Newbie

[cowbag]

Hi, my opthalmologist requested I had blood tests. I have bloods taken on Thursday, called into GP Saturday and was told I'm diabetic. Was told levels were supposed to be no higher than 7 and mine were 21.5 put on Gliclazide and Metformin and given a blood glucose monitor. More bloods taken at GP and waiting for an appointment with diabetes nurse. It has been a whirlwind and not much advice or information. I am deaf and so take my daughter with me so I don't miss anything.
I don't eat unhealthy and am not one for sweet stuff. I'm in remission with breast cancer and since the chemo and radiotherapy I have aged about 20 years. Bits dropping off all over the place .

 

[Docb]

Hi @cowbag and welcome to the forum. I'm assuming that the 21.5 was the result of a finger prick test. If so then it is the sort of result that should get warning bells sounding in your GP surgery. I'm also guessing that the blood you have had taken will be used to get an HbA1c result which will almost certainly confirm you are well into the diabetic range. We will do what we can to help you work through the diabetes maze and work out how you are going to tackle things. A read around the forum will give you the basics together with some ideas of the things that have worked for others which you can borrow from.

It might be that the ageing you feel might have something to do with high blood glucose levels and getting them under control may well take most of those 20 years off!

Let us know your HbA1c result when you are given it and if you are not given it then ask for it. It is probably the best way of defining your starting point and you need that to check on progress.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @cowbag

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis - that must have come as quite a shock!

It's perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed at the beginning, particularly if this has arrived out of the blue. Looking back can you think of any symptoms you might have put down to other things? Like being tired, thirsty, or needing the loo more often than usual?

How have you been getting on with the meds so far? Metformin is the usual first-line medication for type 2 diabetes. People are usually started on a low dose and it gradually increases up to 1500mg or 2000mg a day - the slow increase help reduce the risk of any stomach upset. If you do get an upset tum, there are SR (slow release) versions which might suit you better.

Gliclazide is a medication which encourages your pancreas to release more insulin than it normally would so it actively works to help reduce your glucose levels. Metformin works more 'in the background' reducing insulin resistance, and reducing the amount of glucose released by the liver.

It's important to balance the meds you have been given with a menu that helps them work well. It may help you to keep an eye on portion sizes of food containing carbohydrates (not just sweet and sugary things, but things like bread, pasta, rice, cereals, fruit, etc). Getting the balance right between meds and menu is a very powerful way of managing your diabetes, but it's also a very personal thing. Your gliclazide will need some carbohydrate to work on, so don't be tempted to cut back too much, but a little portion control can be very helpful.

 

[RJN123]

@cowbag just wanted to say hello. As a fellow cancer patient who was diagnosed with T2 last year at the same time of cancer progression, I know how unfair and overwhelming it can all seem. I was also put on gliclazide and metformin, but now on metformin and sitagliptin which has less risk of hypos. In the midst of everything, I couldn’t face a complete lifestyle change, so I have just made adjustments to my diet and re-started exercise. Basically, I am eating 30–40% of my normal carbs, and increase other items on my plate, and never eat carbs without a good chunk of fat (seems to slow absorbtion). I also got a trial Libre 2, which is a small gadget which measures blood glucose continuously for two weeks, and experimented with different foods to find out which ones I react to, and which ones are relatively safe. 8 months on and my blood sugars are quite low and stable.