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Newbie with question

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poohbear

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Hi All
I have been Type 2 diabetic for 2 years on Metformin and Glitclide. BS around 6.My girfriend has just been diagnosed with Type 2 following symptoms of extreme thirst. BS levels were mid 20 now appear to be around 18 she has only been given metformin by her doctor is this OK?.

Also she has recently stopped smoking 13 weeks ago and put on a lot of weight could this be what has started her off as a diabetic

Thanks

G
 
Hello, and welcome to the board.

poohbear said:
BS levels were mid 20 now appear to be around 18 she has only been given metformin by her doctor is this OK?.
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I presume when you say that "she has only been given metformin" - you mean in addition to advice about diet and exercise. Drugs are wonderful things, but they should only ever be a part of a diabetes management strategy. As I am sure you know, she needs to get her BG levels down as soon as possible. If she changes her diet to substantially cut down on carbohydrate and does a moderate amount of exercise every day then that, in conjunction with Metformin, will probably do the job. However, keep monitoring and if her BG doesn't show signs of improving quite soon then she should go back to the GP.

poohbear said:
Also she has recently stopped smoking 13 weeks ago and put on a lot of weight could this be what has started her off as a diabetic
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Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease that doesn't have a single cause. Genetics certainly plays a role as does diet and general lifestyle. Being overweight is often a major contributory factor, but it is very unlikely to have been the sole cause. Stopping smoking is all to the good - because smoking reduces insulin levels and increases insulin resistance - which means that smokers are likely to find it harder to control BG levels than non-smokers. Add to this the increased risk of heart disease and strokes associated with smoking and you see that adding those risks to the risks of diabetes is a pretty lethal combination. Also the the majority of people with really serious diabetic complications (amputations, total blindness etc.) are smokers. If ever she needs an incentive to stay off the weed it is surely this!

In short there is very little point in worrying about how you or your girlfriend came to have diabetes. You have it now, so the important thing is to work out how to live a healthy life despite this.
 
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