Puzzled

baccus6996

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
My partner is type2 and has been for about 20 years. We have been working hard to reduce the carbs she consumes since the start of this year. She had been taking 3 Metformin and 4 Gliclazide daily. Since working on cutting carbs, her HbA1c has fallen and on the last test was 24, this despite cutting 2 of the Gliclazide tablets. Her legs are much improved and she has lost one and a half stone since the beginning of May. She also has arthritis but again all her inflammation markers are back to normal levels and her medication has been halved.Today, at the regular diabetes nurse appointment she was told to reduce one of the Metformin simply because kidney function was very slightly high - it is much lower than earlier in the year. She was told by the nurse that she will never be able to stop taking medication which has dented her confidence a little. She was also told to stop doing her bloods in the morning as it was not necessary. Does anyone have similar outcomes and have they been able to stop medication completely
 

Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,420
Type of diabetes
LADA
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Insulin
With an hba1c of 24 I guess seriously reducing medication seems logical. If she's still on gliclazide, she may have hypo's and needs to test. If she drives she has to test from a legal point of view as well.
Does anyone have similar outcomes and have they been able to stop medication completely
Many members on this forun have stopped medication completely, and with much higher numbers.
Congratulations with the wonderful changes in bg, please look into medication and hypo's and let us know how you get on!
 
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Guzzler

Master
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10,577
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Diet only
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Hi and welcome. The Trophy is for you and your wife, sterling work there!

In my opinion the Diabetes nurse is talking through her hat, she/he cannot tell how your wife will respond in the future and there is always hope which is extremely important in the good management of our condition.
As for testing, whether this is the fasting test or the food related tests this is tremendously imprtant when you are actively changing your diet while still taking meds (including insulin)that lower blood glucose.

Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.
 

baccus6996

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Bloods are being checked every morning and can be anything from 4.5 through 6's usually although, if fallen off the wagon the night before, they occasionally hit high 7's. Also check bloods two hours after introducing a new food that has carbs. Always try the new food in moderation and have yet to have a spike of more than 2. What I don't understand is the last blood test warned that there might have been undiagnosed hypos. There have been slight hypos but they are quickly realised and dealt with. Yet there has been no recommendation to reduce gliclazide. I guess we will have to take the matter up with the doctor - if we can get an appointment within the next three weeks!
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome,

Gliclazide is a very strong drug that forces the pancreas to secrete additional insulin. The fewer carbs we eat, the less insulin we need. Too much insulin and we will hypo. With an HbA1c of 24 it seems very strange to me that the nurse hasn't stopped it. Should things go belly up, it can always be reintroduced. As for testing, without testing we are working blind, and with Gliclazide as has been mentioned above, it is a legal requirement to test before driving and also regularly during long drives.

Well done to you and especially your wife for controlling this disease and achieving such wonderful results. :)

Edited to add - there are many T2 forum members that have come off medication completely, including ex-insulin users and still achieve excellent numbers. There are also many that have never been on medication with excellent numbers.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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Cruelty towards animals.
@baccus6996

Hello Baccus and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when 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 235,000 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. Most of these are free.

  • 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.
 

baccus6996

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Took the bull by the horns and decided to see what cutting Gliclazide would do. Currently taking two which was half the dose from January. Had a roast dinner last night and this morning bloods were 6.1. Breakfast was some porridge and fresh berries. Took half a Gliclazide. Two hours late blood 11.4. We know that there were carbs in the porridge but were a bit shocked at such a large rise even with half a tablet. Looks like the tablets will stay or cut porridge
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,960
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Took the bull by the horns and decided to see what cutting Gliclazide would do. Currently taking two which was half the dose from January. Had a roast dinner last night and this morning bloods were 6.1. Breakfast was some porridge and fresh berries. Took half a Gliclazide. Two hours late blood 11.4. We know that there were carbs in the porridge but were a bit shocked at such a large rise even with half a tablet. Looks like the tablets will stay or cut porridge
Ditch the porridge. Really. Eggs, bacon, cheese and mushrooms make for a practically flatline breakfast, bloodglucose-wise, and it's good too! :) Try it and see what happens.
 
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EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,288
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
forum bugs
cut porridge
Agreed, traditional porridge may be low gi but it's pretty high on the carbs. However, there are versions which are low on carbs, so maybe switch to one of those?
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Agreed. Ditching porridge and cutting Gliclazide would be my way of going. There are much healthier breakfasts for diabetics.
 
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Gliclazide I ending up putting on 2 and half stone and every time I tried to exercise had hypos very quickly.
Came off Gliclazide I refused to take it DN put me on insulin humulin I better control and can now exercise without too much of a problem with hypos.
Lost over 2 stone when stopped taking Gliclazide