• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

My initial review - how it went

G

geef

Member
Messages
6
Location
Scotland
Ok, so I went for my initial review yesterday afternoon. Here's how it went. I'm hoping this helps any other newbies like me, just diagnosed and awaiting their first appointment at the clinic, and also if anybody has other tips or pointers on what I've been told... :)

(Reminder, I've been diagnosed with Type 2, my only HBA1C I've had taken was 8.2.)

The appointment, by and large was a chat about diabetes, which really did help me, just talking about it. I brought my wife in as well, and we spoke about the stuff you would expect, eg family history of diabetes (found out through chatting to parents my gran on my mum's side & my dad's not far from it according to last appt!) height and weight taken, risks, issues etc, medication and all that, blood pressure still reading high so probably more medication :roll: and got my flu and pneumonia jags.

I'll try not to totally bore you but here's a few things.

Metformin
One thing the doctor has said last week, he wanted to crank up the dosage of Metformin going from 2 x 500mg a day to 4 a day. I asked about this, and the nurse didn't seem keen on this at all. I did ask if I should have tried to control through diet & exercise alone - a moot point perhaps - and she reckoned that the doctor put me on these down to my HBA1C level and age? I don't know, but if two tablets a day will help, it's a very small price to pay. I think I have been very fortunate, in part to the relatively low dosage I am on, I haven' (yet, fingers crossed) had any of the side effects I've heard about, and that's been two weeks in of taking them

Diet
I asked about Carbs and checking bg levels before and after meals. The message I got here was about a balanced healthy diet, cutting out the bad things and moderation etc. What I have been doing is changing my approach to what I eat, portion size going down, and to a certain extent I have been watching carbs, certainly not fanatically. The issue being, how much I suppose.

I've shed around 5lbs in the last two weeks and I don't feel like I've drastically altered my diet, or importantly my lifestyle. One curious thing though; At no time did I check my BG levels. I did ask about this, and was told there was no real need to do this. I'm a curious chap though, and I think I'll get me a testing kit, as it is something I would like to keep an eye on from time to time, or after certain foods, not fanatically though.

Finally I got my flu and pneumonia jabs which I wasn't expecting. I do hate needles, one in each arm. surprisingly didn't hurt, the pneumonia one aching a bit today, bit like a dead arm feeling but not too bad.

Conclusion, I felt good after this, therapeutic just to chat about it, follow up appointments for more samples to check cholesterol, get feet check, an eye check at the hospital.

Anyway, rattled on enough and feel better dumping all this out on the forum. :crazy:

Cheers
Graeme
 
All sounds good Graeme. Not sure if metformin has an age-related implication. Strangely enough, my HbA1c on diagnosis was EXACTLY the same as yours, 8.2. I was 61 years old at the time, but went the diet and exercise route. I got down to 5.9 in 3 months, think I'm about 5 to 5.5 now. Doesn't mean I think there's anything wrong with having Metformin, particularly if you have no side effects, just that I went the diet way. Not sure why you'd need to up the metformin amount though, I'd have thought see how you go at the next test first.
Like you, I didn't go mad on the carb reduction, but I do only have about 60% of the recommended amount of carbs, and I only eat the low GI carbs (no starchy carbs)
I didn't try to lose weight, because I wasn't really overweight, but I lost 2 stone anyway on my reduced carb intake, and funnily enough my blood pressure improved enormously (I'm not on drugs for that, but I was borderline high blood pressure and now dead normal) Think the BP came down due to weight loss and exercise. I don't do loads of exercise, other than golf, but I do ten minutes hard graft on a strider type machine 45 minutes to an hour after each main meal. That is when my blood sugars would typically be peaking, and it seems to bring them down more quickly. I find the exercise booring, but a small price to pay for better blood sugar and better BP
You're right on testing. I tested loads to start with to work out what worked for me and what didn't. Now I only need to test when I try something different.
Good luck and keep posting. And have you signed our e petition for free access to testing for type 2s yet!!?? If not, you must!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20537
Good luck!
 
Grazer said:
I don't do loads of exercise, other than golf, but I do ten minutes hard graft on a strider type machine 45 minutes to an hour after each main meal. That is when my blood sugars would typically be peaking, and it seems to bring them down more quickly. I find the exercise booring, but a small price to pay for better blood sugar and better BP
Click to expand...
I've got a strider and I used to find it very boring. Then I discovered I could balance a magazine or book on the front as there's a tiny shelf. I don't go too fast or jog around so I can manage to read easily. I do about 40 minutes now and it feels like when I used to do 15 minutes without reading.
 
Only once a day though and only 4 times a week 8)
 
Sounds a good session with your GP; better than my first session. I wouldn't worry too much about the increase in Met. It's a very well-proven and safe drug and if you can tolerate it like me on the SR version then go for it anyway. Ref diet the problem is the NHS can't really define what they mean by a balanced, healthy diet and will go on about fats, salt and possibly sugar without mentioning carbs as well, so as most of us have found out, keep the carbs down to sensible portions and low-GI. Yes, do get a meter so you can find out what affect you.
 
Hi

Thanks for that.

The general opinion is that I should be testing, and that's what I thought. This is a steep learning curve for me right now, and I feel I need to understand, how my body is reacting to what I'm putting in and how it's reacting.

It's interesting that although I felt the session went well, and feel it will be an good level of support, that the emphasis is on self management - fine by me, I want to be the one in control - but surely testing would only help that??

Now, the minefield of choosing one & ordering that & strips. I think it may be worthwhile asking when back at the doctors if I can be prescribed some strips.

Oh, thanks for making me aware of the epetition, consider it signed..

Graeme
 
Back
Top