Hi

[Buffybegood]

I was diagnosed as Type 2 last week, very glad to have found this forum. I visited my GP last Monday as, despite always (well, for the last couple of years anyway) drinking plenty of water (3-4 litres a day) the last few months I was getting insanely thirsty even when drinking 5 or 6 litres a day. After dropping off a urine sample the same day, the following day I was phoned by the surgery and saw the GP again on the following day where a finger-prick test suggested diabetes as it was 18.3 without having eaten anything that day. I managed to get an immediate appointment (literally 10 minutes later) with a diabetes nurse at another practice in the same group, and she took blood for further tests and prescribed me gliclazide (80mg with breakfast). This was upped to twice daily when my HbA1c came back as 103.

Since then I've seen the GP again for the rest of the test results, which included a slightly high cholesterol level for which I've been prescribed statins, and borderline hypothyroidism with, if I understood it correctly, my pituitary gland currently having to kick my thyroid into maintaining barely adequate levels, and that this is to be checked again in a couple of months as I may well need medication for that soon. I've also seen another diabetes nurse for a check up, blood pressure (fine), weight (healthy for height), foot test (fine) with eye test to come.

So a bit of a whirlwind week and a half, considering I'd not seen a GP in 4 years or so apart from a Covid jab, and a lot to take in, but I'm already thankful for the wealth of information contained in threads on the forum, so many thanks to all who have contributed here.

 

[JimmyBlue]

Hi @Buffybegood welcome to the forum and glad to hear that it is already providing the information that you are need. Has there been any discussion around how diet and exercise can help in the management of Type2? Many on here have used that as a mechanism to reduce their HbA1c and get to remission or reduce their medication requirements.

 

[Felinia]

Hello and welcome. Diagnosis can be a shock, but you were very sensible in getting your symptoms checked out. Also you seem to have a good GP practise, who saw and treated you so quickly, with all the standard checks. Your HbA1c is high, which would explain your symptoms, but members on this Forum have started with higher.

I hope your surgery is going to retest your HbA1c as well in 3 months time, to see if the measures are working. If not, please ask them to retest you. In the meantime, you can help yourself by looking at your food intake and exercise. For many Type 2 diabetics, following a reduced carb (<130gm a day) eating plan has proved effective. I measure my daily carbs by keeping a food diary, through an app. It is important not to go too low with your carb intake, but to give your body a chance to adapt to reduced carbs. Too much too soon can cause eye problems. If you choose to reduce your carbs you should give your eyes time to adapt, and not rush to buy new glasses if your vision is blurry.

You might wish to look at the Freshwell website, which is popular with members who are looking for information on how to modify their eating habits. Gliclazide can sometimes cause your blood sugar to go too low. The name for this is hypoglycaemia, or a "hypo". I suggest you look at the NHS website for Gliclazide for an explanation and further information.

Exercise is also suggested, particularly if you don't do any!!! I started going to the swimming pool for Aquafit, and now do 2-3 sessions a week. Others choose to walk (with or without dog), cycle or do exercise classes like Pilates. If you don't wish to exercise in public, online videos are a good idea.

Please ask any questions you may have. Nothing is stupid - we have all been where you are, and asked them. Best wishes

 

[HayleyR]

Hi @Buffybegood and welcome to the Forum 🙂. Certainly a busy time at the surgery but great that you've received good care. It is a lot to take on board but glad you've joined as the Forum is a great place for help & support.

 

[Buffybegood]

Thanks all for the welcome .

I hope your surgery is going to retest your HbA1c as well in 3 months time, to see if the measures are working. If not, please ask them to retest you. In the meantime, you can help yourself by looking at your food intake and exercise. For many Type 2 diabetics, following a reduced carb (<130gm a day) eating plan has proved effective. I measure my daily carbs by keeping a food diary, through an app.

Yes, blood tests for both the HbA1c and thyroid function booked for 3 months time, guessing they'll also check my cholesterol as I've just been put on statins although I don't specifically remember the GP mentioning that.

I'm certainly cutting down on carbs (fewer potatoes, less bread and switched to wholegrain) and have completely cut out chocolate, biscuits, alcohol (for the time being ). I'm upping protein where I can to avoid hunger pangs, finger-prick blood sugar level is much too high but is slowly falling. Which app do you use?

