hello!

[Molly M]

I went to the docs for a completely unrelated thing and she did blood tests 'just to be on the safe side'. This was 2 weeks ago. Doc and I were gobsmacked when my HBA1C came back as 77. It was 40 last year. I totally panicked, had a read of various posts and sites and immediately cut down/out carbs. My follow-up blood results came back as 74 a week later.

I got Metformin 500mg tablets today and took my first one this morning (hope the side effects calm down soon ). I've to take
- week 1 1 each morning for a week then
- week 2, 1 each morning and 1 each evening (with meals),
- week 3 has to be 2 in the am and 1 in the pm, then
- week 4 is 2 in the am and 2 in the pm.

If I am sick or can't eat I've to stop the tablets until I feel better again and then restart them

I've to then get bloods redone at the end of Sept ie 3 months after starting the tablets.

I am sure everyone is different but this is what I've to do.

I am here to find out about the best ways to manage my diet, do exercise etc too

Dinner tonight was salmon with some lemon juice, chilli flakes, parsley, broccoli, spinach and beluga lentils - hope that's ok - any input welcome

Mx

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Molly M 🙂 That sounds a delicious and healthy dinner🙂

 

[Sharron1]

I went to the docs for a completely unrelated thing and she did blood tests 'just to be on the safe side'. This was 2 weeks ago. Doc and I were gobsmacked when my HBA1C came back as 77. It was 40 last year. I totally panicked, had a read of various posts and sites and immediately cut down/out carbs. My follow-up blood results came back as 74 a week later.

I got Metformin 500mg tablets today and took my first one this morning (hope the side effects calm down soon ). I've to take
- week 1 1 each morning for a week then
- week 2, 1 each morning and 1 each evening (with meals),
- week 3 has to be 2 in the am and 1 in the pm, then
- week 4 is 2 in the am and 2 in the pm.

If I am sick or can't eat I've to stop the tablets until I feel better again and then restart them

I've to then get bloods redone at the end of Sept ie 3 months after starting the tablets.

I am sure everyone is different but this is what I've to do.

I am here to find out about the best ways to manage my diet, do exercise etc too

Dinner tonight was salmon with some lemon juice, chilli flakes, parsley, broccoli, spinach and beluga lentils - hope that's ok - any input welcome

Mx

That is exactly the dinner we had this evening. Delicious.

 

[Felinia]

Metformin is well known for causing side effects and if they do not settle down, you can request slow release ones instead. I had three goes at starting, but I was suffering from a persistent kidney infection for 4 months and had to stop twice until my kidney readings returned to normal. Once the infection had cleared up, I had really bad side effects at first, but they slowly eased up over 6 weeks, and now 5 months later I barely have a niggle. So it is worth persevering if you can. Some people just can't get on with Metformin, but there are other options. Because of my health issues I've not yet built up, partly because my review has been cancelled 3 times in the last 5 months. But expect I will have to after my review (if it takes place) in a couple of weeks time.

I'm sure you will have been told that a low carb eating plan works for many. Your dinner tonight sounds really good. I had a chicken traybake of thighs, Mediterranean veggies and squash. 18gm carbs and 400 calories. DUK recommends less than 130gm carbs a day. I aim for around 90gm, and some go much lower - it's what suits your body. Breakfast can be tricky without cereal or bread, but I aim for a poached egg with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, or 80 gm defrosted berries with Greek yogurt. Lunch is usually home made soup or a salad, and dinner is a portion of protein and 3/4 plate of vegetables - just like tonight. I have an online and phone app to cut out the hard work of counting, and recording the carbs.

I don't know your age, but I'm 71 and go for water workout classes 3 times a week. I also have a mini exercise bike at home, which I can either put on the floor or kitchen table. My neighbour meets up with a couple of friends after dinner and goes for a walk or run - up to an hour depending on the weather. Best wishes

 

[Molly M]

That is exactly the dinner we had this evening. Delicious.

yeah we enjoyed it too Sharron 😉 - if you let me know what you are having for tomorrow, I can copy you 🙂😛

 

[Molly M]

Metformin is well known for causing side effects and if they do not settle down, you can request slow release ones instead. I had three goes at starting, but I was suffering from a persistent kidney infection for 4 months and had to stop twice until my kidney readings returned to normal. Once the infection had cleared up, I had really bad side effects at first, but they slowly eased up over 6 weeks, and now 5 months later I barely have a niggle. So it is worth persevering if you can. Some people just can't get on with Metformin, but there are other options. Because of my health issues I've not yet built up, partly because my review has been cancelled 3 times in the last 5 months. But expect I will have to after my review (if it takes place) in a couple of weeks time.

