Not sure where to start

[Shellboo]

Morning all . I am newly diagnosed having had blood tests over the last few weeks and confirmed as Type 2. Unfortunately I was found to be pre-diabetic in 2018 however this information was never passed on to me so here I am ☹️. I have picked up my Metformin and took my first tablet on Friday evening with my evening meal. I have NO advice from my GP or nurse other than “take the tablets and avoid the sugars dear” seriously - that is it. Oh and have a look at the Diabetes UK website. I am at a loss to know where to start.

I am suffering with loose bowels and hope this will go away BUT I have absoluteley no idea what to eat or what to avoid other than alcohol. Looking at websites around taking Metformin this advises to avoid not only alcohol but carbs, onions, garlic, raw veg and dairy as well as tea and coffee!

I know that I need to lose some weight which cutting out all of the above will do because, well basically what will I eat? I do love pasta and probably eat it a couple of times a week. I generally take home made soup for lunch and dunk a slice of bread as well. Not even sure where to start with other meals. Breakfast I’m fine because I have porridge every day (made with oats and not the sachets) but if I can’t have bread, rice, pasta, potatoes I am going to really struggle to feel satisfied after a meal.

Any advice would be welcome because I really don’t know where to start on this new journey☹️

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi Shellboo
You might find the reply to Bente from @everydayupsanddowns useful to start you off and then you can come back with any specific questions.
An idea of what your HbA1C is would be helpful to enable people to tailor their advice and suggestions.
But yes some people do get stomach issues when first taking metformin. The other things about not eating this and that are not necessarily true but may affect some people. Remember everybody is an individual in what they can or can't tolerate. Hence why diabetes is such a fickle condition and there is no one rule fits all.

 

[Lucyr]

Morning all . I am newly diagnosed having had blood tests over the last few weeks and confirmed as Type 2. Unfortunately I was found to be pre-diabetic in 2018 however this information was never passed on to me so here I am ☹️. I have picked up my Metformin and took my first tablet on Friday evening with my evening meal. I have NO advice from my GP or nurse other than “take the tablets and avoid the sugars dear” seriously - that is it. Oh and have a look at the Diabetes UK website. I am at a loss to know where to start.

I am suffering with loose bowels and hope this will go away BUT I have absoluteley no idea what to eat or what to avoid other than alcohol. Looking at websites around taking Metformin this advises to avoid not only alcohol but carbs, onions, garlic, raw veg and dairy as well as tea and coffee!

I know that I need to lose some weight which cutting out all of the above will do because, well basically what will I eat? I do love pasta and probably eat it a couple of times a week. I generally take home made soup for lunch and dunk a slice of bread as well. Not even sure where to start with other meals. Breakfast I’m fine because I have porridge every day (made with oats and not the sachets) but if I can’t have bread, rice, pasta, potatoes I am going to really struggle to feel satisfied after a meal.

Any advice would be welcome because I really don’t know where to start on this new journey☹️

Where are you reading around online, and are they reputable sources? I'd say to be careful where you are reading as it sounds like you've found some dodgy sources of information. There's no problem having any of the things on your list when taking metformin (alcohol, carbs, onions, garlic, raw veg, dairy, tea and coffee). There should be a leaflet in the box of metformin which will tell you what to avoid, and it will just say avoid excessive alcohol consumption because of the risk of lactic acidosis. I.e. alcohol is fine but be careful about getting steaming drunk. For the carbs it's an individual thing, some people get more side effects if they take the metformin with a large portion of carb based meal. That doesnt mean avoid all carbs, it means see how you get on with it and if you get side effects after taking metformin with a high carb meal try reducing the portion size of the carbs slightly.

 

[Burylancs]

Morning all . I am newly diagnosed having had blood tests over the last few weeks and confirmed as Type 2. Unfortunately I was found to be pre-diabetic in 2018 however this information was never passed on to me so here I am ☹️. I have picked up my Metformin and took my first tablet on Friday evening with my evening meal. I have NO advice from my GP or nurse other than “take the tablets and avoid the sugars dear” seriously - that is it. Oh and have a look at the Diabetes UK website. I am at a loss to know where to start.

I am suffering with loose bowels and hope this will go away BUT I have absoluteley no idea what to eat or what to avoid other than alcohol. Looking at websites around taking Metformin this advises to avoid not only alcohol but carbs, onions, garlic, raw veg and dairy as well as tea and coffee!

I know that I need to lose some weight which cutting out all of the above will do because, well basically what will I eat? I do love pasta and probably eat it a couple of times a week. I generally take home made soup for lunch and dunk a slice of bread as well. Not even sure where to start with other meals. Breakfast I’m fine because I have porridge every day (made with oats and not the sachets) but if I can’t have bread, rice, pasta, potatoes I am going to really struggle to feel satisfied after a meal.

