feeling moody and emotional all the time

Lauraann

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Hello all
I am new to this site, I am female 44 and diagnosed type 2 8 years ago, I am currently on 2000mg of metformin daily and sitagliptin 100mg daily. My blood sugars are way too high at the moment, feeling ill all the time and very tearful and emotional. not sure if symptom of high blood sugars or because I am worried bout high sugars. In the morning my blood sugars are between 12 - 12.5 and after meals they are about 13, after exercising they are approx 10.2 so even that doesn't bring them down enough. I went to see the dr at my surgery and he immediately suggested gliclazide, which I don't want as it causes weight gain and I need to lose 2 stone already, I checked on the internet and saw that this is one of the cheaper drugs available and guess that is why he suggested it, I don't think he is that clued up s he just looked at his screen to see the next option for me, he has given me 2 weeks to get my HBA1C down to below 7 (currently 8.4), which I know won't happen as I am already near starting myself and exercising. I rang up the diabetic clinic at my hospital and asked if I could bring my June appointment forward which they have done to this wednesday. I want to know if anyone has any advice on what to say to the consultant, last time I saw him, he said eat healthy diet and you will be fine and he expected to see a different person when he next sees me !! But when I see him on wednesday I am afraid he will have a go at me as things havn't improved. I don't want to go on to a sulfonylurea (gliclazide) as I don't want to get the low bloood sugars or the weight gain, am I within my rights to ask got Byetta (exanatide) or liraglutide, I have researched these online and they help a lot with lowering blood sugar with the advantage of weight loss but they are expensive to prescribe or would an added dose up to 200mg of sitagliptin help, I would like to have as much info as possible when I see him and any comments would be much appreciated as I am getting sick with worry over my health, thank you :(
 

Eiche

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Hi Laura.

I had the same problem as you. I'm taking gliclazide as well and still have to lose weight. Go back to your doctor and ask about Byetta. The consultant in hospital in the diabetes clinic has just put me on it 2 weeks ago and I am finally starting to get lower readings.
 

cugila

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Hi Laura.
Welcome to the forum. Here is the advice that Sue and I hand out to newly diagnosed. Have a read and see if your idea of healthy Diabetic diet matches ours.......use what you need to get control.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Ken / Sue.

Here is also some further advice about questions to ask at any Clinic Appointments etc.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091&start=0#p155408

and more......Tips for strips

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

As for Byetta and Victoza......the criteria is a BMI over 35, you must be on the max dose of at least 2 anti-Diabetic drugs and still uncontrolled. However some Consultant's / GP's routinely ignore the criteria, so you can always ask......There are 2 threads about both drugs in the Diabetes Medication & Drugs section where you will find much information, tips and answers about both. Here are links where your questions have probably already been answered........

Byetta
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=12086&start=1935#p182980

Victoza
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=9281&p=182970#p182970
 

Lauraann

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Eiche said:
Hi Laura.

I had the same problem as you. I'm taking gliclazide as well and still have to lose weight. Go back to your doctor and ask about Byetta. The consultant in hospital in the diabetes clinic has just put me on it 2 weeks ago and I am finally starting to get lower readings.


thanks for your reply, are you on metformin as well and how does byetta make you feel, are you sick on it, also were your blood sugars as high as mine and what are they now, so many questions hope you don't mind
Laura :D
 

Eiche

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Yes I'm on Metformin, Gliclazide and Byetta. I am not yet on the full dose of byetta, that will start on the 23'rd and my gliclazide dose will be lowered then as well.

Do please take cugila's advice and read the different threads on here about the medications and then talk to your doctor about it :)
 

zhaith

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Hi I've been in a similar position as yourself up until about 6 weeks ago, if you haven't yet tried it try a low carb diet for a week or two and see how your levels are affected.

It isn't for everyone and I do have my off days still but my average levels have dropped from 13 to between 6 & 7.

Medication wise I'm taking 2000mg of and 100mg of sitagliptin daily
 

Lauraann

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zhaith said:
Hi I've been in a similar position as yourself up until about 6 weeks ago, if you haven't yet tried it try a low carb diet for a week or two and see how your levels are affected.

It isn't for everyone and I do have my off days still but my average levels have dropped from 13 to between 6 & 7.

Medication wise I'm taking 2000mg of and 100mg of sitagliptin daily

that is exactly the same dose as me, i dont know what to replace food wise, i always thought rice, pasta and bread were good for you, my detician says i need more protein doh. i do eat chocolate which i know i shouldnt, but im just getting so depressed thinking about this illness all the time, at the moment i feel like i dont have any quality of life and have made an appointment at the docs cos im starting to get depression again
 

Lauraann

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feel so alone like i'm the only one :(

been diabetic for 8 years and just wondered if anyone feels like I do, I feel like i'm the only one that can't control my diabetes, I feel useless and nothing I do works, I'm feeling sorry for myself lately and it feels like no one else feels like that and everyone else looks after themselves and gets on with life whilst having diabetes, I know people have illnesses too but I just feel so alone, I have never been on a forum and I never read newsletters from diabetes organisations that I receive through email, perhaps kidding myself it will go away. Sorry if I seem like a drama queen but having a bad time coping and want to feel like its not just me
Laura
 

sugarless sue

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Lauraann, you are not the only one as can be seen from all the people on this Forum. We have all felt like you at times but you have made a good first step by coming to this Forum. We are all Diabetics and understand how you feel !

