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Just diagnosed with no information. Just pills :/

EliseC65_

Active Member
Messages
28
Location
West Midlands
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
A little background info on me first.
52 years old and struggled with weight since having ds2 17 years ago. Went down to 12 stone with LCMs a few years ago and then diaiwith breast cancer in 2012. Had the works thrown at it: mastectomy, chemo radiotherapy + tamoxifen and now aromasin. I also take omnaprazole and gabapentin for the side effects of aromasin. Then diagnosed with hidradenitis suppravita, so I take low dose lymacycline for this. I also have osteopoenia as a result of aromasin.
Weight has gone up and up and now am 107 kg. .
Then about June I did something to my wrist and straps etc weren’t helping so I went for blood tests. Lots and lots of blood tests! Kept being to,d nothing wrong, but went for private physio and got a thumb strap and now all ok.
Roll forward to today and went for appointment with gp as lymecyline has stopped working and I need to organise a bone scan as surgery ‘lost’ my oncologist referral.
GP then has a go at me for not managing my diabetes as my Hbac thing is up to 72! I want to swear very loudly at this point. What diabetes? The diagnosis in August apparently. So since August I have been back several times about aforementioned wrist pain and no one had said one word about blood sugar. I didn’t even notice the box on the blood test forms had been ticked!
So she (gp) has given me a prescription for metformin told me to take one a day and then up to two a day next week. Books me an appointment with nurse for next week. I asked about side effects and she says I might get an upset tummy. Concerns about drug interactions are brushed aside. I read sheet later and see that that there might be problems with tetracyclines (sigh). I took first pill at 11 and my ibs kicked in about 2pm and I only got to the loo with 1 second to spare and have been suffering for the last 5 hours. This is bloody agony!

Im happy to go back to keto diet as it was successful at weight loss before. I just wish I’d stuck to it. Surely the gp should recommend diet first, then pills?

Totally peed off as I already rattle with pills and I start a new job in January. I can’t be taking time off for clinics etc for at least 6 months. I’m going to complain to the practise and trust anyway as they should have called me in surely? Also going to change practice to one closer to new job as current one is absolute pants for appointments and closing at 4.30.
 
Wow!
That is an awful sequence of events, and I think your anger is totally understandable, considering what has gone on.

A complaint sounds like a great idea. Also switching docs!

Re the Metformin and your IBS.
Do not suffer unnecessarily! There is a slow release version of Metformin which you may tolerate better. Get in touch with the surgery before you take another pill, and see if you can get a prescription for it. Make sure that they understand that you have IBS as a pre-existing condition.
 
Hi Elise,

You certainly have had a bit of a c**py time! When I was first diagnosed my Hba1c was 71. That was over a year ago. I resisted tablets to start with, but I did nothing about my diet! Then at the beginning of the year my DN said I should go on metformin. Like you I have a fair cocktail of drugs, my repeat is 3 pages long! The metformin made me feel awful. I had, like serious upset stomach and chronic head aches, this was on top of a couple of ops on my spine. I decided that I would focus on a low carb high fat diet. I haven't lost a huge amount of weight but my Hba1c is down to 51 since beginning of year.

All I can say is, for me it's working without meds. Saying this though, I am not your dr and don't know your history in detail, but I do know there are a lot of people on this site it has worked for. Good luck. I hope your stomach settles.

edited by mod for langauge
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome @EliseC65! You have come to the right place and I am sure you will find lots here who support the LCHF eating regimen, including myself. As an IBS sufferer as well, I would highly suggest you try the slow release Metformin - I didn't have too much trouble with it re: IBS.

Sorry to hear about the breast cancer - am a survivor of that as well - would you believe first one was in 1985 and second was in 1990 and I am still going strong! Chemo really does play havoc with your gut doesn't it? Sometimes for many years afterwards....So, hang in there, take a deep breath and one step at a time.

