New Type 2 Intro

[Bluenosesol]

Hi,
I have posted a few times but thought I would formally introduce myself.
I am a 53 year old male, living in Solihull, West Midlands.
Diagnosis data:-
Diagnosed Monday 27th April
Fasting BG was 13
Trigs 7.7
Cholesterol 4.2 (no breakdown)
BP 130/81 (normal so I am told)
HBA1C 10.3%
Weight 17 st 5

On diagnosis, I had to see a chronic disease specialist at our local surgery. She was so negative that I couldnt sleep for 2 weeks for fear I would die in my sleep (honest!!)
It is only by reading the accounts on this web site that I have regained my sanity!!
I am on diet, exercise and 2 x 500g Metformin. Also take aspirin.

I am currently cycling a 5.7 mile road route every day, I do 36 sit ups and 60 bench presses. I also try to do 1 hour aerobics (I am as unfit as anyone else but was driven by the initial blind panic!) Have also got down to 16 stone.

I am following a low carb diet with lots of oily fish. Main concern at the moment is slight pins and needles in hands, arms and feet.

The specialist said that I should spend 3 months exercising, low fats and sugars. She doubted that I would make much progress on drugs and told me to expect to be on insulin in the near future. No need to test as the results would not be significant.

I bought myself an accu-chek and a load of sticks and lancets off Ebay. Been testing for the last week and my results thus far have been between 5 and 6.5. Tonight I did a dinner + 2 hours reading which was also a 5!. My wife is of "normal" health and she measured 6.2!

Off for retina photos next Monday.

I am gagging for a couple of glasses of wine or even the odd pint, but will not until my HBA1C is in the 5's (If it ever gets there - here's hoping). Also desperate to reduce my trigs.

Next week I commence a Diabetes X-pert patient course (6 weekly at 2.5 hours per lesson)
This Friday I see our PCT diabetes dietitian and nurse and I have joined our local diabetes support group. Also joined Diabetes UK but already having doubts about their "counter-productive" advice.

Must say that already this site has been a life saver

Thank You

Steve

 

[sandymaynard]

Hi Steve
Welcome to the forum!
Hope you are okay! This is a great forum! we work as a team on here!
Sandy

 

[Dennis]

Hi Steve and a belated welcome to you.

Next week I commence a Diabetes X-pert patient course (6 weekly at 2.5 hours per lesson).
This Friday I see our PCT diabetes dietitian and nurse and I have joined our local diabetes support group. Also joined Diabetes UK but already having doubts about their "counter-productive" advice.

I'd be interested to hear more about the diabetes EPP course. I wasn't aware that EPP were running courses covering specific conditions. Usually they like a mixture of people with different conditions on each course. Do you know who has organised the course?

I would suggest that you don't mention low carbing - EPP is an NHS operation so they follow the "eat plenty of starchy carbs with every meal" dogma, same as Diabetes UK.

 

[fergus]

Steve, you sure learn fast.
You're doing all the right things, and I'd put money on you defying your specialist's predictions. Your bg's sound near normal already and I'm confident all your numbers will show a huge improvement next time. Let us know how you get on, but as Dennis says, keep your secret under your hat for now.

fergus

 

[totsy]

hya steve,
welcome to the forum

 

[Bluenosesol]

Thx everyone for the welcomes and comments, it is much appreciated.

Dennis, I did a little research before I saw the so called specialist. I asked her if she could put me on a DESMOND course. She advised that Solihull (my local PCT) didnt use DESMOND but did use EPP.
I asked to be put on the course and she noted it on my medical notes (or at least she said she would). I was mooching on the internet when I found contact details of the EPP organiser. I gave her a call and she said that she had NO referral for me, but kindly agreed to put me on to the course and "assume" my GP's consent!.

Link is here https://proxy12345.appspot.com/www.healthnewstrack.com/health-news-350.html

Steve.

 

[benniesmum]

Hi Steve,

I was diagnosed in Jan 09 with a fasting BG of 17.9, and with diet , exercise and 3x500 Metformin have just achieved an Hba1c of 6.9. So it can be done! Don't lose heart, the docs and nurses don't really know what you can do until you try it. I'm not on a 'diet' as such, but have cut out sugary and salty snacks, potatoes (mostly) and less bread/pasta. I don't really miss them. I've also lost 2 stone, which helps enormously apparently.

Just stick at it, and you'll win.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Your specialist needs a wakeup call, I suspect you'll prove her wrong in no time.

There's an account of an Expert Patient course here

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joom ... ient-.html

hopefully yours might be better

You might care to place a packet of cornflakes strategically in your shopping bag before attending this or any meetings with a dietician <evil grin>

You might ask for an increase in your metformin, some people need to go up to 1500 - 2500mg before it cuts in, also try doing some tests 1 hour after eating. My "magic number" where the neuropathy returns is around 8 (same for several other people) so try not to exceed that. Also a protocol of 300 - 600mg Alpha Lipoic Acid and 500 - 1000mg Evening Primrose Oil may help repair the damage. Sometimes as the nerves repair you can actually get *worse* sensations initially as a result of the healing process.

IMO nowt wrong with the odd glass of dry red wine, but beer or sweet wines may be a different story

Trigs should drop rapidly with low carbing and fish/fish oil or other sources of Omega 3s, and exercise

 

[salsasue]

Hi Steve!

Welcome to the forum and great you're taking such a positive, pro-active part in management of your own diabetes! Wishing you all the very best, take care, salsasue

 

[Bluenosesol]

Trinks,

My BG hasnt risen above 6 for nearly 2 weeks at any time of day, but I continue to get pins and needles in arms, hands and feet. (Not massively so or particularly painful, but enough to know its there). I would desperately love to take ALA and Evening Primrose to reduce or resolve the neuropathy but I am afraid to do so, as I have read about potential side effects. Just wandered if there was anything in your decision making process to take them, that may allay my fears?.
I am taking milk thistle supplements for a potential fatty liver (mild pain + ALT/SGPT serum level 41 iu/l , unobserved or commented by GP). Also take soluble aspirin on my own volition. I also had very high trigs (7.7) on diagnosis tests (27th April - so lo-carb/lo BG improvements expected).

Steve.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Unfortunately the website where this protocol was discussed went down when the owner died and the information has not yet been reinstated anywhere else, there were several supporting references.

Some people regard EPO as being proinflammatory but I haven't read much negative about ALA at all. Except for its price!

The fatty liver should hopefully also resolve with BG control, and the milk thistle should help with this. Personally I'd nix the aspirin, there's been some recent evidence that it is not as helpful as previously thought and recently it seems to have given me tinnitus, even Ibuprofen *ointment* has been making my ears sing, but that's just me!

If I were you I'd get your peripheral circulation checked out, a podiatrist may be useful in plotting your sensation (or lack thereof) in your feet: if you do it now you will hopefully be able to see improvements in future.

It's plausible that the pains are actually "getting worse before you get better" which is not uncommon, but there may be other factors at work. A couple of people I've met with severe neuropathy, and not just peripheral, turned out to have had Lyme disease which went untreated for too long.

Hmmm

http://web.archive.org/web/200712290430 ... rg/dpn.htm

there it is archived!