Type 2

[Michelle_BBB]

Hellos,

On day 3 or metformin and I feel absolutely awful, but I’m thinking it’s my body detoxing, headache (which disappeared after starting metformin) and strange as it seems pain either side pelvic area
No tummy upsets, missing sugary treats like nothing else, yet I feel weak and generally bleugh
I’m hoping this is a normal reaction, and tips would be great, training my tastebuds after 50 years and not much liking yoghurt, is honey okay to have, if so does it need to be a special brand?

Why I have your attention, I wondered if any of you had these symptoms pre diagnosis along with the ‘normal symptoms’

Bottom lip trembling or ticking?
Dry itchy scalp ?
And dare I ask, foul smelling bottom burps ?

Also my GP said I didn’t need to test myself, but it seems most things I’ve read on here so far is about logging results keeping a diary etc, I’m due to see the diabetic nurse Monday, should I ask her?

Apologies if my questions seem all over the place, but my head is too... I take back what I said in a prediabetes post that this wouldn’t be that hard if it meant just taking another pill’ aggghhhh how wrong was I .... xxx

 

[Bluetit1802]

It sounds to me like your symptoms are a type of withdrawal symptom from sugars and carbs. Your body is protesting. It is known as carb-flu and should pass in a few days. Many on this forum have reported the same, although personally I escaped it. Any gastric symptoms are likely to be the Metformin.

As for testing, logging, and food diary who do you believe? Your doctor who is trying to save money by not supplying testing equipment, or the many hundreds of us on here who are all diabetics and have gained control through testing? It is highly unlikely your nurse will say anything different from your doctor as regards testing. Please buy a meter - for your health's sake.

Keep going, don't give in, and keep asking questions.

 

[brianuol]

Hi Michelle,

Keep your spirits up - mind over matter at all times! Your sugar impacts your mood and vice versa. You will adjust and you will find things you love to eat again. One of my favorites is Greek yogurt on blueberries. I use full fat Greek yogurt because the creamy/fattiness hits the same satiating nerve for me as a sweet would, but I do cut the serving size in half when I use full fat dairy products. For me a cup of blueberries topped with a half cup of full fat plain Greek yogurt and a quarter cup of low-glycemic granola is absolute heaven - it may be too many carbs at once for some - if so cut the ingredients as needed or lose the granola.

The Chia seed has also earned a special place in my heart since my diagnosis. Chia seeds are incredibly nutrient packed and surprisingly tasty raw out of the bag. The best use for Chia seeds I've found though has been as a substitute for one of my favorite comfort foods - rice pudding... I add 1/8 cup Chia seeds to 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1tsp vanilla extract, add cinnamon and splenda/stevia to taste... stir it up and leave it in the fridge for 15 minutes and you'll find it firms up and really hits the spot for a sweet tooth after feeling carb-deprived.

Another great treat is bitter melon tea with cinnamon and almond milk. Bitter melon seems to have an impact on blood sugar control and has been used in Eastern medicine for millennia to manage blood sugar symptoms. Cinnamon also shows promise as a contributor to improved blood sugar control. Put all these things in a tea and add some almond milk... very tasty bedtime drink, and for me, had a measurable impact on my morning glucose readings.

As far as whether or not you should test yourself, absolutely. Information feeds smart decision-making, and your life's mission has just become mastering the art of the good decision. Diabetes management is all about the aggregate of good small decisions, not about long term deprivation or lists of things to never eat again... keeping track of what you eat and when, and what your sugar levels are and when, can give you the information you need to make the best decisions for your body. We're all built uniquely and there's no menu that includes the sugar elevation next to the calories - you have to test yourself to know - there's no mathematical correlation between carbs and your glucose level after you eat - can you handle a whole grain bagel? Maybe not. Can you handle a half a whole grain bagel? Maybe so! The only way to know (and to treat yourself on occasion) is to be empowered by the information that you have in your logs.

