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Metformin and me.....

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hatediabetes1

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Hi! I am new to this site, so a little background. I am an American living in the U.K. with my husband, no VISA yet. I am seeing the docs here since last September, and they kept me on Metformin, 500mg twice a day. I had to go back to the States in January and returned here in late May. I am diligent about monitoring my blood sugar.......and my numbers are not good as far as I am concerned. By this I mean, they are not what my doc in the States wants them to be. Had blood work done 3 weeks ago and A1c was 8.3.......the diabetes nurse has discouraged me from self testing, which I do not understand. She said the only number they are concerned with are my A1c results, period. I have lost 60 pounds since I was diagnosed in 2007.......down to 171 as of now, still trying to lose more. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated!! :D
 
I suppose punching your nurs in the nose isnt an option??? If not try and see if any other local Dr's or clinics have a good reputation for diabetes care . Also suggest downloading the nice guidelines and read them there are some rules in there that the surgery's dont follow /dont want to follow due to cost. It should at very lest give you somthing to hit them over the head with. I then monitoring you bg levels would be usefull for you as it would help show how what you are eating has an effect on your levels you may find you get one or 2 surprises. There is a paragraph in the guidelines about it that you should be able to use. Either that or you couls self fund buy a machine . They are relitivly cheap of ebay and the test strips are about half price.
 
Hi. You are doing the right thing by losing weight so keep up the good work on that front. Are you doing that by low-carbing and smaller portion sizes or some other way? Your nurse is stupid. I'm afraid the NHS is so concerned about the cost of test strips that they discourage self-testing; it's also about who is in control. Yes, do test even if you have to buy your own strips as I used to. The HBa1C is a very good test but self-testing enables you to see what foods affect you most. Yes do download the NICE Diabetes Pathways document (Google it) as it's very good and it's what the UK docs are supposed to be guided by. Your Metformin could be increased to a max of 200mg per day but Met doesn't have that much effect. There are other drugs that can be added if needed but do keep the carbs low and see how it goes. If you are young and the sugars remain high even with a lower weight then do come back just in case we need to provide some more thoughts.
 
Thanks for the replies! I have lost the weight just by low carbing and smaller portions. I believe my meds need to be increased but they just seem hung up on met twice a day. as for the self testing, I do self test as I have done for the last 6 years, and I do buy the strips myself as I am not registered with the NHS..(just here with a passport, no VISA yet!) I am half tempted to add a third dose of Met, but am afraid to do so without being told by doc. I have to go back to the States in November......and as I won't be working, won't have insurance so therefore, no access to a doc without paying through the nose. They just seem to have a very different approach to diabetes care over here, and it is discouraging!! BTW, I will be 51 in January, lol.
 
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