a look at boots. I got my spare one from there.


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