Newly diagnoised and yes this is my fault

[crazymom]

At 36 I was Diagnoised (a year ago) with type 2 diabetes and instead of loseing the weight I put a stone one. Today I am told my fasting blood glucose was 11.9 and HBA1C is 8.5. I wont even start of my cholesterol lets just says its way to high.

Anyway my GP wants to start me on Metformin Bolamyn (longer acting). Years ago I was taking Metformin as part of a PCO trial (I wasn't diabetic then) and I hated it I was tired all the time etc.

I asked if I could lose some weight and re do my blood glucose and my GP said it wouldn't make a difference. I then said well maybe I could take the medication and lose the weight, maybe then I could stop taking the Metformin, she replied, no you will be on this for life.

I am so sad that I let things get to this stage but I hold out some hope that if I lose a significant amount of weight things might change. The issue is I dont no where to start. What may help is haring other peoples views on the above drug and the advantages of loseing weight etc.

Crazymom

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The key to this is your diet. Are you having a more low carb diet and do you have a meter to check what foods affect you most? The Metformin won't have a great effect on your blood sugar but reducing your carb intake almost certainly will. It may be possible to stop the Metformin if your blood sugar comes down into a more normal range. I think your GP may be being a bit pessimistic as so much depends on the cause of your diabetes and whether the right diet and exercise have a good effect.

 

[crazymom]

I am not on any diet as of yet and I dont want to start taking the medication either. This is a weight issue but in comparing my previous results in one year my fasting glucose has gone from 7.9 to 11.9 and my HBA1C has also increased.

MY eGFR was 62- Is this bad?
Serumn creatinine 100 umol/l
My LDL was I assume so high they could not calculate it!

 

[crazymom]

Hi. The key to this is your diet. Are you having a more low carb diet and do you have a meter to check what foods affect you most? The Metformin won't have a great effect on your blood sugar but reducing your carb intake almost certainly will. It may be possible to stop the Metformin if your blood sugar comes down into a more normal range. I think your GP may be being a bit pessimistic as so much depends on the cause of your diabetes and whether the right diet and exercise have a good effect.

WHta do you mean by a meter to check which foods affect me the most?

 

[xyzzy]

Hi Crazymom and welcome

Daibell means you should get a meter to measure your blood levels and by diet he means the range of foods you eat and not necessarily diet as in a regime to lose weight.

Here's what I did after taking the advice of forum members when I was diagnosed in December last year. Within six months I had normalized by sugar levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and lost a load of weight. It won't cure you as you will need to strictly monitor what you eat but if you're anything like me it will make you feel loads healthier and put you back in control of your life.

Eating wise then first cut out all forms of natural sugar so the obvious cakes, biscuits, sugar in tea and coffee, non diet sodas and even pure fruit juices as they have loads of sugar. Next as just as importantly at least halve your intake of rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products. Replace with extra meat, fish, cheese, eggs and especially green veg. Things like yoghurt are generally fine. If you want a small amount of fruit then "berries" are best and I find they won't raise your levels as high if you eat them as a pudding after your main meal. On the rice, pasta and bread you have left in your diet swap to brown basmati rice, brown or tri-colour pasta and the best bread by far is Burgen Soya bread that you can get from most supermarkets.

Next get yourself a blood levels meter. If the gp won't give you one (some are really really anti and will give you a load of rubbish why you shouldn't use one) then get one called an SD CodeFree from the healthcare.co.uk shop on eBay. They also sell on Amazon. It will cost less than £20 with test strips at around £5 for 50. This is by far the cheapest meter and loads of members have them.

Start testing 2 hours after you eat. You need to aim to be under 8 as regularly exceeding 8 is where you start to risk complications such as blindness and amputations. The NICE guidelines say under 8 two hours after eating and between 4 and 7 at all other times.
At the beginning you may find getting under 8 to be really difficult. If it is then also test before you eat and aim for the two hour after eating reading to be back at roughly the level of the before eating reading. If you do that then you should see a gradual day by day improvement until all your two hour readings come out safe.

If you can't stop the readings spiking high after two hours then you have a choice. Either reduce the rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products some more until your levels respond or if you really can't change your diet further then go back to the gp and ask for stronger drugs but the important thing is to recognize that you need safe blood levels as that will protect you from diabetic complications down the line. Those complications caused by not controlling levels are real, do happen and include blindness, amputations and death. Also recognise that many believe stronger diabetic drugs may will only work for a while and that at some point you will need insulin. The advantage of the diet only approach where you cut out sugar and starchy foods is that many members who have adopted that lifestyle take no medication and have not seen the disease progress further for years.

Good luck and keep asking questions

 

[daisy1]

Hi crazymom and welcome to the forum

Here is the advice we give to new members and I think you will find this helpful in bringing down your levels. Ask all the questions you like as someone will always help you.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.

 

[izzzi]

Hi crazymom,

Welcome to the forum,

You will soon get plenty of advice regarding the importance of test meters.

If you have to buy one, be careful of the cost as test strips are very expensive.

Amazon do a very good deal for a "Codefree Blood Glucose Monitor" and 50 test strips for for approx; £25.00p including post.

Good luck,

Roy.

 

[crazymom]

Thanks for all your comments. Im feeling overwhelmed by all of this. My GP wasnt great in advising me nor did she explore my ridicilous cholesterol level. I am in tow minds, take Metformin and diet or just diet. Either way she gave me a grim picture.

