Hello

[rucki]

Hi im new to this forum. I have had type 2 diabetes for several years now .started on metformin one and a half years or so ago and since then my Hab1c has shot up.

One of my issues is that nurse and GP insist i should use my blood results as a guide and not get a metre as i would unduly worry. However i feel i need to take some control.who would show me how to use this , could i ask a pharmacist ?and what do i need to get?

Secondly since i have been on metformin i have terrible dry mouth.its very extreme ,not just in the night or in the morning but all the time.i have cut down on metformin ( nurse has increased dose)and noticed a marked improvement when i recently travelled and forgot to take my pills.now i just take 1 instead of 3 per day.

Does anyone have any pointers ?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi im new to this forum. I have had type 2 diabetes for several years now .started on metformin one and a half years or so ago and since then my Hab1c has shot up.

One of my issues is that nurse and GP insist i should use my blood results as a guide and not get a metre as i would unduly worry. However i feel i need to take some control.who would show me how to use this , could i ask a pharmacist ?and what do i need to get?

Secondly since i have been on metformin i have terrible dry mouth.its very extreme ,not just in the night or in the morning but all the time.i have cut down on metformin ( nurse has increased dose)and noticed a marked improvement when i recently travelled and forgot to take my pills.now i just take 1 instead of 3 per day.

Does anyone have any pointers ?

Welcome to the forum.
Metformin is not a magic bullet and also requires dietary changes in reducing carbohydrates as it can only do so much.
The thirst and dry mouth can indicate that your blood glucose is high, one of the first symptoms that people get.
Some people do say they get a metallic taste and dry mouth with metformin.
Getting a home testing blood glucose monitor is something people find a key element in managing their blood glucose as it helps keep a check on a day to day, week to week basis and also help them to find which foods they can or it is wise not to have. A strategic testing regime of first thing in the morning (in bed) will give a fasting level and before and 2 hours after each meal will indicate how well the meal is tolerated if the increase is no more than 2-3mmol/l, if it is then the meal is too carb heavy and portion size needs to be reduced or a carby food cut out.
The monitors are very straight forward to use and involves a finger prick with a lancet to produce a small drop of blood which is applied to a test strip which is put into the monitor. There are YouTube videos on how to use them.
In expensive ones can be bought on line, the GlucoNavii or TEE2 are ones with the cheaper test strips though it is worth shopping around as prices do vary, it is the cost of the strips that is important. Usually the ones sold by the pharmacy have more expensive strips.
As far as diet is concerned that is an important factor and many do find a low carbohydrate approach successful. Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet as it sounds as if you are having too many carbohydrates if your HbA1C has gone up. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[rucki]

Welcome to the forum.
Metformin is not a magic bullet and also requires dietary changes in reducing carbohydrates as it can only do so much.
The thirst and dry mouth can indicate that your blood glucose is high, one of the first symptoms that people get.
Some people do say they get a metallic taste and dry mouth with metformin.
Getting a home testing blood glucose monitor is something people find a key element in managing their blood glucose as it helps keep a check on a day to day, week to week basis and also help them to find which foods they can or it is wise not to have. A strategic testing regime of first thing in the morning (in bed) will give a fasting level and before and 2 hours after each meal will indicate how well the meal is tolerated if the increase is no more than 2-3mmol/l, if it is then the meal is too carb heavy and portion size needs to be reduced or a carby food cut out.
The monitors are very straight forward to use and involves a finger prick with a lancet to produce a small drop of blood which is applied to a test strip which is put into the monitor. There are YouTube videos on how to use them.
In expensive ones can be bought on line, the GlucoNavii or TEE2 are ones with the cheaper test strips though it is worth shopping around as prices do vary, it is the cost of the strips that is important. Usually the ones sold by the pharmacy have more expensive strips.
As far as diet is concerned that is an important factor and many do find a low carbohydrate approach successful. Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet as it sounds as if you are having too many carbohydrates if your HbA1C has gone up. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

Hey thats great to get such a prompt and comprehensive reply ! Thank you!

Oh good point i forgot about youtube !

I actually had diabetes before when i was pregant with my twins 13 years ago and used a metre then and injected insulin.i cant say that i liked it (and obviously have forgotten what to do).But this is just getting ridiculous and i need to take some control.

Im due a diabetes blood test (nurse agreed after 3 months instead of 6)but cant get through to GP practice and am a cererto 3 people and working.

But i ill make this a priority and will try and geta nurse appointmrnt before christms so that at least christmas isnt thrown into the mix !!

I am trying to do low carb eating and am ok with meals.i always only have 1 small potato for example and eat the lower carb veggies mostly like green beans.however i do have a sweet tooth and quite regulary fall off the waon big style.i need to go back on dark chocolate and stick to plain unsweetened yoghurt. I also cant stop snacking at night or change over to healthy snacks i ve been trying that for years!

I do exercise neary every day abd drink plenty of water.

Anyway i could get blood glucose metre for my christmas i suppose ! I got partia dentures last week and have done okay introducing and wearing them, so i should bd okay doing the finger pricking too!


