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Please help I was just diagnosed with Type 2

J

john5220

Well-Known Member
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57
Hi I am from Trinidad and Tobago I just want to share my story with you guys. I am 5' 11" Male and am obese I weigh 260 lbs exact or 119kg I believe is the conversion and I am 31 years of age exact. Last year I was walking out to the shop I had the fever and only 3 hours sleep the night before, I collapsed because I could not catch my breath after just 10 foot steps and my heart was racing I came back into the house my mother tested my pressure with the machine and I was reading crazy off the charts 200/140.

Since then I never had the same issue, though I have cut out all fast foods. But my pressure reading is always around 145/96 on average. Recently as I have reduced the amount of food I eat and I use imported Greece virgin olive oils (with the PDO stamp to ensure genuine as 70% of olive oils sold in grocery is fake) my pressure it has dropped to around 130/89 on average but it goes up of I am playing competitive video games like street fighter 5.

Ok so my doctor has recommended to me medications after I did a blood test.
I got atenolol + lisinopril for blood pressure

and for diabetes I got Metformin + Gliclazide

Is this normal? to get double medication for each disease?

I am not comfortable taking both, I would much rather take 1 the metformin and the Atenolol and monitor my readings first to know if they would be enough. I am willing to do ANYTHING to avoid meds including lose weight and go on a strict diet for the rest of my life. But I know I will need Atenolol because I THINK it relaxes the heart for my anxiety for when I play video games. I also believe I will need Metformin I hear its very safe and effective.

My doctor said my pancreas is operating at 50% and thats why he has provided Gliclazide he says this will be useful when I eat my fried chicken and chips I was like *** I don't even care for that I usually eat fried vegetables cooked with canola oil and I sprinkle cold olive oils ontop of it after.

A doctor previous to this doctor has only recommended Atenolol to me so I don't know if I should take this new doctor advice on taking TWO. Shouldn't i exhaust my options on diet and 1 medication first before going full blown? He recommended me Crestor however from my research I did online, Cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease it is inflammation that causes the plaque to build up so I don't see the need for this very expensive Crestor which I can't even afford.

I have started to eat lots of tin sardines and putting olive oil on it in order to lessen my cholesterol and inflammation etc. Please advise me on what to do here guys.
 
Hi @john5220 , welcome to the forums.

A lot of info above about your blood pressure, but I don't see anything about your blood sugars? Your doc obviously feels that you need both meds and we will not tell you to ignore your doctor's advice. Any decision to take a different path must be taken by you, the forum rules prevent us from advising otherwise.

A lot of people here eat a low carb diet and it seems as though you may have started out on this path. It will help you to get your blood glucose under control, lose weight and possibly even improve your blood pressure.

@daisy1 will give hopefully give you some additional advice about diabetic issues.
 
Hi. That 119Kg seems very high? How does your GP know your pancreas is operating at only 50%? Did he do the c-peptide test or guessed? Gliclazide wouldn't normally be prescribed for someone with a lot of excess weight as insulin resistance would be suspected and the Metformin and diet would be used to start with. If your pancreas is genuinely only 50% then Glic makes sense but I'd be interested to know how it was tested.
 
Hi guys thanks ok let me respond to some of the questions.

My blood sugar without medication reads around 130 at fasting and well really depends on what I eat. Lets say I eat 3 hops bread white, it will read around 220 about 2 hours after same thing for noodles etc. If I eat 6 hops bread it will read 270

If I eat 2 hops bread it will read around 206. I did a glucose blood test at a lab for him and passed the urine we did the drinking glucose and passing urine and doing blood test again etc. But he did say my pancreas is "PROBABLY" working at around 50% so I assume he is guessing, I should mention I had pre diabetes February this year. So I only developed this recently so I am a bit shocked to hear him say its working at 50% he said it is type 2.

I should mention something if I do lots of exercise my blood sugar reads about 197 if I eat like 4 hops bread.

So should I take the metformin alone and see what happens? do some tests for a few days while on it? what if the metformin works and my reading is like 140 or so after eating would it then be safe to say I could use that and manage myself from there on by losing weight and eating right?

Offcourse I would carry my results for the doctor to also have his advice but wondering what would you guys do?
 
ow its normal metformin and 1 tablet daily 500mg

Dunno whats the last name says metformin "SAVY" ?? SAUY?

yeah probably nothing.
 
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ok guys so I did it, finally took my metformin and my half atenolol. My pressure before taking the atenolol was 134/89 but it would surely go up when I start playing my PC Games.

So anyways gonna check back my pressure in 1 hour and will check my sugar in 2 hours since I already ate. I ate Roti and Sardines with added olive oil.

My sugar before just eating was 124 so lets see how well the metformin and atenolol alone works.
 
