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Hello and welcome to the forum @cbeau

Sorry to hear your feeling this way, I think alot of new members find themselves here having suffered similar events to yours, so your amongst a really sympathetic crowd here. Can you tell us more about what HbA1c's you've been getting ? What care are you being given currently so do you have a nurse/consultant who you see regularly ?

There's a useful link here for some reading too, we share this with new members: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.17088/

You're not clueless, you're basically at the point the bulk of us were at some time or another. Little to no guidance, just adding more medication while complications accumulate. Testing daily isn't advised to T2's, usually, as test strips are a bit pricey. With the medication you're on you should be able to get a script for strips though. So if you don't, you have meds that artificially lower bloodglucose and you are at risk of hypo's, plus for insurance purposes you'd have to be able to test before driving. (Assuming you have a licence. I don't, myself.). So if someone gives you trouble, slap 'em over the head with that.

The basics? All carbs turn to glucose once ingested. Not just sugars, but starches too. If someone'd bothered to tell you as much from the get-go, you most likely would've cut down on the carbs, which would've probably normalised your bloodsugars and your weight, and prevented things going from bad to worse. Thing is, with the medication you're on now, going low carb would make you go hypo, so.... You could give it a shot, but don't start it without medical guidance, and a massive amount of test strips at your disposal. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ is my own quick-start guide, and there's more to be found on this forum's website as well as dietdoctor.com, but again... Careful. If you cut down on carbs and don't adjust your medication, you will hypo.

Good luck!
Jo

cbeau said:

I need some help and advice. 6yrs ago I was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes, having over the past 6yrs lost 6 stone and exercising 6 days a week. I was also told I had been 3 years undiagnosed as it had started attacking my feet and put on metformin having been told it was weight neutral.. I gained 3 stone even though I was still going to SW. About 18 months later lyxumia was added. Then during an eye screening it was noticed I had a bleed in the eye and eventually I had injections in the eye and have just found out I'm going to have laser treatment. Last year I was put on gliclazide, another stone has gone on. I have only recently found out I should be testing my own sugar levels every day! I feel completely lost and clueless.

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Hi cbeau,
Firstly you need to know that it really It isn't your fault!
Incredibly, none of it is your fault, it is the fault of the abysmal advice and treatment of the majority of Type 2 Diabetics all over the world!

Secondly, at least you should have access to a meter and test strips now.

Thirdly, you have found the right Website Forums to help you. I must echo JoKalsbeek about controlling your Blood Glucose in order to reduce your medication and ultimately possibly reverse or even eliminate your symptoms. It is possible because it has been done, but starting from where you are it will be extremely difficult without a Health Care Professional who is supportive, or at least not opposed to the lifestyles that we adopt in here.

Not only is it advisable to test BG every day, it is IMHO essential to test before and then 2hrs after every meal for the first few weeks.

Just another note to add that while it is unusual for Metformin to cause weight gain, Insulin is known to directly cause weigh gain because it:
A). Stops your body from 'burning up' your stored fat.
B). triggers your body to channel excess Blood Glucose to be stored as more sub-cutaneous or worse as visceral fat!.

As mentioned above, it isn't the medication causing weight gain.
It is too much insulin circulating round your body. Sadly, Gliclazide forces the pancreas to produce extra insulin, and if your pancreas is already producing enough or too much, extra insulin is just what you do not need. What causes too much circulating insulin??? ....... carbohydrate. Every time you eat foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, pastry, batter, anything made with flour, fruit, and other things your pancreas will produce insulin to cope with the glucose that the carbs convert to once in your body. Therefore, the fewer carbs you eat, the less insulin is needed and the less the pancreas will produce.

You will see what your food choices do to your blood sugar levels when you start testing, so I strongly urge you to get a meter and strips ASAP. You should have been given a meter by your nurse when she put you on Gliclazide especially if you drive or operate machinery. The DVLA have special rules for diabetics on insulin or certain strong drugs such as Gliclazide and you need to inform them.

