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Hello, another newbie here.

FredFish

FredFish

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello everyone. :)

My doc got confirmed I've got type 2 this afternoon. Took my first medication after the evening meal. Still feel very tired an hour afterwards. Wondering how long before the medication starts to kick in?

We moved to France a few years and I've been prescribed something called Velmetia which contains 50mg sitagliptine and 1000 mg metformine. Those are possibly spelled a little differently in English?

I know next to nothing about diabetes and seek information about how best to stabilise it.

I've been suffering the following symptoms which have been gradually getting worse of the last few years. A random blood test a week ago picked up the fact I have diabetes type 2.

Are all the following symptoms associated with it?
1. Around 20 - 50 minutes after every meal I feel tired and often needing to lay down and sleep for half an hour to an hour.
2. At the same time as feeling tired I have a light headache.
3. Finding my short term memory is a bit messed up and keep forgetting what people have said or what I've done a few minutes earlier.
4. Finding my thoughts sometimes confused.
5. After doing some physical exertion such as working in the garden I feel a little drunk and my voice slurs.
6. I also often feel thirsty and drink lots of water and similarly pee frequently too. I gather this is a classic symptom.

I really hope the feeling of lethargy and fatigue pass; this eternal tiredness is badly messing with my life.
 
Hello Fred :)

Nice to meet you and glad you found the forum. I'm a newbie too, just a few weeks. I love the place. Daisy will probably be along with good info for you soon.

Your symptoms sound very much like mine and I've been on Metformin since 8 August 2012. I'm not doing cartwheels but then at 59 I don't expect to, but my mind is clearer than before, my digestion is improving a lot, and my energy is returning albeit slowly. I'm on low carb, high protein diet which really isn't as awful as it sounds. And you'll find loads of info here to help you with that.

Good luck! :wave:
 
:wave: Hello Fred, I am a newbie too. I certainly get very tired. I am not on any medication yet. I am finding this forum very helpful and still finding my way around.
 
Hi, Fred :)

Welcome to the forum,

You will get great help and good advice from lots of us on the same boat.

If your buying a bg meter check with the forum first for good advice,

Good luck

Roy. :)
 
Thank you for the welcomes Grace & Cinnamon.

I'm 52 and while I'm not doing cartwheels either I've always been fairly active. Diet is one of the things I need to learn about. I gather diabetes can be hereditary. My mother had type 2 and died at the age of 57 from a heart attack related to the diabetes. I've always thought my diet was pretty good, eating lots of vegetables and not a lot of sweets, cakes etc and virtually no processed foods.
 
Thank you for the welcomes everyone.

I'm 52 and while I'm not doing cartwheels either I've always been fairly active. Diet is one of the things I need to learn about. I gather diabetes can be hereditary. My mother had type 2 and died at the age of 57 from a heart attack related to the diabetes. I've always thought my diet was pretty good, eating lots of vegetables and not a lot of sweets, cakes etc and virtually no processed foods.
 
Hi Fred, welcome! When I was diagnosed 2 years ago I had those awful tiredness feelings, and I used to shake uncontrollably before meals also - it will get better in time. But like you said it got gradually worse so it will get gradually better. If you can modify your diet a bit I think you will start to feel better more quickly. I would suggest cutting back on potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. All of these are full of carbohydrates and make your blood sugar rise quickly and then fall again quickly causing the sleepy feeling. If you can cut these back and choose brown versions instead of white versions it will really help. I tend to substitute things like brocolli or cauliflower for pasta or rice so that I pour the curry or bolognese over the top and get all the lovely flavours covering the vegetables (ooo I just started salivating!) I really don't feel deprived at all!!

Take some time to look around the forum and get some ideas, if you need advice on what to eat or anything just let us know! We all know how you feel! Best of luck, Jane
 
Hi Fred and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members which should help you. Ask all the questions you like as there is always someone who can reply.


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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