Is he doing ok or not?

[confusedwife]

Hi
I am the wife of a recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic. He is just 40, and was very overweight (lost 3 stone in the 3 months since diagnosis and still loosing). We are confused about how he is actually doing and I thought some of you out there might be able to help.

When he was first diagnosed he had a level (sorry don't understand all the terms yet) of 8.9 on an empty stomach, going up to 18.7 after glucose. We have worked very hard, and have bought ourselves a testing kit, and he seems to have a base level of about 6 most of the time. It goes down to 5.4 ish after exercise, and we are still testing out good and bad foods so sometimes it can creep over 7 when we choose a bad food, but most of the time it is around 6.

He is trying to manage it with diet alone because of the implications of going onto medication and having to tell insurances, dvla, etc but every time he goes to the GP she tries to convince him he needs metaformin. Is he doing OK, or does he need the tablets, and how would going onto them actually affect him?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Patch]

Sounds like he is doing very well, keep doing what you're doing. It really is all about eating, and checking.

Re: metformin - it IS a good drug IF you can tolerate it. In some people (I'm one of them) you get some nasty side effects (belly trouble!). There is a modified version of metformin, which slowly releases the drug into the system. This CAN help some people by reducing the side effects (I'm NOT one of them!).

Losing weight will definitely help him gain control, and it sounds like he's doing a great job of knocking that weight off.

 

[Daibell]

I agree it sounds like he is doing very well by controlling his diet. I do take the slow release Metformin and have never had any problems with it. It isn't a miracle cure but can reduce glucose levels by a small but useful amount. I think you will find that the insurance company, DVLA etc only become really interested when you take insulin as there is a much higher risk of having hypos. I've told both of them about my meds but they weren't that interested but they do need to know.

 

[hallii]

He is doing very well, but it's hard, I know, I have done it.

Some while back my Diabetic Specialist Nurse offered me Metformin, my BGs were then and are now, good, at around 5% Hba1c.I resisted at first but after a while I was convinced enough to give it a try. I had no side effects and it (Metformin) has allowed me a little more flexibility with my diet. So don't rule it out, it is a good drug if you tolerate it well, and as a bonus I can eat the odd treat with it affecting my Bgs to much. It is also reported to offer some protection to the heart, liver etc.

A reading of 7mmol two hours after food is good, up to 8mmol is acceptable but the lower the better of course.

My insurance (car, travel, etc.,) simply ignored the Metformin when I told them. They seemed to be happy that I am on treatment and that there are no complications.

Tell him to keep up the good work, and maybe give Metformin a try, it also helps with weight loss by supressing the appetite somewhat.

H