Newly diagnosed

[josjolly]

Hi there. Im posting this looking for advice on how to help my wife with understanding and managing her type 2. She went to GP for unrelated health reason but blood test indicated a initial number of 87 and she pit straight onto Metformin within 3 days. We have not been seen by a diabetic nurse and have been give no information or advice on how to manage her blood levels or what we ahiuld be looking for. We did get a blood test machine and her readings are ranging from 10- 16.9. She is on 2 pills a day at the moment to be upped to 3 a day from monday.
What we are really worried about is the symptoms she is getting out of nowhere, confusion, numbness, aphasia (not being able to talk) then she is wiped out and has to sleep. We don't know anything about whether this is normal for new type 2's or not? Any advice or stories that might help would be greatly appreciated.
(My wife has written this with me and has been posted with consent)

 

[Davidn100]

Hi there. Im posting this looking for advice on how to help my wife with understanding and managing her type 2. She went to GP for unrelated health reason but blood test indicated a initial number of 87 and she pit straight onto Metformin within 3 days. We have not been seen by a diabetic nurse and have been give no information or advice on how to manage her blood levels or what we ahiuld be looking for. We did get a blood test machine and her readings are ranging from 10- 16.9. She is on 2 pills a day at the moment to be upped to 3 a day from monday.
What we are really worried about is the symptoms she is getting out of nowhere, confusion, numbness, aphasia (not being able to talk) then she is wiped out and has to sleep. We don't know anything about whether this is normal for new type 2's or not? Any advice or stories that might help would be greatly appreciated.
(My wife has written this with me and has been posted with consent)

Hi there, I am relatively new here too and only have my own experience to speak of. I can say that I experienced something similar but things have massively improved, so do not let the current and temporary lack of information and situation get to you. I experienced high levels of anxiety which I am sure complicated matters.
The first thing I would advise is getting those appointments in with the nurse and maybe a revisit with your doctor to get the information straight from them.
The second is to ensure you track WHEN you are testing and record the Information in relation to what is being eaten. Many people suggest testing specifically at these times:
Upon waking. Just before each meal. At bedtime.
Make a note of your activity, too. Again in relation to meals.
Depending on your circumstances you may wish to start being a little more active, if possible, and also pay attention to what is being eaten at mealtimes.
But getting that direct professional medical advice is paramount.

You will probably need a time to get over the shock and each of us is different. I was able to belatedly start dealing with my diagnosis and management through monitoring and then following the Newcastle Diet, after consulting with my GP.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The best general advice is to reduce the Carbs in the diet as these are converted to glucose in the stomach and raise blood sugar. Best to test 2 hours after a meal but avoid testing at the start of the day due to the overnight sugar dump from the liver. The other symptoms you mention are not normal with diabetes so do discuss with the GP. BTW the Metformin will help but is not a miracle cure so keeping the carbs down together with exercise is a good start point.

 

[KennyA]

Hi there. Im posting this looking for advice on how to help my wife with understanding and managing her type 2. She went to GP for unrelated health reason but blood test indicated a initial number of 87 and she pit straight onto Metformin within 3 days. We have not been seen by a diabetic nurse and have been give no information or advice on how to manage her blood levels or what we ahiuld be looking for. We did get a blood test machine and her readings are ranging from 10- 16.9. She is on 2 pills a day at the moment to be upped to 3 a day from monday.
What we are really worried about is the symptoms she is getting out of nowhere, confusion, numbness, aphasia (not being able to talk) then she is wiped out and has to sleep. We don't know anything about whether this is normal for new type 2's or not? Any advice or stories that might help would be greatly appreciated.
(My wife has written this with me and has been posted with consent)

No it's not normal for newly diagnosed T2s. As you know we can't give medical advice on here. However I am aware that it is possible, but very rare, to have serious side effects or an allergic reaction to metformin.