Exercise is more difficult although I guess I should do more. I was a very regular gym goer, doing upwards of 90 minutes daily before work, but, whether it's a result of the diabetes or something else, I've been suffering from an urgent need to urinate for a while now and it's really, really knocked my confidence to the point where I don't leave the house unless I have to. Admittedly the frequency of having to go to the loo has already dropped since I've been on the meds, but my confidence hasn't returned as yet although obviously it's very early days.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks all for the welcome .


Yes, blood tests for both the HbA1c and thyroid function booked for 3 months time, guessing they'll also check my cholesterol as I've just been put on statins although I don't specifically remember the GP mentioning that.

I'm certainly cutting down on carbs (fewer potatoes, less bread and switched to wholegrain) and have completely cut out chocolate, biscuits, alcohol (for the time being ). I'm upping protein where I can to avoid hunger pangs, finger-prick blood sugar level is much too high but is slowly falling. Which app do you use?

Exercise is more difficult although I guess I should do more. I was a very regular gym goer, doing upwards of 90 minutes daily before work, but, whether it's a result of the diabetes or something else, I've been suffering from an urgent need to urinate for a while now and it's really, really knocked my confidence to the point where I don't leave the house unless I have to. Admittedly the frequency of having to go to the loo has already dropped since I've been on the meds, but my confidence hasn't returned as yet although obviously it's very early days.

It is early days and hopefully once your blood glucose starts to come down you will need to drink less and that should reduce the loo visits.
There are some good changes there in ditching the chocolate, biscuits and alcohol but it is the other things which are carbohydrates the you also need to be looking at, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, whole grain or brown are just as high carbs as the white version.
Chocolate as long as it is dark and in moderation and alcohol in the form of wine or spirits with diet mixers are also OK occasionally.
A lot of misconception exists about diet so you are not alone in that. This link you may find useful as it is a low carb approach based on around 130g carbs per day which should be suitable with the medication you are taking.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.com

You should have been prescribed a home testing glucose monitor and test strips as you are on that particular medication to keep an eye on potential low blood glucose.

 

[Buffybegood]

It is early days and hopefully once your blood glucose starts to come down you will need to drink less and that should reduce the loo visits.

The frequency has already dropped, but it's the urgency that is the real confidence zapper tbh; I never want to be too far from a loo just yet. One thing I am hugely thankful for already is that I'm sleeping so much better without having to get up for the loo 3 or 4 times a night.

You should have been prescribed a home testing glucose monitor and test strips as you are on that particular medication to keep an eye on potential low blood glucose.

Yes, I've got a home testing monitor, I'm doing a finger-prick test every morning before breakfast. Level is slowly coming down (was 12.9 this morning) although I did my first test at another time of day last night and it was 23.9 about 6 hours after last eating something, so still a long way to go.

There are some good changes there in ditching the chocolate, biscuits and alcohol but it is the other things which are carbohydrates the you also need to be looking at, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, whole grain or brown are just as high carbs as the white version.

For sure, I've cut down my intake of carbs in general, and I do get that the wholegrain bread still has the same carbs (give or take) as white bread, so there's a need to be very careful with it as well, but at least it shouldn't spike my blood glucose quite so badly, should it?

 

[Felinia]

Thanks all for the welcome .


Yes, blood tests for both the HbA1c and thyroid function booked for 3 months time, guessing they'll also check my cholesterol as I've just been put on statins although I don't specifically remember the GP mentioning that.

I'm certainly cutting down on carbs (fewer potatoes, less bread and switched to wholegrain) and have completely cut out chocolate, biscuits, alcohol (for the time being ). I'm upping protein where I can to avoid hunger pangs, finger-prick blood sugar level is much too high but is slowly falling. Which app do you use?

Exercise is more difficult although I guess I should do more. I was a very regular gym goer, doing upwards of 90 minutes daily before work, but, whether it's a result of the diabetes or something else, I've been suffering from an urgent need to urinate for a while now and it's really, really knocked my confidence to the point where I don't leave the house unless I have to. Admittedly the frequency of having to go to the loo has already dropped since I've been on the meds, but my confidence hasn't returned as yet although obviously it's very early days.

