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New and confused

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Becky1984

Becky1984

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi

I'm relatively new to this diagnosed type 2 about 5 months. I'm confused about the figure my nurse quotes at me... My original blood test result was 52 and then after taking dapagliflozin for 3 months a retest showed it was now 45 and she said that this figure is under what they would class a diabetis.... What does this mean, are these numbers good.... The blood test I have show figure over a 3 month period... I feel really lost.

Also I suffer quiet badly from anxiety and have been reading about the link with pancreatic cancer (my uncle died from this who was also diabetic) am I worrying about nothing.

Sorry my first post is so long
 
Welcome Becky, I would love to see my numbers at 45, it's a good number to be at and shows that you have good control of your levels. The HbA1c test they do is always looking back at the last 3 months due to it's how long blood cells last. Looking at your results your initial level was above the target range and your current 45 looks to be just above the middle of the green acceptable range.

All meds have side effects which affect people in different ways, and on the information leaflet that comes with the meds should give the percentage of what the side effects are and how many people in say a 1000 it effects.

Everyone who gets diagnosed gets the feeling of why me or what I have done, and you have done really well in getting your levels down.

The pic below shows where you are on the scale with your present HbA1c.
 

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Hello Becky from a fellow T2.
I'm going to guess it's the HbA1c test.
Non diabetics would have a level below 48 (actually 42 I think). Once you are 48 and above you're diagnosed as diabetic.

Having gone down to 45, you are still diabetic. With a BG level below the diabetic level.
 
I'm just a little confused as to why they stuck you on dapagliflozin 'immediately' after diagnosing you, after a blood test - the original 52 - that wasn't that huge, honestly.

Was there a specific reason why you needed it instead of something else, cos as far as I know Forxiga isn't normally given on it's own, only in dual or triple therapy when one other more usual T2 drugs eg Metformin or sulphonureas aren't or can't do sufficient alone to keep the patient's BGs at a suitable level and stable ?
 
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Welcome Becky, great start....
 
trophywench said:
I'm just a little confused as to why they stuck you on dapagliflozin 'immediately' after diagnosing you, after a blood test - the original 52 - that wasn't that huge, honestly.

Was there a specific reason why you needed it instead of something else, cos as far as I know Forxiga isn't normally given on it's own, only in dual or triple therapy when one other more usual T2 drugs eg Metformin or sulphonureas aren't or can't do sufficient alone to keep the patient's BGs at a suitable level and stable ?
Click to expand...

I should've noticed that, it was not the usual starting off medication, when you mentioned Forxiga that rung a bell that it was what I was on for a while on triple therapy. Would of thought if anything metformin would of been the first step in treatment with meds. There's so many different names for the same med, even metformin on my repeat has a specific makers name for metformin.
 
Welcome!
I can understand your concern re the pancreatic cancer risk, maybe you could ask them if there is an alternative ?
 
Welcome!
I can understand your concern re the pancreatic cancer risk, maybe you could ask them if there is an alternative ?
 
Hi thank you all for the reply, my concern isn't really with regard to medication but more the link in general, that a percentage of people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with 2 years of type 2, this is what happened with an uncle.maybe I'm letting anxiety get the better of me.

I was pre diabetic for years and have poly cystic ovaries and a few years back was given metaformin to aid weight loss and had a severe reaction to it, so after type 2 diagnosis was put straight on Dapagliflozin as it helps weight loss, I'm nearly 4 stone down but I have a lot to loose but again this worries me with regard to the pancreatic cancer.

Sorry to waffle on
 
Welcome to the forum. I wasn't aware of any increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Maybe someone on here with more knowledge than me can answer that.
 
Becky1984 said:
Hi thank you all for the reply, my concern isn't really with regard to medication but more the link in general, that a percentage of people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with 2 years of type 2, this is what happened with an uncle.maybe I'm letting anxiety get the better of me.

I was pre diabetic for years and have poly cystic ovaries and a few years back was given metaformin to aid weight loss and had a severe reaction to it, so after type 2 diagnosis was put straight on Dapagliflozin as it helps weight loss, I'm nearly 4 stone down but I have a lot to loose but again this worries me with regard to the pancreatic cancer.

Sorry to waffle on
Click to expand...
That is OK! L
I know you were pre Diabetic first! There is a school of thinking that some Type 2 Diabetics can have had Diabetes for anything up to 10 years prior to diagnosis!
I had a near relative die from pancreatic cancer too! They were a heavy smoker but not Diabetic! I too was pre Diabetic for 4 years, before becoming Diabetic 13 years ago! For the first few years I managed it with Diet and exercise! I did get up to being on 3 medications but I am now back down to 2!
If it is working you then it might worth discussing with your medical team!
 
Well @Becky1984 - did they ever try your reactions to Metformin SR instead of the normal sort ? (I should think they'd have tried that first - yes it is more expensive but nowhere near as much as Forxiga) People do have FAR less severe reactions to the SR because of the protected coating - unless of course they overload with carbs, in which case the Met just expels em, hence why it was originally designed as a weght-loss drug.

What have you tried yourself though - low carb? Makes sense really esp when you want or need to lose weight - and if you don't, it still works anyway, cos you can then eat a bit more protein to avoid losing weight. Plus of course if you do more exercise, muscle has always weighed more than flab LOL - and neither of these suggestions has any risk or unwanted side effects either !

However neither will actually rid you of either PCOS or reduce any familial risk (if there is one, I wouldn't know except my husband's dad died of it, yet neither of his sons (eldest now 68, younger 60) has so far shown any sign of pancreatic cancer. Both suffer from entirely different things so get regular check ups and blood tests anyway.
 
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