worried/ lots of questions

[Guna108]

I have just been diagnosed with type 2 and my HbA1c was 80. My vision is blurry and I am worried about permanent damage to my sight. Will the blurriness go once my blood sugar level goes down? I have started a very low calorie diet (low carb) to try to reduce my weight quickly and hope that works. How long does it usually take to reach normal levels when taking Metformin ? My Dr didn't really answer my questions. Thanks in advance for any information/advice.

 

[Capt-Slog]

Don't worry, your eyesight will almost certainly improve.
It may take a little time. Metformin is a good drug but it isn't like taking insulin, it takes time.

Reducing Carb intake will also help, but it takes willpower to keep to a low Carb diet for a prolonged time when you have spent years eating a certain way.
Also, don't beat yourself up if you slip a little on your journey.

I have found that the folks on this forum has been incredibly supportive of me and I swear that just talking to others with the same problems can help more than all the medicine.

 

[Resurgam]

It is the carbohydrate reduction which will result in blood glucose reduction, and probably weight loss too - calories are, in many cases, irrelevant. I really do advise that you chose an easy, maintainable diet, and stick to it. I chose to eat less than 50 gm of carbs and in 6 months I had normal Hba1c levels - normal blood glucose was achieved earlier than that - I bought a blood glucose meter so I could check my progress.
Two years on I am still eating low carb - it is an excellent way to eat, and I really do not want to add sugar or starch to my menu.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello and welcome,

It is very hard to do a low calorie diet, and can only be a short term way of eating. When doing a low carb diet, calories don't matter that much. Many of us have lost shed loads of weight by counting carbs but not calories to any significant degree, and increasing our good fats to maintain energy levels whilst keeping protein levels normal.

Metformin is a mild drug that only helps to a limited extent and is intended to supplement a suitable diet. Diet is the key, not Metformin. How long it takes to reach normal levels is like asking how long a piece of string is. It depends on so many factors such as how insulin resistant you are, how well your pancreas works, how many carbs you eat, and how motivated you are. It does take effort.

My advice to you is to buy a glucose meter. You can use this to test out your food choices (alongside a food dairy) and learn from what it is telling you. I believe they are essential, otherwise you are working blind. We can help you with this.

Have a wonder round the forum threads, and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[urbanracer]

I have just been diagnosed with type 2 and my HbA1c was 80. My vision is blurry and I am worried about permanent damage to my sight. Will the blurriness go once my blood sugar level goes down? I have started a very low calorie diet (low carb) to try to reduce my weight quickly and hope that works. How long does it usually take to reach normal levels when taking Metformin ? My Dr didn't really answer my questions. Thanks in advance for any information/advice.

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[kitedoc]

Hi @Guna108 and welcome.
When your hba1c was 80 that suggested high blood sugar levels (bsls) over the past 3 months ( and probably high her even longer).
When that is happening the high bsls cause swelling of the lenses of the eyes leading to blurred vision. If the rise in bsl is gradual and slow you may not notice the blurring too much.
The brain adjusts vision if there is blurring happening so that sight seems to settle.
But niw with your diet it sounds like your bsl may be falling towards normal levels more quickly and your brain is trying to catch up with readjusting your vision. Many of us have noted the blurring you describe.
It may take several weeks for your vision to settle back once bsls become more stable.
The important thing is not to have any spectacles made in the time frame as your vision is still adjusting and to realise that what is happening is in fact normal with the proviso that any other vision worries shoukd see you getting to the optician ir doctor quick smart, just in case.
Best Wishes.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I have just been diagnosed with type 2 and my HbA1c was 80. My vision is blurry and I am worried about permanent damage to my sight. Will the blurriness go once my blood sugar level goes down? I have started a very low calorie diet (low carb) to try to reduce my weight quickly and hope that works. How long does it usually take to reach normal levels when taking Metformin ? My Dr didn't really answer my questions. Thanks in advance for any information/advice.

