Hi All, just diagnosed & will be collecting my 1st prescription of metformin tomorrow.

[Tee to Green]

I contacted the Dr as I have constant numbness in one hand for over a month (think it's Cubital Tunnel Syndrome but the Dr sent me for some blood tests).

The Dr advised my reading was 108 and that it really should be 48 (I don't really know how bad that is & what it means). I've been told to keep a diary of my food intake & get exercising. Since lockdown I've done no exercise where I used to do at least 10,000 steps a day walking back & forth to work - obviously the Dr said I need to start exercising.

Should I purchase a blood monitor?
What foods will really help?

 

[HenryBennett]

You’ll be hit with the following advice:

Yes, buy a blood glucose meter and test, test, test. Search in here how best to do that. It’s made a massive difference to me. Your Hb1Ac is very high and needs immediate attention. This is an indication of blood glucose over the last three months. A finger prick gives an immediate reading.

Carbs, carbs, carbs. Cut out carbs. Forget any dietary advice from your GP and Diabetes Nurse, unless they tell you that it’s all about carbs. I‘m just finishing my no carb breakfast - half a gammon steak with avocado so will leave more experienced people to flesh this out.

Welcome, you’re in the right place.

Finally ... carbs.

Good luck,

Henry

 

[Toucan]

Hello @Tee to Green and welcome to the forum.
Well, it looks as if the numbness in your hand actually did you a favour in being a route to finding out that you are Diabetic.
I found out the same in a similar way, and although it was quite a shock it has actually led me to changing a few things and having a healthier lifestyle.

Diabetes is a serious disease, but it can be positively managed and in many circumstances, you can do a lot to help yourself and there is a help and support available. You will need to make a few changes though, and these need to be sustainable, as this is for the long term.

It will mean making changes that lower your blood glucose levels, and the 3 main tools for doing this are diet, exercise and medication if your doctor prescribes it. Your GP's advice on returning to exercise will be a big help

With regard to diet ,there is no ‘one-size -fits-all'' and you need to find out what will work for you. As @HenryBennett suggests, most of us find that we have to seriously reduce the amount of carbs that we eat. It will help if you can find out which foods cause your blood sugars to rise, and a glucose monitor is a way to find this out.

There is a lot more information available on useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes and also on the Learning Zone tab at the top of the top of this page.
If you want to know more about the Low-Carb way of eating then Maggie Davey's letter, shows how this lady approached the problem. If you are considering getting a glucose meter then SD Gluco Navii is one that many people use, and test-review-adjust gives information on how to go about testing.

There is a lot of information to take in, but it is worth taking your time to find a good sustainable solution.
I hope you will keep posting and let us know how it goes, and we will always try to answer any questions
Best wishes

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

The Dr advised my reading was 108 and that it really should be 48 (I don't really know how bad that is & what it means).

Welcome to the forum TTG

You’ve already had some suggestions and links to get stuck into, so I won’t duplicate those - but they are well worth your careful attention!

The BG check you had done is an HbA1c, which is currently the standard measure of diabetes management (or diagnosis). The target for people with diabetes is 48mmol/mol or below.

The HbA1c measures how much glucose from your blood stream has stuck to red blood cells. The more glucose you have in your blood, the more red blood cells are affected and the higher your HbA1c. Since red blood cells last for approx 120 days, it gives a reasonable picture of glucose concentrations over the previous 3 months.

The BG meters give an immediate value of glucose in capillary blood. Eventually you should be aiming for 4-7mmol/L before meals, and no higher than 9mmol/L by 2 hours after eating. However, in the beginning it’s best to make small, manageable changes to your diet and lifestyle, and aim to reduce your BG gradually, because this is easier on the body and gives it time to adapt.

Good luck! And keep asking questions

 

[Tee to Green]

Thanks for all the info guys.
So I've completed my 1st month of Metformin (500mg/2 per day) & pretty drastically changed my eating habits. The numbness still continues in my left hand currently.

Bought myself an Accu-Chek Mobile & been testing before & 2hrs after breakfast & dinner.
My readings have gone from a high of 19mmol/L to be generally between 5.6 & 7.4mmol/L before & after a meal. Often before dinner my readings are below 5mmol/L (this shows up as an amber colour on the Accu-chek app?).

Potatoes are a definite 'no-no' & Blueberries also seem to put my readings in the 'red', I found that even whole grain bread also increased my readings into the red. No one can call me a 'salad dodger' anymore as spinach, onion, radish & bell peppers are now my 'friends'!!! also I've found thar Rye Sourdough bread does not increased my readings noticeably

I've just picked up my next prescription & they are 1,000mg Metformin hydrochloride (I knew the diabetic nurse was intending to increase my dosage) but was hoping that they would still be the 500mg tablets. I think I'm doing pretty good on the dosage I've been on so am thinking of chopping the 1,000mg tablets in half (they are massive, the box says for oral use but they look like suppositories !!) & keeping to my current dosage.