The key is that carbs (roti, bread, rice, potato, pasta, sugar, etc) will raise your blood glucose. Cut all that out.

Eat real food: fresh meat, fresh sea food, and fresh veg. And don't eat food fried in veg oil.

Here are two web sites for you:

1. This site has pretty much everything you need to know about type 2 diabetes: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

2. This is how I reversed my type 2 diabetes and lost 50 pounds (23 kg): https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Good luck!
 
^ WOW thats amazing so its actually possible to reverse type 2? you are right who knew wheat was this bad right? and everything in the world is practically made from wheat.
 
So I have great news guys 2 hours after eating my blood sugar is now reading 140 using metforming alone. And using Atenolol alone my bloodpressure is 130/73 on my right hand and 133/83 on my left hand.

Ok just for testing purposes I am going to eat a muffin blueberry and a small chocolate, some ground nuts and full cream milk. Will test back in 2 hours and let you guys know what its reading.

Just to be clear my readings are good for post meal right?
 
john5220 said:
So I have great news guys 2 hours after eating my blood sugar is now reading 140 using metforming alone. And using Atenolol alone my bloodpressure is 130/73 on my right hand and 133/83 on my left hand.

Ok just for testing purposes I am going to eat a muffin blueberry and a small chocolate, some ground nuts and full cream milk. Will test back in 2 hours and let you guys know what its reading.

Just to be clear my readings are good for post meal right?
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I do not consider 140 at two hours to be good. 140 is the highest I EVER allow my blood sugar to get. 140 is at the top of the normal rangeat the post-meal peak (not the trough or near trough at 2 hours).

Just an FYI - Metformin does not act instantaneously. It takes around 2 weeks to make any significant impact on blood glucose levels. (I doubt Atenolol is, either - but that's not a medication I'm familiar with)

If you seriously want to try controlling your diet by diet, stop dumping hgh carb items in your system just to see what happens. Start with low carb - say no more than 20 grams in a meal. Test at 1 hour after the first bite, 2 hours after the first bite, and (if hour 2 is higher than hour 1) 3 hours after you first eat. Pick a level you're comfortable at for a peak. I use 140 because that is the level at which organ damage has been documented (at least when that level or higher is sustained). If the number of carbs you are eating raises it above that at any time, either cut out the food or decrease the quantity.
 
^ooh ok thanks didn't realize 240 and higher was bad. In the past I used to get close to 300 reading in sugar but its a good thing I know now whats good and bad. Good thing I caught it early aswell.

Ok I guess my next bet is changing my diet and giving it a couple weeks to see how the metforming does. I didn't realize it took 2 weeks for metforming to start working properly I thought it was immediately.

Ok I will do this for both atenolol and meforming will eat healthy and see how it starts reading and will post back.
 
Serious problem I have bad diarrhea, I assume its from metforming? should I abandon taking metforming and just take my chances in life and see how long I live?
 
You should continue taking it for one week, if you still have the diarrhea after a week go see your doctor. Most people get this side effect when starting or increasing metformin and higher carb foods seem to make it worse. Not everyone can tolerate metformin but you need to give your body a chance to adjust. Just be careful to stay well hydrated, drink lots of water. You should also seriously research low carb diets and diabetes. There is a ton of info on this site and daisy1 has been tagged to send you a package of information that you should read and follow all the links. Diabetics that do not control their disease do not usually just die one day, they spend years going blind, losing kidney function, and slowly losing pieces of their limbs to numbness and often amputation. It is a slow painful progression. It does not have to be this way. You have the ability to avoid all of that and live a long healthy life and you have a ton of resources and support right here on this site. I hope you will use them. I wish you all the best.
 
^ Alright thanks :(

I hope my body adjusts to the metforming I will do my best to follow a low carb diet I hope I don't end up like others where they never stop getting diarrhea.
 
john5220 said:
^ Alright thanks :(

I hope my body adjusts to the metforming I will do my best to follow a low carb diet I hope I don't end up like others where they never stop getting diarrhea.
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That is why I said to go see your doctor if it is still a problem after a week. Not everyone can tolerate metformin but you just need to give it a bit of time before giving up on it. If it turns out you are one of those who cannot tolerate it your doctor will help you find something that works for you. Smile, you can do this :) it just takes some time to wrap your brain around it and we are here for you.
 
Alright well the good news is I feel a little better now its easing up. Its metforming the regular one not the er.

Tomorrow when I wake up I will follow up on these diets etc and learn some more about them. Maybe in a few days my body will adjust to it aswell so I will try not to worry.
 
Everything out of a tin will poison you over time . So only ocasionally eat food that has been stored in a tin
 
@john5220

Hello John and welcome to the forum :) To add to all the advice you have already received from members, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
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