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Hi, New to the Type 2 Club...

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Chriswilliams500

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi,

I've just been diagnosed with Type 2 last week and I must admit that it's come as a bit of a shock. So far I've had one blood test which showed a HbA1c of 108 a week or so ago and I've just been in for a follow up blood test this morning. In between I've had a GP visit to confirm diabetes (though he was unable to do a finger prick test as he couldn't find any strips). He did do a urine test that confirmed no ketones though.

I've been put on Metformin and Gliclazide, and that's it. Pharmacist told me that I shouldn't have to pay, but I needed a form from my GP. Do GPs offer any other support or is that it?

I'm also struggling with the information available for managing T2 as I'm in my early 40s and a keen triathlete doing about 15-20 hours of exercise per week and weighing 65kg. My diet isn't bad, and although I don't have a six pack, I'm not far off. Recommendations such as 'try walking a little more' or to improve my diet don't seem to offer much for me.

My symptoms that led me to have a test (classic thirst / urination) have completely subsided since I've been on meds though.

Just a little bewildered at the moment I guess.

Chris
 
Your GP should have referred you to attend diabetic education sessions at your hospital or local diabetes centre. The GP does very little I’m afraid. The diabetes centres take over most of the care.

Unfortunately they will give you the advice to do things you clearly are already doing. I think the main thing for you at this stage would be to assess the kinds of foods you are eating and start cutting out unnecessary carbs. Difficult. I know. I struggle to adapt my diet too much and end up eating thebsame stuff repeatedly now.
 
Hiya Chris - welcome to the club no-one wanted to join!

Yep it is completely bewildering at first - everyone always is bewildered - if you weren't I'd know you weren't normal. But it seems you are, so that's fine.

First thins first - diabetes is no respecter of anything so it couldn't care less how fit or heavy you are - Henry Slade the England Rugby player is Type 1, Sir Steve Redgrave is Type 2. Fit as butcher's dogs, as they say. Alan, aka Northerner this forum's Administrator was literally about to chuck his vest and running shoes in a bag and jump on his pre-booked flight to run the Stockholm marathon at the end of the week he was diagnosed.

You've most likely actually had diabetes for longer than you think but the amount of exercise you take and your good health generally just kept the symptoms at bay than they would for an overweight couch potato, The life span of the average red blood cell is between 90 ish to 120 ish days so because some are popping their clogs and others being born 24/365 it's impossible to test for the average blood glucose accurately. The HbA1c test measures how much glucose has stuck to those cells (cos the glucose in a diabetic's bloodstream stays there longer than it's intended to be there as the body can't use it properly any more.) over roughly the last 12 ish weeks and is there the very few seconds they removed the blood from your arm. If you've had diabetes 12 ish weeks the cells that are literally about to drop dead will have more than todays batch of newborns because of length of their swim in glucose infested waters - so the result is only 'sort of' average. If we didn't have diabetes or any sign of it then that result should have been no more than 41.

Re diet - has doc explained that it's only carbohydrates that people with diabetes can't deal with - doesn't have any problem with protein or fat - just all carbs ? The only way to find out how much of what, exactly, causes your body problems is home testing using a glucometer. Nobody can tell you how much of what since every single one of us differs as the what our body can tolerate. Because (I presume) you'd like very much to stay fit and healthy and get on the right track asap, will want to home test - you ought to tell your GP that and ask him to prescribe the test strips, but learn how to use them first so you have the right arguments in your persuasive armoury ready to use, see http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

Good luck!
 
As you are on gliclazide you are required to test your blood sugar, so you need to get back to your GP and get a meter and strips (and a repeat prescription for the strips). Welcome to the forum, glad you found us
 
Cheers all,

Thanks for all the info and support. Can I just check a few things...

1. Type 2 is listed as chronic, so should I have free prescriptions? I paid for my first month of medications.
2. Can I just go and get a meter and get strips prescribed afterwards, or do I have to use specific ones on the NHS?
3. Are the strip prescriptions free? I was reading the 'test, test, test, adapt' advice and 50 strips don't seem to last long in the beginning
4. stephknits, when you say I'm 'required to test', can you expand on that a bit?

