Straight on meds????

[Davein]

If that is your HbA1c reading that's not bad. The trouble with Diabetes is that all the foods we generally love aren't very good for us. Your can still eat some of them foods if you have them very occasionally and in small portions.
Over time I've found that the desire for sugary foods fades significantly and you won't be so tempted eventually. Of course if you're in hypo territory then obviously something sugary is a must. You should find the headaches and the blurry eyes will settle. It's really just a question of willpower and determination that's needed and it will eventually become second nature to you.

 

[Northerner]

No such luck!!!! Got my readings (although mean nothing to me yet). 51mmol - glucose 7.1. Not sure how bad these are???? Thanks again for all your help xxxx

That's not bad, just above the range for a diabetes diagnosis 🙂

 

[Mark Parrott]

Hi @tigerrunfree.🙂 Thing with diabetes is that we are all different. The GP's shouldn't tell us what we can & can't eat as we all tolerate foods differently. I can't eat potatoes at all. Even a couple will spike me, yet I can tolerate sweet potato much better. I have to avoid all pasta too, but the discovery of soya bean spaghetti has been a god send. I've got used to my change in diet. It's second nature now.🙂

 

[Drummer]

Bit extreme isn't it. Plenty of vitamins and minerals in potatoes.

Unfortunately mostly in or close to the skin, so most often removed and put in the bin.

 

[Ralph-YK]

Got my readings (although mean nothing to me yet). 51mmol - glucose 7.1.

Not sure, I'm guessing. The first one could be your HbA1c. If it is, 51 is actually quite good for a newly diagnosed.
Normal is 30(?) to 41. 42 to 47 is prediabetic.
When you hit 48 or above you're diagnosed diabetic (which you'll still be classed at even if you get under 48 in future).
My HbA1c was 64. Some are higher.

To confuse things, there is another scale, that some people still use. In that, 48 would equal 6.5. The old scale appeares similar to the finder prick/spot check.

The HbA1c (blood taken from your again that goes to the lab) is an average over 2-3 months. The finger prick test gives your level at that moment.

 

[Ljc]

I agree your Hb1ac isnot bad at all 42 to 47 is what is often called pre diabetes so you’ve really only just stepped over the threshold 🙂, I was115 when first dx . Your eyes will settle down in a few weeks. If your worried about your sight get your eyes checked out but let them know that you’re newly dx so they don’t try to sell you glasses, if they do try then Walk out quickly. Your headaches should ease up too.

I promise you it does get easier, at first it is rather frightening isn’t it but in a few weeks that glucose meter will be informing you what carbohydrates your body can and can’t tolerate as has already been said , we are all very different in this. You’ll find that we do get to eat nice things and your yeast will change though it’s likely that all those lovely carbs you have been used to eating will be screaming “eat me eat me” for a while as they are verrry addictive You will also have read so much on here , you’ll have a good grasp on things and though it doesn’t seem like it right now , you’ll probably be teaching your practice nurse about your diabetes.

My advise is this diabetes lark is a marathon not a sprint , so initially don’t try cutting down on carbs so much that you set yourself up to fail, instead cut down and fill up on veg that grows above ground .
Keep a food diary so you can easily look up results of how that meal/ snack affect your bg(blood glucose) levels

If you’d like to see what we eat, head on over to “ What did you eat yesterday”
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/

We have some innovative cooks on here who put their recipes here
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/recipes.21/

 

[tigerrunfree]

Thanks again. Funny you should say about an eye test. I went two weeks ago and told them I was waiting to see the Diabetic Nurse as I had been diagnosed. She seemed really helpful and advised that I needed reading glasses with a minimal prescription. Only cost me £10 (thank god) so not all bad but I can't use them at all!!!! Make my eyes even worse. Lol. I am just carrying on as per normal and waiting for my eyes to sort themselves out. (Worst effect for me cos they are driving me mad).
I have ordered the test kit as you advised so just waiting for this to arrive. I am already 'playing' with my food and trying different things so should make it a bit easier when I get the kit through.