I am a believer in moderation, rather than abstinence, as it's more sustainable long term. Wholegrain has the same amount of carbs as white - be it bread, rice or pasta - but is absorbed more slowly I believe. I use NutraCheck which is UK based but costs around £30 a year. MyFitnessPal is USA based and I think is free.
Frequent weeing is a sign of diabetes so hopefully your need will reduce with your blood glucose levels. My medication for diabetes and BP both make me wee more. I have just been careful to always go before I leave the house, or get in the pool, and I know where all the available decent toilets are when I'm out. Your confidence will return I'm sure

 

[JimG]

.

Yes, blood tests for both the HbA1c and thyroid function booked for 3 months time, guessing they'll also check my cholesterol as I've just been put on statins although I don't specifically remember the GP mentioning that.

I'm certainly cutting down on carbs (fewer potatoes, less bread and switched to wholegrain) and have completely cut out chocolate, biscuits, alcohol (for the time being ). I'm upping protein where I can to avoid hunger pangs, finger-prick blood sugar level is much too high but is slowly falling. Which app do you use?

Exercise is more difficult although I guess I should do more. I was a very regular gym goer, doing upwards of 90 minutes daily before work, but, whether it's a result of the diabetes or something else, I've been suffering from an urgent need to urinate for a while now and it's really, really knocked my confidence to the point where I don't leave the house unless I have to. Admittedly the frequency of having to go to the loo has already dropped since I've been on the meds, but my confidence hasn't returned as yet although obviously it's very early days.

Hello and welcome to the forum. One of the usual tests should be to check cholesterol. I have never had high cholesterol but I was prescribed statins when I was diagnosed. I queried that. The GP at the time said that there is some sort of magic between diabetes and high cholesterol and it seems that it is almost routine to recommend statins. I query continuing on statins every so often but, as it is not causing any issues I continue with them. It's just one more tablet a day.

 

[Buffybegood]

How quickly would Gliclazide usually take to have an effect? I've had a couple of days on one 80mg a day, and 8 days on 2 tablets a day. Yesterday I was careful to log absolutely everything I ate, 135g of carbs (which is a real effort for me to get that low and I really struggle to see how I can sustain that sort of level indefinitely) and yet my BS was 17 when I finger-prick tested this morning; it was 18.3 when I was initially tested by the GP 11 days ago.

I must admit I'm really down this morning seeing such little progress; I'm not expecting instant results from popping a couple of pills, but to have eaten very carefully yesterday, 12 hours after last eating to have a BS that high is very disheartening tbh.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

How quickly would Gliclazide usually take to have an effect? I've had a couple of days on one 80mg a day, and 8 days on 2 tablets a day. Yesterday I was careful to log absolutely everything I ate, 135g of carbs (which is a real effort for me to get that low and I really struggle to see how I can sustain that sort of level indefinitely) and yet my BS was 17 when I finger-prick tested this morning; it was 18.3 when I was initially tested by the GP 11 days ago.

I must admit I'm really down this morning seeing such little progress; I'm not expecting instant results from popping a couple of pills, but to have eaten very carefully yesterday, 12 hours after last eating to have a BS that high is very disheartening tbh.

Sorry to hear your are feeling disappointed @Buffybegood

But try not to be disheartened. While it can feel tempting to want to bring levels down in double-quick time, this can sometimes put fine blood vessels in eyes and supplying nerve endings under strain, and may even result in short-term damage.

Gliclazide works by encouraging the body to release more insulin than it naturally would, and in combination with your reduced carbohydrate diet, hopefully you’ll begin to see your levels start to come down gently and steadily.

High levels can be a bit resistant to change, so try to be patient, and stick to your plan.

130g of carbs a day is a reasonable starting point that many here have found works well, and then can be adjusted on the basis of results. Taking Gliclazide as you are, you wouldn’t want to go too low carb as the meds need some carbohydrates to ‘work on’.

There are lots of members here who use a low-moderate carb menu to help with their glucose management, who have have some helpful suggestion about swaps, strategies, and lower-carb but satisfying choices that may help. Depending on whether you are aiming to lose extra weight, it can help to include sufficient protein and good fats, which will keep you feeling full.

