Hello - another newbie!

[FloraDora]

Hello, I am Mary, just diaganosed type 2 a couple of weeks back. I was feeling very unwell so bought some urine testing strips from Ebay, they turned green so I went to see my doctor. Turns out my readings were really high, blood glucose was 29 when first tested in the doctor's office. My blood pressure was also dangerously high. My HbA1c later came back as 103.0 mmol. The indications are that my levels have been high for quite a long time.

I went to see the diabetic nurse, but everyone seems more worried about my blood pressure, still not under control, but getting slightly better. I am on Metformin twice a day at the moment. I am making excellent progress with my diet, generally going for LCHF. I have done so much reading for the last couple of weeks, this site has really helped. I don't think I would have made such progress just listening to the diabetic nurse. I was given a meter so am able to test, my readings are now always under 10 ranging from 6.5 up to 9.9. The 9.9 was when I tried porridge for breakfast, the proper stuff, course rolled oats as recommended by the nurse! So that's a no-no then! Bergen bread in the early days made me peak to 20, the Lidl high protein bread seems ok but in small doses.

The nurse says that any reading less than 9 two hours after eating is good. I thought that it should be lower than that, 7.4 was my understanding. Anyway the challenge continues. Just thought I would stop by and say 'Hi' and thanks for all the very good posts.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcomer. You seem to be doing all the right things. I think the NICE figure for 2 hours after a meal is 8.5 so the nurse was pretty accurate.

 

[Indy51]

Welcome aboard, @FloraDora.

Sounds like you're off to a great start and well on your way to taking control - excellent

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Hello, I am Mary, just diaganosed type 2 a couple of weeks back. I was feeling very unwell so bought some urine testing strips from Ebay, they turned green so I went to see my doctor. Turns out my readings were really high, blood glucose was 29 when first tested in the doctor's office. My blood pressure was also dangerously high. My HbA1c later came back as 103.0 mmol. The indications are that my levels have been high for quite a long time.

I went to see the diabetic nurse, but everyone seems more worried about my blood pressure, still not under control, but getting slightly better. I am on Metformin twice a day at the moment. I am making excellent progress with my diet, generally going for LCHF. I have done so much reading for the last couple of weeks, this site has really helped. I don't think I would have made such progress just listening to the diabetic nurse. I was given a meter so am able to test, my readings are now always under 10 ranging from 6.5 up to 9.9. The 9.9 was when I tried porridge for breakfast, the proper stuff, course rolled oats as recommended by the nurse! So that's a no-no then! Bergen bread in the early days made me peak to 20, the Lidl high protein bread seems ok but in small doses.

The nurse says that any reading less than 9 two hours after eating is good. I thought that it should be lower than that, 7.4 was my understanding. Anyway the challenge continues. Just thought I would stop by and say 'Hi' and thanks for all the very good posts.

You are doing fantastically well for two weeks in!

Glad your BP is reducing. Are you on a med for that? The target maximum BP for diabetics is 130/80 so they will be aiming for under that. If you end up having trouble getting it down with one or maybe two different meds, your doctor should consider whether you might have obstructive sleep apnoea, because that state of affairs along with T2 may be suggestive of this condition, which is easy to miss and also easily treatable. Good luck, and welcome again.

 

[FloraDora]

You are doing fantastically well for two weeks in!

Glad your BP is reducing. Are you on a med for that? The target maximum BP for diabetics is 130/80 so they will be aiming for under that. If you end up having trouble getting it down with one or maybe two different meds, your doctor should consider whether you might have obstructive sleep apnoea, because that state of affairs along with T2 may be suggestive of this condition, which is easy to miss and also easily treatable. Good luck, and welcome again.

Yes I am on Amlodipine 5mg and Ramipril 2.5mg. Possibly increasing the Ramipril going to see nurse today for the results of a blood test checking my kidneys (?) function first. BP on my HbA1c was 152/80 - in the doctors office it was 209/110!!!! It plays up when taken digitally - better when taken manually.

The obstructive sleep apnoea is an interesting suggestion. My life rather spun out of control 5 years ago following a horrd family tragedy (actually involving sleep apnoea!!!) I was put on anti depressants which really messed with my sleep patterns, followed by a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage leaving me with a deficit of virtually no sleep and anxiety. Prescribed Mirtazapine another anti depressant which regulates sleep - I now sleep like a log within 10 mins of going to bed, which I love! Doc said take the Mirtazapine for the rest of my life. Diabetic Nurse is now suggesting that all of this might have been in error and BP and diabetes might have been the underlying problem. (Interesting .........??)

