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Confused and disillusioned

In families there is generally one person that is the "food provider".. Ie does shopping, thinks of food for the week etc.. As this appears to be you, then it should be easier for you to "adjust" the food on the plates..
Admire your concern and strength, by the way..


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I agree with DD, we can only eat what we have in front of us. So, dont buy the types of food that taste great but dont do bg levels a lot of good. Start looking at the carb content on the nutrition labels of food.
Its true to say in some respects......that ignorance is bliss meaning what you dont know about, you dont worry about, but where bg testing and type 2 diabetes is concerned, just swallowing tablets and carrying on with the same diet that was used leading up to the diagnosis, is not the thing to do as many type 2s then find that they need more tablets (some with side effects) and unfortunately, many go on to need insulin injections.

Although GPs have been advised by CCGs to refrain from issueing type 2s with bg meters and test strips due to the soaring cost of the strips themselves, testing bg levels and modifying the diet will help no end for a few months. Doesnt need to be indefinitely though.....just for a while. Quite a lot of type 2s are using the SD Codefree meter and buying the strips themselves as they are not expensive. But of course, your husband needs to be ok with using it.


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Hi just wanted to add some (hopefully) helpful information as I have used glicazide in the past. I was prescribed it with metformin as my sugars were high (as I ate everything in sight when giving up smoking).

Once I got myself together after this, I realised the glicazide was making things worse as I was suffering hypos on an almost daily basis and hypos make me eat sugar to counteract them. I came off them without telling my doc after researching them re the weight gain they cause and immediately lost half a stone! I also continued to lose weight as I wasn't having to eat up to my medication.

Obviously I wouldn't recommend your hubby coming off his meds without the GP knowing as it is his only diabetes medication. But, as stated above, he should be prescribed testing strips if they want him to stay on this medication.

Have you considered asking for him to be managed by the hospital if you are unhappy with your GP's attitude/skills/approach?

I think its great that you have continued to fight for him and yourself. I know I wouldn't be doing so well without the support of my mom who is also diabetic and unwilling to just accept what the doctor says!

Good luck

PS: Q10 is definitely necessary with statins. You could try adding vitamin D and chromium
 
volorg said:
Hi just wanted to add some (hopefully) helpful information as I have used glicazide in the past. I was prescribed it with metformin as my sugars were high (as I ate everything in sight when giving up smoking).

Once I got myself together after this, I realised the glicazide was making things worse as I was suffering hypos on an almost daily basis and hypos make me eat sugar to counteract them. I came off them without telling my doc after researching them re the weight gain they cause and immediately lost half a stone! I also continued to lose weight as I wasn't having to eat up to my medication.

Obviously I wouldn't recommend your hubby coming off his meds without the GP knowing as it is his only diabetes medication. But, as stated above, he should be prescribed testing strips if they want him to stay on this medication.

Have you considered asking for him to be managed by the hospital if you are unhappy with your GP's attitude/skills/approach?

I think its great that you have continued to fight for him and yourself. I know I wouldn't be doing so well without the support of my mom who is also diabetic and unwilling to just accept what the doctor says!

Good luck

PS: Q10 is definitely necessary with statins. You could try adding vitamin D and chromium
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Dear Danielt,
It is fantastic that you are so supportive of your husband and are doing all that you can to help him, however the key to controlling Diabetes T2 is taking ownership of your condition and only your husband can do this. Unfortunately he is now diabetic and the diabetes is happening to him! Whilst your doctor is prescribing various drugs, In conjunction with food your husband needs to understand what those drugs do to his blood sugar levels, your doctor is just plain wrong! your husband needs to test to get the feedback he needs in order to change what he does and eats etc. Simply taking a tablet or a few tablets doesn't make the condition go away!

I am T2 now with complete control (2yrs in), however my story is similar certainly for the first few months I didn't know where to turn or what to do and had some very conflicting advice from the medical community. I learnt more from this forum and website from fellow sufferers than I could hope to get from my doctor.

When diagnosed my BG was around 24 and I was immediately put on Glicklazide and Metformin and following some research I went and got a meter. I then started testing morning on waking and then before and then two hours after meals. At the same time I reduced carbs and cut out bread/wheat completely for a while and over a three month period my blood sugar came down to almost normal but it took time and commitment.

He should start testing and keeping a note of Blood Sugar keeping a food diary at the same time, a low GI diet has been good for me. At this early stage don't let the sugar levels worry you just look for patterns and make decisions on foods that have a negative effect and you should see a gradual improvement don't expect it to happen overnight. Also try and change one thing at a time so that you don't confuse the results but definitely don't eat white bread its the food of the devil!

I guess it seems too much to take in at the moment, but keep fighting I know you will get there like a lot of us have.

Keep up the good work
 
Kesun..
This is 80% of men I'm sure....Women don't give a hoot generally about going to gp for examinations of any kind... Men, well mine is a pain in bum for sure, and others I know..

That's why men die a tad younger than us on the average age score I'm sure...


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It's also worth pointing out that you can request a copy of any tests conducted by your doctor - and you don't have to make an appt to do so. Just ask for a copy of them from the receptionist.

Then you can trundle home and use our trusty friend Google to check that there isn't anything else accidentally not mentioned by doctor...

In your situation, I would want to know about the urine test, and you can find out a lot more by yourself than in 10 mins GP appt...
 
And as of April 2015 test results from gp's should be available on line...providing you are registerd as an online patient.. Some practice have this now..


