Confused!

[curlyheather28]

Hi all,
I'm newly diagnosed and my stats (in my sig) are really confusing me.
When diagnosed I was told not to bother testing my blood sugar but I bought myself a monitor anyway.
My diet is broadly Mediterranean low carb. I have cut right down on sugar, alcohol and caffeine. I'm also vegetarian. My job is very sedentary and I'm working on increasing my steps - currently trying to hit 3000 per day. I have lost weight but hba1c has shot up!!
Fasting bs is normally 16-17. Breakfast (Greek yoghurt, fruit, sprinkling of granola) normally increases bs by about 1.
Lunch and daytime snacks (salads, eggs, beans, nuts, pulses, cheese) increases by about 1-2.
Dinner and evening with the family is a bit more challenging to keep the carbs down and increases by 2-3.
By the end of the day I'm somewhere around 19-20.
Even if I fast for a long time and feel ravenous/light headed my bs never seems to go lower than 16!
Diet/lifestyle and Metformin have done nothing for my hba1c. DN wants to try gliclazide next.
I'm totally fed up and confused. The diet is really hard to stick to.

 

[Inka]

I’d take the Gliclazide @curlyheather28 Those are high blood sugars and must be making you feel rough. Your diet doesn’t sound excessively carby. When are you seeing the nurse next?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

I can understand your frustration at your levels despite your best efforts and unfortunately I think you may not be a typical Type 2 and possibly a slow onset Type 1. I am guessing that your weight may be obscuring the nurse from considering that possibility. I think it is certainly reasonable to try Gliclazide next, but my guess is that you may need insulin with those results from that diet. I know that is probably not what you want to hear, but those high levels need to come down and will be making you feel rough.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came to be diagnosed? Did you have a sudden onset with symptoms or was it more just increasingly feeling unwell or just came to light through a routine test?

 

[curlyheather28]

I’d take the Gliclazide @curlyheather28 Those are high blood sugars and must be making you feel rough. Your diet doesn’t sound excessively carby. When are you seeing the nurse next?

Next Wed. Yes I feel really rough! I've just had a bereavement too and the stress probably isn't helping either.

 

[curlyheather28]

Hi and welcome.

I can understand your frustration at your levels despite your best efforts and unfortunately I think you may not be a typical Type 2 and possibly a slow onset Type 1. I am guessing that your weight may be obscuring the nurse from considering that possibility. I think it is certainly reasonable to try Gliclazide next, but my guess is that you may need insulin with those results from that diet. I know that is probably not what you want to hear, but those high levels need to come down and will be making you feel rough.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came to be diagnosed? Did you have a sudden onset with symptoms or was it more just increasingly feeling unwell or just came to light through a routine

I was incredibly tired and thirsty. I initially this down to my thyroid, which stopped working 3 years ago. I then developed stomach pains and diarrhoea. I had accidents at work (in a school). I had a whole raft of blood tests of which hba1c was one.

 

[rebrascora]

So sorry for your loss. Yes, stress and grief do not help diabetes. Fingers crossed the Gliclazide works. It's mode of action is to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin... if it is able to, but if the pancreas is failing for whatever reason and unable to step up production, then injecting it may be necessary, considering the diet you are currently following as there isn't much room for significant adjustment there by the sound of it.
Do keep a food diary so that your nurse can see what you are eating and drinking along with your readings as that will help them to get a clearer picture of your situation.

 

[rebrascora]

I was incredibly tired and thirsty. I initially this down to my thyroid, which stopped working 3 years ago. I then developed stomach pains and diarrhoea. I had accidents at work (in a school). I had a whole raft of blood tests of which hba1c was one.

Really sorry to hear that. The pain and bowel problems make it sound more like a possible pancreatitis event and therefore a possible Type 3c diabetes rather than 1 or 2. Have you had any gall bladder issues as sometimes those can lead to issues with inflammation and disease of the pancreas? I am going to tag @soupdragon who I believe had pancreatitis result in their Type 3c. I think I would be asking the nurse if you can be referred for scans of your pancreas to check for disease or inflammation or cysts which might be causing Type 3c Diabetes. It is likely that your nurse will not have heard of Type 3c but perhaps you mentioning it will cause her to do some research.

 

[Leadinglights]

You mention beans and pulses and fruit so I wonder if your portion size of those are more carbs than you think, however your meal increases don't seem to bad though the underlying level is too high. No wonder you are confused.
With levels in the high teens then it would be wise to get some urine test Ketosticks to check for ketones which with high blood glucose can be dangerous. The can be bought at the pharmacy or as your nurse.

 

[curlyheather28]

Really sorry to hear that. The pain and bowel problems make it sound more like a possible pancreatitis event and therefore a possible Type 3c diabetes rather than 1 or 2. Have you had any gall bladder issues as sometimes those can lead to issues with inflammation and disease of the pancreas? I am going to tag @soupdragon who I believe had pancreatitis result in their Type 3c. I think I would be asking the nurse if you can be referred for scans of your pancreas to check for disease or inflammation or cysts which might be causing Type 3c Diabetes. It is likely that your nurse will not have heard of Type 3c but perhaps you mentioning it will cause her to do some research.

Thank you, that is so helpful and really interesting. I had gallstones 20 years ago (I'm now 42) and had my gallbladder removed at that time. I did have an ultrasound scan in November and apparently there was nothing obviously amiss. The sonographer did comment that it wasn't easy to see though, due to the size of my stomach at the time.

 

[curlyheather28]

You mention beans and pulses and fruit so I wonder if your portion size of those are more carbs than you think, however your meal increases don't seem to bad though the underlying level is too high. No wonder you are confused.
With levels in the high teens then it would be wise to get some urine test Ketosticks to check for ketones which with high blood glucose can be dangerous. The can be bought at the pharmacy or as your nurse.

I'm glad you've mentioned dka. I bought some urine test sticks the other day, used one which was OK, then wondered if I had overreacted. It sounds like it was a good idea to check. Thanks.

 

[curlyheather28]

I started on gliclazide this morning, half a tab with breakfast and dinner increasing to 1 whole tablet twice a day after a week. DN told me that it *would definitely* reduce my blood sugar and watch out for hypos. How long will it take to work? (If my pancreas actually works, that is!)