feeling alone :(

[Seyiauetta]

I seriously may well do that this evening. It's due around 7pm with food but at this rate I'm only going to end up stopping them because I feel so awful! This advice is so helpful right now I just can't thank you enough. This is REALLY new to me having just found out yesterday at the hospital after feeling so unwell. It's also really hard for me. I lost my Dad (who was my rock and hero), My Sister, (we were only a yr apart and CLOSE) and my 18 yr old nephew from it. All my donating over the years has always been to the Diabetic society as a result of just that. To add to that I guess, I live alone and I'm Deaf! (IO have my voice as I was Deaf by the time I was 14 yrs old so earned my voice first. I'm finding this all really overwhelming right now. Sorry.

 

[debrasue]

Hello everyone, I've just yesterday been diagnosed with Type 2 (My Father had it, My Sister had it, both deceased) and my other Sister has a son who died from it when he was 18yrs old.
My blood sugar was 21.3 and the hospital have given me a tablet called metforin. 2000mg. I'm suppose to tak 1000, mg in the morning and another one in the evening. It's upset my stomach and I haven't eaten since something small at 7am when I took the first lot. My sugar level is sitting at around 13.9, I'm a little hungry but I just don't know what to eat I'm a Deaf lady so unable to 'phone' and ask anything. Is there a way of finding a list of foods? or what I'm actually suppose to do besides take this huge tablet please?? Many Thanks, Rosa.

Hi, @Seyiauetta - welcome to the forum!
I can see you've had heaps of useful advice since you first posted 3 hours or so ago - you'll find we are a very helpful bunch of people with lots of support to offer!
Another good place to look for inspiration on what to eat is the following thread: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-336#post-1269842, although bear in mind that we are all different and what may work for one person may not work for another. It's not a "diet plan", but it may give you some inspiration.
For instance, I follow the LCHF eating plan (low carb, high fat), so I had some bacon and mushrooms for breakfast, a slice of Charentais melon for lunch, and we're having roast chicken, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, runner beans, peas, carrots and gravy for dinner, with some sugar-free baked chocolate custard for pudding. Let me know if you want any of the recipes!
Good luck in your journey - keep sharing and posting!
Hugs x

 

[edan]

Pharmacies sell pill splitters for cutting pills in half safely. You could try halving them and gradually building up to the full dose a bit at a time. A delay in taking Metfomin is not going to lead to anything major over the next few weeks since it takes much longer to establish itself anyhow, but it may reduce the adverse effects you are suffering from now.

Metformin is not a fast acting drug, and its effect on lowering bgl is not the greatest, being 1 or 2 mmol/l typical. So you would get better results from low carb in that respect. Metformin is a good long term treatment that has benefits other than sugar reduction. (cardio vascular benefits). It also acts as a stabiliser long term. It is also probably the safest diabetic drug.

Do not cut slow release metformin tablets in half! Its the coating that gives it the slow release effect and cutting in half will get rid of that

 

[asparagusp]

Zero fat means no fat! zzz Anyway you want to be eating fat and unsalted butter is the natural and best spread for your bread/toast. Avoid all processed food. If you eat ham/bacon then eat it with some mustard which neutralises the risk of cancer.

 

[asparagusp]

Apples are good for diabetics and non diabetics because of the pectin content.

 

[Oldvatr]

Do not cut slow release metformin tablets in half! Its the coating that gives it the slow release effect and cutting in half will get rid of that

In principle you are correct, but it is the weekend, and Seyiauetta will have difficulty finding a GP appointment since it is not an emergency. The obvious solution is for a GP to re-prescribe using smaller dose tabs but this may not be the best solution in the circumstances. Damaging the enteric coating is not going to make a major difference to this med, whuch is already causing problems and can be causing a health risk due to dehydration if persisting with current doses. The altermative is to stop medicating until GP is seen. What I suggested was a short term fix,

 

[chalup]

Please try to eat with the metformin. Eating something non carb like eggs or a bit of cheese will help with the stomach upset. Carbs seem to make the upset worse for a lot of people. If you get very bad diarrhea for more than a day or two take it seriously and contact your doctor. I ended up in hospital with severe dehydration from this. You have the ER version already so you will most likely be OK. (DON'T CUT IT IN HALF) Some people simply cannot tolerate metformin and if you are one of those your doctor will have options. Do research low carb diets as they usually have better results for blood sugar than pills do anyways. Just my opinion and not medical advice.