Take your time and have a good read round the Forum. Ask questions, read the 'Advice for new Diabetics' and see if you can use some of that to change your diet and get control of your Diabetes. Once you feel more in control of your Diabetes you will feel more in control of your life and emotions as well. It is a steep learning curve but not insurmountable and there are worse things than Diabetes around.

It will not go away, Lauraann but you can control it and make it live with you rather than you living for it.
 

Eiche

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Believe me, you are not the only one. I was there too. I think we all go through this phase when nothing seems to work and you feel that all the work you're doing is useless. I cried at the diatitian's office bucket fulls as I was putting on weight and had readings up to 22mmol/L at one point...

Try what zhaith said, cut down on the carbs for a week, no chocolate either for a week and test before and after meals and see how you get on. If it doesn't help, talk to your doctor again. The stress raises glucose levels as well. Take it one step at a time, if you try it all at once, you're bound to be stressed, upset and feel like everything you do isn't worth anything.

Sending great big hugs your way :)
 

viviennem

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Other
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Hi Lauraann

Don't despair!

If you go on to the Low-carb Diet Forum and search for the 'Viv's Diet' thread' you'll find the first post is the diet I use. It's based on Atkins, and if you stick to it, it works. Unless there are medical reasons why you should watch your fat intake (and I don't mean cholesterol here!), try it for a fortnight and see what happens.

When I was first diagnosed diabetic (and in denial) I went back on to this diet because I know it works. I got my fasting BG down from 9.2 to 6.00 in 3 months, and my HbA1c down from 6.5 to 5.6 in the same period. I also lost 2 stone. When I was on it originally, 4 years ago, I had the best cholesterol readings I've ever had in my life, which is why I say don't worry about your cholesterol, at least at first.

I'm using it at present, and my daily meals are: 2-egg omelette for breakfast, sometimes with bacon, or cheese, or mushrooms. That keeps me full until lunch.

A salad lunch - cold meat or chicken or tuna or mackerel with a big salad made from the veg ingredients listed, and mayonnaise. You can take this to work in a plastic box if you need to.

Evening meal - roast meat or casserole or chops or sausages (good ones with low carbs - read the label) or fish, with heaps of the allowed vegetables and butter. Mmmmm! (I hope you're not a vegetarian!).

Snacks can be cold meat, cheese, hard-boiled egg, stick of celery, a few cherry tomatoes, slices of pepper.

For the first 2 weeks, don't have fruit or nuts or crispbread, just stick to the protein, fat and veg lists.

If at the end of the first two weeks you see an improvement - and you will! - get your doctor to give you a little bit longer to try the diet before you do anything to your meds.

One word of advice - just tell your doctor and your dietician that you are on a 'controlled carbohydrate' diet. My doctor is fine with the word 'Atkins', but some want to burn you at the stake at the first whisper of it. Emphasise that you've increased your protein intake - as the dietician advised - and that you're eating lots of vegetables - which you will be.

This diet can be done by vegetarians, but it does become limited, particularly if you don't eat fish.

I once stayed on this diet for 18 months with no ill-effects, lost 5 stone, had my best-ever BG and cholesterol readings, and had loads of energy. Sadly I got stressed again, back on the carbs, and here I am diabetic and dieting again!

You will need will-power to start with, but it's only for a fortnight, so you CAN do it. Just don't go hungry - snack on allowed foods if you are, there's no limit except where stated - and tell yourself the cravings will go away - they soon will.

Give it a try - what have you to lose? except weight and excess blood glucose! :lol:

Let us know how you go on.

Viv :)
 

Lauraann

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thnk you for kind comments, I think a lot is to do with stress, this week I have dieticians appointment, doctors appointment, diabetes consultant appointment and the anniversary of losing my daughter to stillbirth so not a good time :cry:
 

cugila

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Lauraann said:
i dont know what to replace food wise, i always thought rice, pasta and bread were good for you, my detician says i need more protein doh.

That's one of the problems.......you haven't said what sort of foods you are eating. Many of the things we were all probably told were healthy and should eat with every meal (carbs) for a lot of us are just not advisable. Hence the advice to reduce the carbs, as to how much, that is a matter for the individual. You do not have to go low carbs (less than 50g) but any reduction of carbs will help as it is shown to lower Bg levels.

I stuck to the NHS 'healthy' diet for over 10 yrs before I realised THAT was the cause of all my problems. Since lowering carb intake, I have seen Bg levels drop dramatically, weight loss of over 5 1/2 stone, Blood Pressure reduced, lipid levels all improved etc. Just because I stopped listening to a Dietician.........

As for the depression/stress etc, a hard place to be. I know from my own experience with it some years ago. Get the GP appointment and ask for a referral to a Counsellor. The issues you have mentioned in your latest post will all contribute to low self esteem. Try and get that dealt with before worrying too much about the Diabetes. It is hard trying to juggle too many things at once. :(
 

Sid Bonkers

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Hi Lauraann, I don't think its unusual to feel the way you do when you have been running such high numbers and its a vicious circle as the more you worry the more you may be tempted to eat the wrong things.

Anyway I just wanted to add my encouragement to that already offered and to say that the advise posted by Ken (cugila) above really helped me not only to get my blood glucose under control quickly but also to help me lose 4 stone in weight.