New and unsure

M

MarkEllis

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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He/Him
Hi everyone,

I have been lurking for a few hours so thought I best introduce myself. I’m Mark from Norfolk.

I have just been diagnosed with Type 2, this was as a result of my NHS Healthcheck bloods being high. My HbA1c results came back as 94 which the gp tells me is very high?

I have been given Metafomin to take until I see the Diabetic nurse on Thursday. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all at moment, the gp didn’t give me very much information so feel like I am in limbo.
 
Hi, welcome to the forum.
I was diagnosed a few weeks back and I relate to feeling overwhelmed.
One of the things that really helped me was someone on here saying to me that - 'yes, diabetes is a serious and chronic condition but its also one that can often be managed well with diet and lifestyle changes'.

My hba1c was lower than yours so I'm not taking medications at present and am adapting my diet.

I'd say grab a pen and paper (or a note app on your phone) and write down questions/thoughts etc for your appointment with the nurse. Take it with you so you don't come out of that appointment feeling you missed your chance to ask the things that are important to you.

We type 2s generally don't get funding for testing our blood sugars but it can be really helpful as we learn about how our specific body, specific metabolism responds to foods. I bought a monitor, test strips etc from a certain well known mega Internet shop! It isn't cheap but it does help me to feel in control and helps to guide what I can and can't eat safely.

Other people will be along soon I'm sure with suggestion for diet changes (as you'll need to do that alongside the metformin) but I'm off to work. I just wanted to welcome and let you know that's its totally normal to feel like you do after diagnosis and you've found a good group of people here who understand.
 
BobbleHat said:
Hi, welcome to the forum.
I was diagnosed a few weeks back and I relate to feeling overwhelmed.
One of the things that really helped me was someone on here saying to me that - 'yes, diabetes is a serious and chronic condition but its also one that can often be managed well with diet and lifestyle changes'.

My hba1c was lower than yours so I'm not taking medications at present and am adapting my diet.

I'd say grab a pen and paper (or a note app on your phone) and write down questions/thoughts etc for your appointment with the nurse. Take it with you so you don't come out of that appointment feeling you missed your chance to ask the things that are important to you.

We type 2s generally don't get funding for testing our blood sugars but it can be really helpful as we learn about how our specific body, specific metabolism responds to foods. I bought a monitor, test strips etc from a certain well known mega Internet shop! It isn't cheap but it does help me to feel in control and helps to guide what I can and can't eat safely.

Other people will be along soon I'm sure with suggestion for diet changes (as you'll need to do that alongside the metformin) but I'm off to work. I just wanted to welcome and let you know that's its totally normal to feel like you do after diagnosis and you've found a good group of people here who understand.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your reply, I’m glad it’s normal to feel this way.

I’m glad I found the forum it’s been a real help already x
 
MarkEllis said:
Hi everyone,

I have been lurking for a few hours so thought I best introduce myself. I’m Mark from Norfolk.

I have just been diagnosed with Type 2, this was as a result of my NHS Healthcheck bloods being high. My HbA1c results came back as 94 which the gp tells me is very high?

I have been given Metafomin to take until I see the Diabetic nurse on Thursday. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all at moment, the gp didn’t give me very much information so feel like I am in limbo.
Click to expand...
Yes, 94 is very high but many of us were diagnosed with an HbA1c in 3 figures but through a combination of diet, being more active, losing weight (where needed) and medication have been able to turn things around and in some cases get back to normal HbA1c numbers and come off medication. So whilst you're feeling overwhelmed at the moment - we've all got that T-shirt - it does pass.
 
Hi Mark,

Mine was in three figures too, out of the blue. I was scared of Metformin side effects so I simply went on my own real food version of this rapid weight loss diet. I used an app called Cronometer (free version) to check my nutrient levels day by day as I was a total ignoramus in health and dietary matters. This did the trick in 3 months. I lost 15 kg and my HbA1c came down to normal (less than 40). This was based on advice from Professor Roy Taylor who knows a bit more about T2D than some GPs/DNs - see Roy Taylor, Achieving T2D remission (May 2023) and/or his Information for Doctors (short video).

If I had to do it again, I would take a bit more time and adopt a less extreme diet such as Dr David Unwin's or the principles described in this article 'What should we eat?' (which I follow for weight maintenance; many people have reported losing 15 kg and more on it in a few months). I found a food list like this useful too.

