Confused and disillusioned

I know you are worried but there isn't much you can do, hubby's a grown man, it's for him to manage or not manage as he will.when he sees it as a problem, he will do something about it. nagging will make it worse and he'll dig his heels in.

Firstly, metformin and gliclazide are completely different drugs with different actions, your husband would not or should not have been swapped for the other. Also, it doesn't matter if you are "rotund" or not. You are doing the right thing by reducing carbs. It can get confusing when you replace crisps with nuts as some nuts are still fairly high carb but just eat less. The best advice is to try to encourage your husband to test regularly. That way he can see how certain foods affect him. Experiment with various low carb foods and see how his blood glucose levels react. Ideally, test before and 2 hours after a meal. You should be looking to see a rise of no more than 2 or 3 mmol between before meal reading and 2 hour post meal reading. If there is anything else specific you want to ask, please do. Tell him not to give up though, control is the best way to avoid long term complications.

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Don't give up .. My wife sorted out my food and testing at it worked well for me

No, don't give up. Your husband is lucky to have you pushing him to get control.

Get a meter, don't tell your doctor. He doesn't need to know. Once you get one (and test yourself in front of your hubby) your hubby's curiosity will get the better of him. How else can you know if the food he is eating is good or bad for him. Diabetes diets aren't an exact science because we all react differently to the same foods, so we can't make a list of "never eat", "always eat" or "sometimes eat". Its impossible.

I can't advise on the drugs, I'm not a medic. All I know from this forum is that Metformin is a good safe drug. It does make a lot of people have tummy issues but only at the beginning. These go quite quickly with most folk. I also know that Statins give you muscle pain, not Metformin. I know nothing of Glicazide.

Ask any questions you like, and keep up the good work.

The GP can't force you or anyone not to test. It's your husband's body not his. Ignore him and get a meter.

As you are finding, you have to read up and do what you think is best. The people I know who are not controlling their blood sugars are totally dependent on the advice of their DSN.
Have to agree with previous post even if it means paying for own meter - use one, it does help. You can actually see the results of certain foods and portion sizes. My doctor actually told me not to test - absolute rubbish advice. In the next breath she said she wasn't an expert on diabetes!
Statins - you don't have to take them. My cholesterol went up initially after low carbing (but HDL ratio is now up too) , losing weight and exercising (just walking more). My opinion is you need a bit of cholesterol to keep the brain working properly. The research I have seen on lowering cholesterol isn't impressive in terms of how many lives are actually saved. When I read up on side effects, my worry was that symptoms remained even after pills were stopped.
I didn't even start on the Met as I decided to lose weight. It makes little difference to BS anyway.
Glicazide - from what I have read, it works by increasing the amount of insulin you produce but why do that if too much insulin was the problem in the first place? It shouldn't be given if you are overweight and is only recommended if diet control is not helping (and that doesn't mean if you are still overeating.)
Three years down the line, for me 'low carb/ high' fat works. I feel full due to the fat. I lost weight because less starch and sugar meant less calories. It is easy to stick to - I don't feel deprived. I don't get the cravings I used to get when eating carbs. Basically a 'diet' should reduce portion sizes AND reduce amount of carbs.
If you are worrying about carbs (or fat/calories) in nuts, the latest research says we absorb very littel as we don't chew and it all passes through anyway.
My diabetes nurse says I am a shining example of BS control but the sad thing is I have largely ignored the recommended NHS advice apart from losing weight. The NHS knows people don't lose weight and then the next course of action is pills and more pills to counteract the side effects.

they think my names is Mrs I N Terference alread
I feel as if I am banging my head against a brick wall and now he is reluctant more than ever to test because they are the professionals and can't be wrong and it's me being over panic stricken.

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sorry I was mistaken.it's just that he doesn't seem concerned as you are.
It may have taken 2 weeks for the statin to settle? metformin and muscle ache isn't common and I would suggest your hubby asks the Dr to try them again for a month and see after that time if there are any side effects left. They are a good drug if tolerated and it will work with the glicazide if it's still required

All I can say backs up what others have said, get a meter and test, it does no harm to test really, the main concern seems to be that you might get worried by the readings, and it can do a lot of good.