Hi @Guna108 , and welcome,

Yep, the blurry thing is temporary, in all likelyhood. So don't run out to get new specs, some cheap 5 quid reading glasses should get you through the worst of it. As for low calorie, I'm with the others there; it's the carbs, not the calories that matter. The weightloss'll come even without calorie restriction. You might want to check dietdoctor.com , Dr. Jason Fung's book The Diabetes Code (LOADS of answers in there, not just on diet but on how diabetes works too), and my own little quick start guide: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/
The metformin only tells your liver not to dump as much glucose as it usually would (about 75% less), and it doesn't do anything about what you eat. So while it'll improve your fasting blood glucose (by treating the so called Dawn Phenomenon), it won't fix any carbs/sugars ingested later in the day. If your bloodsugars normalise throughout the day, and odds are they will, it will be because of the low carb diet. You can combine the met with a diet just fine, but it could very well be that after a while, you can come off the metformin because you won't need it anymore. Quite a few people here could go diet-only after a while.

Do you have more questions? Because people here have more answers than we know what to do with.
Good luck,
Jo

 

[Guna108]

Thank you all who replied for your friendly welcome and relevant advice. It has made me feel less anxious having the hope that the blurriness will go. I am struggling at work (I'm a teacher) due to my vision at the moment. I have been on the very low calorie low carb diet for 9 days now and hope to bring my sugars to a normal level in this way. I only started the Metformin this morning, but have felt a bit nauseous. Is this normal and will it always be like that?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thank you all who replied for your friendly welcome and relevant advice. It has made me feel less anxious having the hope that the blurriness will go. I am struggling at work (I'm a teacher) due to my vision at the moment. I have been on the very low calorie low carb diet for 9 days now and hope to bring my sugars to a normal level in this way. I only started the Metformin this morning, but have felt a bit nauseous. Is this normal and will it always be like that?

Metformin often gives people problems like nausia and -sorry- diarrhea. If this doesn't get beter after 2 weeks, it may not be the drug for you. (Especially as you can't just run out of the classroom) If it's really bad, just get in touch with your GP and ask for the Slow Release version of metformin to try out. And make sure you eat something when you take it, as on an empty stomach it could wreak havoc.

Met didn't agree with me at all, so after a few miserable weeks I was switched to Gliclazide, but in the meantime I'd started a low carb (not low cal) diet. My bloodsugars were back into the normal range very fast. My specialist assumed I responded remarcably well to the minimum dose of gliclazide, but my GP saw through it: she took me off the stuff. My HbA1c has been in the normal range ever since, and it's been almost 3 years now. So if medication isn't the thing for you due to side effects, it's not a "abandon all hope" thing, because you've got more options. Other meds, other diets (Like Keto)... You''ll be okay.

 

[Guna108]

Thank you for your reassuring reply. I have been prescribed the slow release version as I'd spoken to a few colleagues who had been ill taking the regular Metformin. I am eating 3 diet shakes per day and take the tablet after . Hopefully that should be ok. I really don't know much about diabetes or which symptoms can be managed or what things I should be checking for.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thank you for your reassuring reply. I have been prescribed the slow release version as I'd spoken to a few colleagues who had been ill taking the regular Metformin. I am eating 3 diet shakes per day and take the tablet after . Hopefully that should be ok.

Time will have to tell then, whether it abates after 2 weeks. I sincerely hope you'll feel better soon! Dunno whether all you're eating is 3 diet shakes per day and nothing else, but you will have to revert to "real food" sometime. Are you trying the Newcastle diet by any chance? It's supposed to be a good way to kick-start normalisation of bloodsugars/weight. Good luck, in any case!

 

[Guna108]

Thank you for your good wishes. It is the Exante diet- 600 calories as day to start with and then you move up to 800 (2 shakes and a healthy meal ) after some time. They have several testimonials from people whose type 2 went down to normal blood sugar levels using it so I hope it will work for me.