You can do amazing things - you'll surprise yourself with what you're capable of, and what your body is capable of when you give it the right fuels. In my case, I'm on the road to declaring victory on diabetes - I'm nursing a remission period that kicked in a few weeks ago and becomes official remission after a year of normal glucose levels... that wouldn't have been possible for me without testing frequently and understanding what foods I could tolerate vs what foods actually caused me to spike.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress. Hopefully some of the above info is helpful for you in what I know is a very confusing and exhausting time.

All the best,

Brian

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Michelle_BBB

I do apologise. I forgot to answer your question about honey. Sadly, honey is almost all sugar. If you use it you may as well use table sugar . In fact, you might be better using table sugar! I know it is natural sugar made by bees, but it is sugar non-the-less and will raise your glucose levels. It is 40% fructose, and fructose is not at all good for type 2 diabetics, never mind the 30% glucose it contains.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/sugar-substitutes-honey-explained

Honey is made up of fructose (40%), glucose (30%), water and minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Due to the high level of fructose, honey is sweeter than table sugar. Honey is a high carbohydrate food and has a GI value of 55 (moderate range). Some varieties of honey have a lower GI however, because of fluctuating fructose levels (the more fructose, the lower the GI). Honey is still high in calories and causes increases in blood sugar.

 

[AM1874]

Hi @Michelle_BBB ..
As suggested by others above, I would recommend that you get yourself a test meter (despite what your Doc says) and, for this,the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips. For the bulk discount on strips for the SD Codefree, you need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and the number of packs that you want). Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Coupon. Enter the relevant discount code in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price .. and finally, you then proceed to checkout

Hope this helps

 

[ickihun]

Hi @Michelle_BBB ..
As suggested by others above, I would recommend that you get yourself a test meter (despite what your Doc says) and, for this,the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips. For the bulk discount on strips for the SD Codefree, you need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and the number of packs that you want). Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Coupon. Enter the relevant discount code in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price .. and finally, you then proceed to checkout

Hope this helps

I was just about to tag you @AM1874 . Some great info for newbies.
Has @daisy1 been tagged too?

 

[ianpspurs]

Hi Michelle BBB

I too found it hard at the start and as people say test as much as you can . The TEE2 meter is free as pointed out and their turn around from order to delivery is excellent.

Hartleys do a 10Cal Jelly that has 0.4 Carbs per pot and with Double cream or full fat Greek Yogurt was a good way for me to enjoy something sweet but low carb. I did add flaxseed (Golden linseed) ground up in a coffee/herb grinder and that tasted remarkably like a digestive biscuit. From that I tried a cheesecake idea with a flaxseed and butter base, Greek yogurt and cream cheese topping with sweetner and raspberries. We made a few in individual pots and left in the fridge. Serve with double cream - amazing. This is now the family cheesecake recipe - scaled up obviously- much preferred by non diabetics as well.

I know those are just personal likes but I found trying lots of things and seeing my reaction helped loads.

 

[AM1874]

I was just about to tag you @AM1874 . Some great info for newbies.
Has @daisy1 been tagged too?

Hi @ickihun ..
She has now ..

 

[daisy1]

@Michelle_BBB

Hello Michelle and welcome to the Forum

Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. I think you will have already seen this earlier. Ask as many questions as you want 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 250,000 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[Michelle_BBB]

Thank you all so much for your replies, I have indeed now ordered my free metre and strips etc. I’m slowly getting there xxx

 

[Hotpepper20000]

Thank you all so much for your replies, I have indeed now ordered my free metre and strips etc. I’m slowly getting there xxx

Its a marathon not a sprint and the people here are a great suport.

 

[Michelle_BBB]

I ask my GP for a print out of my blood results, just wondering if anyone knows what AKI warning stage NAoriginal means ???

