Hello

PurpleHoney

PurpleHoney

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello. I have been Diabetic since 2000 and eventually went onto insulin. Trouble was all it did was make me gain weight... a lot of weight. At my known heaviest I was 26stone 12lbs. It would work for a short time and then they'd want me to take more and more and more. I became less and less active and ended up almost housebound. I got referred to the hospital, as GPs diabetic clinic nurse said she didn't know what to suggest. After joining Slimming World, I lost 5stone in five months, but had a job to keep it off. Then June 2010, although I qualified to have gastric surgery on the NHS, I paid to go private and had a gastric band fitted. Best thing I ever did. I fairly quickly got down into the 18stone range and the consultant was very pleased. Got off all diabetic meds. I wanted more off, but was aware I had to be careful of getting loads of excess skin. Then over the next few years it would slowly drop some more. In 2022 I got into the 15stone range, but then various medical problems, some caused by medication, struck in 2023. Had spells of no activity and terrible swelling due to water retention and lymphoedema. Things improved , but then this year have had problems with BP medication. Went back up to 18stone 10lbs. As of this morning I am 16stone 13lbs, so just need to get my blood glucose under control, ideally either without any meds, or with meds that work without making me feel so unwell.

I have tried virtually every diabetic medication now. They either bring the blood glucose under control, but make me feel so unwell, or they don't work anyway. Was doing ok on Bydureon, but taken off that earlier this year, due to it not being made any more. Since then I have tried all the newer things. Dapagliflozin, worked great, but I had a constant UTI. Had three weeks on Mounjaro (had to wait five months to get it, as no supply). Certainly got my numbers right down, but the side effects, especially the sudden onset diarrhoea were just too much. Of course they keep saying need to be on insulin, but after my previous experience I keep saying no.

Anyway, I decided to get on here and really research things to try and come up with a plan. I am sure there are members on here who have more experience and can offer some suggestions, which I will be very happy to hear. If you made it to the end, you deserve a cuppa now🙂
 
Hi @PurpleHoney and welcome to the forum!

Goodness, that's quite a battle you've had... Managing several conditions at the same time is difficult as it is, and when additional things pop up - it's often difficult to maintain any goals that you've set. Mobility can also become a challenge when you've got all of that going on. How are you doing now? Have your BP medication issues been resolved?
 
Ieva DUK said:
Hi @PurpleHoney and welcome to the forum!

Goodness, that's quite a battle you've had... Managing several conditions at the same time is difficult as it is, and when additional things pop up - it's often difficult to maintain any goals that you've set. Mobility can also become a challenge when you've got all of that going on. How are you doing now? Have your BP medication issues been resolved?
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Hi leva DUK and thanks for replying to my first post. BP meds still being tweaked, as I am getting Postural Hypotension, but trying to get that better has meant the BP rising into the 160s. Mind you earlier this year it kept going into the 200s. No that isn't a typo. Several trips to the hospital, where they did loads of tests on my heart (my brother has an ICD fitted) and loads of others as well, but at the end of the day, they'd just suggest another BP medication and I'd have four weeks feeling dreadful and then would have to stop it. One they put me on wreaked havoc with my kidneys, which seem to be getting back to normal now. Don't like that I am back on the two diuretics, as ideally you shouldn't be on them with Lymphoedema, but my legs were swelling so much it was a case of had to. Then the other meds for BP can cause Postural Hypotension, so I'd like to get off them. They've finally agreed to dropping one of the 9. Oh well it is a start.

My main concern is I am going to have to stop the Metformin again, due to diarrhoea and that in turn making me feel so ill. Even the slow release ones do this to me. Really my body thinks of medication as poison and that has got worse as I have got older and since Covid, although as far as I know I didn't get Covid. I hunkered down as I was Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and I got all the shots they offered me, which was all of them except last years and this years spring ones.

Did wonder if I could have analogue insulin, as I read it is less likely to cause weight gain, but then why would it work any better now than when I was on insulin before. They've mentioned that there is similar medication to Dapaglifglozin but you can get it in a lower dose, so they think it's worth seeing if I can take it without having UTI, easy for them to say, or Glicalizide but that can cause weight gain and like all meds have other side effects. So wish the supply of Exenitide hadn't dried up. You can buy Bydureon p[rivately, but it is something like £180 for a months worth, which I couldn't afford. Really don't know the best thing to try, but certainly fed up with all the nasty side effects.
 
Hi @PurpleHoney and a warm welcome to the forum.

You seem to have really had a battle on your hands with one thing and another.

Rest assured that you are not alone and others will pop along to offer some help and advice based on personal experiences similar to yours.

Take care
Alan 😉
 
Alan44 said:
Hi @PurpleHoney and a warm welcome to the forum.

You seem to have really had a battle on your hands with one thing and another.

Rest assured that you are not alone and others will pop along to offer some help and advice based on personal experiences similar to yours.

Take care
Alan 😉
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Hi Alan, Thank you for your welcome to the forum.

Yes, a battle at times, some I have won, some are still ongoing. Still to win the war.

Lovely dog. What breed? I have a greyhound. Just going to change my Avatar.
 
PurpleHoney said:
Hi Alan, Thank you for your welcome to the forum.

Yes, a battle at times, some I have won, some are still ongoing. Still to win the war.

Lovely dog. What breed? I have a greyhound. Just going to change my Avatar.
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As you asked, we have two dogs, both Cockapoo's, one we had from a puppy, called Amber who is almost 7yrs and Jenna (JenJen) who we adopted as a rescue 18 months ago when she was 16 months old, she is now 3yrs.

In the pics Amber is the bigger oneIMG_3321.JPGDog No Lead-v3jpg (12).jpg
 
Alan44 said:
As you asked, we have two dogs, both Cockapoo's, one we had from a puppy, called Amber who is almost 7yrs and Jenna (JenJen) who we adopted as a rescue 18 months ago when she was 16 months old, she is now 3yrs.

In the pics Amber is the bigger oneView attachment 32180View attachment 32181
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Both adorable. This is my old fella Hugo. Got him 5th October, 2023. He'd just turned 9. Been in kennels all his life, so he found the outside world very scary.

IMG_0891.jpeg
 
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