Thanks again to everyone for their help. You have all been amazing xxxxx

 

[Brando77]

Thanks again. Funny you should say about an eye test. I went two weeks ago and told them I was waiting to see the Diabetic Nurse as I had been diagnosed. She seemed really helpful and advised that I needed reading glasses with a minimal prescription. Only cost me £10 (thank god) so not all bad but I can't use them at all!!!! Make my eyes even worse. Lol. I am just carrying on as per normal and waiting for my eyes to sort themselves out. (Worst effect for me cos they are driving me mad).
I have ordered the test kit as you advised so just waiting for this to arrive. I am already 'playing' with my food and trying different things so should make it a bit easier when I get the kit through.

Thanks again to everyone for their help. You have all been amazing xxxxx

I bought new glasses (first time I needed wearing them full time) for a Xmas pressie to myself....after going on meds my eyesight went perfect so didn't need them, took 3weeks for my eyes to go back, happiest person to get back bad eyesight so I could wear them again 🙂

 

[tigerrunfree]

Sorry to keep posting Does anyone know the side effects of Metformin??? Have looked online (which I hate doing). I have only been taking 1 tablet once a day for three days - had a really funny turn earlier tonight and went really lightheaded and just generally weird!! Sat down to eat my dinner and fell asleep half way through!!! I have got high blood pressure as well which I have started meds for - anyone got any ideas???

 

[Ljc]

Sorry to keep posting Does anyone know the side effects of Metformin??? Have looked online (which I hate doing). I have only been taking 1 tablet once a day for three days - had a really funny turn earlier tonight and went really lightheaded and just generally weird!! Sat down to eat my dinner and fell asleep half way through!!! I have got high blood pressure as well which I have started meds for - anyone got any ideas???

Please don’t apologise for asking questions.
Firstly, it’s a very good sign to us that you are taking it seriously and want to do your level best to control your diabetes.
2. You are part of our family now and we help and do our best to support each other.
3. Right now this one probably feels impossible to you. In the not to distant future you may feel up to welcoming a new person who is newly dx, it may be just a hi Welcome or passing some on info that helped you.
4. We have all been where you are now.

Tum upsets are common with Metfartin and no that is not a spelling mistake , they start us out on it gradually to try and lessen those errrrr side effects. They usually ease after a while , however if they are bad their is a slow release version that some people tolerate better.
As for your other symptoms, I think it best to speak to your gp ASAP.

 

[Drummer]

If you read the leaflet in the packet with the tablets it lists all sorts.I was put on Metformin and a statin and was losing the will to live, then at Christmas 2016 I went out and did the Christmas shopping twice - scared me silly(er) so I threw out the tablets.
I had aches and pains so I could not get a full night's sleep, dare not leave the house if I'd taken the tablets, and my memory was dreadful.
It frightened my husband so much that he has stopped taking the statins he was on and his mental state is much better now. He was repeating himself, saying 'you know what I mean' at the end of every sentence.

 

[tigerrunfree]

Hi all,

Feels like forever ago I posted! A little update - and a question! Lol.
I carried on feeling 'rough' for a couple of weeks. Went to see GP who put me on iron supplements as really low reading. Was still getting light headed etc so decided, after not being able to see diabetic nurse for 3 weeks, to stop taking all meds and see if that helped. It has, massively.
My question now is, due to not taking meds, is a reading of 4.1 okay or too low? My mum is worried I am not eating enough, although I feel I am. The reading was at lunch time today, before food.
Thanksxxx

 

[Drummer]

If you do not take medication then there is nothing pushing your BG low - so the results you get are what is natural for your body at that time - like the 5.6 I got after Christmas dinner - (still chuffed about that one)
Metformin stops your liver releasing as much glucose as it would have done - to me that is not a good idea - I want to be able to access and burn off energy stores, but feeling feeble after a short walk or bike ride is not what I'd sign up for. They had to be short excursions due to other side effects, which is not what I wanted either.
I think that people on a 'normal' diet get so hungry that they cannot imagine what it is like to be free of it. Perhaps if you count up the calories you are eating to tell your mother - assuming that it is a normal amount, it will be reassuring.
I only eat early and late - it is what seems to keep my levels steadiest, so people often comment when I don't eat when food is on offer so I just say that I am still full from breakfast, or that I don't want to spoil my dinner.

