Just diagnosed - lack of care plan

[jocoll]

Hi all,

I was told by my doctor last week that I had type 2, but all he did was give me a prescription for metformin and told me to come back in two monhts, should he have referred me to a dietian or other departments?

I have brought a testing monitor online, but didnt realise the strips and lancets would be so expensive, can I get these on prescription?

Also, I got the pills (a knee jerk reaction!) but want to try to manage on diet instead, will the pharmacy take them back?

My fasting readings were 6.3 and 6.5

Sorry for all the questions!

Thanks

 

[daisy1]

Hi Jocoll and welcome to the forum I can understand that you have loads of questions now and some members will be along soon with answers to your specific questions. In the meantime this link to information for new members will cover a lot of the things you want to know, and help you to start managing your diabetes. Ask as many more questions as you like as there is always someone here to help.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088#p155405

 

[Snodger]

It sounds to me as if you would benefit from talking to a healthcare professional with a little more specialist knowledge of diabetes. This is not a criticism of your GP - they can't be experts in everything - but I would definitely ask to see a diabetes dietitian and a diabetes specialist nurse. Say you would like to talk through the possibility of diet only treatment and understand what it is you need to do to get there.
There are various threads on here about getting test strips on prescription - many type 2s are not able to get these free.
Also, don't worry too much. You have clearly caught this early and your fasting levels may not be 'normal' but they aren't stratospherically high. Just for comparison... when I was diagnosed my blood sugar levels were up in the 20s and 30s...!

 

[Grazer]

Snodger's right, your fasting levels aren't bad at all. You didn't tell us what your HbA1c was, (presumably your doctor didn't diagnose you and prescribe meds just on those fasting levels?), but I would have thought that managing on diet only was perfectly feasible for you subject to other issues we may not know about. My fasting level was double figures when I was diagnosed (after a follow up HbA1c) and I manage very well on diet and exercise only. (At the moment!)
Malc

 

[RussG]

hi Jocoll,

Just to add, obviously none of us can give you medical advice here, only your doctor can do that. Metformin does have some advantages as well as lowering blood sugar, and some people tolerate it well (and some don't). There's also a slow release version that some people find easier to take.

Everybody's different and some people can keep off medication for a long time, but others simply can't despite their best efforts. It's not a success / failure thing. My personal philosophy on medication is I take as much as I need and as little as I can get away with.

I would ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician, but also read the pages here for people's experiences on diet and whole host of other issues.

As others have said, those fasting levels aren't very high - but they are indicative of an impaired glucose tolerance and clearly something led you to getting tests done. If you are able to try to manage your diabetes on diet alone, I don't think it's that likely your GP will prescribe strips - it's definitely worth asking though.

Welcome, good luck and feel free to post any more questions.

 

[jocoll]

Hi,

Many thanks for the replies, I have got an appointment with GP on Friday so am going to go armed with lots of information so I can ask to see a dietitian and/or diabetes nurse, I am seeing a different one than last time so hopefully he will be a bit more helpful!

I dont know what my HbA1c means but after the glucose tolerance test my reading was 13.5, these are the only tests I have had so far, will go and read up on the HbA1c just to be sure!

Thanks all

 

[Snodger]

HbA1c is, roughly speaking, an average of the last few weeks of your blood sugar. Non-diabetics usually have HbA1c of below 6.0.

 

[CAT NM]

5.3, 3.9, 8.5, 5.8, 6.3, 5.3, 7.0, 9.5, 4.3, 6.2
today, felt rubbish. UTI. Had a blood test. Told to visit GP in a week.
I asked if I might have diabetes.

 

[CAT NM]

another day this week, days running into each other.
7.2,4.3,6.1,6.7,4.3,6.8,5.6,6.8,6.8

another day
6.1,6.3,5.6,9.4,5.7,6.8,4.3,11.8,7.5,7.8,6.4,4.1,7.9 and ran into the above,

 

[viviennem]

CAT NM, we need some more information before we can begin to help you.

You don't say when you are testing to get those readings, or what sort of things you are eating.

The best thing you can do is wait until your blood tests come back and then have a good talk with your doctor. Blood tests take a bit of time to come back from the lab because your doctor will have asked for other things to be done (such as a full lipid profile) as well as checking for diabetes. Have patience! Your self-testing readings don't seem desperately high to me, so you have no reason to panic.

As for feeling lousy - take care of yourself, eat well and keep warm! Lots of fluids (eg water) too. Basic advice for anyone who's feeling poorly

Let us know how you get on!

Viv 8)

 

[Otenba]

Hi jocoll,

Considering you're new and a Type 2, I would recommend asking your Diabetes team about doing a Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed (DESMOND) course.

I got a lot of help from doing the Type 1 equivalent called DAFNE - see my signature - so I would assume that it is just as helpful for a Type 2 to do the DESMOND course!

Their site is here: http://www.desmond-project.org.uk/
..and if your Diabetes Team aren't sure about how to get you on one, the site's contact information is:
DESMOND National Office
T: +44 0116 258 5881
F: +44 0116 2586165
E: [email protected] - Website Administrator

Best of luck in your pursuit of Type 2 knowledge and best wishes for your health!



@viviennem - After looking back through CAT NM's posts, I'm beginning to doubt they are a genuine person because they do not seem to know if they even have diabetes (or are pretending that they don't know) or do not seem to be sure of themselves generally. Their posting is very random.

 

[ladybird64]

Jocoll, please forgive me for hijacking your thread slightly, I see that you have been given some great advice.

A message for CAT..Viv has given you good advice, you have obviously got yourself really worked up over this issue but I'm sure if your fasting test had come back with anything of major concern, your doc would have been in touch.

I notice you are on antibiotics at the moment and have had problems with psychiatric type medicines in the past..I honestly think you need to book yourself an appt at your GP (not just for the blood test results)and discuss your symptoms in full.

The random and far too frequent self-testing you are doing at the moment is not of any use unless you have a diagnosis of Diabetes and seems to be causing you more concern and agitation.
If you do happen to have diabetes (hopefully you won't!) then post again and we can try and give you some friendly advice and suggestions on how to keep yourself healthy. There is no point in repeatedly posting figures until then I'm afraid.

Take care

 

[anna29]

5.3, 3.9, 8.5, 5.8, 6.3, 5.3, 7.0, 9.5, 4.3, 6.2
today, felt rubbish. UTI. Had a blood test. Told to visit GP in a week.
I asked if I might have diabetes.

Hello CAT NM .
What did they say when you asked if you might have diabetes?
Have you made an appointment to see your GP in a week?
Anna.

 

[josie38]

Hi Jocoll,

I am really sorry that your post got hi-jacked. To see if you could manage without tablets you would need to speak to your dr. I would make sure you have a list of any questions you wish to ask so you know that you have asked anything you want.

Best of luck hun

Josie.