Hi, Newly Diagnosed

[Nixie]

Hi, i'm here as a newly diagnosed but not convinced of the type diabetic i have been diagnosed. My GP threw Metformin at me last week as another band aid drug to add to my growing collection.
I already have auto-immune conditions which are rare, read EGPA or Churg Strauss. but I have also got Graves in Remission. so as someone who is on long term steroids and methetrexate (low dose chemo) its had an effect on my liver therefore changed the way my body is processing glucose.
three days into metformin i end up in A&E with severe abdominal pains, A&E convinced the whole pains, vomitting and loose back end was caused by the metformin. My GP on the other not so convinced - being being as useful as a chocolate teapot at the moment.
I am left feeling like im running blind. I'm not one to ignore my conditions, i like to understand how my body feels and when i need to take action. so i got myself a glucose test kit. my fasting result this morning was 8.0 which is borderline on the chart. it has worried me a little as yesterday it was 6.5. i'm not doing anything wrong diet wise to what i've read.
I haven't ruled out lada as a possibility. but my GP is not being helpful at all. i've been given no dietary help. i am admittedly obese but long term thyroid issues and steroid use can do that to you.

 

[Toucan]

Hello @Nixie and welcome to the forum.
You certainly seem to be going through a very difficult time and with the complications you have it would be good if you could get some more medical advice.

Metformin is very well known for causing stomach and bowel problems, and many forum members have experienced this.
Your morning readings don't sound too far out of range, and daily fluctuation are also normal.
In terms of diet, reducing carbohydrates will usually help to bring blood sugar levels down, but finding the diet that suites your particular needs takes time. If you have a browse around the forum you will read about the sort of solutions people try.

It may be worth a call to the Diabetes UK help line to see if they can suggest a route to finding further help.
0345 123 2399, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm

 

[Drummer]

I could not live with the tablets so I gave up on them and just eat a low carb diet to keep my blood glucose under control.
Do you use your meter to check your levels after eating, to see that you are coping with the foods you ate?

 

[grovesy]

Steriods are known to cause Diabetes in some.

 

[Nixie]

I wish i could do low carb Drummer, I can't due to my other meds. full on ketones will make my body toxic with processing the medication i need. my autoimmune condition is rare. im one of about 1k in the uk with it. if my meds fail my blood will basically break down my internal organs as it believes them to be foreign invaders. its a freaking minefield. Ive just spoken to Diabetes UK Thanks to Toucan, it was a very helpful and informative call.

 

[cameron]

Welcome to the forum @Nixie. 🙂

Sorry to hear the trouble you're going through, I hope things get sorted soon. I'm glad you found the call to Diabetes UK helpful.

 

[Lucyr]

I wish i could do low carb Drummer, I can't due to my other meds. full on ketones will make my body toxic with processing the medication i need. my autoimmune condition is rare. im one of about 1k in the uk with it. if my meds fail my blood will basically break down my internal organs as it believes them to be foreign invaders. its a freaking minefield. Ive just spoken to Diabetes UK Thanks to Toucan, it was a very helpful and informative call.

Whilst I don’t know the specifics of your other conditions, I’d add that this doesn’t need to be “eat a totally standard high card diet” or “eat so few carbs that your body goes into ketosis”. There is a middle ground of making small improvements to your diet, by reducing some of the carby items, increasing veg, better quality carbs I.e. more veg/beans/pulses less white or processed carbs... etc. Basically looking at what you eat now and making small changes. Your blood sugars at the two finger prick readings you’ve given aren’t that far out and some small changes could help.

 

[Drummer]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear - I meant that it isn't always necessary to take tablets, and by testing after meals (rather than just first thing) you might find that you have options. You don't need to have high levels of ketones to control your blood glucose.

 

[ianf0ster]

Most of those on a lower carb way of eating are still well out of the range for nutritional ketosis. (thought to be below 25gms per day).
I myself eat in the range of 20gms to 40gms per day. That level only flirts with a little nutritional ketosis yet was low enough to get my T2D into full remission. Just to give an indication of the difference between normal (EatWell plate) and Lower Crab: Standard Eatwell diet is over 230 gms of carbs per day, lower carb is anything less than that, Low Carb is under 130 gms .

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Nixie

Sorry to hear about the delicate balancing act your multiple conditions require of you.

Auto-immune conditions do seem to group together unfortunately.

GAD antibody and cPeptide tests can be used to clarify a diabetes diagnosis, but they are nothing like as clear cut and simple as one might hope, and the best diagnosis tool is still clinical factors.

It doesn’t sound as if your BG is dramatically elevated as it would be if you had lost substantial beta-cell mass and insulin production, but it’s certainly worth keeping in mind over the next months/years while you begin to try to manage your BG with moderate carbs