Morning all

[Stitch147]

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. I started taking metformin last tuesday (8th september). I found out that I was diabetic purely by chance. I went along to a health fair at work and they done a blood glucose finger prick test. The nurse was shocked that my reading was 26.3!!! She asked me if I was feeling ok. She gave me a letter to take along to my doctors which I did and it all started from there. My fasting blood glucose result was 23 and my HbA1c was 127!!! I had no other symptoms at all. I started to lose weight last january (2014) as I was overweight and knew that I had a strong family history of diabetes. So far i have lost almost 7 stone. I am hoping that losing more weight and the tablets will help to bring my blood glucose levels down, but I'm not seeing any improvements yet. Does it normally take long when you start out?
Hoping to get some help and support from joining this forum.

Thanks for listening to me. 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Hi Stitch, welcome to the forum 🙂 Don't worry, it will take a little while before you start to see improvements. The good thing is that you have been diagnosed and are now actively setting out to bring your levels under control. Did your GP/nurse give you a meter and prescribe some test strips, so you could monitor your levels at home and learn your reactions to different types of food? Many are reluctant to prescribe the strips as they are expensive, but it is really the best tool available to start getting your levels under control by making the adjustments to your diet that will bring the best results. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand what I mean. If you don't have a meter, it is worth funding one yourself, at least initially, so you can provide your GP with a record of how it is helping (and it will!) - they may then agree to prescribe. The cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £8 for 50.

I'd also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a better understanding of diabetes - knowledge is power in this game! Also, many of our members have found Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker extremely positive and helpful. Diabetes is a serious condition, but with the right knowledge and effort it can be controlled well and doesn't have to stop you from doing anything 🙂 Many people find that the adjustments they make result in them feeling happier and hea;thier than they may have done for some time!

Finally, regular exercise can really help as it will not only burn calories, but it also makes you more sensitive to the insulin your body is producing, so this help to bring your blood sugar levels down. Anything you can do will help, and is particularly helpful after a meal - a half hour brisk walk perhaps.

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - there's always someone here more than happy to help! 🙂

 

[Stitch147]

Thanks for the welcome I got a meter and test strips from the dr's and have been testing in the morning before having breakfast, it usually ranges between 17 and 21.
I do a lot of activity as this has helped my weight loss. Usually about 4-5 miles every day and also take part in a lot of charity walks, completed 18 mile walk last saturday and am doing a marathon distance walk next saturday.
One of the things that I am worried about is that I am off to America in 3 weeks time and hoping I can stay in control while there.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for the welcome I got a meter and test strips from the dr's and have been testing in the morning before having breakfast, it usually ranges between 17 and 21.
I do a lot of activity as this has helped my weight loss. Usually about 4-5 miles every day and also take part in a lot of charity walks, completed 18 mile walk last saturday and am doing a marathon distance walk next saturday.
One of the things that I am worried about is that I am off to America in 3 weeks time and hoping I can stay in control while there.

That's great that you have a meter - do try and follow the methods used in 'Test, Review, Adjust' to try and determine what things you tolerate well and what you don't. Ideally, you need to be paying particular attention to the amount and type of carbohydrate in your meals - writing a food diary can help by recording the amount of carbs in everything you eat and drink for a few days, and the before meal and 1 and/or two hours after eating blood sugar readings. It's concerning that your fasting levels are so high, but the metformin will take a little while to establish itself before you start to see benefits from that. Your food needs to be composed of things that will digest slowly, releasing its energy steadily and without 'spiking' your blood sugar levels. I'd suggest getting a copy of The GL Diet for Dummies, which is a good introduction to a method of selecting appropriate food combinations to achieve this effect. Knowledge of the best foods will also help you make good choices on your trip to the US, where no doubt there will be many pitfalls - if you can get used to spotting the 'danger' elements before you go it sould help! 🙂

You're certainly doing a lot of exercise, which is great - how do you feel generally?

 

[Stitch147]

I feel fine! Thats one of the crazy things. I didnt have any of the "symptoms" associated with diabetes. Since ive lost the weight i have ive been feeling great! more energy than I ever had. Ive cut down on the amount of fruit I eat as I was having 6-7 portions a day (I love fruit). And im sure with some more changes and the medication kicking in I will bring my blood glucose levels down.

 

[Northerner]

I feel fine! Thats one of the crazy things. I didnt have any of the "symptoms" associated with diabetes. Since ive lost the weight i have ive been feeling great! more energy than I ever had. Ive cut down on the amount of fruit I eat as I was having 6-7 portions a day (I love fruit). And im sure with some more changes and the medication kicking in I will bring my blood glucose levels down.

Interesting, most people waking with those levels would feel very lethargic and unwell, although the body does have a remarkable ability to adapt. Just one thing to bear in mind as a possibility, some people can be misdiagnosed as Type 2 when in fact they have a slow-onset version of Type 1 (sometimes referred to as Type 1.5 or LADA - Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood). There are tests that can be done to determine whether this is the case. Type 2 diabetes is generally due to high insulin resistance - your pancreas is producing lots of insulin, but your body can't use it properly so your blood sugar levels remain high. With Type 1/1.5 you suffer from an insulin insufficiency - your pancreas is not producing sufficient insulin. Unfortunately, they can present themselves very similarly. I mention this because, although I was never overweight and have always been a runner I started losing weight over a period of about 18 months, when one day I went down with a virus and this tipped me right over the edge. I ended up in hospital, diagnosed with Type 1. Until the virus, I hadn't really been aware of any symptoms (although with hindsight I do recognise them now). My consultant says that the running I was doing was probably helping me to use the depleted amount of insulin my pancreas was producing very efficiently - it as only when it became overwhelmed with the virus.

I'm not saying that this is the case for you, but it is better to be aware of the possibility if your levels do not start improving, and not all GPs are aware of the possibility.

 

[Stitch147]

They have mentioned that there is a possiblilty that I might be type 1 and need insulin because of the levels i presented, they have set me a target for my HbA1c test for 3 months time. But hoping things improve. Im glad I went along to the health fair at work.

 

[Northerner]

They have mentioned that there is a possiblilty that I might be type 1 and need insulin because of the levels i presented, they have set me a target for my HbA1c test for 3 months time. But hoping things improve. Im glad I went along to the health fair at work.

That's really good to hear, it sounds like they are on the ball! 🙂