Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed as diabetic as a result of an eye test. My vision was fluctuating and after a retinal scan I was referred to the eye hospital. I'm currently going though that process.
I went for testing and it came back with an HBA1C of 114 It was so high that the GP has referred me to get a CT scan as they're not entirely sure what the cause is.
Now here's the thing ... I never had any severe symptoms. At least, not while I wasn't aware of the problem. No undue thirst, no nausea, no drowsiness (my body clock has always been problematic, as if it works to a 22 hour day where I wake up later and later unless I keep things in rigid control, but I've been like that for decades).
Unfortunately I'm getting the symptoms now. I bought a blood glucose meter about a month ago. My first reading was about 16, I immediately started exercising more, working up to walking about a mile or two a day now, and immediately cutting out as much carbs (and especially sugar) from my diet such that I take a maximum of 100g per day. The doctor prescribed Metformin, 500mg at first, working to 2000mg after three weeks.
Things seemed to be working at first. My "fasting" prick-test result went down to about 11. But as I took the second Metformin tablet I suffered a crash of some sorts. I had nausea, heart palpitations overnight, a feeling of numbness - as if blood wasn't circulating right. Went to A&E at 2am one morning, stayed there for three hours, no fault found, sent home.
I continued to feel awful for another day, so I decided to stop the Metformin for 24 hours (this was a weekend) to see what would happen. Felt much better and the blood numbers stayed low.
I called the GP on the Monday and the consensus was that I felt better *despite*, rather than because of, coming off the tablets. Was basically ordered to go back on the Metformin, and went back to two on the Thursday.
I haven't suffered a repeat of the problems I had since, but my blood glucose levels stopped falling and are now right back where they were -- between 12 or 15 after fasting overnight. This is despite continuing to cut the carbs, take the tablets, exercise more and I've also lost nearly a stone in six weeks.
I'm really confused as to what I'm doing wrong. Surely there should be some positive effect to have come out of the last few weeks?
Am I just being impatient? Should I storm into the GP's surgery and demand stronger meds, or insulin? TBH I'm at the point of despair at this stage.
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
I was diagnosed as diabetic as a result of an eye test. My vision was fluctuating and after a retinal scan I was referred to the eye hospital. I'm currently going though that process.
I went for testing and it came back with an HBA1C of 114 It was so high that the GP has referred me to get a CT scan as they're not entirely sure what the cause is.
Now here's the thing ... I never had any severe symptoms. At least, not while I wasn't aware of the problem. No undue thirst, no nausea, no drowsiness (my body clock has always been problematic, as if it works to a 22 hour day where I wake up later and later unless I keep things in rigid control, but I've been like that for decades).
Unfortunately I'm getting the symptoms now. I bought a blood glucose meter about a month ago. My first reading was about 16, I immediately started exercising more, working up to walking about a mile or two a day now, and immediately cutting out as much carbs (and especially sugar) from my diet such that I take a maximum of 100g per day. The doctor prescribed Metformin, 500mg at first, working to 2000mg after three weeks.
Things seemed to be working at first. My "fasting" prick-test result went down to about 11. But as I took the second Metformin tablet I suffered a crash of some sorts. I had nausea, heart palpitations overnight, a feeling of numbness - as if blood wasn't circulating right. Went to A&E at 2am one morning, stayed there for three hours, no fault found, sent home.
I continued to feel awful for another day, so I decided to stop the Metformin for 24 hours (this was a weekend) to see what would happen. Felt much better and the blood numbers stayed low.
I called the GP on the Monday and the consensus was that I felt better *despite*, rather than because of, coming off the tablets. Was basically ordered to go back on the Metformin, and went back to two on the Thursday.
I haven't suffered a repeat of the problems I had since, but my blood glucose levels stopped falling and are now right back where they were -- between 12 or 15 after fasting overnight. This is despite continuing to cut the carbs, take the tablets, exercise more and I've also lost nearly a stone in six weeks.
I'm really confused as to what I'm doing wrong. Surely there should be some positive effect to have come out of the last few weeks?
Am I just being impatient? Should I storm into the GP's surgery and demand stronger meds, or insulin? TBH I'm at the point of despair at this stage.
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.