Newly Diagnosed - think having hypos

SandraW

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi I have been newly diagnosed with Type 2 about 3 weeks ago. My fasting blood sugar was 13.2. The nurse at my doctors surgery put me on metaformin 500mg tablets starting on one for the first week then increasing up to 2. Anyway I had to stop this medication as it was over the bank holiday weekend and I was experiencing bad diahorrea and sharp pains in my liver. I went back to the doctors the following week but this time saw a doctor and he put me back on metaformin 500mg tablets but the slow release ones. One of the reasons I am writing is because the doctor never mentioned about me putting these tablets up to 2 after the first week so all I am taking now is one 500mg tablet with my evening meal. Do you think these should have been increased?

Also I think I may be having slight hypos. The food I eat per day is 3 weetabix for breakfast, 2 rounds of sandwiches for lunch and then an evening dinner at around 6.30pm (ish). When its coming up to lunchtime I tend to get a cold sweat and as soon as I have had my lunch its gone but I will then get another one at around 4.30pm. I have nothing to eat until I get home but I have noticed that I am getting cold sweats and my legs feel wobbly and sometimes I have had to stop and hold onto a wall until I get my breath back. I am overweight at the moment and I tend to soon get out of breath walking, I was wondering if this can be something to do with the diabetes as well.

Any help would be appreciated as I am new to all of this.

Thanks
Sandra
 

ClaireG 06

Well-Known Member
Messages
934
Hi sandra and welcome to the forum :D

Only your GP or nurse can advise what meds and on what dose you should be on i'm afraid. Do you have a meter so you can check your own levels? It could be that you are having hypo like symptoms but not actually having a hypo. This can happen if your levels have been high for awhile and then go lower.

Here is some information for newly diagnosed diabetics that maybe useful to you

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like. There is always someone to help :D
 

SandraW

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi Claire,

Thanks for your reply. I am due to see the doctor again at the end of the month so I will mention it to him then. I have been given a monitor and have to do it before breakfast 3 times a week - my readings have varied from 7.7 through to 13.2 they dont seem constant at the moment. Will try eating a snack in between meals to see if that solves it.

Sandra
 

Marvin

Well-Known Member
Messages
196
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hi, Sandra,
Metformin on its own will not cause hypos, because it works not by increasing insulin production, but by reducing insulin resistance. If you were also taking, say, Gliclazide, then hypos would be a possibility as this drug squeezes more insulin from the pancreas and you could end up with more insulin in your blood than your blood glucose level required. As has been said, your symptoms may well be your body's response to lower, but acceptable blood glucose levels. As you have a meter, next time you feel bad, test your BG level. 4.0 or below is hypo, so above that there's no need to worry.... but if you continue to feel bad, take a second reading half an hour later and see if its still OK.
Its most unlikely, but if you ARE very close to 4 or below, then you need to take some fast acting glucose.... three or four glucose tablets, a small glass of orange juice, some Lucozade, even a glass of milk. This will lift your GB level quickly into the safety zone. Follow up with a small snack. You should feel much better quite soon if the problem was hypoglycaemia.
And remember that not every bad feeling is caused by diabetes! If the problem persists despite the above, see your doctor...it might be something completely different and unconnected.
 

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
Hi SandraW

It may be that the metformin is already reducing your insulin resistance, and that after your meals your blood glucose (BG) is going quite high amd then dropping quite quickly, which could give you hypo-like symptoms.

We are all different, and all react differently to different foods, but your diet seems to have a lot of carbs in it (Weetabix, 2 rounds of sandwiches). I couldn't eat that, it would send my BG too high.
If you want to lose weight, have a look at Viv's Modified Atkins Diet, which is a sticky thread at the top of the Low Carb Diabetes Diet forum on this site. This is the diet I use all the time, when I haven't fallen of the wagon, which happens to all of us occasionally - I'm just climbing back on! :oops: :lol:

It is a very low-carb diet, but I find it easy to stick to, and it will certainly reduce your weight and your BGs. You need never be hungry on it, and it gives me at least lots of energy. I have a lot of weight to lose, and also have the shortness of breath problem when walking, which I think is due to my obesity.

If the diet is a bit extreme for you, buy yourself a carb counter book and add a few more daily grams from the lowest carb/low GI foods. I try never to go over 70g of carb a day even if I'm treating myself. You should still show improvement in weight/BGs if you stick to this amount. Eventually it becomes second nature - you will soon know what you can and can't eat.

Test your blood just before and 2 hours after every meal. The readings should be about the same. If the second one is too high, you've eaten something that spikes your blood glucose. Reduce the portion or eliminate it altogether.

Not every Type 2 needs to avoid carbs, but many of us do, and get very good control by doing so (which equals less chance of complications later on in life).

It can all seem a bit daunting when you're newly diagnosed, but you're among friends. We've all been there, and we're here to help. It's not the end of the world - promise! :D

Viv 8)