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mustbemad

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Hi
I am not diabetic but my husband was diagnosed as a type 2 a year ago and was instantly put on metformin. He was also diagnosed as having high cholesterol and was put on meds for that as well.
the dr's think he had undiagnosed diabetes for some time as he already has retinopathy.
One year on and we are not much further on as he is now on four metformin a day plus januvia but his fasting glucose is never below 10 and usually around 11 - 12. I think this is too high and will still be causing damage am I right, as his dr doesn't seem worried?
OH will not ask for help or use boards or anything so I feel it is up to me to help him in any way I can so I may have a few questions over time.
It is such a relief to find somewhere I can ask these questions, thank you.
Laura
 
11-12 is not disastrous but it is higher than it should be. What sort of things is your husband eating? Some people find a low carb diet helps but you would need to discuss that with the doctor and take it slowly, if he is eating a lot of carbs and suddenly reduces them he will feel deprived and the diet change is less likely to last. And what about exercise?

Do you see the GP or go to a diabetes clinic? If it is the GP, I find they are usually not much help with anything and I would not let them oversee my diabetic care. It may be worth changing doctors, ask around your local area to see if any surgery/doctor is reccommended.
 
Hi Laura, welcome!

I think you are right to be concerned at the HbA1c levels, as they are a little on the high side. I would not be happy with 11-12, but it depends, of course, on what the trend is - do you know what the level was at diagnosis, and have they come down since then? People vary so much, so it's hard to say what kind of timescales you should expect for them to come down. I think with Type 2 the key really is 'diet and exercise', helped along by the tablets of course - he needs to improve his body's sensitivity to the insulin he is producing. Any regular exercise will give a boost to this, and a dietician should be able to tailor a menu that's acceptable to him, that he's happy with and can stick to.

Best wishes to you and your OH, do please ask away - there are some very informed and helpful people here!🙂
 
exercise suggestions

In her original post, Must Be Mad said that her husband's FASTING GLUCOSE levels were "never below 10 and usually around 11 - 12" - no mention of HbA1c. I'd agree with the suggestions to get proper diet advice from a dietician, increase exercise levels.
If looking for starting exercise suggestions, although husband may already be pretty active - http://www.whi.org.uk/ for guided walks and waymarked walks; for the possibility of walking to running, try orienteering, either at permanent courses http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/newto/poc.php or "CATI" Come And Try It or other events http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/event/findevent.php)
There may be a GP or practice nurse in the practice where you are registered, with a special interest in diabetes, although there is no guarantee that they will actually be useful!
 
Thanks for your replies. OH has had a few appointments with a dietician who was unfortunately very patronising and just told him to stop frying foods (which we don't do) and to lose some weight but no advise on what not to eat etc. He was really disappointed with this and will not go back.
As for exercise I'm afraid he will not exercise and he sits at a desk all day and drives to work. He walks our dog occasionally but that is all and I know that this is probably the answer to his problems, or at least some of them. I will keep working away at that!
I think he is supposed to be aiming for a fasting glucose of below 7 but he was at 18 at diagnosis and is now down to 10 -12 so he still has a way to go.
Unfortunately his attitude is not helping anything but I feel I have to do all I can for our familys sake and hopefully he will come round to helping himself eventually.
Thanks

Laura
 
How far does he drive to work? Is it feasible by bicycle? OK, not practical if it's 50 miles by motorway, but may be if say, 5 miles. Sounds like you dog could be a key ally in getting your husband to walk more - ie at least once EVERY day. So, what things interest him? Can you suggest places to visit that will include walking, without him even noticing? If he's into gadgets, then perhaps consider investing in or borrowing a GPS unit and trying geocaching (sort of treasure hunt) - (most) dogs are positive assets in finding caches - http://www.geocaching.com
I'm not surprised that he won't go back to the dietician. But sounds like advice has been more concentrated on reducing fat intake, rather than optimising diet for diabetes, although the two are intertwined. So, just use advice from Diabetes UK website for simplicity.
 
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