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diagnosed last Wednesday

L

ll1000

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After about five years hovering just below HbA1c of 48 and being careful with diet, I have just had a 3rd consecutive result of 48 - 49, so was diagnosed Type 2 and put on metformin last wednesday. I was given diastix to test urine first thing in the morning. Every test has been negative so far. What does this mean? how does it relate to blood sugar or HbA1c? I have no symptoms and only started feeling unwell when I started metformin. Nausea, diarrhoea, headache, stomach ache, muscle aches and pains, tiredness, always feeling cold.
 
Welcome to the board :)

I'm afraid that I can't really help you as I have no experience at all with Metformin. I am sure that someone far more knowledgeable than me will be along in a bit to offer their advice.

I can tell you though that you find lots of great information and advice here.
 
ll1000 said:
After about five years hovering just below HbA1c of 48 and being careful with diet, I have just had a 3rd consecutive result of 48 - 49, so was diagnosed Type 2 and put on metformin last wednesday. I was given diastix to test urine first thing in the morning. Every test has been negative so far. What does this mean? how does it relate to blood sugar or HbA1c? I have no symptoms and only started feeling unwell when I started metformin. Nausea, diarrhoea, headache, stomach ache, muscle aches and pains, tiredness, always feeling cold.
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Hi, welcome. I am on Metformin I take 1 a day, only side effect I get is frequent trips to the loo with slightly loose bowel, kinda clockwork each day at the same time.
 
Hi II1000 and welcome to the forum :)
I too had some bad effects from Metformin (diarrhea and bad stomach cramps), but after a little while they went. They then came back when my dosage was increased. Give it a while then if you still feel unwell consult your doctor or DN. There is an alternative version of Metformin - Metformin SR - which may give you less side effects. Other members will be along soon to share their experiences with Metformin with you.

Here is some information we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. If you have more questions just ask as there is always someone here to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS


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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
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Thank you all for your replies. I have only been given the urine test sticks which have all been negative so far. But I don't know what that means in terms of Hba1c. I was told I need to get that below 48. But people are quoting levels much lower than that for blood glucose. Isn't that the same as HbA1c? Unfortunately I had the last appointment on wednesday with the practice nurse and she was already overunning so I just got the prescription and an info pack on diet. No chance really to ask questions. I was a bit shocked as well to go straight on medication.
 
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