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Hi There :)

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Julesb

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Just thought I would pop on and say hi. I'm recently diagnosed with Type 2 after my Hba1c test came back at 158 mmol (yikes). The doctor basically told me I was on metaformin and that was that, no discussion, no choice. Three weeks later (last Wednesday) I had an appointment with the diabetic nurse and basically got a hand written list of websites to go on for info and nothing else apart from another blood test cos she thought my levels were very, very high - result was 145 mmol (smaller yikes, but a yikes all the same). I don't really understand it cos over the past 18 months I've changed my diet, lost weight and have had no symptoms - it was a bit of a blow to be honest. The nurse suggested I might have an intolerance to carbs and this may have caused it.

Anyway, I've been trawling though the site and am very impressed with the information on here, it's been extremely helpful up to now, also very helpful knowing there are so many people who are happy to help others on here.
 
Hi Julesb
Welcome to the forum. I think you may have the record for the highest HbA1C on diagnosis, certainly that I have noticed.
I am quite surprised that the treatment seems to be very conservative for such a high level with no other advice than you might be sensitive to carbs and take the metformin. You must be feeling pretty unwell with such high levels.
I would have thought you would have been advised to check for ketones and if you have changed your diet to lower carbohydrate and lost weight and your level is still that high that they should be considering that you might be Type 1 or LADA. There are specific tests that would diagnose that or rule it out so you should ask for those to be done.
G P don't necessarily recognise that more mature people can be Type 1 as they think it can only be in children or young people.
 
Hi Leadinglights - that's the weird thing, I have honestly never felt so good healthwise. I eat a vegetarian diet, tons of fruit and veg and have now moved to just drinking water, I've cut carbs drastically since being diagnosed and am trying to keep them under 130 per day (only just started doing this). I have plenty of energy, exercise, not strenuously, during school holiday periods, and walk each day when I'm working. I work a good 40 to 45 hours per week on a normal working week, run round after my sons, shop, clean etc, I haven't been ill or had a day off for as long as I can remember, I've had no symptoms, the only reason I went for a blood test was because my eyesight improved incredibly and then a few months later went back to me having to wear contacts and the optician asked me to go just on the off chance I was diabetic - it was a real shock when the test came back with that level.

Do you think, at this early stage of taking medication (I've just moved, in my third week, to now taking 3 x 500g of metaformin per day) that I should push for those other tests or should I just see how things settle? I'm due to go back for another blood test at the end of October to see how things are going with the medication.

Thanks for any help anyone can give.
 
Hi Julesb, welcome to the forum.

Sounds like a frustrating place to be given that you've done so much work to improve your lifestyle. I'd be inclined to double check the diagnosis as suggested above as it doesn't seem like you're responding to the medication and changing in the way we'd expect for a type 2 diabetic.

Having said that, the impact of changes aren't always instant and it can cause issues if you reduce your numbers drastically too quickly. It might be worth discussing your concerns and seeing if there's a plan that could help you a bit more.

Are you testing your BG at home? Might also be a good idea to keep a food diary and check your numbers as per the recommended pattern. That will help you to see where you are on a daily basis so you have an idea of where you are and the impact your meals are having.
 
Hi Cherrelle, thanks for the reply. I'm only on my third week of medication and have only just got up to the recommended doctors dose of 3 x 500 g tablets per day. I was hopeful that, given my second blood test being at a slightly reduced level (after a week and a half of being on the medication) that it was going the right way. Given what you have both recommended I'll go back to my doctor and have a chat.

I am keeping a food diary and it is really useful, helps me keep check of the things I'm reducing too. I requested a glucose monitor from the doctor but was told it wasn't necessary because of the medication. Strangely though, my friend was diagnosed pre-diabetic about a year ago and she got a monitor, different doctors surgery though. I've ordered one so just waiting for delivery.

The metformin has been fine for me up to now, a couple of upset stomachs but, on the whole, I've been fine on it. I'm the sort of person that feels very uneasy until I know things are organised and heading in the right direction so I feel I need to get to grips with this, I've noticed my eyes are a bit blurry lately, the contacts/glasses that I have worked perfectly before I started on the pills and now I have to squint a bit, it's not a very attractive look 🙂))
 
Hi @Julesb 'Tons of fruit' doesn't exactly sound low carb to me.
I eat loads of veg, but have to be careful to avoid higher carb veg such as potato, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, tomato (really a fruit), legumes etc. As well as avoiding what used to be my favourite fruits mango, banana, pineapple, grape, orange, apple, pear, cherry etc.

Have you used a Blood Glucose meter to actually test which fruit and veg is OK for your body. Just as for most of us, whole grains spike out BG almost as much refined ones, the same applies to 'natural' sugars vs added ones.
 
Hi ianf0ster
Thanks for the reply, I changed my diet about 18 months ago and became vegetarian, I meant I ate tons of fruit before I was diagnosed, a really healthy diet. I was only diagnosed a short while ago and I was surprised by the diagnosis because I ate such a healthy diet and had no symptoms. I have done a bit of research on here since diagnosis and realise that the fruit I was eating wasn't going to be helping me so now I'm watching the portions, I don't get on with soya so tend to go for fruit, veg, lentils, soups (homemade) etc and having to really watch the fruit portions has hit me hard.

