Newly Diagnosed - Couple of Questions

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

timg147

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi,
Newly diagnosed here, with a hba1c of 89. I have a couple of questions.
Firstly, I cycle to work (only 5 miles a day) but since starting on metformin I don't seem to have the power in my legs. I am having to drop 2 or 3 gears compared to pre diagnosis. I have changed my diet slightly, not having a bad diet previously. Is this normal? I am assuming it is because the levels of sugar are lowering?
Secondly, I have a fitbit watch that I wear to bed for the sleep analyser function (after many years of poor sleep), one of the metrics available is resting heartbeat. This seems to have increased since taking metformin. Is this normal?
 
Welcome to the forum @timg147

Sorry to hear about your diabetes. An HbA1c of 89 suggests you may have had quite elevated blood glucose levels for some time, which can gradually build up with fatigue and lethargy. I wonder if it’s that rather than the Metformin specifically which is making cycling harder work?

There does seem to be some evidence of slightly increased resting heart rate with Metformin, but this does not appear to impact blood pressure.


A 2015 trial which was specifically looking at the effect of a ‘Metformin challenge’ on resting heart rate was last updated in 2018, and does not appear to have published results anywhere.

Hope you find the Metformin helpful in managing your blood glucose levels, and beginning to see them gently reduce.
 
My resting heart rate was high due to the blood glucose, and went down after starting Metformin/Diet.

I did have problems with my legs when the blood sugar was high (I struggled to walk up hills, they would ache a lot and I'd have to keep stopping) but it went away once it was down to normal levels.

I asked my GP about this and he said high levels of BG can cause elevated heart rate.
 
Interestingly I have suffered with achy feet and legs for many years, putting it down to long days on my feet in safety boots at work. It got to the stage where I could hardly walk (so to speak) at the end of the week, this was when i was eating bread, the missus bought wraps one week and the symptoms subsided. After that I cut out bread, having wraps instead.

The missus, a couple of years ago, went on a Keto diet so we also cut out Potatoes and pasta. So I have already cut out some of the big Carbs a while ago.

So up until diagnosis diet was
Breakfast - Porridge with Oat Milk & Water
Lunch - 2 Small Wraps with slice of meat and salad
Dinner - Meat and Veg.
The occasional treat or portion of chips etc.

Have changed diet to even more healthy since diagnosis. Am on 3 x 500mg Metformin at the moment. So hopefully BG levels will start to come down and symptoms subside.
 
My pain was in my thighs, it kept me awake at night and I was also struggling due to lack of sleep.
Strangely, walking normally made it all go away, but I struggled when going up steep hills in Symon's Yat!
 
Are you testing your BG levels with a home testing kit? My concern would be that your BG levels are high and that is giving you the elevated heart rate at night and the fatigue when you are cycling. I feel like I am wading through treacle if my BG levels get above 10 these days but with an HbA1c of 89, yours are likely mid teens and it is not really advisable to do exertive exercise at that level as you are putting your body under increased strain.

Can I ask, have you lost any weight recently? Perhaps a bit too easily or unexpectedly?
 
I went to see the diabetic nurse (as newly diagnosed). She checked my feet, blood pressure and weight. Offered me pneumonia vaccine. Asked if I had changed my diet at all since diagnosis (as mentioned above didn't really eat bad before).That was about it.
A couple of diabetic colleagues were surprised I wasn't offered a home testing kit so I ordered one myself. Have only done one test so far that was last Sunday morning around lunch. We had been out early so hadn't eaten. My BG then was 7.4 not sure how that rates.
I have lost some weight, not sure of timescale, have been cycling to work for over 12 months so would have expected some weight loss there. Weighed myself this morning and was about half a stone under what I expected.
 
Type 2s don't generally get a BG testing kit and in many cases aren't even encouraged to test. It was never mentioned to me, but I bought one anyway myself (In fact, I bought 3.)

I've read that being between 4 and 7 before meals is recommended, but I'm not sure what the science is behind all these guidelines.
 
One colleague is a long time diabetic and he said it would be a good idea to get one. I'm not planning to go mad with testing personally (unless someone can advise otherwise). I bought one more to give me an indication as to where I am at rather than getting to my 3 month review and finding out nothing has changed
 
I go through phases of testing a bit, and then not doing it for months. If I eat something different I might do a test a few hours later to see how things are (Usually something naughty!). I actually find I prefer it when I'm not testing, but like you say, nice to get an indication of how things are. In the run up to my 3 month review I got a free trial libre sensor and used that for a couple of weeks to get an idea if things had improved.) It's definitely good to see how different foods affect you, and I also found it interesting seeing how exercise brings it down and then the body naturally tops it back up again. And also how low it went overnight.
 
timg147 said:
I went to see the diabetic nurse (as newly diagnosed). She checked my feet, blood pressure and weight. Offered me pneumonia vaccine. Asked if I had changed my diet at all since diagnosis (as mentioned above didn't really eat bad before).That was about it.
A couple of diabetic colleagues were surprised I wasn't offered a home testing kit so I ordered one myself. Have only done one test so far that was last Sunday morning around lunch. We had been out early so hadn't eaten. My BG then was 7.4 not sure how that rates.
I have lost some weight, not sure of timescale, have been cycling to work for over 12 months so would have expected some weight loss there. Weighed myself this morning and was about half a stone under what I expected.
Click to expand...
Good that you are getting some readings in single figures. It might be interesting/useful to do a couple of before and 2 hours after breakfast to see how your body is coping with that porridge. Many of us find that porridge really spikes our BG levels despite it's supposed slow release profile/reputation. The just before eating test is important to get a baseline reading before your body stars digesting the porridge and then the 2 hours after gives you an indication of how well your body coped with it. You would be hoping for an increase of less than 3 whole units but ideally less than 2mmols.

The other possibility with the muscle fatigue is a B12 deficiency. Metformin can prevent the body from absorbing B12 and side effects can be muscle fatigue and pins and needles or numbness. Added to that, if you are reducing the amount of bread and cereals in your diet, both of which are fortified with extra B vitamins, you can easily be left with a deficit. It might be worth asking your GP to check your B12 levels. If you are low, then you may need injections because oral supplements may not be absorbed due to the Metformin.

I would keep an eye on your weight. I appreciate that cycling regularly may well be the cause but weight loss can also be a symptom of Type 1 diabetes and it sounds like you are not an A typical Type 2 in that you were reasonably fit and active prediagnosis with a reasonably good diet.Just something to keep in the back of your mind at this time particularly if your BG levels start to head upwards at some point instead of downwards in response to your lifestyle changes and Type 2 medication.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top