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Nearly A Week In.. Some Observations

C

CraigR70

Member
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6
Last Monday afternoon diagnosed T2 with a BG of 18. Appointment with the diabetic nurse after bloods came back but no urgency to see me so that seems ok.

I did a few immediate things which were
1. Purchase a BG meter.
2. Went cold turkey on sugar and carbs and limiting to roughly between 100-150g per day. First 48hrs were hard as I had headaches due to withdrawal but its paid off. Already feel alot better not eating ****!
3. Joined the local health club and taking up swimming twice a week, when I get a bit of fitness about me I will take up running.

Within 48hrs I had post meal readings of about 10-11 and today pre meal readings are as low as 7.7.

Obviously thats still high with work to do but I'm interested in anyones opinion in the quickness of the drop. Usual? Unusual?
Also excuse my ignorance but thinking longer term, if levels dont come down despite diet, excercise and medication, is insulin for T2 the next option?

Also would add on 500mg Metformin progressing to 1500mg over the next week.

Again thank you all for your support. This site has been invaluable this past week.
 
Well done so far! It's early days and things will take a little while to settle down.

Download mySugr app to record your readings and food, and lots of other things if you want to after a few days worth of data, it will give you an estimated HbA1c. It is very motivating.

Rome wasn't built in a day. You will make mistakes. Don't beat yourself up. Treat everything as part of your education. It will s a steep learning curve. You will get loads of support from this forum.

If I were you, I would resist meds and say you would prefer to see if you can control it with lifestyle changes.
 

Thanks for the reply.

My GP seemed to think 18 was a high enough level to raise alarm and put me onto meds. My initial ignorance of all things diabetic prompted me to just go along with him, but being here the last 6 days has been an education.

When I speak to the nurse I am taking my chart of results with me and if she agrees I am going to try to control with diet and excercise.
 
Well done on your progress so far!
You have plenty of room for further improvement. I started at 100g of carbs/day then gradually reduced down to my current level of under 50g/day. I started on Metformin gradually increasing to 1500mg/day same as you. I took 2 months to get my HbA1c down from 70 to 45, then a further two months to reduce it to a non diabetic level of 36. I have maintained mid 30s for nearly a year now and have recently reduced my Metformin to 1000mg/day. You’re definitely heading in the right direction, keep it up!
 
I was diagnosed November 2017 with an HbA1c number of 122. Only 5 months later I got my HbA1c down to 35.

I was put on 4 X Metformin. However, if you read The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, he says that Metformin takes the glucose out of the blood, where it can be seen (by HbA1c) and puts it into your organs, where it can't be seen.

Yesterday, I have reduced my Metformin by one tablet. I will continue to watch my numbers and if I feel comfortable, will reduce further.
 
xfieldok said:
However, if you read The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, he says that Metformin takes the glucose out of the blood, where it can be seen (by HbA1c) and puts it into your organs, where it can't be seen.
Click to expand...
I haven't read The Diabetes Code but I haven't heard that said before. It sounds more like a description of the function of Insulin to me.
 
Really good progress so far. Remember to stay hydrated- that will help with any carb withdrawal headaches and will help your BG.
I wrote a blog about my first 50 days - it’s in the blog section. You may find it useful.
It is a bumpy road. Do you have any other conditions? Helps people give relevant observations. For example I had / have a fatty liver. My liver function has massively improved but to do that my liver had to get rid of the fat, so I did have some volatile BG readings for a bit.
Others are right when they say it’s a long game. And it will surprise and bite you sometimes. If you are trending in the right direction then be happy.
100-150g a day is about where I got to in weeks 1-2. Take it at your own pace week by week but if you can squeeze that down below 100g you should see even more improvement.
There are a few threads on this site where people post their first BG reading of the day, their weight diary or what they’ve eaten. Have a look around and see if might find they suit you to join in:
I found it helped in many ways to communicate regularly with other diabetics - it’s all pretty friendly and I’ve learned a lot. It’s also habit forming and you quickly work out whose opinions to trust most.
Good luck and welcome. You will hopefully look back on this week as a massive step in the right direction.
 
Mr_Pot said:
I haven't read The Diabetes Code but I haven't heard that said before. It sounds more like a description of the function of Insulin to me.
Click to expand...
Suggest you read The Diabetes Code, it is fascinating. I got mine on Kindle.
 
That is a smashing start, well done You! Try not to worry about insulin, lifestyle choices go a helluva long way in the push for improved prognoses. Remission is still on the table for most of us so just take things one step at a time. Good luck.
 
One other quick thing re medication.
I was also prescribed 3 x Metformin tablets a day building up over 3 weeks.
When my BG started tumbling quickly (like wot yours is doing) I personally chose to delay the increased dosage.
I continued to make good progress and then (in consultation with my GP) reduced the prescription to just the one tablet that I am taking anyway.
I am absolutely not going to advise you medically - but you are in control with support of your doctor, not the other way around.
It is an option for you to see how things progress- Metformin takes a few weeks to work anyway so everything you’ve achieved so far you’ve done by yourself- give yourself a pat on the back and think through your options.
 
xfieldok said:
However, if you read The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung, he says that Metformin takes the glucose out of the blood, where it can be seen (by HbA1c) and puts it into your organs, where it can't be seen
Click to expand...