Cheers,

Chris
 
You are on a glucose lowering medication, so you need to test your blood glucose to see that you are legal to drive - you should inform the DVLA and they might have information for you - I am a diet controlled type two so although I informed, I did not need to do anything more.
As a type two you can get a ticket for free prescriptions - if you have your receipt from the first lot then you can reclaim the money. Ask at the surgery.
Different health authorities use different meters I think - just ask. Don't accept it if anyone tries to tell you that type twos do not qualify for a meter - the medication you take requires it.
If you do decide that you need to reduce your carb intake to bring down the spikes in blood glucose, you need to be careful. It is a very effective method so you should cut down gradually and test after each meal to be safe.
 
Gliclazide makes your pancreas produce and secrete more insulin - nobody knows exactly how much at a time, they'd have to chain you down to a hospital bed with tubes wires and machines attached to you. hence if for whatever reason you didn't actually need that amount of insulin right at that time - the extra insulin can cause your blood glucose to sink below even non diabetic levels which is a real medical emergency called hypo glycaemia which in the wrong place at the wrong time means ringing 999 and off to A&E asap. Hence the group of drugs that Glic belongs to are termed hypoglycaemic agents. (as is the insulin which T1's and some T2s need)

You need to test your blood glucose regularly of you take anything in that group because if the BG gets anywhere approaching 4 when you test it, you need to get it back up again pronto with fast-acting carb, sink down much below 4 and it will soon start affecting your brain, you can lose consciousness and that can happen mega quick and that's why if you happen to hold a driving licence there are LAWS that tell you when you must test - before and during driving, and if your driving gets erratic and the police get involved the meter memory will be checked to find out whether you did test and your blood glucose was high enough to start with, If we hypo at the wheel, we're driving under the influence of drugs. The fact that it's a prescription drug doesn't affect the Law here, the prescribed drug sent you hypo so it may as well have been heroin though perhaps you won't get a jail sentence, you will still lose your licence for a period though if that happens.

Doc should have explained that AND told you to apply for a Medical Exemption card OR said the surgery would apply for it - NB we have to renew these but can't recall how long they last as I haven't needed one since I get my state pension so am exempt anyway. (I hated having to admit that to my pharmacy!)

Not every GP surgery will do what merrymunky's does for every single patient, unless there's a reason one of which could be the necessity of a newly diagnosed individual to get some weight off asap because fat building up round the internal organs as well as the outer body usually causes the organs to begin to get sluggish so the person could already have kidney liver or heart problems along with the T2 diagnosis - that's exactly why Dr Michael Mosley was worried once he'd been specifically tested for that (not generally available to anyone on the NHS) with very specialised equipment and interpretation for a UK TV programme - so he researched how he might get rid of or reduce it, tested that out on himself and subsequently wrote a book.

Free on prescription! - the cheapest fairly reliable one (though all of them in the UK prescribed or sold are manufactured to the same tolerances of +/- 10%) we know, that you can purchase (on Amazon) are about £8 for 50. We are VAT exempt too when it's a purchase directly for the treatment of diabetes.

(Is your GP a) older than the hills and past his use by date or b) straight out of medical school and still suffering from rotating shifts in A&E ?)

People newly diagnosed at least usually get an appointment with the surgery's nurse who will normally have a bit more idea of practical things for people with D even if it isn't cutting edge, She's usually responsible for doing as many of the 15 annual tests as apply - eg you and I will never get the one that only applies to ladies who are pregnant ! But we do have nerve endings in our feet and pulses in our ankles, our weight and height can be measured, etc. You should also be referred for retinal photography quite soon so they and you can check it hasn't had chance to affect the blood vessels in your eyes yet The GP surgery does not do that test (even if it's a mobile service so they arrive and commandeer a room at the surgery) but he has to refer you to whoever does it in the first place. Any probs once they've looked at the photos, are referred straight to optometrists so you'll hear from the hospital but anyway we always get a letter within a week or two telling us what they found - anything 'you'll get an appointment' or nothing, 'see you again in 12 months'.
 
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