I have only been testing for 2 weeks and I am still learning what I can and shouldn't eat, and some of the finding have been quite a surprise.

I am starting to think that ignorance is bliss when it comes to seeing the nurse, and let her make the decisions on what the clinical results say and not admit to testing myself. I'm only on Metformin and the ubiquitous statins, but they aren't really giving me a problem and hopefully with my own control I can get my blood and cholesteral levels down enough that they will eventually take me off the tablets.

Testing is also proving useful to keep me off the snacks, when I can see it is highish 2 hours after the meal then it help me decide I don't need a snack to put it up further, which is helping with the weight loss as well.

Good luck to both of you, my only regret has been I didn't make the decision to test years ago when first diagnoses as borderline diabetic.

If your husband is on gliclazide then he should be testing anyway -- he is legally required to test before driving if he is on an insulin-stimulating drug. Check the DVLA website, print out details and present to the GP.

desidiabulum, well done, everyone else including the Dr missed that. he is subject to hypo's with that drug

desidiabulum said:

If your husband is on gliclazide then he should be testing anyway -- he is legally required to test before driving if he is on an insulin-stimulating drug. Check the DVLA website, print out details and present to the GP.

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Unfortunately this only applies to those with a Group 2 license. For normal car license, there is no law to test unless on insulin. Not saying I agree with it, but that is the law. However, I still think testing is a must.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Document...riving-diabetes-professional-guidance0212.pdf

Mo, you would be right about driving a car but being a drug that can induce hypo's, under the diabetic health guide that the dr's are instructed to follow, he should be given free strips and meter and advised to test by the doctor

jack412 said:

Mo, you would be right about driving a car but being a drug that can induce hypo's, under the diabetic health guide that the dr's are instructed to follow, he should be given free strips and meter and advised to test by the doctor

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I agree Jack, he should but LEGALLY, there is no actual requirement to test. That's the difference. Yes, certainly advised but it's not law. It is law however to test if you drive lorries or are on insulin.

mo1905,
sorry I wasn't clear..fair enough the driving, but driving aside and left out of it. just daily life, being on a drug that can cause hypo's should be given strips under the guidelines and the dr should be giving then and advising him to test at least morning and before tea

jack412 said:

mo1905,
sorry I wasn't clear..fair enough the driving, but driving aside and left out of it. just daily life, being on a drug that can cause hypo's should be given strips under the guidelines and the dr should be giving then and advising him to test at least morning and before tea

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Totally agree Jack, he should, and most do. I was only trying to prevent someone going to a doc and demanding them by law rather that stating their case positively and "persuading" a doc to prescribe them. Anyway, I don't think OP is being denied strips, he just refuses to test. For what it's worth, I think any BG lowering drug should fall under the same rules as insulin users and make it law. This would prevent having to beg for strips but we have had quite a few threads similar to this and it seemed the majority would rather not fall into the DVLA license restriction trap. I would like to think the vast majority of those on these meds get strips. Maybe this would be a good idea for another thread, how many diabetics on BG lowering drugs ( not insulin ) do not receive test strips ? It would be interesting. Anyway, maybe a little "white lie" to her husband stating he must test prior to driving may not be a bad idea ;-)

Unfortunately, a lot of men don't like going to a GP.. But when they do, they see GP advice as correct and not to be discarded....

Over years of wrangles with my advice I have received my elderly parents and my hubby see that GP's knowledge is just generalised learning of medicine..diabetic nurses can be also too nhs restricted to take off their blinkers... My close relatives do not ever just accept health advice now....it may take a while to change your hubbys views of nhs staff. Yes, they do think they are looking after their Patients (shipman got caught), but in time limitations, budgetary costs, NICE guidelines etc genuine care can be misguided.

I admire you for finding the forum and posting, and am sure that you will find your way to get better care...


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