Hba1c

I too on a similar kind of situation as you. My hba1c went from 42 to 52 in 1 year and 74 this year. My doctor told me he might need to add another medication to my 2x500mg Metformin a day.

For me Metformin did absolutely nothing. With also been diagnosed with fatty liver with ALT level at 100. I decided in early October to go on a Keto diet and in 2 months went from 88kg to 78kg. It took a few weeks for my Blood Sugar to drop to normal levels and now it's always in the normal range between 4mmol to 7mmol.

I too was comfort eating due to personal and job problems for the past 2+ years.

You are allowed to be human. Life sucks sometimes and we feel as if we are battling too many fronts. Don't beat yourself up - pick yourself up - you can do this. Bit by bit if necessary. Every little helps, and we are all here for you.

AlanS6 said:

Morning,

First time poster here.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in June of last year with levels of 73mmol. After a consultation with my GP I was put on Metformin tablets of three tablets a day with meals. Over three months I managed to decrease my levels to 37mmol and lose three stone. My doctor was very happy and so reduced my medication to two tablets a day.

This was where I tripped up as I became complacent. In June of this year my levels were 45mmol. In the last six months I have had to endure some upheavals, I’ve had to move and I’ve had family problems and so I’ve been comfort eating, mainly things like bread, crisps, biscuits, sugary cereal, chocolate and savoury pastries. Unsurprisingly my latest levels are at 73mmol and yes I’ve been googling and what I’m reading has got me terrified. When my levels were low I had shed 3 stone in weight, I have since put that weight back on. I know this is on me and this is my fault, but I’ve had a terrible year personally and I also suffer with hypothyroidism, depression and possible autism.

I have a consultation with a doctor on Saturday. What is he likely to tell me?

I’m sorry for my ramble, but its playing havoc with my head and yes, I will stop googling.

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It happens. Your doc'll likely suggest upping the metformin or add gliclazide, if you feel unable to return to the diet, (and if you can, he might postpone it for a few months and see what happens) and might check whether your thyroid meds need adjusting. You're not going to get whipped around the practice, if they have any bedside manner.

You're not alone in this, you know. My HbA1c is slightly elevated, hitting 42 at the moment, and the doc is happy with that: I'm not, because it's enough to gain weight and my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is back, and affecting my kidneys too. I'm in pain all day, basically, and fatigued. All that while I'm not even close to the HbA1c you're sporting. Because like for you, life happened. I had to consider kidney stones in my diet since a few years, my husband was ill for a long time, my mom got cancer and passed, I got diagnosed with AuDHD... It's been a lot, and as it turns out, my thyroid meds need to be upped as well, on top of hormones going wonky with the Change. As much as we can focus on diabetes, other things happen too. Things in our lives, in our health, and it doesn't always matter that you know what and when you should be eating. You can slip off the wagon if you get slapped around by life too much. No shame in that, and it's not the end of the world if you can give it another go.

Currently I'm back to a food and bg measurement journal. Going back to the basics. Maybe that's something you can try too? Just start over. No-one says you can't give it another try, after all.

Just be good to yourself and start taking care of you.
Hugs,
Jo

Hi @AlanS6 - sounds like the consult went well, it's always better to have a good relationship with your support team.

I hope I'm preaching to the choir here (terrible phrase, I don't want to be preaching to anyone, but you know what I mean, hopefully) - it sounds like you are motivated to jump back on the wagon again - good for you!!

Just a word of warning - Dapagliflozin may well be the best thing for you now, but just understand that this is a drug that actively lowers your blood glucose, as you say; by encouraging your kidneys not to re-absorb the glucose and let you pee it out instead. That is fine, and again, may be 100% the best thing for you now - but; because it's "active" there is a risk that it can drive down blood glucose too low, into hypo territory.

If you find that you are doing better reducing sugars and starches, you may find that your blood levels get low, and you may be encouraged to eat more carbs to avoid that risk. You can probably see where I'm going..

Just try to talk this through with your Dr - make sure it's understood what your personal goals are with diet, and what you can and cannot do regarding your meds - in the event that you are successful...

The flip side of that is that with these kind of drugs, you should qualify for something to monitor your blood glucose, see if you can be prescribed a CGM - that will give you the best insight as to what is going on with your body with your food.

Hi @AlanS6

Don't worry you've come to the right place

Many of us 'fall off the wagon' from time to time. I've certainly been consuming more carbs recently- still low carb but probably more than 20 grams on some days. Life happens. You are more than just your diabetes diagnosis.

All you can do is your best on any particular day.

I'm sure you can do it again and we are here to cheer you on