Ask all the questions you want here - some very knowledgeable folks from around the world!! As many say here, this diabetes 'thing' is a journey, not a sprint or a marathon.....steady progress is the key and a positive outlook that you control your diabetes, not the other way around! Will watch for your progress with interest. Blessings/L
 
Hi Elise. Welcome to the Forum!
So sorry to hear you’ve had such a tough time recently. I was diagnosed in May, I take Metformin and was ok after a week but with IBS you have double trouble. A lot of people manage to improve their HbA1c on diet alone. You have a head start on a lot of us as you say you’ve eaten keto before. Initially I lowered my carbs to <100g/ day and after 6 weeks dropped to 50-70g per day. I was way too heavy but on just low carb, no calorie counting, I’ve lost over 4 stone, still losing and halved my HbA1c.
I don’t expect your nurse will suggest low carbing, she’ll probably say to cut out sugar and change to brown things, rice, bread, etc... Unfortunately they are all still high carb and will raise blood sugars. The NHS guidance is nuts!
The other thing I did which helped my progress is to monitor my blood sugars before and after meals to see what different foods do to my blood sugar. I hope you can find a way to deal with this, there’s loads of support here, you’ve certainly come to the right place. I wouldn’t be the healthier lighter me without the fantastic advise from the friendly bunch of people here
 
God. I’m still so confused. Do I get a meter? Will the nhs give me one? I’m not a high earner and don’t have much disposable income.
I start a new job in January and won’t be able to get time off in the week at all, as I said earlier. So I’m going to join the local walk in health centre as they have surgery up until 8pm, but most specialist clinics such as diabetes are in the working day. I can’t even work out I’ll fit in my annual bc check as I don’t want to tell my new employer about medical stuff yet.
I can’t believe how unhelpful the doctor was now I really think about it. She was actually blaming me for something they should have told me about months ago! They didn’t even tell me they were testing my blood sugars. How am I, a layman, supposed to know what those boxes all stand for? And surely they would need more than one high reading to go straight to medication? I was going through a horrible time at work prior to the blood tests and had been signed off with workplace stress for 3 months and I read ( somewhere on this site) that stress raises blood sugars.
I’m really angry about it now!


Funny thing is I only got diagnosed 3 days ago and on strict keto diet straightaway so I’ve already lost half a kilo.
 
Hi Elise,
Going onto a Keto diet is a very good move, when I was diagnosed I went on a low carb diet max 40g carbs per day and lost over 7st over an 8 month period, my hba1c is now 34 and am still sticking to the low carb way of life. Good luck with your journey.
 
I was diagnosed only because rather than going to the hospital as usual for my thyroid test, I went to the clinic and the wrong boxes were ticked - but although I was fully diabetic the doctor let days go past before calling - and told me there was nothing wrong, just a health check, ten days after the phone call I'm told I'm diabetic. I was given a prescription and sent on my way. I also went back to eating low carb and my 'really high' numbers dropped very fast.
I did get a meter to see my progress - there are ones with cheap strips available by mail order - I don't get them as I picked up one in Lidl which saw me through easily.
I had really bad side effects with the tablets so as it was just before Christmas last year I stopped taking them. I did Atkins for a long time, so I am doing that and what worked to control my weight now fixes my diabetes and my weight too. I am down over three stones and feel great so from now on they can scream as much as they want - I am not going to eat carbs in the amounts expected.
I have not seen my doctor since diagnosis, I think hes sulking - the diabetes education sessions were totally useless, doing more harm than good for those not in the know about low carbing - all the wrong advice and information about diet - baked potatoes and beans - I don't think so.
 
Crikey. I haven’t had a baked potato in years lol. I do sneak a chip off ds’s plate now and then, (like 2 max)but as I’m the ‘cook’, we don’t generally have chips, unless they’re sweet potato wedges. I’ve also got some pasta from Morrisons made from edamame beans, but I’m not going to risk it until if/when I get a meter.
It was horrible yesterday as I took me stepdaughter to a vegan fair and it was all cakes! But I did manage to get some unsweetened vanilla latte cashew nut butter and cinnamon almond butter.
Off to bbc good food show now
 
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