My issue with metformin is the lack of carbs you can eat and if you eat to much you have diarrhoea. And by eating less carbs I wont have the enegry to excerise. So I am not sure what to do.

 

[rtee]

Hi crazymom ,
Don't beat yourself up about how you've got to where you are. Put your energy into where you're going to be. Like you I was warned but didn't do anything about it and was eventually diagnosed about a year ago.
I have in the last 3 mths been on this site and adopted a low carb high fat/protein diet. I have also been doing more exercise, even joined the gym! (I'm nearly 65 and in the obese weight range) I have lost about a stone and a half.
I don't feel hungry at all and have loads more energy than before . I don't eat any bread, pasta,rice etc except on very rare occasions.
Have a look at the lowcarb section for recipes if you decide to go down that route.
I'm guessing you may have young children , so you will have lots of running round after them to do!
I was put straight on metformin and am taking it though I'm hoping to get to the point where I can stop. I don't get diarrhoea at all, in fact if anything the opposite.
We are all different and meds/food affects us all differently. The main thing is to find out what works for you. Ask lots of questions and don't feel awkward about it. There are lots of really good people on here who have done all sorts of things to get their diabetes under control. Weight loss and exercise do seem to be key and to my mind low carbs too.
Hope you can find YOUR way to good control.
Ruth

 

[faircot]

My issue with metformin is the lack of carbs you can eat and if you eat to much you have diarrhoea. And by eating less carbs I wont have the enegry to excerise. So I am not sure what to do.

You're looking at this the wrong way, crazymom. Whether or not you take metformin (or any other medication, come to that) you need to reduce your carb levels to, a) help lower your BS levels, b) lose weight and increase your energy. I've lost 2.5 stone over the last year following the advice here and I feel much better that I have for years. MY BS is in the 'normal' range, my HBa1c is very low - as is my cholesterol.

As a side benefit of Metformin, my appetite has stopped nagging me and my raging craving for sweet foods has disappeared.

Good luck.

 

[crazymom]

HI
Firstly thank you for all your help and advice and the warm welcome. This is a great forumn. So the plan so far.....
Im planning on starting a low carb diet and check my BM post meal in order to figure out which foods suit better. I have also printed out the food diray which is going to be very helpful for monitoring my pregression.

I have ordered the SD CodeFree. so I am starting tot take charge/responsibility.

I have not started taking metformin yet, the box sits on the dinner table. I think if my GP had taken more time to explore options maybe I could have made an autonomous decision regarding treatment. Instead the more questions I asked the more my GP was telling me to take it, loseing weight will not make a difference. In addition, was not wholly convinced she understood Diabetes , she has refered me to the Practice Nurse. However I think I will be requestng an app with a Diabetic Nurse.

Very interesting to read the NHS view regarding dietary advice in comparrison to other sites. The NHS doesn't always get it right and GPs do not know everything. But this site has given me more in 24 hrs than my GP!

 

[hanadr]

Crazymom
You are still young
You CAN take command of your life. the T2 may well be irreversible, but it doesn't have to control your life.
As has been suggested. A low carb way of life could be your solution.
It won't be easy to begin with, if you make this choice, but you'll feel benefits very quickly. You need to know where carbs are and what they are and how to manage without them.
You might find it useful to know that no-one has ever proved that eating carbs is essential.You can get all your essential nutrients without eating any grain based foods or starchy root veggies.
You can live a happy healthy life without suar or starch and have a tasty nutrient rich diet.
Hana

 

[xyzzy]

Very interesting to read the NHS view regarding dietary advice in comparrison to other sites. The NHS doesn't always get it right and GPs do not know everything. But this site has given me more in 24 hrs than my GP!

Yes the NHS view is a hot topic on the forum at all times. The issue is that in this country no real distinction is made between the regime advocated as healthy for non diabetics as opposed to a healthy diet for T2 diabetics. The standard NHS regime, which dates back to 1991, recommends getting half your calories from carbohydrates BUT as its carbohydrates that make your blood levels rise many of us think advocating a regime like that is rather like telling an alcoholic to drink vodka! Other countries most notably Sweden and even America advocate a range of different lower carbohydrate regimes than the UK. Again other countries use research from the 21st century as well!

 

[Paul_c]

Thanks for all your comments. Im feeling overwhelmed by all of this. My GP wasnt great in advising me nor did she explore my ridicilous cholesterol level. I am in tow minds, take Metformin and diet or just diet. Either way she gave me a grim picture.

My issue with metformin is the lack of carbs you can eat and if you eat to much you have diarrhoea. And by eating less carbs I wont have the energy to excerise. So I am not sure what to do.

No, sorry... I'm on a reduced carb diet and have plenty of energy to exercise. My energy comes from the additional saturated fat I'm eating to replace the lost carb calories. Not only am I losing weight on this diet, I don't feel hungry or tired and there's NO calorie counting involved. Just eat the right foods and there's nothing to worry about. Just avoid starchy food like potatoes, pasta and bread and pastries. Don't worry about removing the skin from your chicken breast portions or cutting the fat of your cuts of meat... enjoy them.

If you reduce your carb intake, then you can keep your blood glucose level under better control and reduce the amount of metformin you need to take.

PS. I also have what they consider to be a ridiculous cholesterol level... but as far as I'm concerned, blood glucose levels and high blood pressure are far more likely to cause me damage in the here and now... so I'm working on them instead of worrying about cholesterol levels. Getting my weight down and lowering my blood pressure are far more important.