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Diagnosed with type 2 today
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<blockquote data-quote="BarbaraG" data-source="post: 1391337" data-attributes="member: 47277"><p>The tablet you're on is one which pushes the pancreas to make more insulin. There is a school of thought that all that does is accelerate the burnout of your beta cells, which means that some years down the line you will have even less insulin-making capacity and will be more likely to require insulin injections. By contrast, another drug called metformin makes you more sensitive to the insulin you do make, so if anything it preserves your capacity to make insulin. It also tends to be weight neutral or encourage weight loss, while the one you've been given promoted weight gain. That's because insulin is the fat-storage hormone. More insulin, more fat storage. Less insulin, less fat storage. How do we reduce insulin? By eating less of the things which stimulate its secretion.</p><p></p><p></p><p>However, it is stronger in the short run for getting glucose levels down, so it may be that your GP is only planning to use it for a few months and then switch you to metformin. That would be a good strategy.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>I'm sure she did... it's just that I disagree with that policy ;-)</p><p></p><p>I moved house in July, a few weeks after starting LCHF to try to lose some weight (I was over 20 stone) and better control my diabetes. Because I had lost a lot of weight some years ago I had been taken off my diabetes medications and was no longer prescribed test strips. So when I rolled up at the new surgery for review with an HbA1C of 62 and asked for test strips, I was told it was not policy to prescribe them unless there was a risk of hypos, which there isn't with metformin. But I could buy my own if I wanted to.</p><p></p><p>So I did - and went back 3 months later with an HbA1C of 40, which is NORMAL. My fasting glucose - the thing that yours was 27 and should be 7 - went from high 7's into the 5's and by that stage I had lost over 3 stone (I've now lost 4 stone and blood glucose is in the normal range almost all the time)</p><p></p><p>The nurse was absolutely ecstatic, told me I had reversed my diabetes and to carry on. But also told me not to test obsessively, since "we are keeping an eye on you".</p><p></p><p>Well, I'm sorry, but an HbA1C test every 6 months - which is what will happen once you reach what they consider reasonable control - will not help you to work out what this food rather than that food is doing to you. It may be you can cope with 2 slices of bread at breakfast.... but if you test and see your BG shoot up to 15, you might decide that one slice, or half a slice, or none at all, is preferable. HbA1C won't tell you that.</p><p></p><p>Testing gives YOU the information to make the decisions which will affect the health of YOUR body.</p><p></p><p>I'll shut up now.... it can be confusing, that's for sure, but we will try to make it less so. Be aware that one source of confusion is disagreement about the best way of treating T2D - the official recommendation from the NHS tells us to base meals and snacks on starchy Carbohydrate. People who do the opposite have better glucose levels, better lipids, lower blood pressure, weigh less, and take less medication.</p><p></p><p>I've had T2 for 19 years. The periods of best control correspond to the periods of most frequent testing. Funny, that.</p></blockquote><p>[/QUOTE]</p>
[QUOTE="BarbaraG, post: 1391337, member: 47277"] The tablet you're on is one which pushes the pancreas to make more insulin. There is a school of thought that all that does is accelerate the burnout of your beta cells, which means that some years down the line you will have even less insulin-making capacity and will be more likely to require insulin injections. By contrast, another drug called metformin makes you more sensitive to the insulin you do make, so if anything it preserves your capacity to make insulin. It also tends to be weight neutral or encourage weight loss, while the one you've been given promoted weight gain. That's because insulin is the fat-storage hormone. More insulin, more fat storage. Less insulin, less fat storage. How do we reduce insulin? By eating less of the things which stimulate its secretion. However, it is stronger in the short run for getting glucose levels down, so it may be that your GP is only planning to use it for a few months and then switch you to metformin. That would be a good strategy. I'm sure she did... it's just that I disagree with that policy ;-) I moved house in July, a few weeks after starting LCHF to try to lose some weight (I was over 20 stone) and better control my diabetes. Because I had lost a lot of weight some years ago I had been taken off my diabetes medications and was no longer prescribed test strips. So when I rolled up at the new surgery for review with an HbA1C of 62 and asked for test strips, I was told it was not policy to prescribe them unless there was a risk of hypos, which there isn't with metformin. But I could buy my own if I wanted to. So I did - and went back 3 months later with an HbA1C of 40, which is NORMAL. My fasting glucose - the thing that yours was 27 and should be 7 - went from high 7's into the 5's and by that stage I had lost over 3 stone (I've now lost 4 stone and blood glucose is in the normal range almost all the time) The nurse was absolutely ecstatic, told me I had reversed my diabetes and to carry on. But also told me not to test obsessively, since "we are keeping an eye on you". Well, I'm sorry, but an HbA1C test every 6 months - which is what will happen once you reach what they consider reasonable control - will not help you to work out what this food rather than that food is doing to you. It may be you can cope with 2 slices of bread at breakfast.... but if you test and see your BG shoot up to 15, you might decide that one slice, or half a slice, or none at all, is preferable. HbA1C won't tell you that. Testing gives YOU the information to make the decisions which will affect the health of YOUR body. I'll shut up now.... it can be confusing, that's for sure, but we will try to make it less so. Be aware that one source of confusion is disagreement about the best way of treating T2D - the official recommendation from the NHS tells us to base meals and snacks on starchy Carbohydrate. People who do the opposite have better glucose levels, better lipids, lower blood pressure, weigh less, and take less medication. I've had T2 for 19 years. The periods of best control correspond to the periods of most frequent testing. Funny, that. [/QUOTE] [/QUOTE]
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