Diagnosed today and put on Metformin - trying to process it all

[Redhearts]

I went to the Doctor a while ago as I had been feeling very tired. I knew my blood sugars were too high as had been testing at home. (FBG of 11.8 and up to 18 after meals). I had fasting blood tests and all results came back normal apart from my fasting blood sugar reading which wad 11. I was re-tested and the fasting result this time was 12.6.

They have put me on Metformin (500mg) a day once a day, which I then have to up to 2 after a week. There was no mention of testing my BS at home or anything like that, they just talked about diet and gave me a weight loss target of 7kg over the next 12 weeks.

I was told the Metformin will stop my blood sugar getting any higher but I wondered if the metformin reduce my blood sugar at all? (or will that come through weight loss?)

Trying to get my head around everything while also panicking. Any advice welcome!

 

[grovesy]

Welcome!

 

[Mini-Vicki]

Hi Redheart,

Sorry about your diagnosis. Firstly, don't panic 🙂 diabetes is a huge think, but absolutely manageable.
There's a few good books out there, I can't remember the titles, but I'm sure someone else will be along shortly who can!
It's a good idea to start reducing your carbohydrates, as these covert quite quickly to glucose. White carbs tend to be the worst culprits for these, so reduce items like white bread, white pasta, new potatoes tend to be better than older potatoes.
Unfortunately doctors rarely find a testing meter for type 2s, many people on here use the Codefree meter from Amazon, as it seems be the most cost effective out there. Testing 2 hours after you've eaten will show you what foods affect you in what way.
For example, I can't tolerate porridge, but lots of people can. The only way to learn this is through testing yourself!
Metformin should aid you in gaining control of yor blood glucose, but diet is a huge part of control. Any exercise you can add into your day will help, even a walk after dinner!
Lots of friendly people here, so ask lots of questions!

 

[Copepod]

Welcome to the forum, Redhearts. No need to panic.
There are several parts to managing type 2 diabetes, including diet (mainly limiting carbohydrate content), exercise (increase, do something you enjoy), reducing body weight if you are overweight (7kg target over 12 weeks sounds very sensible, and reducing carbohydrates and calories overall, plus increasing excercise will all help) and taking medication are all the right techniques.
Starting with the lowest dose of metformin, then later increasing is wise - look at patient information leaflet and / or speak with a pharmacist for information about medication. One of the very common side effects of metformin is flatulence, which will be less if you take tablets with food, preferably a relatively low carbohydrate meal. If the symptoms are very troublesome, there are alternatives, such as slow release metformin, but these are much more expensive, so it makes sense to try cheapest first.
Assuming you live in England, you need to get a medical exemption certificate, so that you won't pay for prescriptions - your GP should have forms to sign for you.