 

[Buffybegood]

Many thanks for the reply.

I have been using the resources here, but it's extremely depressing to lower my carb intake to as low as is bearable and to see basically no improvement in my BS. There's basically nothing on the Freshwell "Green" vegetables list that I eat bar broccoli, even carrots are "Amber" and those two are the only veg I eat (and that's just because I have to, I don't enjoy them). I can't stand salad; I've never understood how people find it a satisfying meal. To think that I'm eating about as low as I can and I've still got a fasting BS of 17 even with the help of meds makes me feel like I'm never going to be able to enjoy anything I eat or drink ever again.

 

[saffron15]

@Buffybegood welcome to the forum. My BG is up and down at the moment. It was 9.3 when I woke up but I had rather too many biscuits with cheese last night [5] and maybe 2 hours mowing and weeding wasn't sufficient exercise. Two and a half hours after a meal at a cafe it was 20.1. I'm not sure how many carbs I had but I didn't have breakfast. I had Lablabi which is an Iraqi dish of chickpeas in broth flavoured with lemon and spices. I had it with a side salad of lettuce tomatoes olives and a few pieces of feta. I'm on iron tablets so the chick peas were to help my iron. I was going to have cod and creamed cabbage tonight but I'm not hungry.

Can you start adding some different veg to your meals eg mushrooms? Have you tried checking your bodies response to particular food/ meals? I haven't yet tested my response to porridge which I had prediabetes because I enjoy eggs, a fry up or greek yoghurt plus berries. I have given up on pasta.

I was saying to the cafe owner I found her menu challenging since being diagnosed with diabetes ( a lot of meals are with rice or have pomegranate or other syrups added) She said bread was bad ( she makes lovely soft rolls which I have had) but said the rice was basmati which was good. I'm tempted to try a meal with rice next time ( the owner is a farmacist)

This site at bottom left has links to lots of websites plus loads of meal options under lunch etc. If you go through the veg options you might find something you fancy trying. At this time of year it is a shame to not have much veg.

Don't lose heart. It must be a boon you know what is wrong and are sleeping better. A ten minute walk after eating may help.

Diabetes & Metabolic Health | New Forest PCN

newforestpcn.co.uk

 

[Leadinglights]

Can you try adding a good dollop of mayo or coleslaw to your salad and add olives, feta cheese, or add more variety of vegetables into other dishes so if you have a bolognaise sauce add courgettes, or add green beans into a curry.0

 

[Buffybegood]

Can you try adding a good dollop of mayo or coleslaw to your salad and add olives, feta cheese, or add more variety of vegetables into other dishes so if you have a bolognaise sauce add courgettes, or add green beans into a curry.0

Slight problem, I don't eat mayo, coleslaw or salad. I don't eat olives, feta cheese or any vegetables other than carrots and broccoli (and those under sufferance). I don't like bolognaise sauce, or corgettes, or green beans.

I do appreciate your suggestions, but I have always been quite a bland and fussy eater, salad is just not going to happen and the whole thought of severely limiting what I can eat and still failing to lower my BS is extremely depressing.

Sorry, having a bad day.

 

[saffron15]

Do you eat meat and fish and eggs? Carrots and broccoli are good veg. Do you have tinned tomato ie you said you don't like salad Do you dislike fresh tomatoes? As a child my three hated foods ( I loved food too much) were cucumber, coffee and rice pudding. As an adult i discovered i really liked all three though rice pudding is off the menu at the moment. It maybe worth trying a small amount of a new veg each week. Do you like soup, any veg pureed in soup usually works.
Having pondered about your lack of veg I cannot say it's causing your high bg. It is still early days. I replaced pasta with edamame noodles from Holland and Barrett. They would go well with tinned sardines though I would add onion and tomato.
Your BG is often artificially high first thing. It should show a trend but don't get disheartened.
If in a month it is still a problem contact the doctor, some surgeries ( not mine) have dieticians

 

[Leadinglights]

Slight problem, I don't eat mayo, coleslaw or salad. I don't eat olives, feta cheese or any vegetables other than carrots and broccoli (and those under sufferance). I don't like bolognaise sauce, or corgettes, or green beans.