 

[Resurgam]

I'm afraid that the Metformin tablets, so beloved by doctors, can be rather nasty for their patients.
I find that just reminding myself that I am using diet to control my diabetes so I don't need medication is enough to divert my thoughts from all things carby.
Tastes do change - I find things such as peas and beetroot are sweet tasting - it took only a few weeks for my tastes to change.
I found that most of the advice I got was totally useless, and the education sessions were really sad - some of the people were really ill and we were being told to eat starchy foods as they were good and healthy. We were told not to test blood glucose levels.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I ask my GP for a print out of my blood results, just wondering if anyone knows what AKI warning stage NAoriginal means ???

AKI is Acute Kidney Injury. It is to alert the GP to any potential kidney damage gleaned from your blood tests. In your case the NA means Not Applicable. If any had been detected it would have given a stage, such as stage 1, stage 2 or whatever. So you appear to be fine in that respect.

 

[Michelle_BBB]

AKI is Acute Kidney Injury. It is to alert the GP to any potential kidney damage gleaned from your blood tests. In your case the NA means Not Applicable. If any had been detected it would have given a stage, such as stage 1, stage 2 or whatever. So you appear to be fine in that respect.

Ahhhhhhh thank goodness

 

[Jo_the_boat]

Hi Michelle BBB

I too found it hard at the start and as people say test as much as you can . The TEE2 meter is free as pointed out and their turn around from order to delivery is excellent.

Hartleys do a 10Cal Jelly that has 0.4 Carbs per pot and with Double cream or full fat Greek Yogurt was a good way for me to enjoy something sweet but low carb. I did add flaxseed (Golden linseed) ground up in a coffee/herb grinder and that tasted remarkably like a digestive biscuit. From that I tried a cheesecake idea with a flaxseed and butter base, Greek yogurt and cream cheese topping with sweetner and raspberries. We made a few in individual pots and left in the fridge. Serve with double cream - amazing. This is now the family cheesecake recipe - scaled up obviously- much preferred by non diabetics as well.

I know those are just personal likes but I found trying lots of things and seeing my reaction helped loads.

Haang on! This sounds a bit tasty!

 

[62Rose]

@Michelle_BBB

Hello Michelle and welcome to the Forum

Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. I think you will have already seen this earlier. Ask as many questions as you want 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 250,000 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

Can you tell me what are the normal ranges for blood glucose for those without diabetes? I am constantly over 6 in the morning and always seem to be over 6 before a meal? But I have been told I could be RH not diabetic? I am trying Acarbose to help stabilise things but if anything I feel worse than before. I eat a LCHF diet already but back earlier in the year some readings were under 6, I haven't seen anything less than 6 on my meter for weeks now.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Can you tell me what are the normal ranges for blood glucose for those without diabetes? I am constantly over 6 in the morning and always seem to be over 6 before a meal? But I have been told I could be RH not diabetic? I am trying Acarbose to help stabilise things but if anything I feel worse than before. I eat a LCHF diet already but back earlier in the year some readings were under 6, I haven't seen anything less than 6 on my meter for weeks now.

The normal range for non-diabetics is said to be 4 to 5.9 when fasting and pre-meals, and under 7.8 at least 90 minutes post meal (although the post meal will depend on the diet)

 

[Resurgam]

I am not quite sure of the logic behind eating carbs and then taking a drug to try to prevent them being digested.
Rather than yogurt, if you don't like it plain - eat fish or meat or eggs. with a few low carb veges, or perhaps some berries and cream to follow. These days I regularly have several small dishes rather than just all on one plate meals.
Last night, for instance I had boiled eggs with spaghetti-cut cucumber, radishes and a small amount of onion and sweet pepper, raw, but I cooked the rest of the (small) onion with the rest of the pepper and some mushrooms to eat separately. I had intended to eat some berries and cream, but decided I was not hungry after all when I went to the kitchen. It is the same meal I ate as my first meal a few days ago - I don't really differentiate how I eat by time of day.

 

[Bagster]

Hi,

There is a cheap version which GP give out first, these can give you symptoms you mention and I got them, go back to your GP and he will change them for a "dearer version" of the same tablets, these are slower release and worked wonder for me, I have no side affects now.