I am new to this Forum and have been avidly reading the posts and learning a lot. I have some questions I can't immediately find the answer to and would be grateful for any guidance.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2003, and managed to control by diet up until this year. After not going to see the practice nurse for 9 months, not testing, and working away from home I suddenly started getting pains in my legs and feet. I booked an appointment at the surgery and bough my self some testing strips. My first reading was 10.2 mmo/l. I improved my diet and got put on metformin tablets. Since then I have been low carbing. I am 6 feet tall and my weight has dropped from 14st7 to 12st2.
I have some red marks on my feet, the nurse has inspected them, and I get some small pains but less than I did. I am 62. My readings are now highly variable from a low of 4.7 upto about 7.8 mostly around 6.0 mmo/l. There is a family history of late onset diabetes, my father got in his late 50s so did some of his siblings; some had amputations. Although my readings are better I find it very difficult to control and understand why sometimes they are high and sometimes lower, even with the same pattern of eating.
I believe the only way to avoid some nasty complications (given my family hsistory) is to have really tight control, more than I have now. I think it is hard to do much more with my diet, I am finding it difficult to keep weight on with a strict low carb diet.
So my questions: Are there any other meds I should be asking for? Can I have insulin to take with meals? Are there specialists I can see (my surgery is OK, but not what I would call cutting edge)?
Thanks in advance
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2003, and managed to control by diet up until this year. After not going to see the practice nurse for 9 months, not testing, and working away from home I suddenly started getting pains in my legs and feet. I booked an appointment at the surgery and bough my self some testing strips. My first reading was 10.2 mmo/l. I improved my diet and got put on metformin tablets. Since then I have been low carbing. I am 6 feet tall and my weight has dropped from 14st7 to 12st2.
I have some red marks on my feet, the nurse has inspected them, and I get some small pains but less than I did. I am 62. My readings are now highly variable from a low of 4.7 upto about 7.8 mostly around 6.0 mmo/l. There is a family history of late onset diabetes, my father got in his late 50s so did some of his siblings; some had amputations. Although my readings are better I find it very difficult to control and understand why sometimes they are high and sometimes lower, even with the same pattern of eating.
I believe the only way to avoid some nasty complications (given my family hsistory) is to have really tight control, more than I have now. I think it is hard to do much more with my diet, I am finding it difficult to keep weight on with a strict low carb diet.
So my questions: Are there any other meds I should be asking for? Can I have insulin to take with meals? Are there specialists I can see (my surgery is OK, but not what I would call cutting edge)?
Thanks in advance