Finally had my first appointment

Hello I can’t comment much but if you are prescribed gliclazide then your GP should provide you with a meter and test strips because it is a blood glucose lowering medication and hypos can happen. So keep some jelly babies near by.

Oh dear - Gliclazide is an active glucose lowering medication - if prescribed then you need a meter - you are obviously quite high in the diabetes range, but Gliclazide can cause hypos, and you are not legally able to drive if you do not know you are safe to drive. Neither is your insurance valid, IIRC. In a work environment you probably should not operate machinery - just in case.

It should not be down to co workers to look for signs of low glucose.

Rowsie said:

So been to the doctors and they have confirmed type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. She’s advised me to change me diet and given me meds. I’ve got Metformin once a day for a week, then twice a day in week 2 and from then three times a day. Also got Gliclazide one a day for 7 days.
She wasn’t concerned about my blood sugar being high in the morning (15-18) and said it was due to me eating my main meal at night. No mention of exercise . Just to avoid carbs as much as I can. Been told to look it all up online.
Not feeling overwhelmed with support from them. Mentioned I’ve been testing my sugar levels and was told they don’t supply any of that.
Good thing for forums

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They should supply a meter and strips if you are on Gliclazide as there is a danger that your BS will go too low. Did she also prescribe statins as these can increase your BS - sometimes quite significantly?

Hi Rowsie
I'm sorry that you are finding things confusing. The best thing you've done is get yourself a meter. By recording your BG before and two hours after eating you will find what affects your BG and by how much. Make a copy of the results to take to your next appointment. You could well see a dramatic drop in BG, I did. Luckily I have a very clued up GP who told me to do this and because I do I can prove to other medical persons that I'm taking control and do not need my Metformin increasing.
There is somewhere on this site sorry I haven't got a link with a proforma letter to give to your GP explaining how you should be given at least free test strips and lancets even if you've saved the NHS by buying your own meter.
It's a good idea to let people around you that you might hypo, my beloved and my dog can always tell before me if I've very low BG. It's also good to spread the message of LCHF to family and colleagues.
I was very confused when I was first diagnosed almost four years ago, I follow LCHF 95% of the time but I've always found the forums supportive and plenty of help.
See how you go for a week or so, if your BG goes down its worth taking your results into your GP to see if you really do need your Metformin increased. I'm not a medical or scientific person but when my GP was on paternity leave one of the other partners wanted to increase it but I showed him what I was doing and he agreed to wait and see and I've never had it increased.
Good luck, please let us know how you are getting on and if I can help I shall.

You're welcome

Sorry if I was a bit flippant - I really am rather shocked at how powerful medication is handed out without much regard for the safety of those taking it.
Were you asked or warned about St John's wart and alcohol being inadvisable combinations with Gliclazide?

I have IBS so I couldn't tell if it was side effects or not, but they do settle down. Fantastic results for your BG and it will continue. I don't very low carb somewhere between 60 and 100 grams a day depending on how I am and what I fancy but in almost four years I've lost almost 8 stone, the first year was three stone, second and third two and one so far this year, anniversary of diagnosis in May. I'm pretty to close to where I want to be weight wise but it's always a bonus to get on the scales now and that's without much exercise at all as I'm usually wheelchair dependent.
How have you got on food wise today and have you gone to work today?

Hi @Rowsie.
Try to avoid the dried apricots, I only eat then when sorry for this absolutely constipated, so not so good with your side effects!
We have keto chicken and casserole tonight from diet doctor recipes first time I've tried it, basically chicken in a creamy sauce with cauliflower cheese on top, I'm really looking forward to it. May have to test it if it's done before my beloved gets home. I've got chia seeds in the cupboard which I've not been brave enough to use yet originally purchased to try and make sugar free marmalade as a couple of times a week I have toast loads of butter and a scrape of marmalade for breakfast that's my weakness but comes in within my 60-100 g carbs a day. We all have to have one weakness after all.
You certainly seem to be on the right track well done. When my beloved is home for breakfast we have the waffles from Dietdoctor and berries, it's the only time he has a breakfast indoors.

Dried apricots are over 50 percent sugar - they are not something I would eat. Maybe save them for emergencies?
If you are having an immediate reaction to Metformin, you might be as sensitive as I am - I lasted about a month before I threw them away - life was so miserable. I could not leave the house after taking the tablets, slept wrapped in towels, and the gripes were horrible, so decided that I'd go without rather than live in such a wretched state.

I tolerate metformin quite well. It has changed my loo habits - but not badly, just different! It's my only med. It took a few weeks to settle but my IBS has also settled as a by product of low carb.

Much advice on this forum is based on low carb but I have also read that you need to be careful when on glucoside as low carb and a bs lowering med need monitoring.

You've made a good start with the monitor, that will also help you get to know your body when you are high or low.

Hi @mouseee, thinking about it I think my I.bS has settled as well, I'm not going through as many gaviscon as I usually do. Just need to sort the dog's digestion out, we've changed his food to a digestive one, tried doggie probiotics, herbal rememdies, gas busters and no toot which is now unavailable and had seemed to actually help even the vet said we'd have to live with it. Naturally it doesn't worry him a bit it's just so embarrassing when anyone visits!