Intro and a few questions.

[smurphy55]

Hi everyone,
Im boarderline Diabetic (might still be prediabetic). Im just trying to get a handle on things. A few things about me

A) I currently living in Macau (part of China). This means there is a language barrier.
B) I saw four doctors (which all did blood tests) and I got told (based on the tests) the following:
Doctor 1/3: I am diabetic.
Doctor 2: I am close to being diabetic (maybe 6 months off)
Doctor 4: I am pre diabetic, do a check in six months. (This one is from Hong Kong)
C) I will post my other results when I get home (left them at home). But My OGTT results were Glucose Fasting 5.7 and Glucose after 2 hours was 9.4. My HbA1c was 6.4 and my ESR was ten.
D) I had knee surgery three months ago and my wight exploded as a result which I think brought all this on.
E) I have burning feet (which started this whole thing). I also have heavy uric acid so the doctor proscribed medicine for Gout (Febuxostat) and it has gotten better with this.
F) I am 38 (almost 39) and both my parents have diabetes.

Now with that out of the way, here is my questions.

A) As I said, I saw multiple doctors. One proscribed Xigduo XR (which is a dapagliflozin/metformin HCI extended release) and Simvastatin+Ezetimbibe (Vytorin). Does anyone have any experience with these? If I am prediabetes, is this going to cause harm as I saw a reference that Xigdou could cause diabetes when I googled it. Again just trying to ask around because of the language barrier.

B) Another doctor suggested that I take Saxenda to try and lose wight. Has anyone came across that?

C) Im trying to balance the Guot diet along with the Diabetes low carb diet, Has anyone else had success with that?

D) Im starting to drop weight pretty quickly. Should I be worried about that?

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Pills can be a problem if they cause adverse side effects. If a side effect is intolerable then you have to stop taking the pill concerned. I am now registered as intolerant of statins due to me taking them as prescribed and getting the side effects. Other people take them with no trouble. The only way to find out for sure is to take the pills and report any problem to your doctor.

It's the same with Metformin. Some people happily take them but I couldn't since they took my taste away. Again, try them and see how you go.

I have no knowledge of weight loss pills since I lost weight by going low carb.

Good luck. Your numbers suggest that you might just be diabetic and it is a good idea to behave as if you are. It might stave off future problems.

 

[EllieM]

I am 38 (almost 39) and both my parents have diabetes.

Is that T2 diabetes or T1?

 

[Guzzler]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.

May I ask if you have a glucometer at home?

You are correct in that some people see a rise in blood glucose levels while on a statin and they are now said to be a possible cause of Insulin Resistant Diabetes. As to your knee surgery three months ago, although this may have raised your bg it is highly unlikely that it (and the following inability to excercise) caused your raised HbA1c level. Insulin Resistance can take years (sometimes decades) to manifest.

I suggest that you look carefully at the Dapagliflozin/Metformin patient information wrt side effects. The information on this drug aimed at doctors can be accessed online and will be more detailed.

Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[daisy1]

@smurphy55
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[smurphy55]

Hi guys,

Squire Fulwood: Thanks for your comments. I do plan to act like I am diabetic in how I approach it. I guess my debate on the Metformin is that one doctor wants me to take it. A second one wants me to wait six months before I take it and try lowering the blood sugars with diet and weight loss. The third one wants me to take some weight loss shots. I’m just not sure which doctor to listen to.

EllieM: Thanks for your question. I’m T2.

Guzzler: Thanks for your input. I don’t have one yet. One doctor said I should four times a day (though his lack of English made it hard to understand when I should be measuring it) and the other two did not mention it. I will look at the info on that website.

Daisy1: Thanks for all the information. It was very useful.

Thanks again,

Seamus

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Squire Fulwood: Thanks for your comments. I do plan to act like I am diabetic in how I approach it. I guess my debate on the Metformin is that one doctor wants me to take it. A second one wants me to wait six months before I take it and try lowering the blood sugars with diet and weight loss. The third one wants me to take some weight loss shots. I’m just not sure which doctor to listen to.

Not being a doctor I am unable to advise you but I can tell you how I would react. Three doctors with three different opinions causes me to lose a bit of confidence in them.

In my case, with hindsight, I will not be taking Metformin again. The adverse side effects were not pleasant and I read some research which said they are not as effective as stated. Mind you, you can find research that says anything you want. I tried them so I do have an opinion on them.

Weight loss shots do not sound attractive and if they work why aren't all the obese people taking them? I have never heard of weight loss shots and I don't think I could bring myself to agree to them.