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Hello,

C

catsco71

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I had a health blip at the end of May, potassium was critically high and I was sent to hospital, whilst in hospital my blood sugar spiked to 31. They immediately put me on an insulin pump and after 10 hours a diabetic nurse came to see me and gave me an insulin pen, metformin and a blood sugar monitor.
I have only had 1 appointment with a diabetic nurse at my surgery, I tried to discuss doing the blood sugar diet and starting the couch to 5k with the view of coming off all meds eventually. I was met with complete disinterest.
I have been monitoring my blood sugars and they are always between 5 & 6 so I have gradually lowered my insulin down from 20 to 10 units. I haven't been able to take the metformin for 7 days due to a dose of food poisoning and even whilst eating very basic yet carby foods my sugars have remained under 6.5. I have found a company that I can get my bloods tested privately, so I can monitor my health.
I want to be sensible about reducing the meds, eating healthy and exercise but I feel like I am doing this blind as my diabetic nurse was so dismissive. I had a telephone call with her 2 weeks ago to discuss my blood test results and for the 1st time in 54 yrs my cholesterol was a little high but nothing excessive and she got really upset when I refused meds without the opportunity to reduce it with diet and doesn't want to see me again until December.
Sorry this is a long thread, I am frustrated and don't know who I can go to if my surgery isn't supportive of a proactive approach to managing my condition.
Would appreciate your thoughts. Thank you
 
Welcome to the forum
Can I ask a couple of questions that will help people make suggestions. Were you to your knowledge diabetic prior to the hospital admission and if so how did you manage it.
What insulin have you been prescribed as that will determine your best course of action re your diet and exercise.
If you were new to metformin then your 'food poisoning' could have been a reaction to the metformin as it is well known for causing stomach issues.
Whether you can come off meds will depend on the reason for those high glucose readings what your blood glucose levels are on going.
Have you had an HbA1C test done and what was the result of that.
 
I knew very little about diabetes before my hospital admission and had never been a concern. I was put on toujeo 20 units and 1000mg slow release metformin. I had been on the metformin 2 months and had no issues but the food poisoning (dodgy tuna salad) the metformin made it 10x worse.
My hba1c wasn't tested until 6 weeks after the spike and it was 60. My concern is more that they have just automatically started me on a high dose of meds with very little review. In my notes the doctor has commented that I had some unusual event that rose quite a few of my blood readings, she thinks this was due to an infection that was particularly stubborn and took a few courses of antibiotics to clear. Bloods are all back to normal apart from the HBA1C which can take as I understand it 3 months to settle.
 
Hi @catsco71 - welcome to the forum, and thank you for sharing everything so clearly. It sounds like you’ve had quite a turbulent time recently, and I really admire how proactive and level-headed you’re being about taking control of your health. You’re definitely not alone in feeling frustrated when support from healthcare professionals doesn’t quite match your motivation or questions.

It’s totally understandable to question the approach when you’ve had just one appointment and feel like you were started on quite a heavy treatment plan without a full review. Your instincts to want to understand your condition better - and to take steps through diet and exercise - are spot on.

It’s also worth remembering that an HbA1c reflects your average blood glucose over the last 2–3 months, so if your spike happened around your hospital stay and has since resolved, you might be seeing the “tail end” of that in your results. The fact that your current blood glucose are sitting regularly in the 5–6 range, even without Metformin for now, is a great sign that your body may be responding really well to the changes you’re already making.

You're absolutely right that Toujeo (a long-acting insulin) needs careful adjustment - and ideally under proper guidance - but it's good that you're checking your glucose regularly and lowering it cautiously. As for your nurse’s reaction around your cholesterol, it’s disappointing but unfortunately not unusual. Many folks have had to push a little harder to be given the space to try dietary/lifestyle changes first, rather than just going straight to meds.

It might help to keep a clear written record of your blood glucose readings, food intake, and any changes you're making - that way, if/when you do speak to a new nurse or GP, you’ll have some solid data to show how things are progressing. Some people also find it helpful to request to see a different member of the practice if they feel their concerns aren’t being listened to.

You’re clearly switched on and willing to take responsibility for your health, which is already half the battle. Keep going, and don’t hesitate to ask questions here - there’s a lot of collective experience and knowledge on this forum, and many people have walked similar paths to yours. :star:
 
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Hi @catsco71 Welcome to the forum. Very pleased that you have found us.

I echo the suggestion by @Ieva DUK of keeping records so that you look back to see any patterns, and also identify foods that are a specific issue for you. I knew absolutely nothing about diabetes when I was diagnosed but now have a head full of the carbohydrates in so many foods. I have found that there are some specific foods that cause my glucose levels to rise, some of which I thought were ‘healthy’. They are in many cases but just not for me. Your records can help you to make informed decision about what changes to make.

There is a wealth of knowledge to tap into on here, so just ask any questions that arise.
 
Thank you, makes me feel so much better, that I am on the right track. I started a journal, noting daily readings, any events, changes to diet and any modifications that I have made to my dosage after my 1st appointment. One of the other changes I made was that I was started on the insulin U was told to take it in the evening, I was getting really bad headaches during the night and not sleeping on occasion my BG dropped to 2.3. I mentioned this to the nurse and she said it wasn't anything to do with the insulin. When I started reading about toujeo it said it is active for 36 hours, which meant I had the 2 doses in my system during the night which just seemed silly. I spent a week gradually moving the doses back to the morning. I no longer have headaches and I am sleeping 7- 8 hours undisturbed. I am so grateful to have found this group to get some support as it is quite daunting especially making decisions about my health without any support from my health professionals considering 3 months ago I knew very little about diabetes.
 
catsco71 said:
Thank you, makes me feel so much better, that I am on the right track. I started a journal, noting daily readings, any events, changes to diet and any modifications that I have made to my dosage after my 1st appointment. One of the other changes I made was that I was started on the insulin U was told to take it in the evening, I was getting really bad headaches during the night and not sleeping on occasion my BG dropped to 2.3. I mentioned this to the nurse and she said it wasn't anything to do with the insulin. When I started reading about toujeo it said it is active for 36 hours, which meant I had the 2 doses in my system during the night which just seemed silly. I spent a week gradually moving the doses back to the morning. I no longer have headaches and I am sleeping 7- 8 hours undisturbed. I am so grateful to have found this group to get some support as it is quite daunting especially making decisions about my health without any support from my health professionals considering 3 months ago I knew very little about diabetes.
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Great to read that you are working to make the medication that you are taking work for you, and good to read that you are getting a good nights sleep. That can make so much difference.
 
@catsco71 welcome to the forum and well done on the changes you have already made and the improvements you have achieved. I too have found that there is sometimes pressure from diabetes nurses to stick you on more medication (statins and cholesterol medication in my case) and good for you to stick to your guns. The nurses are conscious that diabetic type 2s are at higher risk of coronary problems than the non-diabetic patients and also believe, rightly or wrongly, that most people prefer medication to address the problem as doing it via exercise and dietary changes is so much harder that dropping a daily tablet.
Using diet and exercise can certainly address the problem and resolve things in a satisfactory manner. Taking this approach I have managed to bring my BP to around 112/70, my cholesterol is now 4.9 and my serum cholesterol/HDL ratio is 2.1 all of which are now considered good by the diabetes nurse. And I am officially in remission with a HbA1c of 46. So I think you should continue to ignore the nurse but keep her informed of your progress and make sure that they test you again about three months post diagnosis.
 
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