 

[PeterHud]

Yes eyesight will improve ... Mine did

Cannot give you advice on T2 but don't worry it is scary at first will all the questions but you will pick things up. Plenty help on here and good luck

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thank you for your good wishes. It is the Exante diet- 600 calories as day to start with and then you move up to 800 (2 shakes and a healthy meal ) after some time. They have several testimonials from people whose type 2 went down to normal blood sugar levels using it so I hope it will work for me.

When i looked it up it turned out that is the Newcastle diet, just never heard it be called that before. Learning all the time.

 

[TrevorJ]

I was diagnosed with an A1C of 113. 5 months later and I was back down to a 30. My vision did fluctuate a little in the process, but returned back to normal. Extra sugar in the blood causes the blood vessels in the eye to swell. Once you get your levels lined out it should return to normal.
Also I have been eating low carb for a year now and its incredibly easy. There are many products that will satisfy your sweet tooth without carbs or "real" sugar. If you need any help reach out!

 

[Guna108]

Thank you so much for your encouragement. That is amazing how you got your blood sugar level down so quickly. I think it is the vision issue that has really worried me. Now that I have read up a bit on T2 I notice things that I didn't worry about before like my feet tingling and waking up often in the night to use the bathroom etc. I am guessing these will go too if I lose the weight and bring my blood sugar levels down. I certainly hope so

 

[Guna108]

Now I know what the Newcastle diet is

 

[Norfolkmell]

Welcome to the best place to find out the scary world of diabetes! Ask your GP for a blood glucose meter, depending on where you are you might be given one and you should be supplied with lancets and test strips unfortunately this does depend where you live. Testing your blood before you eat and two hours after will find out how you react to what you are eating, what food causes it to rise.
I don't know anything about the Newcastle diet but LCHF low carb high fat is the way to go. I counted calories for years before I was diagnosed, spent a small fortune joining slimming clubs and depriving myself of cheese and all my weight did was rise. I've been diabetic type 2 for 3 years now, my GP got me on LCHF and my BG is down almost low enough for remission but not quite and I've lost over 5 stones. I will never count calories or points or syncs again. I haven't even eaten very low carb, between 80 and 120 g a day and I'm still losing weight it doesn't matter the speed your results are obtained just that they are going downwards.
This forum is the friendliest and most supportive group ever, diet doctor is an excellent resource, look around both and you'll get your questions answered.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi Guna108,
I am a Type 2 recently diagnosed, but borderline since my coronary bypass 2 1/2 yrs ago,
I am just doing a Low Carb High Fat eat as much as you want 'diet'. Combined with the exercise I was already doing since the bypass, this has reduced my weight by an average of between 1 and 2lbs per week even though I was barely overweight in the first place. So you don't actually need low calories to lose a reasonable amount of weight over several months. And it is so much easier to maintain.

I would also recommend getting a Blood Glucose meter (unless you are very squeamish). It is invaluable for being able to see how a particular meal affects your Blood Sugar. Otherwise you are experimenting in the dark with feedback only every year ( 3 months at first).

 

[Bogie]

Thank you for your reassuring reply. I have been prescribed the slow release version as I'd spoken to a few colleagues who had been ill taking the regular Metformin. I am eating 3 diet shakes per day and take the tablet after. Hopefully, that should be ok. I really don't know much about diabetes or which symptoms can be managed or what things I should be checking for.

You mention "3 diet drinks per day". What is the carb count per drink? I ask because most diet shakes/drinks, while low in calories can be high in carbs. As other post replies mentioned - don't worry too much about the calories - as it is the Carbs you need to pay attention to.

There are a few different ones that are lower in Carbs. I use 2 different ones. Boost Diabetic has 16 Carbs per bottle and Slimfast Advanced Nutrition has only 5 Carbs per bottle. Naturally, the Boost Diabetic is more filling (thicker) while the Slimfast Advanced Nutrition is more watered down. I am not a breakfast person first thing in the morning so I use the Boost Diabetic drink to control the hunger and last me until an early light lunch. The Slimfast Advanced Nutrition (not the regular Slimfast) is my afternoon "snack".

Keep an eye on the Carbs on food/beverage labels as a product might show low sugar but still have high Carbs. Count the Carbs.