Any advice would be welcome because I really don’t know where to start on this new journey☹️

Hi and welcome,

The basic advice is to 'moderate' carbohydrates not to abolish them completely. Also to lose weight and increase activity/ exercise. You also need a meter to test how carbs affect you and what portion size you can have of them without skyrocketing you blood glucose. If the Doc won't give you a prescription for test strips ( you've already found out they haven't got a clue) the Tee2 system is cheap and cheerful and readily available at the Pharmacy. You test fasting a.m. and two hours after a meal. The aim is to be under 6 fasting and under 8.5 two hours after a meal.The two adages usually associated with Good Control are 'Test,Test,Test' and 'Eat to your Meter'. With testing you might find that porridge is not such a smart choice for breakfast. As general principles the Low Glycemic Index and the Mediterranean Diet are supposed to be good starting points. Don't rush into a Fad Diet in search of a quick fix, the object of Good Control of Type 2 is a change of diet and lifestyle that can be sustained long term, forever in fact ! Check out the resources on the help page here, Maggie Davey's 'Letter to a Newly Diagnosed Type 2' for example.

 

[Drummer]

The most useful thing I can suggest for you to do at this moment would be to assess your intake of carbs as you await the delivery of a blood glucose tester. If you choose one which is cheap to use, with modestly priced strips then it will not break the bank to do fairly intensive testing to find out the foods which cause spikes and those which you can cope with.
There are quite a few options to replace high carb foods with lower ones, so you return to a more normal range and alter your menu to one which will sustain you in the future.
Don't worry about going hungry. I find the foods so nourishing and sustaining I only eat twice a day.

 

[Shellboo]

The most useful thing I can suggest for you to do at this moment would be to assess your intake of carbs as you await the delivery of a blood glucose tester. If you choose one which is cheap to use, with modestly priced strips then it will not break the bank to do fairly intensive testing to find out the foods which cause spikes and those which you can cope with.
There are quite a few options to replace high carb foods with lower ones, so you return to a more normal range and alter your menu to one which will sustain you in the future.
Don't worry about going hungry. I find the foods so nourishing and sustaining I only eat twice a day.

Hi and welcome,

The basic advice is to 'moderate' carbohydrates not to abolish them completely. Also to lose weight and increase activity/ exercise. You also need a meter to test how carbs affect you and what portion size you can have of them without skyrocketing you blood glucose. If the Doc won't give you a prescription for test strips ( you've already found out they haven't got a clue) the Tee2 system is cheap and cheerful and readily available at the Pharmacy. You test fasting a.m. and two hours after a meal. The aim is to be under 6 fasting and under 8.5 two hours after a meal.The two adages usually associated with Good Control are 'Test,Test,Test' and 'Eat to your Meter'. With testing you might find that porridge is not such a smart choice for breakfast. As general principles the Low Glycemic Index and the Mediterranean Diet are supposed to be good starting points. Don't rush into a Fad Diet in search of a quick fix, the object of Good Control of Type 2 is a change of diet and lifestyle that can be sustained long term, forever in fact ! Check out the resources on the help page here, Maggie Davey's 'Letter to a Newly Diagnosed Type 2' for example.

hank you. Dr hasn’t mentioned testing myself - not very impressed tbh as I have in the past always found him very good but not with this

 

[Shellboo]

Where are you reading around online, and are they reputable sources? I'd say to be careful where you are reading as it sounds like you've found some dodgy sources of information. There's no problem having any of the things on your list when taking metformin (alcohol, carbs, onions, garlic, raw veg, dairy, tea and coffee). There should be a leaflet in the box of metformin which will tell you what to avoid, and it will just say avoid excessive alcohol consumption because of the risk of lactic acidosis. I.e. alcohol is fine but be careful about getting steaming drunk. For the carbs it's an individual thing, some people get more side effects if they take the metformin with a large portion of carb based meal. That doesnt mean avoid all carbs, it means see how you get on with it and if you get side effects after taking metformin with a high carb meal try reducing the portion size of the carbs slightly.

 

[Shellboo]

Thank you. I will do some more research but how do you know if the advise you are reading is correct?

 

[Burylancs]

hank you. Dr hasn’t mentioned testing myself - not very impressed tbh as I have in the past always found him very good but not with this

GPs generally know very little about Type 2 Diabetes. He shouldn't really have kicked you off on Metfartin, the 2009 Diabetes UK Conference demanded that new Type 2s should have at least 3 months on Diet and Exercise so that they understood the absolute need for a change in Diet and Lifestyle. The Docs want to macro manage your diabetes by the long term measure HbA1c but you need to manage it by day to day testing. Your Doc will pooh pooh self testing but it is the most important measure that you can use to get Control. At root they are just trying to save money on Type 2s. If you continue with bowel issues on Metformin a slow release version is available reckoned to have less effects that way.
You should also find the Diabetes UK list of the 15 annual checks you should have as a Type 2. Some might not be relevant to you but you might have to battle to get the rest. You can't do much about the diagnosis but you have to keep an eye on any developing complications and educate yourself about the condition.

