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newly diagnosed and need help...

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feeyonah

Member
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16
Hi all

I realise there are loads of threads about newly diagnosed people and lots of information throughout the forum but I'm currently experiencing information overload - none of which answers any of my questions really.

Where to start? I did a urine test Wednesday of this week and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (obviously once the blood results came back as well). I then saw the nurse yesterday to be told that my diet is good so doesn't need to change (apart from eating more regularly) and so as a result I have to start taking metformin. The nurse and the pharmacist both told me that it is likely to upset my stomach (which I have problems with anyway - usually with nerves). I took my first tablet last night and I am to start taking one a day in the morning for a week before increasing it to one twice a day and then one three times a day but already after only one tablet, my stomach is upset (seriously annoyed might be a better term). To top it all off, on Monday 16th April I am due to start a new job (in a new department where I don't know anyone) which is also customer facing.

I will be unable to randomly go to the loo or eat when I want as I will have a constant stream of customers coming in, all with five minute slots which means I can't just get up if I need to, so frankly I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do. I'm also dreading the conversation with my new boss because nobody wants to be 'that person' who comes with health issues. "Hi, I'm going to be a pain in your ass because my body hates me, pleased to meet you!"

The c****y leaflet I was provided tells me nothing useful really and I have in the region of ten thousand questions to be answered.

The nurse said i can eat anything and everything but in moderation and that I need to stop smoking and exercise more. She said I should be eating every couple of hours and spread out the fruit I would normally eat so that I'm not eating a load of natural sugars in one go.

A handful of the questions I have...

How might I get my body used to these tablets in two days (for my new job) to ensure that I don't become "that new lady that poos herself at work"?

Can I no longer drink redbull (this is the only thing I enjoy with vodka and I really don't appreciate the inconvenience of having to find a 'new drink')? (I'm joking, kind of)

If these tablets are going to continue to screw up my bowels, what can I do to prevent/stop it because I can't make this work with my job otherwise (and they told me I can't take immodium)?

What are some low sugar snacks I can eat to keep me going and are some things more likely to upset my stomach now I'm taking these tablets?

What do I do if I feel c****y and jittery again... or the blurred vision, the confusion, lightheaded?

If I can't have a blood monitor thingy, how do I know that I'm not about to explode and shower glucose-wee over everything and everyone? Why can't I have one? Am I allowed to buy one for myself or is that a no-no? I'm a fairly organised person and feel quite certain that this would help me get into a routine and know what's ok for me and what's not.

When will the skin irritation stop because I'm ready for peeling it all off or setting fire to myself to relieve me of the nightmare?

At what point will I stop feeling like I'd rather die than mess around with all this c**p?

When might I stop feeling like I want to set fire to people who keep saying "you'll get there" or "you'll get use to it" or "is there anything I can do to help?" - which for the record, yes, yes you can help me, I'll have your pancreas thanks!!!

I realise these are all probably ridiculous questions but I seriously feel bewildered and don't know where to turn. Also, apologies for the length of this, I'm currently mentally inconvenienced by all of this... the irony of having normal diarrhea and verbal diarrhea at the same time.

Thanks in advance

feeyonah
soon-to-be the lady who poos herself
currently the lady whose body HATES her.
 
Hi feeyonah and welcome to the forum :) It sounds like you have already read the information I give out and I hope I haven't been contributing to your information overload :shock: Nevertheless, if you would like to have a look at this information, have a look at this link:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

One thing that could help you with your main problem is to make sure that you take your Metformin during your meal, not before or after, as it is well known for causing problems if you don't do that. Usually the side effects wear off but may not be soon enough for your situation. There is also a different type of Metformin that you could ask your Doctor/DN for - SR or ER version which is easier on the stomach.

I drink sugarless Red Bull with no problems with my BGs so you could try that if you haven't already. IMO it tastes the same.

Your light-headedness could be due to your BGs coming down too rapidly. It would be a very good idea to buy yourself a test kit so that you can see which foods you can eat (testing before and 2 hours after eating and getting similar readings). If you continue to feel unwell then I recommend you ask your doctor's/DN's advice.

As for snack ideas, have a look at the Low carb diet forum which should give you some ideas and I am sure that some members will come along and give you ideas which work for them.

Skin irritation is very frequent with diabetes and there again some members may be able to give the names of products that may help you (I can't because I don't live in the UK). And don't worry, you'll soon feel better about everything. Most of us do.

I hope all goes well in your new job.

Ask as many more questions as you need to as we are all here to help.
 
