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Fed up - not for the first time

A

Anthea1948

Member
Just going to have a rant, sorry :-(
Last year I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and started on medication. I went through metformin (severe constipation and major weight gain), sitagliptin (major joint pain) and gliclazide (a month long headache). I came off all meds just before Christmas but eventually the diabetes nurse caught up with me again and started me back on metformin - slow release this time, but same symptoms as before (I put on 5 lbs in a fortnight, despite watching what I ate), Then came the insulin, at which point I discovered I have a total aversion to sticking a needle in myself and my husband didn't fare much better. Plus there were a couple of nasty hypos. I'm now back on the gliclazide and the headaches back with a vengeance. I'm now taking it twice a day as she wasn't happy with the fasting readings which were all under 7 and often under 6. They're now regularly under 5 but I've had a couple of hypos.
I also have rheumatoid disease, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, and various other health issues. Don't get me wrong, I'm not contemplating suicide, but I really am at the point where I have no quality of life at the moment. Oh, and I should add, the diabetes nurse is scary!
Any ideas what my next step should be?
 
Sorry to hear about your problems. Can I ask what food you are eating? A days diet so we know what can be tweaked. And do you have a meter.
 
Basically toast and fruit for breakfast; probably a sandwich for lunch and then a cooked dinner in the evening, usually quorn plus veg with some potatoes. I've always tried to eat a balanced diet but can't give up all sugar - it's back to the 'quality of life' thing, but that's only in coffee. We don't generally have sweet things in our meals and I seldom eat cakes or biscuits.
 
You deserve better than all that pain and despair so why not give the low-carb-full-fat programme a try? Seems to me you haven't anything to lose. Except toast, fruit, sandwiches, potatoes, sugar .... in exchange for a much better life.
I can't find in any of your posts that you've seen @daisy1's great guide to managing your diabetes so I'll ask her to add it here. Sorry if you've had it already. It gives you lots to think about.
 
I should probably add that since being on meds I have some diabetes symptoms (needing the loo more, especially at night, drinking more and feeling tired). I don't have these symptoms when not on the meds!
 
I'm only a diabetic, not a doctor so I can't comment but it does seem to happen quite a lot that a cocktail of meds can do more harm than good. Even my GP agrees with that.
 
You may find the following info interesting. It outlines the benefits, side effects and risks of the drugs and insulin therapy used in diabetes. There is also more detailed info on each drug if you use the search function on the website.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/17977284.php

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15478720.php

I've found a low carb diet very helpful but if I needed meds other than metformin I think I'd rather try insulin. But everyone is different and that's ok.
 
@Anthea1948

Hello Anthea and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. It contains a lot of information about carbs and by cutting these down it will help you to obtain and maintain lower levels. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.
 
Hi anthrea, before I was diagnosed I couldn't lose one ounce, go LCHF! Never hungry and the weight will drop off, I'm on 1500 met daily. Go on this lifestyle. Don't give up, we are all here for each other x
 
After my last visit virtually all my readings were under 8 (there were a couple that were over 8 but under 9 over a period of several months - and at least half were under 7) but the diabetes nurse still insisted on doubling my dose of gliclazide. And I'm slightly concerned about the low carb diet, will it cause more hypos?
Thanks, everyone.
 
Anthea1948 said:
After my last visit virtually all my readings were under 8 (there were a couple that were over 8 but under 9 over a period of several months - and at least half were under 7) but the diabetes nurse still insisted on doubling my dose of gliclazide. And I'm slightly concerned about the low carb diet, will it cause more hypos?
Thanks, everyone.
Click to expand...
If you get hypos, they are probably due to the gliclazide, not the low carb diet. I would say for the average T2 diabetic who is not on meds, even a very low carb diet will still ensure there are enough carbs chugging along in the background that hypos are rare, if they happen at all. Protein can turn into glucose in the body too.
 
CatLadyNZ said:
If you get hypos, they are probably due to the gliclazide, not the low carb diet. I would say for the average T2 diabetic who is not on meds, even a very low carb diet will still ensure there are enough carbs chugging along in the background that hypos are rare, if they happen at all. Protein can turn into glucose in the body too.
Click to expand...
Oh, yes, I accept that it's the gliclazide doing it. Hmm, might try coming off the meds and drastically changing my diet then ...
 
Anthea1948 said:
Oh, yes, I accept that it's the gliclazide doing it. Hmm, might try coming off the meds and drastically changing my diet then ...
Click to expand...
It's always a good idea to discuss with your doctor/nurse before coming off meds. They might disagree with what you want do, but it's your decision.

I can recommend low carbing as it has worked really well for me.
 
Anthea1948 said:
After my last visit virtually all my readings were under 8 (there were a couple that were over 8 but under 9 over a period of several months - and at least half were under 7) but the diabetes nurse still insisted on doubling my dose of gliclazide. And I'm slightly concerned about the low carb diet, will it cause more hypos?
Thanks, everyone.
Click to expand...
As you have other medical issues besides T2 then you really need to talk to your doctor first...not the nurse...about changing your diet and coming off the meds that you have problems with to see if that will be suitable for you as having other medical conditions can have a bearing on what you can do
 
Pinkorchid said:
As you have other medical issues besides T2 then you really need to talk to your doctor first...not the nurse...about changing your diet and coming off the meds that you have problems with to see if that will be suitable for you as having other medical conditions can have a bearing on what you can do
Click to expand...
This is good advice. I'd forgotten that the OP has complex medical issues, which really call for a doctor making the decisions, not a nurse. Nurses are great, but in this situation a doctor has more training that is more appropriate to the issue at hand.
 
Pinkorchid said:
As you have other medical issues besides T2 then you really need to talk to your doctor first...not the nurse...about changing your diet and coming off the meds that you have problems with to see if that will be suitable for you as having other medical conditions can have a bearing on what you can do
Click to expand...
I'm inclined to agree with you, and I am seeing my gp tomorrow, but I suspect she will just refer me to the diabetes nurse again :-( And I'm not good at standing up for myself unfortunately.
 
It is your life and your illnesses. If you want to try diet control then tell them that, they cannot force you to take any medication, it is as simple as that. All they do is record that on your notes....... go on, empower yourself and go in there and tell them what YOU want to do given your situation at this time. Then arm yourself with tons of info on low carbing, join Pinterest and find all the brill recipes and with a bit of luck, the meds won't be needed. Good luck.

Ali
 
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