Any thoughts??

 

[LucyDUK]

Hi @Tee to Green

Taken to it like a duck to water. The readings you are getting now look really good and pretty much bang on any target level you might get quoted. Have you fed any of this back to your nurse? I just wonder whether in light of those results they would still want to increase your Metformin dose?

When prescribed Metformin is often increased gradually to reduce the likelihood of side effects, but your nurse might not have have been counting on you making such great strides with your bg levels. It’s not surprising they had wanted you on a higher dose due to the level of your HbA1c and if you we’re getting levels in the high teens - but it might be helpful to let them know how you have been doing since in case they want to revise the plan for your treatment in light of that.

Well done though, you’ve made some great progress already.

 

[HenryBennett]

Yes, you’ve done incredibly well, congratulations. It’s interesting and often unexpected to discover the foods that do or don’t increase your BG. Worth the effort, no?

Metformin has been used for decades and seems safe, but most people do appear to have “tummy troubles” before getting used to it. I was in hospital hard wired into the ECG when it hit me!!

The advice is always not to stop a prescribed med, or alter the dose, without talking to your GP. You should ask for a telephone consultation with your doctor, get him/her to agree that you can go with 2 x 500mg and ask for a HbA1c in three months.

Good luck.

 

[Tee to Green]

Thanks guys - my diet was pretty poor before so moving to a healthy diet has undoubtedly had a marked effect.

When I saw the diabetic nurse, she said they did not advise on the use of BG monitor for type 2 & advised on a healthy diet which included all foods (inc carbs) - I haven't cut out carbs totally but they have been reduced greatly.

I'll phone the Dr/nurse again tomorrow but take the tablets as prescribed until I've spoken to them.

Thanks again

 

[Pine Marten]

Well done on your results, @Tee to Green, a great start!

I won't repeat what others have said, except to say come here if you have any other questions or comments, and let us know how you get on. Most medics disapprove of type 2s using a meter, I'm afraid, which is daft to say the least - it is a wonderful tool to find out what you can tolerate, as you've found out.

Carry on doing what you're doing, and all the best to you

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Fantastic start @Tee to Green

Have you had an HbA1c since you’ve made your significant changes, and seen your BGs fall so effectively? I just wonder if your nurse is basing decisions on out of date information?!

 

[Tee to Green]

Thanks for all the responses guys
I've only had one visit with the diabetic nurse - she has phoned me once or twice to make sure I'm feeling ok.

The Dr initially took a HbA1C on 09/06 (102mmol/mol) then took another on 25/06 (108) after the second reading treatment was started. Had a visit with the diabetic nurse 09/07 where they took urine sample, weight, blood pressure & sensation in my feet.

They weren't really interested in my own BG readings (looking at my readings at that time there was only a small trend down from a high of 19mmol/L to 16 after breakfast). After an hours walk later that same day I actually had my first 'green' reading of 6.7.

Starting 12/07 I was getting more green than red readings and since 24/07 no red readings (had one amber reading 9.2 on 01/08 but nothing high since after breakfast) I get amber lows (4.6) before my evening meal.

If I hadn't got my own meter I expect I'd still be hitting the 'reds' as all the bad carbs were my staples.

This morning before breakfast was 5.3 & two hrs later 7.3.

Thanks again

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

If I hadn't got my own meter I expect I'd still be hitting the 'reds' as all the bad carbs were my staples.

This morning before breakfast was 5.3 & two hrs later 7.3.

Fantastic progress @Tee to Green

Thanks for the update! It seems very likely that your HbA1c will be much reduced when you have it checked again. Well done!

 

[Anitram]

Thanks for all the responses guys
I've only had one visit with the diabetic nurse - she has phoned me once or twice to make sure I'm feeling ok.

The Dr initially took a HbA1C on 09/06 (102mmol/mol) then took another on 25/06 (108) after the second reading treatment was started. Had a visit with the diabetic nurse 09/07 where they took urine sample, weight, blood pressure & sensation in my feet.

They weren't really interested in my own BG readings (looking at my readings at that time there was only a small trend down from a high of 19mmol/L to 16 after breakfast). After an hours walk later that same day I actually had my first 'green' reading of 6.7.

Starting 12/07 I was getting more green than red readings and since 24/07 no red readings (had one amber reading 9.2 on 01/08 but nothing high since after breakfast) I get amber lows (4.6) before my evening meal.

If I hadn't got my own meter I expect I'd still be hitting the 'reds' as all the bad carbs were my staples.

This morning before breakfast was 5.3 & two hrs later 7.3.

Thanks again

A good example of why HCPs are wrong to say that self-testing isn't necessary.