Thanks again !

 

[rucki]

Hey thats great to get such a prompt and comprehensive reply ! Thank you!

Oh good point i forgot about youtube !

I actually had diabetes before when i was pregant with my twins 13 years ago and used a metre then and injected insulin.i cant say that i liked it (and obviously have forgotten what to do).But this is just getting ridiculous and i need to take some control.

Im due a diabetes blood test (nurse agreed after 3 months instead of 6)but cant get through to GP practice and am a cererto 3 people and working.

But i ill make this a priority and will try and geta nurse appointmrnt before christms so that at least christmas isnt thrown into the mix !!

I am trying to do low carb eating and am ok with meals.i always only have 1 small potato for example and eat the lower carb veggies mostly like green beans.however i do have a sweet tooth and quite regulary fall off the waon big style.i need to go back on dark chocolate and stick to plain unsweetened yoghurt. I also cant stop snacking at night or change over to healthy snacks i ve been trying that for years!

I do exercise neary every day abd drink plenty of water.

Anyway i could get blood glucose metre for my christmas i suppose ! I got partia dentures last week and have done okay introducing and wearing them, so i should bd okay doing the finger pricking too!


Thanks again !

Sory the above should say im a three times carer.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hey thats great to get such a prompt and comprehensive reply ! Thank you!

Oh good point i forgot about youtube !

I actually had diabetes before when i was pregant with my twins 13 years ago and used a metre then and injected insulin.i cant say that i liked it (and obviously have forgotten what to do).But this is just getting ridiculous and i need to take some control.

Im due a diabetes blood test (nurse agreed after 3 months instead of 6)but cant get through to GP practice and am a cererto 3 people and working.

But i ill make this a priority and will try and geta nurse appointmrnt before christms so that at least christmas isnt thrown into the mix !!

I am trying to do low carb eating and am ok with meals.i always only have 1 small potato for example and eat the lower carb veggies mostly like green beans.however i do have a sweet tooth and quite regulary fall off the waon big style.i need to go back on dark chocolate and stick to plain unsweetened yoghurt. I also cant stop snacking at night or change over to healthy snacks i ve been trying that for years!

I do exercise neary every day abd drink plenty of water.

Anyway i could get blood glucose metre for my christmas i suppose ! I got partia dentures last week and have done okay introducing and wearing them, so i should bd okay doing the finger pricking too!


Thanks again !

There are some low carb recipes for cakes and biscuits on the website sugarfreelondoner which may satisfy your 'sweet tooth' @Martin62 posts his weekly bakes which look delicious.
Those monitors I mentioned are about £15 with strips about £10 per 50 last time I looked anyway.
Try full fat Greek yoghurt, lovely and creamy worlds different from the acidic low fat stuff or high protein yoghurts or Kvarg deserts low carb and very filling.

 

[rucki]

There are some low carb recipes for cakes and biscuits on the website sugarfreelondoner which may satisfy your 'sweet tooth' @Martin62 posts his weekly bakes which look delicious.
Those monitors I mentioned are about £15 with strips about £10 per 50 last time I looked anyway.
Try full fat Greek yoghurt, lovely and creamy worlds different from the acidic low fat stuff or high protein yoghurts or Kvarg deserts low carb and very filling.

Thanks .so testing strips for my stocking this year haha !

Thats a good point about the yoghurt,to go for full fat version.i love the creamy texture and taste. I usually have 5 per cent fat version (of lidl greek yoghurt )which is a half way house. I usually stock up on the high protein fruit yoghurt pouches to have at the end of my work day to keep late afternoon cravings at bay and it works a treat.they have 4.6 g sugar per 100g. I guess once i start my testing regime i can see for myself if i can tolerate this or if it leads to a spike.

i need to watch out that i dont put on weight.i guess i can eat the full fat yoghurts but only half the amount and put a little bit of fruit in or a coule of nuts or protein seeds..lidl do them (full fat yoghurts)in little pots but you cant have them on the go.anyway
.enough said about yoghurt!!!!

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks .so testing strips for my stocking this year haha !

Thats a good point about the yoghurt,to go for full fat version.i love the creamy texture and taste. I usually have 5 per cent fat version (of lidl greek yoghurt )which is a half way house. I usually stock up on the high protein fruit yoghurt pouches to have at the end of my work day to keep late afternoon cravings at bay and it works a treat.they have 4.6 g sugar per 100g. I guess once i start my testing regime i can see for myself if i can tolerate this or if it leads to a spike.

i need to watch out that i dont put on weight.i guess i can eat the full fat yoghurts but only half the amount and put a little bit of fruit in or a coule of nuts or protein seeds..lidl do them (full fat yoghurts)in little pots but you cant have them on the go.anyway
.enough said about yoghurt!!!!

You sound as if you have got a reasonable handle on things but just one thing is to look for the carbohydrate content not just the 'sugar' as many foods can be low sugar but still high carbohydrate. I always find it worrying when people say they are looking at the sugar content rather than the carbohydrate.