As you will find, there are 101 ways of achieving the same end depending on your lifestyle and profiency in cooking (mine was zero). It is very wise to monitor your blood glucose levels several times a day but, as I can't abide pricking my fingers, I had my wife do it only once to check my FBG level had come down to normal in 7 days as Roy Taylor said it would if I were a 'responder'.

As you did not mention any other complications, I am assuming you a straightforward case of T2D - putting on some weight over the years. Now is the time to do something about that and get yourself back to normal if you can.

In any case all the above is merely FYI. It should go without saying that you should discuss your targets and plans with your GP/DN. As you say they were not much help, you could have look at what Dr David Unwin, a GP who has mentored over 200 patients into remission/back to normal had to say to an audience of GPs in this talk, The nuts & bolts of drug free T2 diabetes remission by Dr David Unwin

Good luck.
 
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Welcome. I joined the forum mid August after an uninspiring first appointment with a diabetes nurse. In June I saw an HCP as my cholesterol had crept up to 5. I have a blood test every 14 months as I have high blood pressure. It was at that meeting I discovered I was not being tested for diabetes. I asked for a test. The result was 69 told by phone and 64 4 weeks later told at reception. The HCP in answer to an email started by saying he was surprised I appeared shocked by the result .. I learned very quickly my health my problem. Before I joined the forum I contacted them by phone they were helpful and sent leaflets. This forum is excellent when you are overwhelmed and bewildered. Many of the longstanding empathetic posters are type 1 who have different and more longstanding ding challenges.
I started metformin in mid August and hit 4 tabs a day this week. I started by being bunged up but am heading towards the opposite. It also seems to have dulled my appetite. When I was told about high cholesterol I cut out meat and pastry and sugar. I hadn't taken sugar in drinks or on cereal since my teens. If you add sugar to anything it's an obvious thing to let go. I haven't yet used a meal plan. After first test I cut pasta potatoes and rice. I have had occasional portion of new potatoes in skins. Breakfast is mushroom omelette or full fat yoghurt and fresh berries. Look out for the freshwell site which has an excellent infographic which will give you ideas. I as a fatty have chosen to go low carb but there are other options eg more meat than I am eating. Once my next blood test is out the way I am considering buying a monitor to check how foods are affecting me. I want to check oats as I like porridge. I also occasionally buy robust rye from Norwich M and S and have an open (one slice) smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich.
Take things steadily and move more a ten minute walk after food is good.
Good for me- sleeping better, peeing less losing a kilo a week.

Good luck
 
Metformin was originally marketed as a weight loss drug so if it has dulled the appetite and makes you eat less - its doing its job! Gastric side effects are reasonably common from nausea to explosive diarrhea/offensive flatulence - hence frequently renamed MetfArtin by users.

Do you actually - truthfully - need to lose any weight?
 
Hello Mark, welcome to the forum. As you can see there is a lot of support and advice from other members which I find really helpful. When I was diagnosed 6 months ago my doctor phoned me as soon as she got the Hba1c results. At 165 mmol she put on metformin that day and made appointment with diabetes nurse. Also told me that she would give me more information about diabetes and arrange follow up appointments
Nurse was really good. Reviewed my general health and diet, asked how I was feeling and spoke to me about possible complications, foot checks and diabetic retinopathy. Took away leaflets and details of Diabetes UK. Feet and eye tests all went well which was a huge relief after finding out my HbA1c was so high. It has started coming down so hoping my next test continues the trend. As someone else mentioned, write down any questions you have before your appointment and take a notepad with you. There is a lot to take in and to get your head around.
 
Well follow up medical. My blood is now 58 which I was disappointed by, it was 64 at the end of July. Hcp said as only 3 weeks of pills he was happy. I've now been put on Dapaglifozin an SGLT2 twice a day and metformin dose halved. I am likely to go on statins in a few weeks. He is aiming to get me between 42 and 48.
I learned I was tested for diabetes in 2014 with a reading of 40 what a pity they didn't tell me and suggest diet tweaks or even test me again. Test this time was my request.
 
saffron15 said:
Well follow up medical. My blood is now 58 which I was disappointed by, it was 64 at the end of July. Hcp said as only 3 weeks of pills he was happy. I've now been put on Dapaglifozin an SGLT2 twice a day and metformin dose halved. I am likely to go on statins in a few weeks. He is aiming to get me between 42 and 48.
I learned I was tested for diabetes in 2014 with a reading of 40 what a pity they didn't tell me and suggest diet tweaks or even test me again. Test this time was my request.
Click to expand...
Yes but at 40mmol/mol it would have been normal so would not have flagged up on their system as being a problem.
 
