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Not taking insulin...

Carl40

Well-Known Member
Messages
106
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Insulin
Was diagnosed last year with a ridiculously high blood sugar level - straight onto insulin which brought things under control rapidly.

Was also prescribed metformin a little while later

About six months ago we upped my metformin dose to 4 x 500mg per day (from 2x). More or less since then i've never really felt like there was any need for me to take insulin - blood sugars are mostly within tolerance no matter what i eat.

I have a Libre2 prescription and over the last 90 days have averaged blood sugars of around 6.5 and estimated hba1c of 37.

Last time I had a blood test from the GP the a1c was pretty much bang-on.

Key points:

* Blood sugars two hours after a meal never warrant a dose of insulin.
* After a while of this being the case i stopped taking both basal and bolus.
* Increase dosage of Metformin seem to keep blood sugars under sufficient control.

So i guess i just wanted to see what the consensus was - Appreciate I should ask GP about this but it doesn't feel urgent to me so was waiting til next review.

Thanks!
 
Hi, two obvious things jump out, misdiagnosis or honeymoon period? I hope you get the answer you want :)
 
You have an fsl on prescription so I have to assume that you were diagnosed as type 1 and that this either a misdiagnosis and you are a type 2 or 1.5 lada in a honeymoon phase.
Either way it seems your beta cells are working. It might be interesting to know how your antibody (gaad) and insulin levels (c peptide) levels came out at diagnosis and now?
 
Was diagnosed last year with a ridiculously high blood sugar level - straight onto insulin which brought things under control rapidly.

Was also prescribed metformin a little while later

About six months ago we upped my metformin dose to 4 x 500mg per day (from 2x). More or less since then i've never really felt like there was any need for me to take insulin - blood sugars are mostly within tolerance no matter what i eat.

I have a Libre2 prescription and over the last 90 days have averaged blood sugars of around 6.5 and estimated hba1c of 37.

Last time I had a blood test from the GP the a1c was pretty much bang-on.

Key points:

* Blood sugars two hours after a meal never warrant a dose of insulin.
* After a while of this being the case i stopped taking both basal and bolus.
* Increase dosage of Metformin seem to keep blood sugars under sufficient control.

So i guess i just wanted to see what the consensus was - Appreciate I should ask GP about this but it doesn't feel urgent to me so was waiting til next review.

Thanks!
Hi Carl40. I'm sure there are plenty of people with relevant experience who might be able to give you a steer: obviously no-one on here can or should attempt or suggest a diagnosis. Seems to me (if I was in your position) that it's exactly the sort of thing you should be talking to your doc about, because if you do need further testing or a referral, the sooner that process starts the better.

Best of luck.
 
Thanks both - apologies for the delay in replying, been a busy week!

Agree GP is the way forward - will be in touch this week.

Just for clarity on the sensors - type 2 apparently (c-peptide confirms).

I took (and still take) the view that as someone in my early 40's, being able to adequately identify and manage high/low blood sugars would be beneficial to me and a cost saving to health services in future - so I just laid this out to everyone I spoke to and insisted.

Not prepared to self fund these when I already pay an exorbitant amount in tax - i expect something in return occasionally and this was it.

I would encourage anyone else who needs/wants these to manage their condition do the same - Don't take no for an answer, be prepared to fight it right up to CCG level.

In the end I didn't need to but perseverance is the way forward.

Nicole - Just looking up some test results.

Diagnosis (Jan/Feb 2021)

C-Peptide - 1,580 pmol/l

Urine ketone test = ++++ (4687.) - They said this was so high they wanted me to go to hospital immediately - this was when i was diagnosed - wasn't allowed to go home til i had insulin and taken it in front of the nurse.

A1c level - IFCC standardised (XaPbt) 128 mmol/mol - Jan 2021 on diagnosis.


Most recent

Not had a C-Peptide/ketone for a while but A1C was 41 in Jan 2022.
 
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