newly diagnosed, but confused.

[wchrisuk]

Hi thanks for having me here, i don't want to bore people with my life but im hoping maybe someone will be able to help with my problem, it may be long winded but i don't wont to leave anything that may be important.
before I start I have only just been diagnosed with type 2 last month.

my story starts when I was around 14 years old (im now 28) i was on holiday in Malta going to get dinner when all of a sudden i felt strange, lost color, mild shakes, hunger, hard to communicate feeling like im going to pass out was very scary, hard job walking or moving, also like a hot wave shooting over my body from feet up.
after eating I was fine but just tired, upon my return home parents took me to the doctors about this and after tests said nothing was wrong,
well as the years have gone on i seemed to of got more and more of these "funny turns" and just lived with it,
cutting some bits out i come to 2009 when i lost my job with the stress of everything i started to get more of these "turns" (like 2-3 times a week) so back to doctors on the demand of the wife and (mother in-law who is diabetic) . told its depression and stuck me on some anti-depressants, (the mother in-law has always said my "turns" are the same as hers when she is low) went back as i was still having the "turns" but really just shrugged off,
after a few months i had enough of that doctor and asked to see someone else,
after this appointment i was told no driving i may have a dodgy heart! shortening the story abit a year had passed had a internal heart monitor fitted which showed nothing, blood test ok apart from slightly high cholesterol, so got my license back and was happy although "funny turns" remain. cardiologist advised maybe have a head scan so off i trot for a MRI, found empty seller (oct 2012)
so towards end of January i start waking up 6 or more times in the night went on for a couple of weeks, so i go to see my paramedic friend who tests me i was at 26mhol and due to eat my dinner, advised me to go to hospital so i did,

after 2 drips of fluids, blood test, urine sample, a nurse came round tapped me on the back as if to say congratulations and said you have diabetes,

i was put on metformin 500mgx2 twice a day within a week it came down also cut out all the rubbish to lose weight which I lost around 1st maybe more. now having my own machine while testing my blood one day when i was having a "turn" it was 4.2 which ive had a few especially eating less ect, when i next went to see my diabetic nurse i told her and she just shrugged it off saying i just need to eat more regular (i already have 3 meals and 2 snacks) and told me not to take dextros as i wont pass out its nothing to worry about, but she told my in-law below 4 is on the floor.

yesterday I had my appointment with the neurologist who said my empty seller is ok bla bla bla told him my syptoms and that i have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, showed him my book and he seemed shocked to see so many 4.0, 4.2 and 3.8 and said metformin shouldn't make me go low (which i know) and that i need ask the endocrine (sorry for spelling) for tests???

im just getting very confused with it all and just want to feel "normal"
i suppose my main question is what do people think?
have you had any of the troubles?
should i keep seeing the same people or ask for someone else?

many thanks for reading i hope it makes sense and sorry if ive dribbled on,

kind regards Chris.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Chris and welcome to the forum

I hope this information which we give to new members should help to relieve some of your confusion. Ask all the questions you like 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 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.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You are right in saying Metformin doesn't normally cause hypos in itself. Although you have a meter you don't say what your typical readings are 2 hours after a meal? How were you diagnosed as a diabetic? Some people do have very wide blood sugar swings and it may be you have one of the more obscure diabetes variants. I think you need to keep a record of these wide swings and discuss them with the doc or endo. Do let us know your typical 2 hour reading. Meanwhile continue to spread out your eating to smooth any swings. BTW although 4 is taken as one 'floor' point for some people it may be near 2 or 3 but obviously if you start to feel hypo then do have something to eat.

 

[wchrisuk]

Hi. You are right in saying Metformin doesn't normally cause hypos in itself. Although you have a meter you don't say what your typical readings are 2 hours after a meal? How were you diagnosed as a diabetic? Some people do have very wide blood sugar swings and it may be you have one of the more obscure diabetes variants. I think you need to keep a record of these wide swings and discuss them with the doc or endo. Do let us know your typical 2 hour reading. Meanwhile continue to spread out your eating to smooth any swings. BTW although 4 is taken as one 'floor' point for some people it may be near 2 or 3 but obviously if you start to feel hypo then do have something to eat.

Hi Daibell, thanks for your reply. im only allowed to test 2 times a day and have to swap it about but as a rough idea 2 hours after is around 4 and 5.5 but when i was first diagnosed my first week was around 13-20 2 hours after eating.
i must say when i was diagnosed i changed my diet and also portion sizes maybe has helped bring sugars down also only drink water now as i was a pop and juice guy,
im due to see diabetic nurse on monday.

