hello new to this

[mumsywumsy]

hello thought i would introduce myself my names lesley and i was diagnosed with diabetes 3 days ago its all very confusing but im kind of relieved to have an answer to why ive felt so ill for so long, i never had any energy and was always thirsty my nurse started me on metformin and ever since then ive been very very hot but cold to the touch with tingling in my hands and feet mainly feet and this seems to be all the time day and night but particular worse if ive say hoovered up or walked the dog for 5 mins, ive been very depressed and im a bit confused as i never had any of these symptoms before she started me on the metformin and i actually feel worse than what i did before and my friend who is diabetic as well told me that my sugar levels are to low how is this possible any info would be brill, ive rang my sugery this morning to ask to see my nurse and im waiting for a telephone call back, im extremely worried about all these things

 

[ebony321]

Hi mumsy,

i'm not type 2 so i'm not too sure of the side affects metformin can have, when i've posted this i will try search for a thread that may be useful for you and post in on here so you can easily get to it.

Do you have a glucose meter to test you blood glucose to see what sort of level you are at? as you are taking metformin you should be using one to see how your levels are when eating certain foods and if your medication is helping your body keep them at a reasonable level.

Sometimes if you have been running with a high glucose level and suddenly drop with taking medication you can have what is known as a 'phantom hypo' this is because your body is used to running with high levels when it drops back down your body thinks it is hypoglcaemic so you can get symptoms of a hypo so you need a meter to see where you are.

as you are new to this is must be very overwhelming for you but this forum is a very good place to ask any questions you may have or just read a few posts as most of them can be very informative for someone newly diagnosed with diabetes.

If you are very worried and your nurse hasn't called you back you could always call the NHS direct helpline and they will be able to advise you in the meantime (if you live in the UK) 08454647.

I hope you get to the bottom of it and as promised i will post back if i can find a useful thread for you

 

[ebony321]

Have a read here it may be useful for you...

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=15673&p=122843&hilit=metformin+side+affects#p122078

 

[noblehead]

Welcome to the forum mumsy!

Nigel

 

[mumsywumsy]

hello nigel thankyou...

Ebony thankyou for the link, ive spoken to my nurse who has more or less said the same thing you did she said that it might be because my body has been used to running high and now has to settle with the metformin but she has arranged for me to go up there tomorrow to give me a glucose meter and show me how to use it so thankyou for what you said, i only found out i had diabetes on friday just gone so yes its all still new and over whelming as soon as i found out i was straight on line looking for information and came across this site im so glad that i did and will definately wade thro the posts to find out as much information as possible theres so much i need to learn about
thankyou so much for replying ive been unable to sleep through worrying and its nice to know that there are answers to my fears
thankyou so much
xxx

 

[mumsywumsy]

just a quick update,
i no longer feel hot and im not cold to the touch so assume my body is getting used to the metformin, i got my glucose meter and have been testing, seem to have high readings all the time but especially after eating im testing between 2 hours and 3 hours after eating, and i have started a food diary and a chart for bs readings so i can eventually work out what some foods do to me, im hoping when i start taking two metformin aday from tomorrow this will help as well, my nurse is very good and has told me to test as often as i want so what are the best times to test, (she also said that i can only have three boxes of strips a year) so im a bit confused

 

[sugarless sue]

hello thought i would introduce myself my names lesley and i was diagnosed with diabetes 3 days ago its all very confusing but im kind of relieved to have an answer to why ive felt so ill for so long, i never had any energy and was always thirsty my nurse started me on metformin and ever since then ive been very very hot but cold to the touch with tingling in my hands and feet mainly feet and this seems to be all the time day and night but particular worse if ive say hoovered up or walked the dog for 5 mins, ive been very depressed and im a bit confused as i never had any of these symptoms before she started me on the metformin and i actually feel worse than what i did before and my friend who is diabetic as well told me that my sugar levels are to low how is this possible any info would be brill, ive rang my sugery this morning to ask to see my nurse and im waiting for a telephone call back, im extremely worried about all these things

The only way you are going to correctly identify what these symptoms are is to test your blood sugar levels when they occur. Do you have a blood test monitor ? Below I will post the information we post for new diabetics, I hope they will be of some help to you.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!
If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.