newly diagnosed

[dave61072]

Good morning
i noticed i was thirsty a lot and peeing a lot at night no other symptoms
when they did the bloods the hbac1 came back at 124
I was diagnosed with Diabetes less than a week ago(still unsure if type 1 or type 2) and placed on 2 x 500mg metformin and 2 x 80mg gliclazide tablets per day one of each with breakfast and the same at tea time
before i started taking them my blood sugars were over 20mmol
but a week later im down in single figures averaging around 7.5mmol
I have noticed my close up vision has got slightly blurry since starting taking them has any one else experienced this is? the diabetic nurse i saw said because my levels had been so high that when i get down to lower levels i may feel a bit woozy could it be this and how long does it take to level out and feel ok???
also can anybody recommend a good website for dietary information as im finding a lot of conflicting answers online
i have been referred to see a dietitian but that is a few weeks away

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome to the forum Dave.
I don't know where to suggest for dietary info.
I suggest using self testing, before and after eating. This will show you what affect food has. Keep a food diary, along with a record of your levels. Hopefully after a couple of weeks you'll see a patter.

 

[Ljc]

Hello @dave61072 . Welcome to the forum and the club no one want to join. Firstly I would like to congratulate you on bringing your levels down. How are you doing with the Metformin any digestive tract problems as they seem not to have started you on a low dose and gradually build up as they normally do.

Blurry vision happens to a lot of us when our (BG) blood glucose levels come down quickly, It’s due to our eyes changing shape and returning to normal , with me it took a month.
If you drive, don’t till your sight reaches the DVLA regs.
I bought cheap reading glasses from pound shops , enlarged screens etc
If you decide to get your eyes checked by an Optician, tell them you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes and if they know their onions they’ll check your eyes but will not sell you any glasses, they’ll likely suggest @nother test in around 6 weeks .

Are they doing any blood tests to see what type of diabetes you have , it’s either the C-peptide or the GAD antibody tests.

Ask all the questions you need to about diabetes, we’ll do our best to help.

 

[Greymouser]

Welcome to the forum, it is a very useful place, filled with nice people. 🙂

I found most of my information here on this forum, because I found the NHS to be not very good to be honest, when it came to advice about diet etc. The dietician I saw was useless, advising me to carry on pretty much as normal, regarding carbohydrates, just cut down portion size, which is nonsense I am afraid. I would suggest nipping over to the food section here for info, but I am afraid it is going to have to be a large control of your carbohydrate intake, possibly weight loss too. I lost four and a half stone in 5 months and have not had pasta; rice or mashed potato since diagnosis.

I suspect you will be called for an eye scan soon too, just to make sure there are no problems there. It is only a photo of your retina and nothing to worry about, as it is routine. 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Dave and welcome.
That is a pretty high HbA1c reading but also an impressive change in BG in just over a week! Have you made much change to your diet yet or is that just down to the medication?
The blurry vision should resolve once your eyes adjust to normal BG levels again, particularly if you are able to keep them stable.
Because we all have a different mix of bacteria in our gut, we break down foods differently, so whilst in general as diabetics, we have to be careful with carbohydrates, some people tolerate some types of carbs better than others.... so one person's BG might spike really high with potatoes but they can get away with pasta or bread. Another person might manage an apple but spike with berries, whereas most of us seem to manage berries better than an apple. This is where testing comes in to tailor your diet to how your body responds and also your tastes. Dieticians can only give you general advice and that is often based on quite outdated "healthy eating" principles involving wholemeal/grains and low fat. Unfortunately wholemeal versions of bread/pasta etc will usually spike us just as badly as the white variety and low fat foods are usually higher in carbs, so not a good choice for diabetics. Many of us here on the forum follow a low carb, higher fat diet, using full fat dairy like whole milk, creamy natural yoghurt, cream cheese and butter as well as nuts and fatty meat, eggs and oily fish. If you are not getting your calories from carbohydrates then you need to provide an alternative source and fat is much slower to break down so it keeps you fuller for longer. It is also an enjoyable way to eat and when you are missing many of your favourite ingredients in the form of carbs it is nice to be able to indulge in other ways, so that you don't feel hard done by. I used to have a very sweet tooth but now it doesn't bother me when others have having cake or biscuits as long as I can have a nice chunk of cheese or a few olives to munch on. Oddly, I used to hate blue cheese prior to diagnosis, but I now absolutely love the stuff! Finding low carb foods that you enjoy is key to maintaining a lifelong low carb diet.... ie making it sustainable long term.

 

[Drummer]

With the Gliclazide you'll be peeing out glucose so you might have to eat more carbs to combat that, or cut down the tablets if your levels get low - otherwise you are not legal to drive and could hypo - you should tell the DVLA and your insurer too, I believe. There should be information about it on line. Of course, you could ask if you can stop them altogether as your numbers are dropping.
I manage solely on diet.