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Undiagnosed - excess urine

S

seza

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all,

I have just joined in the hope that this great community can help me:

I am a 50 years old gentleman, otherwise healthy with no know diabetes in the family but a
23andme genetic testing years ago showed predisposition to Type 2 D.
Recently over last few months I have noticed an increase in urination as in volume of urine more than
I have been used to.
My morning fasting blood glucose has been consistent at about 5.8 to 6 mmol/l,
also for a long time - 20 years or more I have had a darkening of the skin the groin area on the inside
of the legs and more recently at the back of my neck, I have read somewhere that dark velvety skin patches
like these could be a sign of insulin resistance?

I eat healthily and I am not too much overweight, none of that is having any effect on the above symptoms.

My physician is not sure at this point, he is considering Metformin but I not sure if I am a candidate for it and not sure of the long term consequences of such a drastic step.

I am not asking for diagnosis - merely some opinions about the merits of Metformin for cases like mine? is it worth it?
can I come off Metformin gradually if needed to? looking for peoples experiences.

Many thanks and good health to all,
seza
 
Hi Seza and welcome! As a newbie hereIi’ll Just tag in @daisy1 for a welcome pack for you.
Two things strike me about your post, is your physician going to perform any tests on you to diagnose you properly? I wouldn’t be happy to be started on medication on the basis of home fasting tests.
My second question is you say you eat healthily, can you give us an example of what you might eat in a day? That’ll help us help you.
 
Thanks for your quick reply Rachox,
for a start I never drink sweetened drinks of any sort such as colas etc ... not much cakes, no acohols, non smoker
I eat fruit and vegs, protein in the form of chicken, fish etc
what I am trying to say is I do not keep a log but all-in-all I lead a healthy life style.
 
Once you have (if you do get) a definite diagnosis of pre diabetes or Diabetes, It might be worth counting how many grams of carbohydrates you eat in a day. All carbs turn to sugar, so your occasional cakes, your fruits and even some veggies, potato’s and other root vegetables can be high carb. Other foods to consider are cereal based products, so rice, pasta, bread (even the brown ones) and breakfast cereals, do you eat these?
 
Yes I do - breads, couscous, rice etc in moderation I would say.
 
So are you having tests to confirm or deny your suspicions? Rather than going on medication straight away?
 
Rachox, thank you for your help and congratulation on your own progress,
eventually - I will get the diagnosis but I am still hopeful that I get some feedback about Metformin in the event that I need it.
 
Thank you for your compliments.
I do take Metformin and I can comment on it. I just thought it was a bit premature to be considering it when you don’t have a definite diagnosis.
I started on one 500mg tablet a day for a week, then second week I had 2 per day then third week three per day. I had a bit of stomach upset initially but tolerate it really well now. I feel they only make a minor contribution to reducing blood sugar levels and the majority of my success I put down to low carb eating, I have between 50-60g carbs per day. I have considered whether to reduce my dose of Metformin and my GP is going to discuss it at my next review if my HbA1c remains mid thirties. However I’m quite happy to stay on a small dose as Metformin does have other health benefits. If you Google health benefits of Metformin you’ll find a number of articles to read.
 
Hi. You blood sugar readings appear very good. Metformin is a safe drug with an occasional side effect of bowel issues which fade or can be corrected with the Slow Release version. It is not an addictive drug and can be readily stopped with no issues but there is no point in taking it unless you have a diagnosis of T2?
 
Unfortunately some people have very - let's say - vigorous reactions to Metformin.
I was put onto Metformin - a single tablet at first, and Atorvastatin at diagnosis. I was very very ill - so ill that my husband has stopped taking statins. His mental disposition is greatly improved.
I stopped after five weeks. I was wandering around in a daze, aches and pains, itching all over, incontinent, a total wreck. I told various people about my reaction, but no mention has been put into my notes so I kept being contacted to persuade me to restart medication. If no record of bad reactions is made then it has to be a safe drug.
Thankfully all I need to do is eat a low carb diet and all is well.
 
Metformin is pretty safe, as long as your stomach can cope with it. They use it to treat a number of different conditions and the side effects are pretty well understood (It's been around for a good long while). I (possibly) took it for 3 years while on a trial to see if it would reduce complications for T1 diabetics - I certainly wouldn't have volunteered to take it if I'd had any fears. (The possibly is because it was a double blind trial so I never knew whether I was in the placebo group).

Having said that, I too would probably want some sort of formal diagnosis, at least of prediabetes, before I started taking it. Has your doctor done an HbA1C?
 
The genetic element(s) involved in Diabetes of any type is not fully known so for 23andMe to say that you are genetically predisposed to T2 is to make wild claims. A HbA1c test ordered by your GP will indicate if you have Pre Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes. There are other tests for Type 1 Diabetes.

I take Metformin quite happily and, yes, you can discontinue it safely if you so choose.
 
@seza

Hello seza and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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 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. Most of these are 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.
 
Thank you all - this is so humbling, such a lovely caring bunch :).
I take your advice onboard and will try to get def diagnosis and update the forum accordingly.

Good health to all.
 
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