Thoroughly fed up!!

Peckj02

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone,

I’m seriously in need of some advice.

I was diagnosed with type 2 in September 16 after being pre-diabetic for 7yrs after gestational diabetes.
I was originally prescribed metformin and then slow release metformin, unfortunately they made me so ill I couldn’t tolerate them at all. They worked though and brought my hba1c down to 42.

In April this year I was put on to glicazide, 40mg to start with and gradually increased to 240mg which is my current dose.

My problem is that rather than bringing my levels down they have increased with every dose increase. My latest hba1c was 62 (previous was 57) and this evening 2hrs after my evening meal and a 160mg dose my bg was 13.6. My fasting Bg is very rarely below 10. Obviously this medication is not working for me at all.

Am I within my rights to ask for my medication to be changed rather than being fobbed off again with another dose increase? (which will be max dose) I have also put on about a stone in weight since being on glicazide which obviously isn’t helping.

Sorry for the long post but thoroughly fed up with the whole thing at the moment. Any advice will be gratefully received
 

archersuz

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,213
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi Peckj02,
I'm afraid that I'm not on any medication so can't offer any advice on that. Have you considered a low carb diet? I'm relatively new to this but I'm sure others with more experience will be along soon to offer advice.

Suz
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I think you are within your rights to kick up as much of a fuss as you need to get yourself on a medication regime (accompanied by an eating regime) that achieves acceptable blood glucose levels.

Obviously, I am not suggesting that you go into the consulting room with all guns blazing, however a firm but polite discussion about how you recognise the long term harm that raised blood glucose is doing to your body, the increased risk of future complications, and the different drug regime options that could be tried (up to and including insulin) may work wonders.

Please do not let them fob you off.

Has anyone ever given you any advice on restricting carbohydrates?
 

Peckj02

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I think you are within your rights to kick up as much of a fuss as you need to get yourself on a medication regime (accompanied by an eating regime) that achieves acceptable blood glucose levels.

Obviously, I am not suggesting that you go into the consulting room with all guns blazing, however a firm but polite discussion about how you recognise the long term harm that raised blood glucose is doing to your body, the increased risk of future complications, and the different drug regime options that could be tried (up to and including insulin) may work wonders.

Please do not let them fob you off.

Has anyone ever given you any advice on restricting carbohydrates?

Hi brunneria,

thanks for your reply. I’ve looked at the low carb programme and I am trying to keep my carbs quite low but I also have high cholesterol and am on statins for that. I’m concerned that going completely lchf may affect my cholesterol with the higher fat amounts?

I have my review on Friday afternoon with one of the nurse practitioners. I asked to see this particular nurse as she is very knowledgeable on diabetes and very easy to talk to so I’m hoping she will help. The dr put the note “no further action required” on my notes when the hba1c result came back as I had a dose increase 4 weeks ago !!!!

Considering that my father in law has recently passed away from diabetic complications including amputations and kidney failure this is obviously worrying. X
 

Peckj02

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi Peckj02,
I'm afraid that I'm not on any medication so can't offer any advice on that. Have you considered a low carb diet? I'm relatively new to this but I'm sure others with more experience will be along soon to offer advice.

Suz

Thanks for your reply suz, I am looking into this x
 

leahkian

Well-Known Member
Messages
302
Yes you have a right to ask the doctor about other medications or even look on the internet to see what the choices are. If there is a doctor who you get on with see them and explain what is happening and how you feel about it, i was put on a tablet for pain and put on over 20 kg in no time. My consultant took me off it and the GP's got me on to the Well Being plan which they give you a exercise plan which you can do in the house only using a chair and help you make changes to your diet. My problem was i was not eating enough so what i did eat made my weight go up, i was lucky as the person who i got used to be a personal trainer and he helped me go from 107 kg down to about 90 kg. So they are a few things that you can try and be frank with the doctor as just increasing the dose is not working for you.
 

Peckj02

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Yes you have a right to ask the doctor about other medications or even look on the internet to see what the choices are. If there is a doctor who you get on with see them and explain what is happening and how you feel about it, i was put on a tablet for pain and put on over 20 kg in no time. My consultant took me off it and the GP's got me on to the Well Being plan which they give you a exercise plan which you can do in the house only using a chair and help you make changes to your diet. My problem was i was not eating enough so what i did eat made my weight go up, i was lucky as the person who i got used to be a personal trainer and he helped me go from 107 kg down to about 90 kg. So they are a few things that you can try and be frank with the doctor as just increasing the dose is not working for you.

Thanks for the reply leahkian, just feel like I’m banging my head against a wall. X
 

leahkian

Well-Known Member
Messages
302
Thanks for the reply leahkian, just feel like I’m banging my head against a wall. X
Been there and got the t-shirt i had to move my care from Durham (5 mins drive) to Newcastle ( 40 Mins drive) but it was the best thing i ever did as i am under a consultant that i have total faith in and he lets me have my say as well. He was a god send for me because i was banging my head and lost hope but the man i see now got me a transplant and i have seen him on the ward at 10 pm and i no he has been in clinic all day but always makes time for you.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Peckj02

Hello 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 want 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 well over 259,000 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

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
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 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.
 

TriciaWs

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,727
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hi brunneria,

thanks for your reply. I’ve looked at the low carb programme and I am trying to keep my carbs quite low but I also have high cholesterol and am on statins for that. I’m concerned that going completely lchf may affect my cholesterol with the higher fat amounts?
X

A lot of people worry that going low carb will negatively affect cholesterol. But for most of us it doesn't. My triglycerides improved after I went lowcarb, dropping at each blood test over 18 mnths from over the recommended range down to 0.9.
My LDL went up a little raising my total but improving the ratio which is more important.
From the research I've seen a mix of refined carbs plus refined fats seems a dangerous mix but good quality fats on their own are not.
I would also point out that going low carb is not necessarily high fat too - you should eat enough good quality fats to stop you feeling hungry but no need for panfuls.
 

Living-by-the-beach

Well-Known Member
Messages
520
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone,

I’m seriously in need of some advice.

I was diagnosed with type 2 in September 16 after being pre-diabetic for 7yrs after gestational diabetes.
I was originally prescribed metformin and then slow release metformin, unfortunately they made me so ill I couldn’t tolerate them at all. They worked though and brought my hba1c down to 42.

In April this year I was put on to glicazide, 40mg to start with and gradually increased to 240mg which is my current dose.

My problem is that rather than bringing my levels down they have increased with every dose increase. My latest hba1c was 62 (previous was 57) and this evening 2hrs after my evening meal and a 160mg dose my bg was 13.6. My fasting Bg is very rarely below 10. Obviously this medication is not working for me at all.

Am I within my rights to ask for my medication to be changed rather than being fobbed off again with another dose increase? (which will be max dose) I have also put on about a stone in weight since being on glicazide which obviously isn’t helping.

Sorry for the long post but thoroughly fed up with the whole thing at the moment. Any advice will be gratefully received


Have a look (now that its available in the UK) at Ozempic. I've been on it 3 months and I'm down 13lbs. I hope my A1c will be lower next time around. Talk to your diabetic nurse or endocrinologist soon!