so very many questions...

[lalaleroux]

Hi...like so many, I am new to this and was virtually thrown into the deep end of the pool with no lessons.

I have all kinds of eye issues and during one of many dilated eye exams, the eye doc pushed away from me and asked if I had diabetes. When I answered no, he said you should go to your regular doc and get checked out. So I did, and low and behold I did. Funny thing, even under hard scrutiny I seem to have had no symptoms that would have caused a second though even when the doctor and I talked about it. I was a bit overweight (that pesky BMI thing had me at 26%) and I have lost something like 13 pounds. Between stress, and probably a lot of fear about eating the wrong thing the weight just disappeared.

Anyway, this was in October. There was a class I could attend, but it wasn't until the end of this month so that would have been two full months of zero info and medication I knew nothing about. Y'all don't know me, but I am one of those who research things to death (how I found this forum) and learned a great deal. Next visit to doc, stomped my feet a bit, had a bit of a hissy fit and got an appointment with a Certified Diabetes Instructor that helped answer more.

For now, I test all things, all the time. I figure (after reading here and agreeing) that the only way I am going to know how my body reacts to food is test to see what by body is doing with the food I give it. I think based on the numbers I see I am doing okay for now (I'm in the US so my numbers are different than what I see here) based on the charts (I have been using the endocrinologists numbers) and my doctor seems very happy. I haven't had a second A1C test yet, so I don't know how these numbers will translate yet.

I am taking Metformin (2000) and not formally doing low carb, but average about 20-25 per meal.

And thus now my questions: the biggest being about what I think is a side effect to the metformin. I never had the gastric distress issues I heard about, but rather what feels like a persistent and annoying feeling that reminds me of having morning sickness ALL THE **** TIME. And nothing tastes right. I just don't even want to eat. Even foods I like taste yucky. Is that normal????

And the second question? A stupid one for sure-if I use a packet of stevia, it says it has 2 carbs. Do I have to count that in my meal count??

Okay, I have a lot of dumb questions, but those are the big ones for today.

And thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Lala

Edited by Mod

 

[bulkbiker]

rather what feels like a persistent and annoying feeling that reminds me of having morning sickness ALL THE **** TIME. And nothing tastes right. I just don't even want to eat. Even foods I like taste yucky. Is that normal????

Never had morning sickness but metformin certainly caused me many gastric issues (tied to the toilet for 3 weeks) and has been known to upset peoples sense of taste.

Edited by Mod

 

[Antje77]

(I'm in the US so my numbers are different than what I see here)

Sounds like you're on the right track!
You can just use your US numbers on here, it's an international forum after all, or you can use a converter or a table like this one.
What kind of numbers are you seeing after meals?

Good luck, and ask any question you have!

 

[lalaleroux]

I need to learn how to use the quote function.

Typically the after meal (2 hours) run between 95 and 125 depending on what I eat. There were a few random OMG numbers, but that was when I learned about 1. bad food choices and 2. washing my hands better before testing.

I also spent two weeks randomly going out to eat (which I don't do a lot) to practice food choices in places I can't control.

 

[Antje77]

I need to learn how to use the quote function.

On a computer or the browser on your phone, use the 'reply' button below a post if you want to quote a complete post.
If you only want to quote part, selct the part you want to quote and a tiny reply button will appear.
If you use the app, not a clue. I tried it for about 15 minutes before deleting it from my phone.

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welcome,

this is a great place to find information an advice.

I think regular testing is a great thing to start with- the information you get enables you to make decisions about your health

I count all carbs all the time- but as you know- test and see how your body reacts.

Good luck.

 

[Brunneria]

hi and welcome!

Have you had a look at the list of contraindications on the info that came with your Metformin?
Gut upset is definitely one of them! in some people the symptoms disappear after a week or so.
The general advice is to start gently, with one tablet a day until symptoms subside, then increase to 2 tablets, then 3, etc. Waiting each time til you adjust before increasing.
but for some, the symptoms never disappear, and those people just aren’t suited to taking Metformin.

as for taste differences, yes, that is another listed side effect. Unfortunately, I have no idea whether that is something that fades over time, or not.

having said all that, it looks like you are making great progress with those bg readings. Nice one!
You may soon find that with those readings, your HbA1c has dropped enough that you no longer need Metformin or any other medication.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. I had the taste issue with Metformin when I first started it. A strange metallic taste that lasted up to 6 months. It then disappeared completely and I've now been taking Met for 15 years. Be careful with Stevia. There is a discussion thread on this elsewhere in the forums. It is often mixed with glucose or sugar alcohols (Maltitol). The latter is a carb although less than straight glucose. Do read the packet carefully and it may be best to avoid it and use one of the other 'sugarless' products.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi...like so many, I am new to this and was virtually thrown into the deep end of the pool with no lessons.

I have all kinds of eye issues and during one of many dilated eye exams, the eye doc pushed away from me and asked if I had diabetes. When I answered no, he said you should go to your regular doc and get checked out. So I did, and low and behold I did. Funny thing, even under hard scrutiny I seem to have had no symptoms that would have caused a second though even when the doctor and I talked about it. I was a bit overweight (that pesky BMI thing had me at 26%) and I have lost something like 13 pounds. Between stress, and probably a lot of fear about eating the wrong thing the weight just disappeared.

Anyway, this was in October. There was a class I could attend, but it wasn't until the end of this month so that would have been two full months of zero info and medication I knew nothing about. Y'all don't know me, but I am one of those who research things to death (how I found this forum) and learned a great deal. Next visit to doc, stomped my feet a bit, had a bit of a hissy fit and got an appointment with a Certified Diabetes Instructor that helped answer more.

For now, I test all things, all the time. I figure (after reading here and agreeing) that the only way I am going to know how my body reacts to food is test to see what by body is doing with the food I give it. I think based on the numbers I see I am doing okay for now (I'm in the US so my numbers are different than what I see here) based on the charts (I have been using the endocrinologists numbers) and my doctor seems very happy. I haven't had a second A1C test yet, so I don't know how these numbers will translate yet.

I am taking Metformin (2000) and not formally doing low carb, but average about 20-25 per meal.

And thus now my questions: the biggest being about what I think is a side effect to the metformin. I never had the gastric distress issues I heard about, but rather what feels like a persistent and annoying feeling that reminds me of having morning sickness ALL THE **** TIME. And nothing tastes right. I just don't even want to eat. Even foods I like taste yucky. Is that normal????

And the second question? A stupid one for sure-if I use a packet of stevia, it says it has 2 carbs. Do I have to count that in my meal count??

Okay, I have a lot of dumb questions, but those are the big ones for today.

And thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Lala

Edited by Mod

Yeah... That's Metformin for you. You're certainly not the only one with those particular issues there, but you've read as much already. If your blood sugars aren't satisfactory yet, you could drop your carb intake lower. The metformin doesn't do much of anything about the carbs you ingest (just decreases appitite, far as that goes. For the rest, it just tells your liver not to dump as much glucose into your bloodstream as it normally would). If you low carb, you could talk to the doc about ditching met metformin alltogether. Your change in diet is doing far, far more for your blood sugars than the met is doing, after all. As for the stevia, if it's pure stevia the carbs do count. If it's stevia blended with a sugaralcohol (like erythritol or any other -tol, really), it doesn't tally up to 2, as sugaralcohols never make it into the bloodstream, so yeah... All in all though, it's better to ty and get rid of the sweet stuff altogether, as it's easier to kick cravings that way. But that's entirely up to you. Some do, some don't. Or go halfway. Whatever works for you.

Good luck!
Jo