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Yes I am on Amlodipine 5mg and Ramipril 2.5mg. Possibly increasing the Ramipril going to see nurse today for the results of a blood test checking my kidneys (?) function first. BP on my HbA1c was 152/80 - in the doctors office it was 209/110!!!! It plays up when taken digitally - better when taken manually.

The obstructive sleep apnoea is an interesting suggestion. My life rather spun out of control 5 years ago following a horrd family tragedy (actually involving sleep apnoea!!!) I was put on anti depressants which really messed with my sleep patterns, followed by a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage leaving me with a deficit of virtually no sleep and anxiety. Prescribed Mirtazapine another anti depressant which regulates sleep - I now sleep like a log within 10 mins of going to bed, which I love! Doc said take the Mirtazapine for the rest of my life. Diabetic Nurse is now suggesting that all of this might have been in error and BP and diabetes might have been the underlying problem. (Interesting .........??)

Yes, very interesting. So, do you find that you wake up feeling refreshed, with no headache, and you don't feel sleepy during the day? (The oposite of these are common sleep apnoea symptoms). Are you in the normal weight range or a bit overweight? Has anyone ever said you snore? It's not unusual for someone to have depression, hypertension, T2 and sleep apnoea. Hard to say which one comes first, but there is various research about it. The risk of sleep apnoea increases with age from about 40 onwards, but people can get it at any age, even babies.

BP can be higher than normal when tested in the surgery, it's called "white coat syndrome". So the usual practice now is a 24 hour test where you wear a gadget while you go about your normal activities.

I used to take Mirtazapine for a while but it made me gain weight so I stopped.

 

[FloraDora]

Yes, very interesting. So, do you find that you wake up feeling refreshed, with no headache, and you don't feel sleepy during the day? (The oposite of these are common sleep apnoea symptoms). Are you in the normal weight range or a bit overweight? Has anyone ever said you snore? It's not unusual for someone to have depression, hypertension, T2 and sleep apnoea. Hard to say which one comes first, but there is various research about it. The risk of sleep apnoea increases with age from about 40 onwards, but people can get it at any age, even babies.

BP can be higher than normal when tested in the surgery, it's called "white coat syndrome". So the usual practice now is a 24 hour test where you wear a gadget while you go about your normal activities.

I used to take Mirtazapine for a while but it made me gain weight so I stopped.

No, it takes me until about 12 noon to start feeling lively! It is a struggle foodwise with Mirtazapine. It is somewhat ironic that I now take an appetite enhancer, and an appetite suppressant!!

Were you OK when you stopped the Mirtazapine. It took me a year of slowly cutting back to quit Citalopram, and I had heard Mirtazapine was also tricky to quit?

 

[ButtterflyLady]

No, it takes me until about 12 noon to start feeling lively! It is a struggle foodwise with Mirtazapine. It is somewhat ironic that I now take an appetite enhancer, and an appetite suppressant!!

Were you OK when you stopped the Mirtazapine. It took me a year of slowly cutting back to quit Citalopram, and I had heard Mirtazapine was also tricky to quit?

The morning grogginess is likely to be a side effect of Mirtazapine. I'm sorry but I can't really remember any issues when I tapered down off Mirtazapine as it was a few years ago. Always a good idea to go on and off these meds gradually (with doctor support).

When I read that your doctor suggested staying on it for life my eyebrows raised a little. The usual rule of thumb is to stay on meds at the minimum effective dose for the minimum length of time necessary. It sounds like your depression started as an understandable response to a traumatic event? If that's the case, you may not need the med long term, depending how things go. There is an alternative med called Efexor that does not tend to increase appetite, that might be worth asking about. I take Efexor and have found it quite good.

Possibly the strongest indicator of sleep apnoea is excessive daytime sleepiness, where you will feel like falling asleep while sitting reading, watching TV, or as a car passenger stopped at traffic lights. If this doesn't ring a bell then sleep apnoea is probably not an issue at the moment.

 

[FloraDora]

Possibly the strongest indicator of sleep apnoea is excessive daytime sleepiness, where you will feel like falling asleep while sitting reading, watching TV, or as a car passenger stopped at traffic lights. If this doesn't ring a bell then sleep apnoea is probably not an issue at the moment.

Yep, I can sleep anywhere, all the time! Thanks for your suggestions they will come in useful!