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Thank you everyone for your help. Am adjusting our diet from today onwards as have been away clearing my mums house 300 miles away and so have lived not so healthily the last 48 hours as well as all three of us sleeping on the floor as all furniture sold, my mum at 83 has been so good with it all and we did say we would put her in a hotel for the night..but a trooper she was on the floor too! Someone said it was character building......have come back feeling as if I have tried to kill us all off with what we had..snack stuff rather than anything proper of note. I have a really bad toxic head which is a reaction to recent food so I know diet is so crucial.

So back to the subject matter...diet is a crucial part of this so my immediate plan is to control the bit I can (diet) and then progress to the med part of it once I know the diet bit is working. I also have the strips and meter to hand...

Wish me luck! And everyone thanks again, I should have posted earlier. Coming on here is like therapy....I feel now as if I can move it forward again. :-)
 
@danielt
Have just gone through clearing my mum's house @ 250 miles away so know the strain.
Not been on Metformin due to kidneys but gone from bolus & basal insulin to gliclazide to diet & Exercise by going low carb so it can be done:cool:
Trick is not to tell HCPs you are low carbing, rather you are on a controlled carbohydrate diet! (I always said that i was eating "plenty of starchy carbohydrates", just that for me zero was plenty:rolleyes:)
 
danielt said:
So back to the subject matter...diet is a crucial part of this so my immediate plan is to control the bit I can (diet) and then progress to the med part of it once I know the diet bit is working. I also have the strips and meter to hand...

Wish me luck! And everyone thanks again, I should have posted earlier. Coming on here is like therapy....I feel now as if I can move it forward again. :)
Click to expand...

Have just discovered your thread on the forum ......sounds like we are both in the same boat.....is good to know there are other people out there in the same situation as myself :)

Agree totally with your comment about "coming on here is like therapy"
 
danielt said:
Sorry this is a bit long...

Husband was on metformin but had strange muscle cramps so was changed to glicazide but is overweight so I am confused and not a medic I know but I read that this drug isn't good for the more rotund of us...

Also had blood tests but no mention of kidney problems until returned with metformin issues and then it was a oh yes hmm you have protein leaking... So now on ramipril now changed to another because of cough.

I went in and queried the statins but was told firmly 40mg is the standard and shown a graph that shows cholesterol has reduced so maybe they hare ok? I Give him coenzQ10 so hope that helps. Asked about testing told not needed so didn't dare question the glicazide they think my names is Mrs I N Terference already!

. Again discussed testing ad Dr said don't test but different doc who changed the ramipril asked if he tests he said no because was told not to and then the subject was changed and nothing more said perhaps toeing the party line...?

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. I feel like I have lost the plot and now can't work out if it should low sugar low calorie or LCHF or Harcombe or .which diet.

I am so confused as to the best diet...am reducing carbs and I am sure it's helping but without a test how can I be sure..also stopped crisps and replaced with nuts and now find cashews are high carb ...please can someone help me see the wheat from the chaff.... Oops no not wheat... Wood from trees!!!! Less carbs!!!

Joking aside I am really struggling for clarity... Sorry for the incoherent ramble
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Only just seen this thread.

I was put on metformin on diagnosis last November. My first HbA1c was 115. By may I had it down to 35. My 3 x 500 metformin has gradually reduced since February and now I am medication free. I was one of the lucky ones and didn't have problems with tummy upsets on metformin.

How did I manage to become medication free? Low carb high fat diet, portion/ calorie control with the help of the myfitnesspal , exercise with the mapmywalk app which syncs with myfitnesspal. And, above all else TEST, TEST and TEST again.

The doctor wants his patient to reduce HbA1c number. The only real way to know if your managing this between HbA1c tests is to test yourself. This will help find out which foods raise and which are ok. It's that simple. If the HbA1c lowers you can leave your doctor in ignorant bliss, although I would be tempted to tell him how it was done, otherwise he will never learn.

I don't know your husband's BG levels but I put my results here to illustrate that even a high level can be reduced. If your husband can do the same and become medication free he won't need to worry about side effects.

Good luck!




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volorg said:
Hi just wanted to add some (hopefully) helpful information as I have used glicazide in the past. I was prescribed it with metformin as my sugars were high (as I ate everything in sight when giving up smoking).

Once I got myself together after this, I realised the glicazide was making things worse as I was suffering hypos on an almost daily basis and hypos make me eat sugar to counteract them. I came off them without telling my doc after researching them re the weight gain they cause and immediately lost half a stone! I also continued to lose weight as I wasn't having to eat up to my medication.
Click to expand...

@volorg, if you don't mind me asking what dose of gliclazide were you on. My reason for asking is that my partner has had his dose increased to the maximum dosage of 320mg per day (he was on 160mg per day but dose was doubled at appointment on Friday); he is also on the maximum dosage of Metformin (2000mg per day)

Am a bit worried about the potential for hypos as he doesn't take care of what he is eating and refuses / doesn't see the point of testing.
 
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Waking readings have been 10-11this week again intermittent testing . Have put all food into fitnesspal and averaging 150 carbs circa 1600 cals
He has a blood test shortly not sure what for but hope to see GP at follow up
These readings are higher than when he was on metformin (intermittent morning testing...were sometimes as low as 7)
Now wondering if he needs further med intervention and even lower carbs..
Big sigh :-(
He has just changed jobs and has been a bit stressed so trying not to chase him round the house with the meter too much!!!!
 
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