Hi Everyone - Im new here

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Twiggers

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi Everyone,
I was diagnosed back in 2002 with Type 2 Diabetes. Today I have had my annual checkup and came out of there shocked. I called in at reception first and they told me all was normal. I then went into see the Diabetic Nurse who informed me my Blood Sugar levels were too high at 7.1???????????????? She wants them below 6.8. I thought the correct levels were between 4.7 and 7.7. She then decided to put me on Metformin and asked why I had never been given this alongside the Glimepiride I am taking. She is a new nurse and this is the first time I have met or seen her. I have looked on this site and seem to be well within the boundaries they have written down.

Any suggestions out there would be gratefully received as I am feeling very confused.com.
 
Hi Twiggers and welcome to the forum,my hbA has always hovered between 6.5 and 7.2 and when i have had that kind of result my GP has always said slightly high but nothing to be overly worried about, i think if this is the first time you have met one another then maybe she is just trying to steady your hbA for the future, taking metformin will be fine but you may have a few early side effects mainly wind we renamed it metfartin as many of us have had the wind issue, i hope the pills do the trick and work for you.Have a good browse around and get yourself aqcuainted with this place and you will soon see we are a good bunch and will help and give advice were we can x
 
Welcome to the forum Twiggers. 🙂

My understanding is that we should aim for an HbA1c below 6.5%. Every 1% beyond that there is an ever increasing risk of possible complications. 7.1% is not too bad, but they're obviously keen to help you get it lower which can be no bad thing.

Andy
 
Hi Twiggers, welcome to the forum 🙂 Don't get confused between the two types of reading - the fingerprick tests and the HbA1c test - as they are quite different, but related, things. Normally, you would hope for a pre-meal fingerprick test of between 4 and 7. The HbA1c test (the 7.1 in your case) is a measure of your blood glucose concentration over the previous 6-12 weeks. Ideally, this latter test should be 6.5% or below, although 7.1 is by no means a bad number. The extra medication should help you achieve this lower level, although some doctors/nurses would be happy with a level of 7.1 and encourage more dietary modification or extra exercise to help bring it down.
 
😛I just wanted to say thank you for the welcome and also for your replies which were really helpful in helping me understand what was going on. Can I also ask about alcohol. I never really drink as such but do enjoy the odd glass of wine at christmas. Can I still have a glass or will it interfere with the Glimepiride and Metformin.

Many thanks.

Twiggers.
 
Hi Twiggers, the odd glass of wine should be fine 🙂 The only thing you need to be aware of is that alcohol can lower blood sugar levels whilst the liver is processing the alcohol, so it is best to drink it in combination with a meal or snack. People can have very different reactions though, so be cautious and if possible test your levels to make sure you are not dropping too low (below 4 mmol/l). If you do then you need to have some fast acting sugar, like jelly babies or full sugar coke to quickly raise your levels (but not too much, just a couple of jelly babies will normally do the trick!).

As with everything to do with diabetes, the watchword is moderation! 🙂
 
hi twiggers if you have a look at the patceint information leaflet im sure it will mention about drinking x
 
Hi Everyone - Im new here.

Northerner said:
Hi Twiggers, the odd glass of wine should be fine 🙂 The only thing you need to be aware of is that alcohol can lower blood sugar levels whilst the liver is processing the alcohol, so it is best to drink it in combination with a meal or snack. People can have very different reactions though, so be cautious and if possible test your levels to make sure you are not dropping too low (below 4 mmol/l). If you do then you need to have some fast acting sugar, like jelly babies or full sugar coke to quickly raise your levels (but not too much, just a couple of jelly babies will normally do the trick!).

As with everything to do with diabetes, the watchword is moderation! 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks Guys, As you say Moderation in all things - Dull and boring but very sensible and very necessary.
 
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