I do appreciate your suggestions, but I have always been quite a bland and fussy eater, salad is just not going to happen and the whole thought of severely limiting what I can eat and still failing to lower my BS is extremely depressing.

Sorry, having a bad day.

There is no need to eat foods you do not like but focus on proteins and healthy fats. Maybe if you post what foods you do like and people could suggest how you could incorporate those into a dietary regime which would help with lowering blood glucose.

 

[Buffybegood]

Do you eat meat and fish and eggs?

I do eat meat, although am avoiding red meats atm as I try to get things under control, so mostly chicken and occasionally pork. I do eat fish, but fish and chips is obviously out now; I also eat tuna, but usually as a sandwich seeing as I don't eat salad, so things are limited there too. I'm having scrambled eggs for breakfast most days atm.

Do you have tinned tomato ie you said you don't like salad Do you dislike fresh tomatoes?

I don't like tinned or fresh tomatoes.

Do you like soup, any veg pureed in soup usually works.

I don't like soups, especially anything pureed, that's about the texture more than anything else tbh. Texture is another thing against mushrooms, can't stand them.

Your BG is often artificially high first thing. It should show a trend but don't get disheartened.

It was just so disheartening this morning; it got as low as 12.9 one morning this week, and, having had my lowest carb day yesterday of about 135g I was certainly hoping for something lower this morning, yet, 12 hours after I last ate yesterday, it was up to 17 when I tested this morning. I tested a couple of hours after eating this evening and it was up to 24.9 .

This is with 2 slices of bread (as toast for with my scrambled eggs) and 235g of potatoes as my only bad sources of carb; it's not much to look forward to if even this is too much.

I do appreciate the reply, and I'm sorry for being so negative, but I was gutted with my reading this morning and I've been down all day (unlike my blood sugar lol).

 

[Buffybegood]

There is no need to eat foods you do not like but focus on proteins and healthy fats. Maybe if you post what foods you do like and people could suggest how you could incorporate those into a dietary regime which would help with lowering blood glucose.

That's the problem, my diet is (or always has been) based around potatoes (occasionally rice) and bread to bulk meals out. I usually eat large portions; it wouldn't be unusual to have 6 slices of bread and butter with a meal such as chicken/fish and chips. Or a roast dinner with lots of roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. Plenty of sandwiches too, usually 4 or 6 slices of bread. My entire diet is now basically off limits.

 

[Leadinglights]

I do eat meat, although am avoiding red meats atm as I try to get things under control, so mostly chicken and occasionally pork. I do eat fish, but fish and chips is obviously out now; I also eat tuna, but usually as a sandwich seeing as I don't eat salad, so things are limited there too. I'm having scrambled eggs for breakfast most days atm.


I don't like tinned or fresh tomatoes.


I don't like soups, especially anything pureed, that's about the texture more than anything else tbh. Texture is another thing against mushrooms, can't stand them.

It was just so disheartening this morning; it got as low as 12.9 one morning this week, and, having had my lowest carb day yesterday of about 135g I was certainly hoping for something lower this morning, yet, 12 hours after I last ate yesterday, it was up to 17 when I tested this morning. I tested a couple of hours after eating this evening and it was up to 24.9 .

This is with 2 slices of bread (as toast for with my scrambled eggs) and 235g of potatoes as my only bad sources of carb; it's not much to look forward to if even this is too much.

I do appreciate the reply, and I'm sorry for being so negative, but I was gutted with my reading this morning and I've been down all day (unlike my blood sugar lol).

You don't seem to be eating an excessive amount of carbs given that you are taking gliclazide so you may need to give it a bit more time to start to be effective as your pancreas has to 'learn' to produce more insulin. I have seen it suggested that you take the medication 30min before eating to give it a head start in working to metabolise the carbs.
It may be that you need to have less carbs at any one meal to not increase your blood glucose by more than 3mmol/l after 2 hours than it was just before eating. 2 slices of toast could be nearly 40g carbs depending on the bread and the potatoes anything up to 65g carbs depending on how they were cooked, boiled in skins being least at about 45g to roasted at the higher end. And that is quite a lot at any one meal.