I’ve seen you refer to this before @xfieldok , but as I read it in chapter 11 of the Diabetes Code he says that “The problem is that metformin (and other biguanides) does not take away the root cause of the illness—that is, they do not rid the body of excess sugar”. I can’t see where he says the sugar is moved into the organs? Can you please tell me where you found this?
As I understand it he is saying that Metformin alone isn’t useful, as the disease will progress if nothing is done to address diet as well. However hand in hand with dietary changes to eliminate excess sugar (by not eating it in in the first place!), Metformin “works by blocking gluconeogenesis and thereby preventing the liver from producing glucose”.
 

Thanks for your reply.

The only other health issue I have is IBS which ironically now I'm eating healthier isn't flaring up and this last week is the best Ive had in the 2.5 years since that was diagnosed with pain virtually non existent.

As a consequence of the IBS my GP referred me for a scan about 18 months ago of my abdomen to rule out anything more sinister and the consultant did mention some fat on the liver, so obviously as you say that might make the readings a bit off until the fat goes.

Other than that no other major health issues.

Despite the down side of being diagnosed, had it not been for the classic symptoms appearing in the past 2 weeks, I would have gone on in my own way eating and drinking myself into an early grave.
 
It's page 162 to n my kindle version, under the photo of the suitcase.
 
xfieldok said:
It's page 162 to n my kindle version, under the photo of the suitcase.
Click to expand...

Yes but he’s again talking here about what happens if your sugar (carbohydrate) intake isn’t addressed and you’re relying on Metformin alone? IMO
Sorry to derail you’re thread a little @CraigR70 , but I think this is important to understand.
 
Hi @CraigR70 welcome, as already mentioned you have made a great start and seen some very encouraging changes, keep doing as you are, every little step will keep things on track for you. Each day is a new day and if things go a bit wobbly now and then don’t give up, just remind yourself of the reasons for the changes you are making and hit “restart”.
You will find lots of people here to offer you support, advice and encouragement, good luck.
 
Hi. I think the GP did the right thing in starting Metformin. It's a very safe drug but only has a limited effect. As you've found, the right low carb diet will have the most effect. Most T2s with the right diet, exercise and possibly Metformin may never need anything else. Sometimes GPs guess the diagnosis and if it turns out to actually be T1 then further meds and eventually insulin will be needed, but I would just assume you are T2 and carry on the good work.
 
You have made a brilliant start. Your meter will tell you immediately the foods to avoid. The mysugr app is invaluable in confirming how well you are doing too. It will give you weekly and monthly averages. The more readings you input the more accurate it will be. I can't advise on meds. I myself was diagnosed last 8 Dec with a HbA1c of 62. I asked my DN if I could try diet for 3 months before taking meds. LCHF immediately. By Feb i was down to 47 (prediabetic level) and by may 41 (non diabetic levels. I had also lost 51 lbs. I was eating under 80g carbs a day. Cramps in the early days but no symptoms since. Mysugr is predicting a hba1c of 33 at the moment and my home testing kit a1cnow is predicting 35. As for the quickness of the drop, take a look at peoples signatures as they often have all those details in there. I've seen so many go from very high readings to non diabetic within 12 months and very often much less. You really can't go wrong low carbing in my opinion. I wouldn't worry about insulin at this point. For a start stress can put your BS up!
 
Moggely said:
Where do you download the mySugr app?
Click to expand...

From the App store if you have an iphone and I guess the equivalent for android.
I agree it’s very useful for recording bg, meals and carbs and exercise so you can monitor trends.

Well done @CraigR70 for a great start and good attitude to sorting your health.
 
Mr_Pot said:
I haven't read The Diabetes Code but I haven't heard that said before. It sounds more like a description of the function of Insulin to me.
Click to expand...

Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung, personally I feel should not be missed by anyone, to read including all doctors on this planet should have copy on their shelves.

Dr. Fung re insulin resistance gives eloquently simple explanation on video called perfect treatment, it stresses informs regards Metformin as post mentioned/ describes, i.e. shuffles the sugars around etc., Dr. Fung indicates diabetes 2 is not been treated correctly i.e should be more focus and target on the actual root cause i.e. which is insulin resistance, maintains too much emphasis is placed on treating sugars, athough sugars important , of course, yet sugars he maintains are simply a symptom of the cause, for me this seems sense or not and I am not a doctor.

He also states that Diabetes 1 is too little insulin, Diabetes 2 is to much, and gives example one would not give Alcohol to an alcoholic, yet insulin is given in D2 when its an insulin problem, whether this viewing is right or wrong I am not a professional Doc to give any jurisdiction this.

Whatever, information is interesting nevertheless.

Hope this adds to knowledge in pot.
 
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