Angelica1414
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Thought I'd stop by and say hi as a newbie here, was diagnosed 4 weeks ago and currently increasing metformin every 2 weeks until April when I see my nurse again.
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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hello
- Thread starter Angelica1414
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adrian1der
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Angelica1414 and welcome. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? How you came to be diagnosed and what was your HbA1c level at diagnosis? This all helps people tailor responses to your specific situation. And if you have any questions fire away!
Ditto
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello and welcome to the forum @Angelica1414 🙂
Angelica1414
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Adrian how do I find my HbA1c lvls?
My diabetes nurse told me everything was raised and I need to increase metformin to 2000mg a day over the coming weeks, currently on 1 500mg morning and evening will increase this Wednesday to 1 morning 2 evening then 2 weeks later 2 morning and 2 evening then to go back and see what's happening.
A little history why its got out of control is I haven't seen my GP for over 4 years due to agrophbia after a traumatic experience I was told 4 years ago I was pre diabetic but was so wrapped up in my mental state never paid attention ♀️ yes im regretting it as I have been so poorly the past year but got much worse end of the year especially with uncontrollable sleep and fatigue I had to fight those demons and call the doctor. I'm not completely ignorant to diabetes my dad has been diabetic for many years and is insulin dependent.
One thing I'd like to ask is does anyone know when this tiredness will start "lifting" im still feeling very exhausted its been quiet bad again past few days I've even contemplated phoning the nurse to ask if this is still normal ♀️ its really effecting every aspect of daily life
Thanks for replying
Linda
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Angelica1414 and welcome to the forum.
You find out your HbA1c level by asking your surgery for it. If you do not know, the HbA1c measurement tells you how good your blood glucose control has been over the last couple of months. If it is over 48, then you get a diagnosis of diabetes. The bigger the number, the more your system has been struggling to process the glucose in your blood.
You find out your HbA1c level by asking your surgery for it. If you do not know, the HbA1c measurement tells you how good your blood glucose control has been over the last couple of months. If it is over 48, then you get a diagnosis of diabetes. The bigger the number, the more your system has been struggling to process the glucose in your blood.
Hi @Angelica1414, welcome to the forum.
Thank you for sharing your story and well done on contacting your doctor especially when you weren't feeling the best mentally. I think it's worthwhile to contact your GP again if you're still concerned about the fatigue and your mental health. I hope you receive the support you need.
I'm sure you know quite a bit about diabetes from your dad, but please feel free to ask any questions. There are many supportive people here on the forum willing to help. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story and well done on contacting your doctor especially when you weren't feeling the best mentally. I think it's worthwhile to contact your GP again if you're still concerned about the fatigue and your mental health. I hope you receive the support you need.
I'm sure you know quite a bit about diabetes from your dad, but please feel free to ask any questions. There are many supportive people here on the forum willing to help. 🙂
SueEK
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Angelica1414 and welcome. Yes it would be good to know your HbA1c but generally when anyone is first diagnosed their bg (blood glucose) level is quite high and this leads to tiredness, in some cases extreme tiredness, it certainly was with me and it took a while before this improved but with medication and a change in eating habits this does change and keep this in mind as you start out on your new journey. We are all here to help and support you, please ask any questions you may have. Hopefully as your bg levels improve and start to feel a bit better this will help your mental health as well.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi Linda and welcome from me too
Were you given any dietary advice? Except for insulin, diet has by the far the most significant impact on BG levels compared to other medications, so don't assume taking the Metformin is enough. I understand that feeling of fatigue, but if you start cutting back on the carbohydrates you eat, that should ease dramatically.
Most people think that diabetes is all about sugar and sweet stuff but all carbohydrates are broken down by the body into glucose which is then absorbed into the blood stream and makes you feel sluggish and sleepy, particularly an hour or two after meals. Carbohydrates are both starches and sugars and even ordinarily quite healthy foods like porridge, wholemeal bread and fruit in all its forms (fresh, dried, frozen and particularly juiced) are high in carbs, so cutting down on portion size of these foods will help enormously. To give you an idea of where glucose can come from, a medium slice of wholemeal bread is 15g carbs which is the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of sugar @5g carbs each, so a normal 2 slice sandwich is the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar before you think about what you put in your sandwich. Obviously, eating wholemeal bread is a healthier option than just eating sugar but if you can reduce the amount of it you eat, it will help.
Basically anything made from grains and grain flour (bread, pasta, couscous, rice, pastry, breakfast cereals and starchy or sweet vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots are quite high carb foods and best rationed. Exotic fruits like bananas and pineapples and mangoes are much higher carb than native berries like blackberries and raspberries and strawberries and blackcurrants and gooseberries and rhubarb (stewed with a little artificial sweetener) which are better choices. These more tart fruits pack more punch, flavour wise, so a small portion gives you lots of taste without being too tempted to overeat them.
If you can half your portions of these carb rich foods and eat more leafy green veg to fill your plate up, that will make a big difference to your Blood Glucose levels and how you feel. Feel free to cook your veggies in a little butter or cream cheese to make them more enjoyable (I love savoy cabbage with a knob of butter and spinach or leeks with cream cheese) And cauliflower is one of our favourite veg here on the forum because it can be cooked and mashed with a doollop of cream cheese and a spoon of wholegrain mustard(if you like it) to replace potato mash, or grated to replace couscous or rice, or cut into steaks and roasted and who doesn't love cauliflower cheese, although it is best made by mixing cream cheese with cream and pouring it over the par boiled cauli and then sprinkling grated cheese over the top rather than making a sauce with flour (which is high carb). Oh and treat yourself to a good dollop of coleslaw (cheese coleslaw is my preference) on your salads.