I'm waiting for my monitor to be delivered and will experiment with the different foods once I have it, it's all a massive learning curve I think and a bit daunting to be honest but I think most people will have thought that at some point.
 
I admire vegetarians and vegans, but would never sacrifice my health the way some of them do. So I'm what Dr Gary Fettke calls a Lacto, Ovo, Pesce, Pollo, Carno Vegetarian.
I just can't get all the nutrients I need without the carbs from foods I like out of a totally vegetarian way of eating - though some seem to manage it.
 
Ha, I like your style. I was a vege when I was much younger and my mum wouldn't cook me anything vege for one Christmas dinner so I ended up having garlic mushrooms on toast 🙂) Years later my conscience was pricked and decided to go for it again, I wouldn't go back to meat now, simply can't but I still do love the smell of a bacon buttie 🙂)
 
Welcome to the forum @Julesb

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Glad to hear your HbA1c has come down slightly in the last few months. Hopefully alongside the metformin and by gradually moderating your carb intake you will see your BG levels gradually reduce.

It is often wise to try to make these changes gradually so that your BG levels taper gradually, rather than going ‘all out’ for a quick fix. Rapidly changing BG levels from a level high enough to create your HbA1c, straight down to the recommended range can actually put quite a lot of strain on the fine blood vessels and nerve endings, and can cause short-term damage and/or unpleasant painful symptoms. Taking things more gradually gives your body time to adjust.

Blurry vision is frequently experienced around the time of diagnosis (changes in the pressure in the eye can distort the lens and throw things out of focus), but this usually clears up within a few weeks or months. Don’t rush to the optician for a new prescription until things have settled a little, but do go and get things checked if you are worried about changes in your vision.

Glad some of the posts on the forum have been helpful already. Look forward to having you as part of our community 🙂
 
Hi, I’m sorry but I don’t feel you have had enough support / guidance from your doctors. Your a1c is pretty high and advising you not to test your glucose in my opinion is shocking. There are several food items I had believed to be okay and without testing I would have no clue the effect they were having on me. You really sound like you want to take on this challenge of bringing your sugars right down. Your going to need to arm yourself with the right tools and knowledge. Great that you got your own meter. Please let us know what your numbers are looking like. I was I initially told I was type 2 which was later changed to type 1. Like you I felt amazing before, apart from vision. Be prepared that you may feel sluggish and a little weak as you cut the carbs and you sugar starts to drop. That’s my experience. It does ease gradually. I wish you all the best. The people on here will help you so much. Keep in touch
 
Hi everydayupsanddowns, thanks for the reply. Thanks for the advice about gradually reducing carbs, it makes sense to take it easy with the change. I think that I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I have done this to myself (I'm assuming) and the urge to try to put it right, as right as I can, as quickly as possible, is quite strong. I can see the changes I've made up to now seem to have made me feel better even though I didn't think that I was feeling anything strange at all. I am an optimistic person and, apart from the shock of the diagnosis, know that I will eventually be able to get my head round this, bit scared if I have to go down the insulin route though, it sounds incredibly complicated but, fingers crossed the changes to my diet and metformin will bring things down to a level the doctor is happy with.
 
Hi EmmaL76, thanks for your reply. I've read a few posts on here recently and, for some people, it does seem to be a diagnosis and then the advice to go on to this site and get the information you need. It was pretty blunt from the doctor but I did expect a bit more advice and a bit of a thorough check over but it didn't go that way. I contacted the surgery a couple of days ago to ask for a c-peptide test and a gad test, not really sure if I would need both or just one to see if I would be type 1 or 2, no-one, as yet, has got back to me, to be honest I think they will just wait for my next blood test (end of October) to see whats happened with by level and then make a decision about further testing.
I've read a few bits about eating to your meter so once I've got to grips with it I'll try to do that as much as possible and hope that will help too. Vision wise I thought it was some kind of miracle when my sight improved, and was gutted when it went back again, then improved and back to being rubbish, then I just got really fed up with changing my glasses all the time, I must have about 10 pairs now, for different stages.
Thanks for your advice and for all the help I've had up to now.
 
Julesb said:
Hi EmmaL76, thanks for your reply. I've read a few posts on here recently and, for some people, it does seem to be a diagnosis and then the advice to go on to this site and get the information you need. It was pretty blunt from the doctor but I did expect a bit more advice and a bit of a thorough check over but it didn't go that way. I contacted the surgery a couple of days ago to ask for a c-peptide test and a gad test, not really sure if I would need both or just one to see if I would be type 1 or 2, no-one, as yet, has got back to me, to be honest I think they will just wait for my next blood test (end of October) to see whats happened with by level and then make a decision about further testing.
I've read a few bits about eating to your meter so once I've got to grips with it I'll try to do that as much as possible and hope that will help too. Vision wise I thought it was some kind of miracle when my sight improved, and was gutted when it went back again, then improved and back to being rubbish, then I just got really fed up with changing my glasses all the time, I must have about 10 pairs now, for different stages.
Thanks for your advice and for all the help I've had up to now.
Click to expand...
That is something not mentioned about the changes in vision, people are often diagnosed because they have fussy vision but then don't expect that reducing blood glucose levels too quickly can result in vision changes as well.
I put off going to the optician and put up with the poor close vision, distance was fine. It took 7 months to get back to more normal but I still need a change of prescription and a second mortgage for the glasses.
 
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