 

[SisterMary]

Your not alone bud I was diagnosed yesterday so I'm as freaked as you. Please don't stress there is support here when you need it (don't ask
Me for facts yet I am still figuring this out as well !)

 

[Seyiauetta]

Please try to eat with the metformin. Eating something non carb like eggs or a bit of cheese will help with the stomach upset. Carbs seem to make the upset worse for a lot of people. If you get very bad diarrhea for more than a day or two take it seriously and contact your doctor. I ended up in hospital with severe dehydration from this. You have the ER version already so you will most likely be OK. (DON'T CUT IT IN HALF) Some people simply cannot tolerate metformin and if you are one of those your doctor will have options. Do research low carb diets as they usually have better results for blood sugar than pills do anyways. Just my opinion and not medical advice.

Thank you, I'm still very confused at the moment. The Dr has started it all from scratch with 500mg tablets negating the need to cut in half so this week 500mg morning only, next week 500mg morning and eve, the week after 1000mg morning and 500mg eve then the week after that 1000 morning and eve putting me up on the correct dose slowly.. I'm still really mixed up about all of this. If the carbs are high the Fat is low, If the carbs are low the fat is high She has referred me onto a Diabetes course which I'll be glad to go on as it's taught by a Diabetic Specialist. In the meantime does anyone know please if there are any books that deal with the weighing of grams or working grams out when it comes to situations that only state per 100grms? It would help a lot.

 

[Brunneria]

If the carbs are high the Fat is low, If the carbs are low the fat is high .

Got it in one!

Think of it as a see-saw

 

[walnut_face]

@Seyiauetta I urge you to read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with the metformin. It's not a gripping novel, but the important bit is - if you are eating less that 1000Cals/Day stop taking them!
Metformin suppresses the appetite anyway, but if you take them on a empty stomach it prolongs the tummy troubles. I found out the hard way, and would not wish it on anyone. I still take them, but on a day when I have not eaten much I don't, and now I have no problems

 

[Katiesgran]

Hello, Thank you so much I'll look at them all. I'm only just finding my way around this site. I think I'm already on slow release. Well the box say's 1000mg prolonged release tablets Metformin Hydrochloride? If that helps you at all. I felt really unwell yesterday, dizzy , faint, had double vision and because I live alone I asked if someone would please take me to A & E. have never done that in my life because I hate hospitals. They did my blood and the next thing I knew they were taking loads from both my arms, asking if I'd eaten yet (I hadn't even though it was half 12) as I felt awful and the rest is history really lol.

Sorry to hear you are struggling but don't panic because there is a lot of help on here. Until you come to terms with what is happening a good place to start is to remember that you can eat anything in moderation. Try to not eat sweets, cakes, and biscuits too often. Cut down on bread, potato, rice and pasta. Make portions smaller. Then read as much as you can about the options available regarding diet and make the changes. None of us get it right all the time, it can feel overwhelming sometimes but it can be controlled. Keep your chin up snd good luck.

 

[Terryrhino]

Got it in one!

Think of it as a see-saw

Hi I'm loving the way you post on here and all the good advice and I want to follow you but don't know how lol

 

[Squire Fulwood]

In the meantime does anyone know please if there are any books that deal with the weighing of grams or working grams out when it comes to situations that only state per 100grms? It would help a lot.

My first advice it do not take any notice whatsoever of the traffic light thing printed on the front of some packages, only look at the label that talks about carbohydrates.