Side effects of metformin

NHS medicines information on side effects of metformin and what you can do to cope.

www.nhs.uk

My advice is that your wife should contact her health care practitioner. The link I've supplied suggests ringing 111 (in the UK).

 

[Resurgam]

I was put onto Atorvastatin at the same time as the Metformin, and it affected my memory and ability to function normally - and it took quite some time to get over the worst of that.
I threw out the tablets and was then able to concentrate on reducing my Hba1c from 91 at diagnosis to the very top end of normal in 6 months.
The symptoms you report seem even more severe than my experience, so I really think it is something for your doctor to address.
I changed to low carb eating at diagnosis, no more than 50gm of carbs a day and my blood glucose levels went down quite quickly - possibly too fast, but the 50 gm per day was my normal intake on Atkins so I was perhaps rather incautious.

 

[CatsFive]

Ring your GP and ask for an urgent appointment about these new symptoms. Regardless of what is causing them, they need looking into.

You can read about all common drugs at the BNF, though it can be scary at times. This is about Metformin and the symptoms your wife is experiencing aren't listed:

Metformin hydrochloride | Drugs | BNF content published by NICE

View metformin hydrochloride information, including dose, uses, side-effects, renal impairment, pregnancy, breast feeding, contra-indications and monitoring requirements.

bnf.nice.org.uk

 

[josjolly]

Hey all, thanks for taking the time to read and respond to our post. My wife is heartened to read these and know that our experience isn't too dissimilar to others on this forum. She herself has opened An account and is enjoying the camaraderie of the diabetic community. We are getting to a GP on Monday so hopefully will get some more tangible information and help. Thanks again.

 

[CatsFive]

Hey all, thanks for taking the time to read and respond to our post. My wife is heartened to read these and know that our experience isn't too dissimilar to others on this forum. She herself has opened An account and is enjoying the camaraderie of the diabetic community. We are getting to a GP on Monday so hopefully will get some more tangible information and help. Thanks again.

Excellent that your wife has opened her own account.

It might help to make the best of your GP appointment if you take a list of questions with you - it's very easy to forget something while you are there.

Hope all goes well for both of you.

 

[Outlier]

It might help to make the best of your GP appointment if you take a list of questions with you - it's very easy to forget something while you are there.

I always take a pad and pen as well.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi there. Im posting this looking for advice on how to help my wife with understanding and managing her type 2. She went to GP for unrelated health reason but blood test indicated a initial number of 87 and she pit straight onto Metformin within 3 days. We have not been seen by a diabetic nurse and have been give no information or advice on how to manage her blood levels or what we ahiuld be looking for. We did get a blood test machine and her readings are ranging from 10- 16.9. She is on 2 pills a day at the moment to be upped to 3 a day from monday.
What we are really worried about is the symptoms she is getting out of nowhere, confusion, numbness, aphasia (not being able to talk) then she is wiped out and has to sleep. We don't know anything about whether this is normal for new type 2's or not? Any advice or stories that might help would be greatly appreciated.
(My wife has written this with me and has been posted with consent)

As others said, nope, not usual for new T2's, so good thing you're getting in touch with the doc on Monday. Also, excellent work on getting a meter! It'll be invaluable, I promise you. If you make dietary changes, test before a meal and two hours after the first bite. You're looking for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l, (preferably less,) then the meal agreed with her. If not, then it was too carby and needs adjusting. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help some with the what-changes-to-make. From what I understand there's a lot going wrong in UK supermarkets, but hopefully there's something doable in there.

@Resurgam also made a good point... New T2's are normally put on statins they often don't actually need, and they can wreak havoc.... Like neurological symptoms, or as it did for me, massive joint pains as my rheumatism flared like mad. Our brains are largely made up of cholesterol, so it makes sense a statin could have such an impact on neurological function. Something to look into, perhaps. I was better off without them, and my cholesterol came down on its own, when my diet went low carb, high fat.

Good luck, and welcome!
Jo