Advice please

Eliseanne

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello All

I live abroad and was diagnosed with T2 end November 2017. My HbA1C was 14.3. The figures used to measure blood sugar here are different - if anyone can convert I would be grateful! My doctor here prescribed Glucophage 850 once a day which she then increased to 2 Glucophage plus 10ml insulin Trebisa once every evening. Although I started to get fluttering feels in my heart when the dose was increased to 14ml this got much worse so I stopped the insulin and continued with 1 glucophage a day until I saw a doctor in the UK over Xmas. He has prescribed Glucophage increased now to 2 a day and then gradually to 3 a day. Now I notice that despite a strict diet and 30 minutes treadmill a day my readings of bs are going up instead of down! I am 66 years old and work full time. My weight is 59 kilos and am in good health otherwise. Any ideas why the readings should be going up? This morning it was 285 (again different scale used here). Grateful for any thoughts as to why - it is it just a matter of being patient? Anyone else had heart fluttering a when injecting insulin?
 

Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi @Eliseanne and welcome!

I’m tagging @daisy1 for an information pack.

Is it just the glucophage you are taking now? What diet are you following? That information should help people to give you better advice.
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome!

The different units used in different parts of the world are very confusing til we get out head around it.

This chart should help

https://goo.gl/images/1oPDJ9

You were given your hba1c as 14.3%
That is off the end of that particular graph, but don’t worry. Plenty of other graphs go much higher. You are not unusual. It is not uncommon for people to be diagnosed at v high levels, which then come down with the correct medication and (if appropriate) lifestyle changes.

I say ‘if appropriate’ because Type 2s often respond very well to dietary changes, while type 1’s first line of defence is insulin.

If you have a google for ‘hba1c conversion chart’ you will find several that allow you to change your finger prick testing units to uk mmol/l for ease of understanding. Although the quickest (rough and ready) way I know is to divide by 18. Which makes 180 of your units = 10mmol/l (approximately)

Hope that helps.
 
Last edited:

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Eliseanne

Hello Eliseanne and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and useful. Ask questions if you need to 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.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,653
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Glucophage (Metformin) doesn't have much effect on blood sugar but helps a little. If your bs is still going up then you need to suspect the possibility of being Late onset T1 and not T2 as your weight appears good. Discuss the two tests for that with the GP. It's unusual for insulin to cause any problems but again it seems like you need to discuss this as well. There is a drug called Gliclazide which many of us take or have taken that helps the pancreas produce more insulin. It can be used for a while before insulin is needed and can work quite well. Do discuss this with the GP as well