D-day was 20 March

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crl

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Type 2
Hello everyone.
I am still coming to terms with diagnosis.
I am determined to get remission - however unrealistic that might be.
I am on metformin, which hasn't agreed with me. I collected my prescription for the prolonged release metformin today.
Do I need to 'ramp up' the prolonged release? I don't really want to go back to the beginning again.
I'm sure that the answer will be in here somewhere. There is sooooo much info.
Thanks
 
Hi crl, welcome to the forum.

It's natural to need some time to get your head around things as there can be a lot of moving parts to get to grips with. The good thing is you're in the right place to get some support along your journey.

It would be worth double checking with your GP how to use the new tablets as many find them easier to deal with than the standard metformin.

Determination goes a long way with diabetes so it's good to have goals. I'd make note of your HbA1c and do some reading around the various approaches and what may work from you.

Do let us know if we can help in any way.
 
How far into the diabetic zone are you? Your HbA1c blood test will give you that information.

Code: 
HbA1c         42             47
--------------|--|--|--|--|--|---------------------------
  normal        pre-diabetic             diabetic
 
crl said:
Hello everyone.
I am still coming to terms with diagnosis.
I am determined to get remission - however unrealistic that might be.
I am on metformin, which hasn't agreed with me. I collected my prescription for the prolonged release metformin today.
Do I need to 'ramp up' the prolonged release? I don't really want to go back to the beginning again.
I'm sure that the answer will be in here somewhere. There is sooooo much info.
Thanks
Click to expand...
If you are still having symptoms from taking the standard metformin it would be wise to let your stomach settle down and then start the new medication slowly but I would check with your pharmacist.
It will be dietary changes that are going to have the most impact anyway so a delay in getting to the full dose should not make too much difference.
 
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Transistor said:
How far into the diabetic zone are you? Your HbA1c blood test will give you that information.

Code: 
HbA1c         42             47
--------------|--|--|--|--|--|---------------------------
  normal        pre-diabetic             diabetic
Click to expand...
 
The HBA1C on 20 March was 105! I have been working really hard to get this down but I won't know until the next test if what I am doing is working. The blood tests, which I do every day, would indicate that I am.
 
105 is high! The good news is that it should be easy to make a big dent in that number fairly quickly with some diet and exercise changes.
I was high at 91 but managed to get back to normal very quickly just by diet. (See my graph below.) I was fortunate that my wife was already on a keto diet (for different reasons) so it was easy for me to join her on the alternate diet. I was also fortunate not to suffer any eye or nerve problems which can affect some on a rapid carbohydrate reduction. I cycle every weekday and sometimes at the weekend. If test strip results go high (> 9 mMol/L) I find that a 10 to 15 minute cycle will reduce it to < 7.

Aim for getting your next HbA1c blood test about 12 weeks after the date you started to address your diet and report back. If you're making really good progress you may be able to wean yourself off the medication under medical supervision - provided your doctor realises that some people can reverse out of diabetes by diet alone!
 
It's now 1 year since T2 diagnosis and time to review my progress. My HbA1c was 41 and Dr agreed I could half metformin dose. I bought a Libre 2 and know that my glucose is up. My HbA1c tested at Nuffield Gym today and my HbA1c was up to 45. My blood pressure is still high. I thought that when I lost 3 stone my blood pressure would come down but it hasn't so I've been put on more BP medication. I am beginning to think that remission will not be achievable.
 
Bear in mind not everyone can get into remission. Many can have good control though. Remission is a fairly recent concept following research a Newcastle.
 
crl said:
It's now 1 year since T2 diagnosis and time to review my progress. My HbA1c was 41 and Dr agreed I could half metformin dose. I bought a Libre 2 and know that my glucose is up. My HbA1c tested at Nuffield Gym today and my HbA1c was up to 45. My blood pressure is still high. I thought that when I lost 3 stone my blood pressure would come down but it hasn't so I've been put on more BP medication. I am beginning to think that remission will not be achievable.
Click to expand...
@grovesy is right. Not everyone will achieve remission even if they do all the right things. No one knows why. However, the current definition is an HbA1c below 48 for 3 months without meds so don't write yourself off just yet. Also, if you tested at the gym, bear in mind that while gentle exercise such as a long walk tends to lower BG levels, strenuous exercise tends to have the opposite effect.
 
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Martin.A said:
@grovesy is right. Not everyone will achieve remission even if they do all the right things. No one knows why. However, the current definition is an HbA1c below 48 for 3 months without meds so don't write yourself off just yet. Also, if you tested at the gym, bear in mind that while gentleted a exercise such as a long walk tends to lower BG levels, strenuous exercise tends to have the opposite effect.
Click to expand...
Although my HbA1c was measured at the gym I had not started a work out. Nuffield has a machine which measures the HbA1c and cholesterol etc. I will be getting a 'proper' HbA1c in the practice in April so fingers crossed.
Meantime, I will continue trying to get my blood glucose down. I was a bit disheartened yesterday but it will soon be the golf season. 🙂
 
crl said:
It's now 1 year since T2 diagnosis and time to review my progress. My HbA1c was 41 and Dr agreed I could half metformin dose. I bought a Libre 2 and know that my glucose is up. My HbA1c tested at Nuffield Gym today and my HbA1c was up to 45. My blood pressure is still high. I thought that when I lost 3 stone my blood pressure would come down but it hasn't so I've been put on more BP medication. I am beginning to think that remission will not be achievable.
Click to expand...
Low carb seems to be the thing, all the rest is possibly good, but low carb seems to be what does the trick to lower glucose levels for an ordinary type 2.
If it doesn't then something else might be going on, and should be investigated, definably monitored.
Do you check after eating?
I used to check carefully after eating the same meal, as closely as I could, to see if things were changing. I only had a simple meter, but it seemed adequate for what I wanted to know.
 
crl said:
Although my HbA1c was measured at the gym I had not started a work out. Nuffield has a machine which measures the HbA1c and cholesterol etc. I will be getting a 'proper' HbA1c in the practice in April so fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear you were a bit disheartened by your result @crl

You’ve done amazingly well in the year given your starting point.

FWIW I’d reserve judgement until you get an HbA1c based on veinous blood taken from your arm. Those fingerprick HbA1c machines don’t seem to be quite so reliable as proper lab checks.

A real HbA1c won’t be affected by whether or not you had worked out on the day of the sample. It measures changes in red blood cells over 3-4 months, and isn’t skewed by short term / momentary changes in glucose values - it’s more a measure of general circulating glucose levels over the weeks and months before the check.

Hope your ‘proper’ A1c is more encouraging 🙂
 
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