Type 2 Help

Lizarrand1 said:

Please help me. I have been bed ridden surrounded by pads and towels with the worst diarrhea I have ever experienced . I an newly diagnosed type 2 with previous history of diverticula disease and IBS. My Doctor prescribed staged increase Metformin. I had read about the drug,and expressed my concerns,but she was insistent. I took one tablet in the middle of a meal for five days. Day five I started to feel nauseous.I was at the clinic on Thursday and told them I was starting with diarrhea. They decided I could have a few days off metformin then start the slow release one.Friday the incontinence began in the middle of the night . Friday evening I tried Imodium which calmed things down for a while Today it’s started up again.
Question is how long will this last. I am checking my sugars three times a day and they are not too bad worst being 13.

Thanks in advance

Liz

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You have bowel issues and they give you Metformin? Boggled the mind, seriously.

I don't know how long it'll last, but honestly, I myself wouldn't risk it. Cut carbs right now. You have a meter, you can tell whether your levels stay (too) high without it. Metformin doesn't do anything about what you ingest, it just tells your liver to take it easy some with the glucose dumping it does in the morning... Your sugars still spike with meals, it won't help for that. (So all in all, you're suffering for something with nothing but a slight effect on your blood sugars. Barely makes a dent).

I've pretty much been where you are right now, except things got bloody as well, so yeah. You don't want it to get that bad. Cut. The. Carbs. Your gut will thank you. Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested, so that means sugars, but starches too. No spuds, rice, corn, pasta, cereal, bread or similar products, no fruit (save for maybe some berries), and stick with low to no carb food stuffs like above ground veggies, meat, fish, poultry, full fat greek yoghurt, double cream, butter, extra dark chocolate, olives, hard cheeses... Anything devoid of carbs. keep an eye on your blood sugars and watch a miracle happen. Not to mention, carbs are inflammatory and your (original) gut issues should get a whole lot better with that out of your diet.

That's the best advice I can give you... I'm not supposed to give medical advice or tell you to stop taking the meds, but I can tell you an experiment might be worth it, maybe? (Mods are welcome to kick my behind over this. But I remember this all too vividly).

Good luck! I hope you feel better soon!
Jo
PS: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- basically everything I wish someone'd told me rather than giing me Metformin and no information whatsoever. And you might want to check dietdoctor.com, this forum's website diabetes.co.uk (not .org!) and Dr. Jason Fung's book The Diabetes Code, or his (free) youtube video's.

Listen to Jo, she's a bit of a guru.

xfieldok said:

Listen to Jo, she's a bit of a guru.

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A guru who forgets to mention eggs are excellent. But thanks for the vote of confidence! <3

Some people just can't cope with metformin. They can't make you take it.

Hi and welcome,

Medication is supposed to make you feel better. That is why we take it. If it makes us feel the way it is making you feel, then the only option is to stop taking it. As said above, Metformin doesn't help the blood sugars very much at all. Any effect it has it quite limited. It is mainly useful to help reduce the amount of glucose our livers produce naturally.

You say you eat wholemeal bread, but that has just as many carbs as bog standard white bread, and if you are seeing levels of up to 13, it would be a wise decision to cut the bread out. All carbs convert to sugar once inside the system, including the brown varieties.

Can you give us a breakdown of which foods you typically eat in a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks? We may be able to spot something else that is causing your raised BS levels. If your diet can be improved it may be you can avoid medication.

Are you taking steroids for another condition?

Lizarrand1 said:

The strange thing about my diagnosis is that I try to follow a keto regime. My diet stables are fish eggs dairy and occasional chicken,so I was surprised to be told I have diabetes. I eat whole meal bread,don’t take sugar,don’t drink fizzy drinks but do have a savory tooth. Anyway that’s me off any medication until I can stop the world falling out of my bum.

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Yeah, keto and bread kind of clash... True keto is about 20 grams of carbs a day or under, to ensure ketosis. You'd go over that with a single sandwich. I'm off to the Bootleg Beatles show in a minute, but @Bluetit1802 asks some good questions. Any other meds? (Statins and steroids can raise blood sugars) A breakdown of a typical day rather than a ballpark? I know what bread used to do to me. (I saw 18's and 22's. And there was full fat cheese involved to slow the peak down, so... Could've been worse).

Anyway.... Hope your take-away from this is that there's room for improvement yet!
Jo

Lizarrand1 said:

Oh and I took two courses of steroids in January but the Doctor said my bloods were historical and the steroids too recent to have caused the spike.

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Hb1ac covers the last 3 months, a bit more weighted to the more recent weeks. If you took steroids in January I would say they did affect it.

Steroids can make things worse temporarily, or even cause diabetes in a few cases of long term use.

That said the very best thing you can do to minimise or eliminate medication is to reduce carbs. All of them. Of any colour or type.

As well as jo’s excellent advice above have a meander through the following.

LCHF ie low carb higher fat (than typically recommended) is often the easiest and most sustainable form of weight loss for a type 2 if you need that. Other conditions often improve including but not limited to blood pressure, joint pain, inflammation, PCOS, and despite the dire warnings of the last few decades it improves cholesterol for most, yes improves cholesterol. Some jump right on it, others edge their toes in a bit at a time. Be aware the the USA count carbs differently so be aware if you look at their counting, recipes or products. They include fibre in their count we don’t. So if it’s USA stuff deduct the fibre to get our figures. (Fibre isn’t generally digested thus doesn’t get counted)


Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth readings.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870

And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works and for motivation and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas

also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Excellent site and first port of call for many getting their head round low carb. Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy.

Also it’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3, 6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect. It also helps keep an eye out that any meds are working appropriately not too much or too little. Getting a blood glucose meter is the only way to do this (no matter what contradictory advice you may have heard - it’s usually budget based rather than anything more scientific). Test before a meal and 2hrs later hoping for a rise of 2mmol or less. More and the carbs eaten were too many! Please ask if you want any guidance on this.


IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ON DIABETIC MEDS (other than metformin): if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds or insulin increasing meds may need to be adjusted accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc than your new carb intake requires. (This is not a concern for metformin on its own). Keep a very close eye on your numbers and do this with your dr’s knowledge so they can reduce medication accordingly. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around. Low carb is endorsed by the NHS and the ADA as an effective method of control, even if the practice staff don’t realise that yet.

What was your steroids dose, and how long was the course? Which inhaler are you using?

Lizarrand1 said:

My Usual food for the day is poached eggs on toast. Smoked haddock in cheese and mustard sauce.And my third meal varies. Omelette with cheese or a chicken dish with potatoe croquettes
Plain smoked haddock with an egg,Battered fish occasionally. I struggle to keep off crisps but have . I don’t drink water or cold drinks which I know I should I drink about three cups of decaffinated unsweetened cappuccino fou or five cups of tea and one cup of carbohydrate and fat and sugar free drinking chocolate.

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There is room for improvement in what you typically eat. The toast, potato croquettes, and batter for a start. Both heavy in carbs.
Have you had a look at the diet doctor website? It is very helpful. Here are two of the many pages.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodlist
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodtoavoid