Hi, new to forum, Metformin stopped working and eye sight getting worse.

[KC Essex]

Hi
Was diagnosed over 10 years ago, been pretty good keeping Hba1c levels down but last year has been a disaster.

Nov 2013 Hba1c 77 mmol
Apr 2014 Hba1c 116 mmol
Dec 2015 Hba1c 57 mmol
Jun 2017 Hba1c 57 mmol
Oct 2015 Hba1c 47 mmol
Aug 2019 Hba1c 54 mmol
Feb 2020 Hba1c 52 mmol
Sep 2020 Hba1c 58 mmol
Dec 2020 Hba1c 45 mmol all good so far
Jul 2022 Hba1c 68 mmol
Oct 2023 Hba1c 56 mmol
Aug 2024 Hba1c 62 mmol this is where it starts to go wrong
May 2025 Hba1c 82 mmol

Getting back to normal levels now with low(er) carb diet and Gliclazide 2 times a day plus 4 x Metformin 500mg.
Eyes are bad at the moment though , with R2 retinopathy in right eye.

2 Stone overweight, have been for years (5,10 14 st), exercise regularly (gym, cycling and walking), non smoker.

My big worry is my eyes tbh. I've posted a reply on the general forum from someone (Laura) having the same issue so will be interested to see what advice people give.

K

 

[gail2]

only thing i can suggest is to get in touch with your diabetic team

 

[saffron15]

Do you test your BG at all? If you are doing a lot of exercise some of the extra weight may be muscle which is good. Do you include weight training at the gym? The gym probably has body composition scales so you can see if muscle mass is increasing.The only upside to being diagnosed last year for me was I ate less carbs and started losing weight. 2 stone 8 so far and would like to lose 1 to 2 stone move Did your surgery give any idea why your BG had gone up? Have you been encouraged to lose more weight?
Could you discuss your concerns with the surgery?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @KC Essex

Sorry to hear your HbA1c has been rising in recent years - seems like the Covid ‘gap’ didn’t do you any favours.

Glad to hear you are starting to get things back of track. Some people’s diabetes does seem to evolve over time, so it’s not uncommon to have to rejig things as the years pass.

Hope the new combination of meds and menu work well for you. Well done on keeping active at the gym, and good luck at shedding those extra pounds.

 

[KC Essex]

Just been for a review and 2 weeks on Gliclazide (small dose) plus low carb meals have reduced my blood sugars by 50%.

Relieved and happy, hopefully this will have an impact on my retinopathy.
Annoyed with myself for letting my Hb1ac get so bad, again.

Now to focus on that diet and get some weight off too.

Next ophthalmology checkup in 3 months.