I was diagnosed when i kept waking in the night for a wee up to 6 times maybe more also dry mouth/throte and very thirsty after a couple of weeks of it i went to see my paramedic friend one afternoon who tested my bloods and was at 26, he told me to go to hospital where i had blood tests, urine samples ect, kent and canturbury hospital diagnosed me endo came round to see me gave me pills (metformin 500mgx2 twice daily) and told me see my doc and get appointment with diabetic nurse. seen her twice first time for machine and weight ect second visit to see how i was going, she seemed happy with my progress and my 4kilo weight loss i did in two weeks.

i have 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day sometimes more snacks if i feel strange, i try and eat now by the traffic light system in sainsburys i have no reds mainly greens and will have 1 or 2 orange segments also calorie counting i try to eat 1300 a day, maybe i have just cut out to much stuff now thats why i get more of these dips? but then again i use to get these "turns" when eating normally just not as many.

i was only tested 15 months ago and was all clear, only diabetics in my family is my dads mum (oral meds) and dads brother (insulin)

 

[wchrisuk]

Hi Chris and welcome to the forum

Hi Daisy1 thanks for reply.

 

[Daibell]

HI. Thanks for the info. Readings of 4 to 4.5 are quite low and it sounds like you are someone who does have wide swings. Weight reduction does seemed to have helped you a lot which is good news. I would continue as you are and watch out for the odd hypo. If your levels are regularly down in the 4 area you may even be able to increase your carbs a bit. There is a fairly rare form of diabetes called MODY which if I remember does involve high, unpredictable, swings. I would just continue to monitor your sugars and discuss with the nurse next time

 

[viviennem]

If you have been running high blood glucose for a while it's not unusual to get the feelings of a hypoglycaemic episode (a hypo) when your BGs start coming down to a level that would be okay for someone who has had good control of their BGs for some time.

Some of your earlier "funny turns" were probably episodes of hyperglycaemia (hypers) - unfortunately the symptoms of both are similar - sweating, light-headed, heart pounding and so on. There is good information on both hypos and hypers on this website.

The NICE guidelines for blood glucose levels for non-diabetics are as follows:

3.5 - 5.5 before meals/fasting;
less than 8, 2 hours after eating

Many "standard" Type 2s can achieve these levels by controlling their carbohydrate levels (I do most of the time). As Daibell says, there are variations of diabetes, and as your "funny turns" have been going on for so long, you would be wise to keep a close eye on your BGs, at least until things settle down.

Could you possibly explain to your GP or nurse that you want to self-manage your diabetes, and if you could have more test strips for a 3-month period it would help you to find out which foods you can safely eat and which you should avoid? Remind him/her that these "funny turns" have been going on since childhood, and you're anxious to get things right. Sometimes suggesting a limited period of more testing can get you the extra strips. Otherwise I'm afraid you might have to buy extras yourself - direct from the manufacturer, or via e-bay, are cheaper methods than at chemists.

NICE guidelines recommend that Type 2s who wish to self-manage should be given test strips and meters and educated in their use.

If you can only test twice a day, then I would recommend you test before and 2 hours after your main meal. For the rest of the day, avoid carbs or only eat small amount (eg a couple of oatcakes or Ryvitas instead of 2 slices of bread). Keep a daily food diary. The aim is to be around the same BG level 2 hours after eating as you were immediately before. If you're much higher at 2 hours, you've had far too many carbohydrates and need either to avoid that particular carb or eat very small quantities.

Keep a record of your readings with your food diary, and show both to your HCP at your next appointment.

"4 is the floor" is a general rule-of-thumb for the lowest your BGs should go. If you do go below 4, eat a couple of glucose tabs or drink a small amount of Lucozade. Test again after 15 minutes, and if you're over 4, eat something carby - a couple of oatcakes or a plain biscuit - to stabilise things. Eventually, if you are a standard Type 2, you may be able to cope with the 3s. I'm fine at 3.5.

I almost always have a 2-egg omelette for breakfast, and a salad for lunch. Make sure you eat enough protein - about 25% of the protein we eat is metabolised into glucose, very slowly, so eating protein gives you a small but steady intake of glucose. Carbs hit us much quicker, and the more refined they are, the quicker the hit and the faster the glucose spike. White bread, white rice and mashed potatoes, and of course sugar, are among the worst - also grapes, bananas and pineapple.

There's a lot to learn, I'm afraid - but you're among friends here. You can ask any questions you like and you'll always get an answer, even if some take more time than others.

Let us know how you get on

Viv 8)

PS since you are still so young, it is possible that you may really be a Type 1 whose pancreas is still producing some insulin - this is know as the "honeymoon" period. You can look this up on this site, too V

 

[wchrisuk]

Hi all thanks for replys, not looked for a while. Ive recently been called to the docs because of my urine sample and was asked to do twice more a week apart. Unfortunately they said I have protein my highest number was three point something. Now on ace inhibitor 2mg but have to keep going back for 3 months to keep eyes on me. Not completely sure what all this means :/ hoping it's nothing.

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