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Type 2 What should I be doing?

T

thekeys46

Member
Messages
16
Location
Swansea
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
diagnosed with type 2 a month ago. Hba1c had gone up from 42 to 66 in the 6 months since coming off steroids.
My blood sugar levels were around the 20s and I was extremely thirsty and nauseous. I saw the diabetic nurse and she gave me 30 mg gliclazide and 500mg metformin twice daily (luckily I had a meter as well me wasn't offered to me, nor dietary advice) I am following the LCHF diet but my readings don't seem to be going below 9 (9.5 on waking this morning. 11.9 1 hour after Greek yoghurt and berries) I try to walk a few miles most days. My blood pressure is very erratic, yesterday morning 167/83 and evening 112/59 ( I am on BP medication) . I have a few autoimmune disorders....RA, hashimotos, scleritis, possible pernicious anaemia. I am suspicious that this may be LADA. The surgery won't let me have the antibody test to confirm or exclude. I am having an endoscopy next week due to stomach issues and after that I am considering having the blood test privately.
What more can I do to bring my blood sugars down?
 
ask for referral to endo if you can, whats the reasoning for not testing antibodies?
 
Engineer88 said:
ask for referral to endo if you can, whats the reasoning for not testing antibodies?
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When I saw the Dr I asked her about the test. Her attitude was that it didn't matter whether I had the antibodies or not! She said I was doing well getting my levels from 20s to 10! I have been really strict with my carb intake to get them to this level.
 
thekeys46 said:
When I saw the Dr I asked her about the test. Her attitude was that it didn't matter whether I had the antibodies or not! She said I was doing well getting my levels from 20s to 10! I have been really strict with my carb intake to get them to this level.
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I would get back and demand a test be done, there is a massive difference between types as you seem to know.
 
Engineer88 said:
I would get back and demand a test be done, there is a massive difference between types as you seem to know.
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I am learning. If it's LADA then I should not be on gliclazide. A referral to the hospital would mean seeing an endocrinologist who is awful.( small hospital at the end of the world) I once asked him about my thyroid( knowing I had thyroid antibodies and that it was multinodular) and he was very dismissive. I was seeing him at the time because of a raised cortisol level.
I have so many problems and nobody prepared to sit down and look at them as a whole!
 
thekeys46 said:
I am learning. If it's LADA then I should not be on gliclazide. A referral to the hospital would mean seeing an endocrinologist who is awful.( small hospital at the end of the world) I once asked him about my thyroid( knowing I had thyroid antibodies and that it was multinodular) and he was very dismissive. I was seeing him at the time because of a raised cortisol level.
I have so many problems and nobody prepared to sit down and look at them as a whole!
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Ask (demand) for referral to a university hospital then, I would highly recommend the Churchill at oxford if you can get there.

you do not have to go somewhere because its local, its just assumed that's what you would want.
 
Engineer88 said:
Ask (demand) for referral to a university hospital then, I would highly recommend the Churchill at oxford if you can get there.

you do not have to go somewhere because its local, its just assumed that's what you would want.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I live in West Wales where we only have a general hospital. The nearest large hospital is in Swansea 70 miles away and is in a different health authority. I have to wait 5 weeks here for an appointment with my GP. The situation is awful.
 
It doesn't have to be the same health authority as you either, I'm seen by a consultant in a different health authority because they are much better than what's available in my own.
 
thekeys46 said:
diagnosed with type 2 a month ago. Hba1c had gone up from 42 to 66 in the 6 months since coming off steroids.
My blood sugar levels were around the 20s and I was extremely thirsty and nauseous. I saw the diabetic nurse and she gave me 30 mg gliclazide and 500mg metformin twice daily (luckily I had a meter as well me wasn't offered to me, nor dietary advice) I am following the LCHF diet but my readings don't seem to be going below 9 (9.5 on waking this morning. 11.9 1 hour after Greek yoghurt and berries) I try to walk a few miles most days. My blood pressure is very erratic, yesterday morning 167/83 and evening 112/59 ( I am on BP medication) . I have a few autoimmune disorders....RA, hashimotos, scleritis, possible pernicious anaemia. I am suspicious that this may be LADA. The surgery won't let me have the antibody test to confirm or exclude. I am having an endoscopy next week due to stomach issues and after that I am considering having the blood test privately.
What more can I do to bring my blood sugars down?
Click to expand...

Thekeys - It sounds like you have a lot going on, for sure!

I don't know whether anyone has mentioned to you that using steroids often has the impact of elevating your blood sugars, and for some it can be very marked.

Have you looked to see if any of the medications you take are likely to also be impacting your blood sugars? Where it can happen, it is often mentioned on the patient information leaflet.

If you do check, and you find something may be contributing to those higher numbers, please don't alter what or how you take and meds without checking with your Doc.
 
AndBreathe said:
Thekeys - It sounds like you have a lot going on, for sure!

I don't know whether anyone has mentioned to you that using steroids often has the impact of elevating your blood sugars, and for some it can be very marked.

Have you looked to see if any of the medications you take are likely to also be impacting your blood sugars? Where it can happen, it is often mentioned on the patient information leaflet.

If you do check, and you find something may be contributing to those higher numbers, please don't alter what or how you take and meds without checking with your Doc.
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I could understand if my readings were high whilst I was on steroids, but they weren't. It's only since coming off steroids that the high levels have occurred. Similarly my stomach issues only started after coming off them.
 
thekeys46 said:
I could understand if my readings were high whilst I was on steroids, but they weren't. It's only since coming off steroids that the high levels have occurred. Similarly my stomach issues only started after coming off them.
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To be honest, in your shoes, I'd be inclined to wait until I had the feedback from the endoscopy. You might be carrying some inflammation somewhere in your body not helping your cause, but if you are going through investigations, I imagine your GP would want the clarification from those before doing anything else.

I do hope it all goes well.
 
AndBreathe said:
To be honest, in your shoes, I'd be inclined to wait until I had the feedback from the endoscopy. You might be carrying some inflammation somewhere in your body not helping your cause, but if you are going through investigations, I imagine your GP would want the clarification from those before doing anything else.

I do hope it all goes well.
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Thank you, my thoughts exactly. Endoscopy is on Wednesday. My gut feeling is its autoimmune related.
 
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