@Leading they may have relied on the dipstick in pee. I assumed wrongly that my blood sample was tested each time for diabetes as an overweight person with high blood pressure i was at risk. I only discovered today that my medical records showed this test. In the scheme of things it may have been an opening to suggest changes. I wasnt told and more importantly whatever prompted it I'm surprised it wasn't ever repeated even just every three years. The test in July was as a result of my request. I am aware it is not in the prediabetes range. Still I need to work on the now.
 
saffron15 said:
@Leading they may have relied on the dipstick in pee. I assumed wrongly that my blood sample was tested each time for diabetes as an overweight person with high blood pressure i was at risk. I only discovered today that my medical records showed this test. In the scheme of things it may have been an opening to suggest changes. I wasnt told and more importantly whatever prompted it I'm surprised it wasn't ever repeated even just every three years. The test in July was as a result of my request. I am aware it is not in the prediabetes range. Still I need to work on the now.
Click to expand...
But if it was a dip stick it wouldn't have given you an HbA1C result of 40.
You are right in focusing on the now, what is in the past has gone.
 
saffron15 said:
they may have relied on the dipstick in pee.
Click to expand...
No! Once upon a time I'm sure GPs looked for glucose in urine but I doubt it's ever done nowadays. Testing blood is so much more meaningful.
saffron15 said:
I assumed wrongly that my blood sample was tested each time for diabetes as an overweight person with high blood pressure i was at risk.
Click to expand...
Yes, that is surprising. HbA1c is a standard test so I'd be a bit surprised if it's not added to most routine blood tests (when they're not looking for something specific, that is), and you're right that being overweight increase the risk. (I'm not sure how much blood pressure does, but of course high blood pressure is a factor in various things which are also made worse by diabetes.)
 
@Bruce Stephens and @Leading lights . I've had high blood pressure since 2006 and used to provide a pee sample and blood sample each year. On one occasion though I had no symptoms I was told I had a uti. Then on one occasion I was told no pee sample required or as the nurse said we don't bother with that anymore. Despite now being a pensioner I have never had a medical and am slightly jealous with people posting about regular blood tests to check their health. My regular blood test only checked kidney function and cholesterol.
I suspect with trying to keep people healthier longer they will test people with high blood pressure at least biennial.
 
saffron15 said:
@Bruce Stephens and @Leading lights . I've had high blood pressure since 2006 and used to provide a pee sample and blood sample each year. On one occasion though I had no symptoms I was told I had a uti. Then on one occasion I was told no pee sample required or as the nurse said we don't bother with that anymore. Despite now being a pensioner I have never had a medical and am slightly jealous with people posting about regular blood tests to check their health. My regular blood test only checked kidney function and cholesterol.
I suspect with trying to keep people healthier longer they will test people with high blood pressure at least biennial.
Click to expand...
I have had annual blood tests including HbA1C, cholesterol, U & E but recently because of issues with my shoulders I seem to have had every test other than Thyroid and everyone has come back as normal. My blood pressure medication was increased and that meant kidney function tests.
When I first went with my shoulders, they asked for a urine sample which seemed very odd and I then got a message to pick up antibiotics which I was puzzled about as I had never had a UTI so waited until the lab result came back and it was negative so antibiotics never taken.
 
Thank you all for your welcomes. Seems I have a lot to get used to?

Currently having awful stomach cramps which I read could be the meds. Due to see the nurse on Thursday so shall see what she recommmeds.
 
MarkEllis said:
Currently having awful stomach cramps which I read could be the meds. Due to see the nurse on Thursday so shall see what she recommmeds.
Click to expand...
I'm afraid that may well be the case, yes. Metformin is known to cause those sorts of side effects rather often.
 
MarkEllis said:
Thank you all for your welcomes. Seems I have a lot to get used to?

Currently having awful stomach cramps which I read could be the meds. Due to see the nurse on Thursday so shall see what she recommmeds.
Click to expand...
Hi Mark, it is a common side effect with metformin but usually goes away fairly soon as your body gets used to it. Are you on prolonged release metformin? If not ask about changing to it. The side effects are less severe. It may also reoccurre if you increase the dose. Hopefully the DN will be able to help.
 
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