I advise you not to change your diet drastically until you have a meter to avoid any risk of a hypo.

cbeau said:

Thank you everyone for your Replies. I have been a bit quite as it's taken me ages to find the replies.
Since my cry for help I decided I needed to give myself a good shake down and try and take control.
My husband and I started a low carb diet three weeks ago and for the first time in 6yrs I have lost weight 9lb to be precise. Also last Thursday I had my bloods checked and got the results today, they are down to 6.1 so they've told me to stop taking the gliclazide. I wasn't aware I had to inform the DVLA though. I also walk about two miles a day in my lunch break.
I still don't understand why my feet feel funny though but hopefully I will work that one out too.
I tried to get a testing kit but was told I don't fit the criteria for one so I may well have to buy one

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It is good that you are trying a Low Fat 'Way Of Eating' or 'Lifestyle' - it isn't really a diet since you only need to count carbs and not calories. The way it works is to get your body using stored fat for energy and this lowers your Blood Glucose and as a side-effect you also lose weight.
I would still advise you to get a cheap Blood Glucose Meter with cheap test strips even though if you are now off the Glic you are no longer at risk of a hypo.

We use meters to let us know what effect our meals have on our Blood Glucose ( testing before a meal and then again 2hrs after first bite). The aim is to keep the high readings below 8.0 (or 7.8 if you prefer) and to try to ensure that meals don't spike the level by more than 2.0. e.g. a reading of 5.6 before a meal and then 7.4 at the 2hr mark is fine, but if it went to 7.7 afterwards it would mean that the meal had too much Carbohydrate in it.

After a while, if you eat similar meals fairly regularly, you get to know what reaction to expect.

Popular BG Meters are the SD CodeFree (available from Amazon) or the Tee2+ (from Spirit Healthcare ). In both cases a starter kit plus 50 extra test strip would cost around £20.

Ah - that is probably why you were taken of Gliclazide - it is a glucose lowering drug and you have to test your level if you drive - if not then I'm afraid you have been driving illegally without insurance for however long it has been. Best not tell anyone about that - except perhaps your dr and nurses involved in what they probably think of as your care.
Now you are not taking the Gliclazide you do not qualify for a meter on the NHS, but there are cheap ones available mail order.
I got a Tee 2 from Spirit Healthcare quite recently, and it seems to give the expected results, and is not expensive - I got 160 strips, the meter and necessary kit for under £40. Being diabetic I could be let off the VAT - I did have to register and await a confirmatory email and reply before making the order which was not clear on the website.

Diabetes can lead to neuropathy, which is damage to nerve endings particularly in feet and legs. That's why your feet are checked at your annual diabetes health check.

I don't know too much more about it but others on here will.

I had tingly fingers and my big toe went peculiar a few times but they stopped as soon as my bs was lower consistently.

I lost on SW and was literally about to start again when I was diagnosed and then realised my weight gain was probaly due to my diabetes and not the cause of it. I knew I needed bigger changes than SW to make this better!

Sounds like you've made a good start to making changes to your diet. There's never a bad time to start making better choices!

To my knowledge Metformin does not cause weight gain. My doctor suggested I think about taking Ozempic to help weight loss.
https://www.ozempic.com/

But always ask you own doctor advice on changing medication.

cbeau said:

I need some help and advice.

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You may not know this, but your question(s) can often help others.

I am just starting to take my T2 diabetes more seriously, because I need a cataract removed. Currently, my BS is too high, so I am focusing on getting that down. My goodness it is hard work, especially after a couple of months.

Keep working on it and not all medication works the same for all people. All the best.

cbeau said:

Thank you everyone for your Replies. I have been a bit quite as it's taken me ages to find the replies.
Since my cry for help I decided I needed to give myself a good shake down and try and take control.
My husband and I started a low carb diet three weeks ago and for the first time in 6yrs I have lost weight 9lb to be precise. Also last Thursday I had my bloods checked and got the results today, they are down to 6.1 so they've told me to stop taking the gliclazide. I wasn't aware I had to inform the DVLA though. I also walk about two miles a day in my lunch break.
I still don't understand why my feet feel funny though but hopefully I will work that one out too.
I tried to get a testing kit but was told I don't fit the criteria for one so I may well have to buy one

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The nerve endings in your feet might have gotten damaged after having high blood glucose for a while... Some people don't experience diabetic neuropathy until they lower their bloodsugars. When the nerve endings start to heal and sensation comes back, your feet might hurt, burn or tingle. @Jim Lahey went through that, and it took a while to go away. Not saying that that is the issue here, but it could be. You might want to up your vitamin B1 intake, that might help.