There is no need to weigh grammes etc. Just look at the label and if it says that 20 gms per 100 gms are carbohydrates then one fifth of that product is carbohydrates. Too much for a diabetic by far.

 

[Seyiauetta]

@Seyiauetta I urge you to read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with the metformin. It's not a gripping novel, but the important bit is - if you are eating less that 1000Cals/Day stop taking them!
Metformin suppresses the appetite anyway, but if you take them on a empty stomach it prolongs the tummy troubles. I found out the hard way, and would not wish it on anyone. I still take them, but on a day when I have not eaten much I don't, and now I have no problems

This is really interesting and helpful Thank you. I'm not obese and so they don't want to worry about diet at the moment just to get the sugar levels under control. I've only just stopped steroids which I've had to have for a very long time and had already lost 10lb without even trying due to the fact I don't eat huge amounts. I'm struggling to manage three food times in a day. I can't do that. Most of the people who used to attend the Steroid clinic were at least twice my size through the steroids and eating loads when on them. I can manage to eat something around 07:00am and again around 18:00hrs but I can't do very much midday and thought of even trying just terrifies me!

 

[Seyiauetta]

Sorry to hear you are struggling but don't panic because there is a lot of help on here. Until you come to terms with what is happening a good place to start is to remember that you can eat anything in moderation. Try to not eat sweets, cakes, and biscuits too often. Cut down on bread, potato, rice and pasta. Make portions smaller. Then read as much as you can about the options available regarding diet and make the changes. None of us get it right all the time, it can feel overwhelming sometimes but it can be controlled. Keep your chin up snd good luck.

Hi, Thank you. Ok first things first. I won't ever have to worry about sweets cakes or bisuits as I hate them! The ONLY biscuit ever found in my home is Rich Tea and that's because it was the least sweet one I could find over the years. I'm more into savoury things but of course now things like Bombay mix will have too much salt I guess. I hate sweet foods with a vengence and I don't even eat fruit because of just that. Occasionally I WILL have a couple of squares of bournville dark chocolate as it's not as sweet as the horrible milk chocolate but even that bar will last me ages in the freezer lol. Yes it does all feel very overwhelming at the moment. Glad I found this site though you're all brilliant.

 

[Seyiauetta]

My first advice it do not take any notice whatsoever of the traffic light thing printed on the front of some packages, only look at the label that talks about carbohydrates.

There is no need to weigh grammes etc. Just look at the label and if it says that 20 gms per 100 gms are carbohydrates then one fifth of that product is carbohydrates. Too much for a diabetic by far.

Thank you

 

[Seyiauetta]

Do not cut slow release metformin tablets in half! Its the coating that gives it the slow release effect and cutting in half will get rid of that

Yes Thanks hun, The Dr gave me 500mg tablets to start a fresh and build up to the full 2000mg dose over a few weeks. Thank you

 

[walnut_face]

This is really interesting and helpful Thank you. I'm not obese and so they don't want to worry about diet at the moment just to get the sugar levels under control. I've only just stopped steroids which I've had to have for a very long time and had already lost 10lb without even trying due to the fact I don't eat huge amounts. I'm struggling to manage three food times in a day. I can't do that. Most of the people who used to attend the Steroid clinic were at least twice my size through the steroids and eating loads when on them. I can manage to eat something around 07:00am and again around 18:00hrs but I can't do very much midday and thought of even trying just terrifies me!

There is no hard-and-fast rule that says you have to eat 3 times a day. Indeed there are many proponents of Intermittent Fasting, and its' positive impact on insulin resistance. I sometime skip breakfast or lunch, and occasionally only eat once a day

 

[Seyiauetta]

There is no hard-and-fast rule that says you have to eat 3 times a day. Indeed there are many proponents of Intermittent Fasting, and its' positive impact on insulin resistance. I sometime skip breakfast or lunch, and occasionally only eat once a day

How do you keep your sugar level stable though? Mine is all over the place. My readings over the last few days are something like, 22.3, 13.9, 9.5, 14.0