Hi. As Daisy has said, if the Metformin stomach problems don't settle within a couple of weeks I would go back to the GP and ask for Metformin SR. It costs a bit more so the HCPs keep quiet about it. You don't need to eat every 2 hours as Metformin doesn't cause hypos hence your blood sugar is unlikely to go that low; having a meter will guide you on this. The main thing is to spread your carb comsumption during the day where you can to minimise blood sugar spikes. The advice to eat anything and everything in moderation is not good advice. Most of us would advise keeping your carb consumption down typically 150gm/day or even less. You can have alcohol fairly freely as before as it doesn't increase your blood glucose. Do keep coming back for questions and search the forum for diet advice.
 
Thanks

It's a minefield, so much to take in and to be honest I've not found them very helpful or informative at the surgery so I'm starting from scratch really. I had a look at both the low-carb discussion and also the non low-carb discussion and I'm still non the wiser.

I don't know if it's relevant but prior to being diagnosed, I cut bread from my diet and replaced it with fresh pineapple, water melon etc throughout the day and then a normal meal at tea time (chicken, rice and veg or whatever) and then I'd get a biscuit (belvita) or ham salad if I was hungry mid afternoon (not often) but they advised that I don't eat as much fruit in one go as it contains a lot of natural sugar. To be honest, I don't know what I'm supposed to eat now.

I've ordered a book 'first year of diabetes' and also a blood sugar tester thing this morning so hopefully I'll pick it up a bit more as I go. It's frightening not knowing anything though... and God only knows what will happen Monday with the job.
 
1) If you are getting +ve urine glucose tests, then you are way over the top.
2) With ordinary Metformin also known as metfarting, I had gut problems, I charged to the SR version, took them during/immediately after food and things improved dramatically. I got the advice from this site.
3) If you are organised then it takes maybe 10 seconds to test. The meter keeps the last reading, so you don't have to check it immediately.
4) Carbohydrates. Look at the tables and GI index, and also the total carbohydrate. Available somewhere on this site, hopefully the moderators will advise you where the table can be found.The index relates to how quickly the glucose appears in your blood, and the total carbohydrate, the amount eventually released. The GI is a useful guide for control. You will find that wholemeal products rather than refined products are definitely better. Wholemeal bread is of course readily available. Potatoes and rice are definitely to be avoided. However brown rice is good, and surprisingly sweet potatoes are better than ordinary potatoes. I have given up on potatoes and rice now eating whole meal pasta. There are a variety of pasta type products which are OK.
5) Don't panic, see how things develope, don't try and answer all the questions before you know what they are.
6) Good luck
 
I've ordered a book 'first year of diabetes' and also a blood sugar tester thing this morning so hopefully I'll pick it up a bit more as I go. It's frightening not knowing anything though... and God only knows what will happen Monday with the job
Click to expand...

I bought that book when I was diagnose 5 weeks ago. I have found it very helpful, and deals with big subjects in small chunks.

I also bought a blood meter and am testing myself before and 2 hours after food. Like you, I was told I didnt need to, but it has helped enormously to find what foods and food combinations work for me. I have the SDCodemeter one, but there are many others.

itchy skin: After cutting my carbohydrates down to under 80g a day, the itching has stopped and my blood sugars have become much lower. Testing will help you find what levels of carbhydrates work for you with both these problems

Daisy1's post helped me work out what to eat (and not eat) to start with. Particularly if you click on the link about what Carbohydrates are. It opened my eyes to all the less obvious sources of carbohydrate.

I cant help with the Metformin question as it made me so ill I went back to my doctors after 3 weeks and now have a prescription for the slow release metformin to get on Monday.

Good luck with your new job. other, more experienced people will also come along with more help for you.
 
Hi. Yes fruit has to be eaten in controlled quantities and type. Bananas particularly if over ripe can be a problem. Berries are normally quite good. Pineapple which I love has to be taken in sensible quantities. Burgen bread (Soya & linseed) is quite low carb bread but the slice thickness is quite large so I sometimes only have one slice as a sandwich. The meter will help quide you on which foods and how much affect you 2 hours after a meal
 
mrawfell said:
1) If you are getting +ve urine glucose tests, then you are way over the top.
Click to expand...

sorry, but what's +ve?

Also, thanks all for the advice. I sobbed for about two hours when I got home yesterday and the thought of the new job is making me want to hand my notice in rather than go and have a horrific day.

For now I'm trying to read as much as I can, hope that the tablets stop messing with me by Monday morning and try and not over-think it... which is proving impossible.

