Losing weight

[JuneWatkins]

My husband who is 62 has been a diabetic for about 18 years is losing weight fast.his specialist took him off one of his gliptin tablets but he still takes metformin and gliclazide.I'm worried as he keeps losing weight ,he has no fat on him whatso'ver.what can he eat to put weight on without imparting his blood glucos.his blood tests were all good

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Your husband needs to ask for tests for Late onset T1 which becomes likely if he is losing weight without trying. GPs can be quite ignorant about this as mine was. What is your husbands blood glucose control like? Does he have a meter which is essential. Why did the doc stop the Gliptin; seems strange? There are, of course, many other causes of weight loss besides T1 hence knowing blood sugar is essential. To help minimise weight loss your husband needs enough protein and fat.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

I wouldn't necessarily jump to the conclusion that he has type 1, but I also wouldn't rule it out.

What I would be more concerned about is whether or not his pancreas still makes insulin. There is strong evidence to reflect that chronic use of sulfonylureas (like gliclazide) can contribute to cell apoptosis over time.

In layman's terms, his pancreas may no longer produce much insulin anymore, but that doesn't necessarily make him type 1.

If it were my family member, I'd push for a c-peptide test to measure his insulin levels.

 

[Totto]

Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of something sinister going on like cancer so I think he should book an appointment with his doctor.