new type 2 needs advice please

Hi all,

newly diagnosed type 2 needs advice please. Age 70, active - tennis, pilates, tai chi, gardening etc. Med type diet, no red meat, lots of fish, veg and fruit, modest alcohol 5-10 units a week. Good health ( I thought!) apart from some intermittent IBS, 1 episode of diverticulitis, caused by stress - caring for old folks. Some teeth /gum infections over 30 years after front teeth loosened by anaesthtist! Chronic low grade inflammation? Mum - type 2, later insulin dependent died age 90 from diabetic complications with metformin. Other female family members also diabetic so genetic conponent

Oct'16 NHS health check - raised BP 140/87 BMI 25.6, cholesterol 7.9 - refused statins. Follow up fasting blood test - 15.4. Bought BG monitor and started reading!! Have read Holford, Moseley, Cavan, Myhill etc. so understand physiology of low GI diet, no suger etc. + exercise and metabolic syndrome.

Started on Berberine 3 times day 2 weeks ago + chromium and good multi vit/mineral tab and low GI diet.Upped exercise. Daily BG reading reduced but so far , lowest has been 7.6. Example - breakfast organic oats+ oat bran+ cinnamon+ berries sends BG way up. Better to try eggs for breakfast?? HbA1c last week was 10.6%

GP will let me try diet + exercise but expects me to need meds in the end. But don't want to take metformin after watching my mum's decline. Appt already made with surgery's diabetic unit for Dec. Am I heading in the right direction? How long does it take to see some more positive results?

Sorry if this is long winded but after reading other posts, thought it might save some of the questions. Any advice gratefully received - I expect to be a grandma for the first time in the new year, so want to have the time and energy to enjoy it. Thank you in anticipation.

Thanks for that. Will check it out.

dawnmc said:

Hi newgrandma, what makes you think it was the Metformin that caused problems for your mum? Was she on any other meds?

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Thanks for replying.
Mum was insulin dependent for her last 10 years or so - her BG control wasn't brilliant - she took metformin as well. Before going into hospital for the last time, paramedics couldn't get her BG up to keep her conscious - they said metformin overload. Death cert was diabetic complications which included kidneys. I guess I'm just drug averse and would rather manage without if I can.

asparagusp said:

Metformin may have actually prolonged your mother's life. You seem to be doing all possible to keep healthy. Well done! Do you need to lose weight?

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Thanks for replying - probably wouldn't hurt - seem to have gathered some extra round my middle in the last few months. Will def look at the low carb options suggested. There's just so much advice - some of it conflicting! But grateful for all the help.

Bluetit1802 said:

Eating low GI is OK for some diabetics, but by no means all of us, and particularly those not on any diabetes medication. All carbs convert to glucose once in the system, whether low or high GI, it's just that the low GI ones take a bit longer. Nevertheless, they still convert and that glucose will arrive in your blood stream at some point.

If I were you I would give low carb a try and see if you get better results. Bread, rice, pasta, cereals (including oats, organic or not), potatoes and flour are the main culprits. I personally cannot eat any carbs for breakfast. It's eggs for me. Once my insulin sensitivity wakes up as the day progresses I can manage up to 30g carbs a day, more than this and my levels increase. Other people can manage 50g or 80g or more carbs a day, whilst some have to keep under 20g. It is a very personal thing. Your meter will tell you what your threshold is.

Eat to your meter and you will see a big difference.

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Thanks for that. I can see that everyone is different so will monitor what I eat and the reaction carefully for a while. Sounds like low carbs will suit me better too. So much to learn and adjust to.... Thanks again.

sally and james said:

Hi @newgrandma
Have a look at the Diet Doctor site. This link https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb will put you onto the Low Carb section, but there is lots more to look at (see bar across top of page), all very clear and sensible.
Sally

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Thanks for that. Excellent website - low carb bread?!! I have been making my own wholemeal bread for some years so will def try that instead. Thanks

Freema said:

so ywelcome newgrandma

some do get diabetes from lifestyle other from genetics others from medications and some maybe from polution.. or maybe till now unknown reasons..
usually we don´t know why we get it for sure... if we are Lucky if we do our best we can maybe stop the progress but even that is not for sure...
Metformin doesn´t have to be a bad medication, to some it is, to some it hasn´t got any sideeffects and to some it end up hindering the uptake of vitamin b12 or maybe is a problem to cope with if one has weak kidneys.

what complications did metformine cause in your mothers case ?

I´ll tag @daisy so you get the valuable information that everyone new gets here

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thanks for reply and encouragement. Please see reply above re my mum's problems. If I can achieve a good reduction in my BG, BP and cholesterol by latching on to all this good advice, I shall be a very happy bunny! It's def worth a try. Thanks

Freema said:

no metformin is taken out of the body by the kidneys and if the kidneys do not work as effective anymore as it is often the case for older people then the metformin will be too high in our body. and when being weak it can be very fatal.
older people should have their blood levels checked more othen than younger persons

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Thanks for info. Mum wasn't very good at BG control. She had always had a sweet tooth and was often heard to say " I'll just have one..." don't think that was always how it worked out. She didn't live with us so although I was one of her main carers, I wasn't always around to keep an eye on her.

I don't want to struggle with this as she did. There looks to be lots of super recipes so I won't feel deprived. I just need to get used to the new regime. Thanks for all the pointers in the right direction - it just takes some getting used to.