• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Hello

B

Batholith

Member
Messages
6
Location
Wales
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi
I was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago with a fasting BG of about 14 and an HbA1C of 91

The GP prescribed Metformin 500mg 3 per day and Gliclazide 80mg 3 per day, telling me to start on 1 / day then 2 then 3 after 20 days.

I drive quite a bit and did not fancy the possibility of a hypo! I read around a bit and decided to buy a meter (not mentioned by the GP) and to try diet and the Metformin to start with and see what happens. I am also having ADT - prostap - for prostate cancer (currently undetectable after prostatectomy and radiotherapy last year). Prostap can cause a raised BG in diabetics and I think that brought on the diabetes more quickly that it might otherwise have progressed. I am looking forwards to seeing if it makes a difference when the ADT stops (I hope) in another year. Another point of interest is that Metformin may have anti-cancer properties

I needed to lose weight anyway (169cm, 92kg) and the diabetes makes it imperative so have started using the GI diet and I am testing before and 2 hrs after meals and when I get up. After seeing the effect of eating them on BG I am avoiding potatoes, rice and bread (except Burgen soya and linseed) completely. I dont worry to much about eating meat and eat large amounts of vegetables often stir fried in olive oil. I usually have some sort of fish and green salad for lunch.

So far I have lost lost 4 kilos and brought my fasting BG down to about 7 and pre and 2hr post-prandial BG to something like 6.5 and 8 respectively. My blood pressure is down from about 150/95 to 125/85 I am logging everything in a spreadsheet and can chart the fall.

I am trying to get more exercise but I am a software developer / project manager and part time lecturer and spend 10 hrs a day in front of a screen, and a couple of hours traveling to work each day, but I am doing things like not using the lift, getting off the park and ride bus at the bottom of the hill instead of near the office and making sure I walk about 7km every weekend.

I hope I can keep it all up, but I do find that the daily measurements add interest and give me a felling of control (something I have not got from the cancer treatment).

So next time I see the doctor I hope have evidence that I do not need the Gliclazide for the time being?

Cheers - stay positive
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Batholith and welcome to the forum:)

I think you are already doing very well but maybe you will also find this information helpful. Don't hesitate to ask questions and someone will be able to help.


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 70,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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.
 
Welcome, seem to be in a similar place regarding numbers.
 
OMG are you my twin..... Your life style and diagnosis was almost identical to mine.

Welcome to the forum please ask any questions you have and we will all try our best to help you
 
Hi and well done for the weight reduction. Good that you have got a meter as Gliclazide can cause hypos if your pancreas is performing well. If you are a T2 due to being overweight and hence have some insulin resistance, the Metformin should help and the Glic may not be needed as your weight reduces. See what the meter tells you and discuss medication options with the GP.
 
Back
Top