 

[rucki]

Hey.thanks for pointing that out and yes its the carbs that im probably struggling with the most. I ve been told to aim for no more than 35 carbs per main meal and keep them to below 15 if i snack in between main meals.again i can see how that pans out for me when i start to self monitor .thefe i no way i can do it dor all meas but i can make a start at weekens -if santa is good to me and brings me a b g monitoring kit lol.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hey.thanks for pointing that out and yes its the carbs that im probably struggling with the most. I ve been told to aim for no more than 35 carbs per main meal and keep them to below 15 if i snack in between main meals.again i can see how that pans out for me when i start to self monitor .thefe i no way i can do it dor all meas but i can make a start at weekens -if santa is good to me and brings me a b g monitoring kit lol.

If you are going with a low carb approach the suggested carbs is no more than 130g per day, obviously it is better to spread between your meals than have 1 very low carb meal and the rest between just 2, remember it includes drinks as well as any snacks if you need to have them. Having enough protein and healthy fats as part of your meals will reduce the need for snacks which can mount up depending on what you have.

 

[rucki]

Hey thanks , i feel you really have got me off to a good start so thank you ! Im not strictly doing low carb ,just as a general guide i try and not overdo it but if i do that 35 -35-35g carbs plus 15 g snack thing then im not far out am .I really must try and do a bit of tracking ,to see whats causing my high blood sugars.i steuggle with seeping and being a carer means i have chronic stress.my husband has stage 2 respirarory failure and is in and out of hospital .but of course it might also be what i eat .i dont understand it though i have had counselling and have bern trying really hard and made some big changes to my exerce regime.anyway -hopefully it will all be revealed! I should probably be tracking what i eat-especially carbs, and can get tips on here perhaps.
Do you think its worthwhile taking out a membership with dabetes Uk ?i guess from a pychological point of view it makes sense.i have been avoiding coming on here -there is only so much your mind can open up to at any one time . Thanks again and all the best for your own journey! I ve not long had my dinner fishfingers and half a plate of veggies , and am going to grab some natural yoghurt and fruit for dessert. its a start.i completely fell off the wagon yesterday and ate a whole packet of biscuits before bed (and then this impacted on my sleep), so now im hopping back on !

 

[Leadinglights]

Hey thanks , i feel you really have got me off to a good start so thank you ! Im not strictly doing low carb ,just as a general guide i try and not overdo it but if i do that 35 -35-35g carbs plus 15 g snack thing then im not far out am .I really must try and do a bit of tracking ,to see whats causing my high blood sugars.i steuggle with seeping and being a carer means i have chronic stress.my husband has stage 2 respirarory failure and is in and out of hospital .but of course it might also be what i eat .i dont understand it though i have had counselling and have bern trying really hard and made some big changes to my exerce regime.anyway -hopefully it will all be revealed! I should probably be tracking what i eat-especially carbs, and can get tips on here perhaps.
Do you think its worthwhile taking out a membership with dabetes Uk ?i guess from a pychological point of view it makes sense.i have been avoiding coming on here -there is only so much your mind can open up to at any one time . Thanks again and all the best for your own journey! I ve not long had my dinner fishfingers and half a plate of veggies , and am going to grab some natural yoghurt and fruit for dessert. its a start.i completely fell off the wagon yesterday and ate a whole packet of biscuits before bed (and then this impacted on my sleep), so now im hopping back on !

Certainly stress can have an impact on increasing blood glucose but you can only do what you can and try to minimise the occasions when you eat a packet of biscuits as that will do you no good. Eating a few nuts or piece of cheese is a better option. Choose your fruit carefully as some fruit is quite high in carbs, berries are best, tropical fruits best avoided.

 

[rucki]

Certainly stress can have an impact on increasing blood glucose but you can only do what you can and try to minimise the occasions when you eat a packet of biscuits as that will do you no good. Eating a few nuts or piece of cheese is a better option. Choose your fruit carefully as some fruit is quite high in carbs, berries are best, tropical fruits best avoided.

I will look out for that .
i eat a lot of plums and pears(not ripe if i can help it). Yes i know all of course but the biscuits were german christmas biscuits.im gluten free so i had not eaten that parricular type of biscuut for about 20 years ! I started eating 1 then two .....and so on ....
PRoblem being i bought two more packets and hipefully will make them last .yeap .i have nuts to snack on, have a good week!!

 

[Leadinglights]

I will look out for that .
i eat a lot of plums and pears(not ripe if i can help it). Yes i know all of course but the biscuits were german christmas biscuits.im gluten free so i had not eaten that parricular type of biscuut for about 20 years ! I started eating 1 then two .....and so on ....
PRoblem being i bought two more packets and hipefully will make them last .yeap .i have nuts to snack on, have a good week!!

I have the book Carbs and Cals though there is an app which I found really useful as it gives carb values of a whole range of foods so you can compare portion sizes of things like fruit to help make the best choices. There are other apps some free others you have to pay for.
Berries are the least carbs, apples, pears and plums, melon middleish and bananas, mango, pineapple highest.

 

[rucki]

Thanks !