 

[Shellboo]

GPs generally know very little about Type 2 Diabetes. He shouldn't really have kicked you off on Metfartin, the 2009 Diabetes UK Conference demanded that new Type 2s should have at least 3 months on Diet and Exercise so that they understood the absolute need for a change in Diet and Lifestyle. The Docs want to macro manage your diabetes by the long term measure HbA1c but you need to manage it by day to day testing. Your Doc will pooh pooh self testing but it is the most important measure that you can use to get Control. At root they are just trying to save money on Type 2s. If you continue with bowel issues on Metformin a slow release version is available reckoned to have less effects that way.
You should also find the Diabetes UK list of the 15 annual checks you should have as a Type 2. Some might not be relevant to you but you might have to battle to get the rest. You can't do much about the diagnosis but you have to keep an eye on any developing complications and educate yourself about the condition.

Hanks. I did ask about dietary changes first, limited with exercise as I am also currently suffering with severe sciatica for which I am seeing a chiropractor and doing those exercises to get me more mobile. Dr said no, had to go straight to Metformin. I’m now really questioning whether I should have stuck to my guns though because my bathroom isn’t that thrilling to be in there as much as I am. Dreading going to work tomorrow

 

[Burylancs]

Hanks. I did ask about dietary changes first, limited with exercise as I am also currently suffering with severe sciatica for which I am seeing a chiropractor and doing those exercises to get me more mobile. Dr said no, had to go straight to Metformin. I’m now really questioning whether I should have stuck to my guns though because my bathroom isn’t that thrilling to be in there as much as I am. Dreading going to work tomorrow

What Dose are you on ? We are supposed to start on 500 mg and after a few weeks move on to 1000 and then gradually on to 1500, the minimum effective dose. The 500 and 1000 ,are just acclimatising and loading doses, a careful approach to Met.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your rather unfortunate start with diabetes. It’s a real shame you were not told about being at increased risk of diabetes, but try not to get too tied up with what happened in the past - what matters much more is how you respond now.

It’s great that you have found us and i hope the support, encouragement and hints from the forum prove useful. We can’t offer specific medical advice of course, but here you can get the shared experience of lots of different people’s approaches.

A good place to start might be the ‘learning zone’ which has lots of modules you can work through in your own time. There’s a link in the main menu above.

Lots of T2 forum members have found Gretchen Becker’s book: Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year really helpful. It’s slightly US focussed, but easily adapted, and written in a clear and accesible manner.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

 

[DaveB]

First, don't expect too much from the Metformin. I have taken it for 20 years and it helps just a little. There are other tablets if needed. The advice to avoid sugar is not the correct advice. It should be to keep all carbs down as sugar is just a carb. If the bowel issues continue do insist on being prescribed the Slow Release version of Metformin (SR).

 

[Drummer]

Metformin tried to turn me inside out my reaction to it was very extreme - I stopped taking it and the Atorvastatin as I was becoming suicidal on one tablet of each. I didn't need it, as far as I can tell, and I am now almost 5 years from diagnosis.

 

[Shellboo]

What Dose are you on ? We are supposed to start on 500 mg and after a few weeks move on to 1000 and then gradually on to 1500, the minimum effective dose. The 500 and 1000 ,are just acclimatising and loading doses, a careful approach to Met.

I’m on 500 mg for 1 week and then will increase to 1000 mg from there.

 

[Shellboo]

GPs generally know very little about Type 2 Diabetes. He shouldn't really have kicked you off on Metfartin, the 2009 Diabetes UK Conference demanded that new Type 2s should have at least 3 months on Diet and Exercise so that they understood the absolute need for a change in Diet and Lifestyle. The Docs want to macro manage your diabetes by the long term measure HbA1c but you need to manage it by day to day testing. Your Doc will pooh pooh self testing but it is the most important measure that you can use to get Control. At root they are just trying to save money on Type 2s. If you continue with bowel issues on Metformin a slow release version is available reckoned to have less effects that way.
You should also find the Diabetes UK list of the 15 annual checks you should have as a Type 2. Some might not be relevant to you but you might have to battle to get the rest. You can't do much about the diagnosis but you have to keep an eye on any developing complications and educate yourself about the condition.

Thank you. Where can I find the list of annual checks please?

 

[Robin]

Thank you. Where can I find the list of annual checks please?

Here you go.

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/resources-s3/2018-07/15-Healtcare-essentials.pdf

 

[Burylancs]

Thank you. Where can I find the list of annual checks please?

Most on Met find it is definitely best to reduce carbohydrates in order to reduce the toilet issues.

 

[Drummer]

Most on Met find it is definitely best to reduce carbohydrates in order to reduce the toilet issues.

Are you sure?
Reducing the carbs did not help me cope with Metformin, not at all.

 

[Lucyr]

Are you sure?
Reducing the carbs did not help me cope with Metformin, not at all.

There’s exceptions to everything, many do find more metformin side effects with a particularly high carb meal. Some like you find reducing carbs didn’t help with side effects. Others like me don’t get side effects even with high carb meals. It’s just about individual experimentation to find what works. It’s a bit off putting to newcomers if you just tell them reducing carbs a bit won’t help with side effects, it helps many so worth considering.