Thanks again

Fee
 
I have to say this and will probably be berated because of it. But, if the metformin are really upsetting you I would stop taking them and book an appointment at the Drs to get the Slow Release ones. I stopped twice whilst trying to take the ordinary ones. We have to live, you have to go to work its a new job you need to be in control. A few days with higher readings in the long run will not do anything really awful to you and a new job is really important as is your confidence to be able to do it without any stomach/bowel problems on your first day. My opinion only. Give yourself a break.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the job, in most jobs you'll spend day 1 just filling in forms then a few days shadowing someone as "training" under which circumstances you'll get time if you need it. Why not get up extra early the first few days, so that your stomach "empties" before you get to work? This could posslbly be achieved by taking your tablet at night instead of the morning until things settle down.
 
Thanks for all of the advice, I'm sure it's all second nature to most of you now. I can't wait to be in that position where everything comes naturally instead of panicking at every meal, drink etc.

Having read bits around the forum over the last couple of days, I'm a little confused. I read somewhere that I should test before food and then two hours after food.

This morning I did that. I tested at 9.50am (having not eaten since tea time last night), then I ate breakfast and then have just tested again (two hours later). The first reading pre-breakfast was 14.3 and then after breakfast it's 21.0. How long until the tablets start kicking in? Is this ok?

A friend tested me last week and the highest reading I've had is 27.0 but the nurse doesn't seem concerned by that so does that mean I'm just worrying needlessly. Is this normal?
 
Other people here know much more about this than I do, but I can relate to how you feel as I have just been through it myself. Based on that experience, I would say: don't panic about single readings ( this happened to me and when I started testing it become obvious that those spikes were a result of consuming certain things, eg orange juice, milk, pasta...after I eliminated those things, my readings started to come down). It could be the same for you.
That reduction was concurrent with starting taking Metformin. I had one pretty minor gastric issue but no more...so far. It is not a given that someone will have terrible trouble with the medication.
I have learned a lot from this site in respect of some diet choices , but rely also on the readings I get from testing.
So for me and I guess for everyone, diagnosis was a stressful time. Based on how I reacted, I would suggest giving yourself some time, read a lot, don't try to change everything at once. Things do become clearer with time. Smoking? Yes, give them up but it does not have to be today.
best wishes
 
what are you eating exactly?

i don't like much meat (only chicken) so tend to have chicken and rice or chicken and vegetables for my evening meals. otherwise i only eat fresh fruit (pineapple and water melon mainly) and the occasional ham salad cob... perhaps a couple of belvita if Im desperate. from that i have to remove rice, pasta, potatoes and bread so it doesn't leave much.
 
What I eat now, eg breakfast (2 egg omlette with small amout of tomato and cheese), lunch ( small amout of tuna with some asian-like salad leaves, small piece of cheese or some walnuts or almonds), dinner...(some grilled fish or chicken or beef with vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, spinach etc). I am not suggesting that this is balanced or for everyone, simply my way to start avoiding the things I know raise by BS.
Previously I consumed HUGE amounts of cabrohydrates ( 70g in breakfat yoghurt, white bread in massive qunatities, a lot or rice and pasta; in drinks ....staggered to now realise that my 2 favourite summer drinks, iced tea and orange juice are full of sugar).
I have not tried to set any level of carb intake. I am still experimenting and in any event do not really yet know what impact this diet is having viz the Metformin. Certainly my readings are back within normal range most times ( with the exception of spikes when I try certain things).
I hope things go well in your new job and with your testing
cheers
 
so from what i can gather, i ignore the nurse and keep testing myself with different foods and the blood sugar thing until i have a happy balance... once the 'metformin vs me' war ends of course.

thanks all for the valuable information, i really appreciate it.
 
Basically yes

This is the research stage. Keep a food and testing diary. If a carb sends your bg up, eliminate it or reduce the volume next time.

Good luck 2moro

Mary x
 
Hi. Do you mind me asking how old you are to put the T2 diagnosis in perspective? The reason to test just before a meal and 2 hours after is to determine how the meal itself affects your blood sugar i.e. you can find out the difference. As your blood sugar settles with the Metformin etc then you wouldn't really need to take a before meal measurement (I don't). There are further tablets that can be added to Metformin if necessary and most of them don't have any/many unpleasant side-effects. I'm on three different tablets and don't have problems with any of them; perhaps I'm lucky! BTW +ve means 'positive' it comes as an abbreviation from electrical terminology.
 
Metformin is the ideal drug as it's cheap as chips, doesn't cause hypos and also doesn't do the damage that the sulphonylureas may do. Do try metformin SR and give it a good trial, but be warned that even SR doesn't necessarily relieve symptoms, and if like me you already have digestive problems, metformin may not be for you. I stuck with it for 6 months of increasing agony before my GP took pity and put me on glipizide. If you can at all manage metformin it's ideal, but if you can't cope with it then ask for something else.
 
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