I'm sure you will have been told that a low carb eating plan works for many. Your dinner tonight sounds really good. I had a chicken traybake of thighs, Mediterranean veggies and squash. 18gm carbs and 400 calories. DUK recommends less than 130gm carbs a day. I aim for around 90gm, and some go much lower - it's what suits your body. Breakfast can be tricky without cereal or bread, but I aim for a poached egg with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, or 80 gm defrosted berries with Greek yogurt. Lunch is usually home made soup or a salad, and dinner is a portion of protein and 3/4 plate of vegetables - just like tonight. I have an online and phone app to cut out the hard work of counting, and recording the carbs.

I don't know your age, but I'm 71 and go for water workout classes 3 times a week. I also have a mini exercise bike at home, which I can either put on the floor or kitchen table. My neighbour meets up with a couple of friends after dinner and goes for a walk or run - up to an hour depending on the weather. Best wishes

Thanks for coming back with your helpful info Felinia - sorry to hear about your kidney problems. Hope you get your appointment for your review soon.

Doc tested my kidneys, liver and thyroid along with my 2nd round of blood tests and they are all ok (so far). Hope that continues. I don't think I could continue for 6 months the way I have been today with my first Metformin pill. Mind you, if it does continue I wouldn't have to worry about dieting 😉.

I haven't decided on an amout of carbs yet - I need to get a something to test my levels with - that wasn't mentioned by either my doctor or the nurse that rang me. Hopefully once I have that it will help me get more accurate numbers I should be sticking to. Your dinner sounds lovely! I might give that a try for tomorrow. Can I ask what apps you use to record things?

Re age, I am 54 and a couch potato. I did go for a 30 min walk yesterday but the effects of Metformin have meant I've not been able to do that today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I'm planning to go before my breakfast and pill.

thanks again!

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Molly M, welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you had a lovely dinner! You're on the right track as most start as you've been asked to and then work on what foods they can enjoy.

It's worth getting a Blood Glucose Metre so that you can see the impact that your meals are having on you. Most people test in the morning before food and two hours after each meal. SD Gluco Navii and the Spirit Tee2 are popular on the site so worth looking into.

The following page talk about testing in a bit more detail https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing

Felinia has given you some really great advice so I won't overload you. Just wanted to encourage you to keep up the good work and let us know if there's anything we can help with.

 

[Molly M]

Welcome @Molly M 🙂 That sounds a delicious and healthy dinner🙂

Thanks Inka - just new at this but trying very hard to do the right stuff with very little info - arriving here today has already helped a lot 😛

 

[Molly M]

Hi Molly M, welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you had a lovely dinner! You're on the right track as most start as you've been asked to and then work on what foods they can enjoy.

It's worth getting a Blood Glucose Metre so that you can see the impact that your meals are having on you. Most people test in the morning before food and two hours after each meal. SD Gluco Navii and the Spirit Tee2 are popular on the site so worth looking into.

The following page talk about testing in a bit more detail https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing

Felinia has given you some really great advice so I won't overload you. Just wanted to encourage you to keep up the good work and let us know if there's anything we can help with.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome Cherrelle (and everyone else) - I will definitely pick up a BG Meter on Monday - it's obviously the right way to go. It's great to be in where people have practical experience and are so happy to help out us newbies! TYSM

 

[Felinia]

Thanks for coming back with your helpful info Felinia - sorry to hear about your kidney problems. Hope you get your appointment for your review soon.

Doc tested my kidneys, liver and thyroid along with my 2nd round of blood tests and they are all ok (so far). Hope that continues. I don't think I could continue for 6 months the way I have been today with my first Metformin pill. Mind you, if it does continue I wouldn't have to worry about dieting 😉.

I haven't decided on an amout of carbs yet - I need to get a something to test my levels with - that wasn't mentioned by either my doctor or the nurse that rang me. Hopefully once I have that it will help me get more accurate numbers I should be sticking to. Your dinner sounds lovely! I might give that a try for tomorrow. Can I ask what apps you use to record things?

Re age, I am 54 and a couch potato. I did go for a 30 min walk yesterday but the effects of Metformin have meant I've not been able to do that today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I'm planning to go before my breakfast and pill.

thanks again!

Hi, I use NutraCheck which I think still offers a free 7 day trial, then is £7.99 a month - less than a weekly coffee out. You've had some good advice about testing - I tested regularly at first until I worked out what I could and couldn't eat. Now I just test new foods. My GP told me to take my Metformin in the middle of my evening meal. I've read you should start to settle after a couple of weeks - I think I took longer because of my previous illness. But if you are still just as bad, I would definitely ask to be switched to slow release, which is what I take. My GP said the effect was spread out over 24 hours, not immediately explosive! Funnily enough now my bowels are better behaved than for years, with the medication and healthy eating!