Hope that gives you an idea of what you are aiming for diet wise but feel free to ask anything you don't understand. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.
Were you given any dietary advice? Except for insulin, diet has by the far the most significant impact on BG levels compared to other medications, so don't assume taking the Metformin is enough. I understand that feeling of fatigue, but if you start cutting back on the carbohydrates you eat, that should ease dramatically.
Most people think that diabetes is all about sugar and sweet stuff but all carbohydrates are broken down by the body into glucose which is then absorbed into the blood stream and makes you feel sluggish and sleepy, particularly an hour or two after meals. Carbohydrates are both starches and sugars and even ordinarily quite healthy foods like porridge, wholemeal bread and fruit in all its forms (fresh, dried, frozen and particularly juiced) are high in carbs, so cutting down on portion size of these foods will help enormously. To give you an idea of where glucose can come from, a medium slice of wholemeal bread is 15g carbs which is the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of sugar @5g carbs each, so a normal 2 slice sandwich is the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar before you think about what you put in your sandwich. Obviously, eating wholemeal bread is a healthier option than just eating sugar but if you can reduce the amount of it you eat, it will help.
Basically anything made from grains and grain flour (bread, pasta, couscous, rice, pastry, breakfast cereals and starchy or sweet vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots are quite high carb foods and best rationed. Exotic fruits like bananas and pineapples and mangoes are much higher carb than native berries like blackberries and raspberries and strawberries and blackcurrants and gooseberries and rhubarb (stewed with a little artificial sweetener) which are better choices. These more tart fruits pack more punch, flavour wise, so a small portion gives you lots of taste without being too tempted to overeat them.
If you can half your portions of these carb rich foods and eat more leafy green veg to fill your plate up, that will make a big difference to your Blood Glucose levels and how you feel. Feel free to cook your veggies in a little butter or cream cheese to make them more enjoyable (I love savoy cabbage with a knob of butter and spinach or leeks with cream cheese) And cauliflower is one of our favourite veg here on the forum because it can be cooked and mashed with a doollop of cream cheese and a spoon of wholegrain mustard(if you like it) to replace potato mash, or grated to replace couscous or rice, or cut into steaks and roasted and who doesn't love cauliflower cheese, although it is best made by mixing cream cheese with cream and pouring it over the par boiled cauli and then sprinkling grated cheese over the top rather than making a sauce with flour (which is high carb). Oh and treat yourself to a good dollop of coleslaw (cheese coleslaw is my preference) on your salads.
Hope that gives you an idea of what you are aiming for diet wise but feel free to ask anything you don't understand. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Angelica1414
Sorry to hear about your diabetes diagnosis, and the extra challenges you are facing which have made things extra difficult for you. Looking after your mental health, and feeling well as a whole person is so important. It’s all too easy to focus on the obvious physical symptoms and to neglect what is going on in your brain, but self-compassion, and looking after your mental state can make a huge difference to your ability to manage physical symptoms effectively. Conversely, improving physical outcomes like improving your BG levels can have a very positive impact on your state of mind - so the two are intricately linked and interrelated!
Lethargy, tiredness and low mood are all associated with high or erratic BG levels, so making changes to improve your BG outcomes around food can really help. There is no ‘one size fits all’ eating plan, because everyone’s reactions to specific foods are different, but a general rule of thumb is that it is the total carbohydrate content of a meal which will most likely determine how disruptive an effect it will have on your BG levels, and that even modest reductions in carb content can have significant benefits.
When it comes to managing your diabetes, it’s best to make changes to your menu and activity levels gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels are harder on the fine blood vessels, and changing things more gently will give your body time to adapt.
For a bit more background information, the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information - useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes, particularly Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which are often recommended on the forum.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on
Sorry to hear about your diabetes diagnosis, and the extra challenges you are facing which have made things extra difficult for you. Looking after your mental health, and feeling well as a whole person is so important. It’s all too easy to focus on the obvious physical symptoms and to neglect what is going on in your brain, but self-compassion, and looking after your mental state can make a huge difference to your ability to manage physical symptoms effectively. Conversely, improving physical outcomes like improving your BG levels can have a very positive impact on your state of mind - so the two are intricately linked and interrelated!
Lethargy, tiredness and low mood are all associated with high or erratic BG levels, so making changes to improve your BG outcomes around food can really help. There is no ‘one size fits all’ eating plan, because everyone’s reactions to specific foods are different, but a general rule of thumb is that it is the total carbohydrate content of a meal which will most likely determine how disruptive an effect it will have on your BG levels, and that even modest reductions in carb content can have significant benefits.
When it comes to managing your diabetes, it’s best to make changes to your menu and activity levels gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels are harder on the fine blood vessels, and changing things more gently will give your body time to adapt.
For a bit more background information, the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information - useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes, particularly Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book T2 Diabetes, the first year, which are often recommended on the forum.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on
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