 

[Ralph-YK]

If your BG levels go below 4 that is a hypo, and you need to get it up. Being 4.1 isn't bad, though on the low side of good.

 

[tigerrunfree]

If your BG levels go below 4 that is a hypo, and you need to get it up. Being 4.1 isn't bad, though on the low side of good.

Thanks for getting back to me. Still finding things confusing to be honest. Is this something I need to watch for in future even though I am not on meds now? Think I have maybe taken the 'diet' a bit too far Have made more of an effort with food today so will keep my eye on things.
Thanks again xx
What would you say is a good range to look for???

 

[Bryan Osborne]

I am ONE year in and awaiting my MOT! I lost a ton of weight on Metformin 500mg twice per day and I am now on just the one although I can operate "lean diet" on NONE! Like just about every new diagnosed it take a while for the reality to settle and confidence to return and like you, I was sent off with a magazine and basic advice on diet and exercise.

ERR HELLO.... How do I check my progress? After a bit of support, well a lot on here actually, I bought a Codefree Meter and Strips from HomeHealth UK. I am T2 and I guess not that severe.

I test in the morning on waking and before my evening meal. The GP and Nurse will probably poo-poo me doing it but its all about MY piece of mind NOT theirs.

I love food and turning a negative into a positive, I have loved experimenting with it, pretty well impossible without having the ability to test. Also being a cyclist again I found that I need to test every twelve miles or so because it drops the BG level quickly. Someone said that if you follow a diabetic food regime and are on meds it would fall far more quickly than it would if you were NON diabetic.

As for your reading of 7.1, you need to consider where that sits over say a week. Its not amazingly high as a one off result. In the first six months as my body adapted to having to monitor food and the Metformin I measured on waking and two hours after each meal, it proved a good benchmark indicator of the "trends" and what foods I loved that I would have to kiss goodbye to or more importantly, control in terms of the portion size I could eat!

The reality is that Diabetes is a life long condition for most who are diagnosed with it. Its all about managing YOUR position with it and it will take a bit of time. Confidence is the biggest thing to gain. People say their diabetes has "gone away." As I said I can run on no meds and get my BG levels around normal if I eat like a mouse and enjoy flavoured fresh air. Kick off with a metering regime for the next six months or so on "waking" before anything else, couple of hours after lunch, before you go to bed. keep a record of what you eat each day meal by meal. You will soon settle into a path and your confidence will be good. Above all keep posting questions on here... It helped me no end!

 

[Ralph-YK]

If we're not on certain meds, then we're not supposed to be at risk of hypos. That's a reason given for T2 not routinely self testing.
This Diabetes UK website has some targets, along with info about various tests.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing
For T2 it says:
before meals: 4–7mmol/l
two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/l.

 

[tigerrunfree]

If we're not on certain meds, then we're not supposed to be at risk of hypos. That's a reason given for T2 not routinely self testing.
This Diabetes UK website has some targets, along with info about various tests.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing
For T2 it says:
before meals: 4–7mmol/l
two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/l.

Thanks again.
I ate more yesterday than have previously and my sugars hit 7.9 after 'goodies'. Lol. Just checked this morning and sitting at 6 which is still quite high for me, but after feeling so bad yesterday, happy with that 🙂
I've got my 3 monthly blood test at the end of the month, so wait and see what that says now I suppose. I have noticed my BP has come down significantly without medication and just diet/lifestyle which I am really happy with as have struggled with it for years due to Hashimoto's disease (hypo thyroid).
My iron levels have been really low too, so GP this week to, I hope, check on this too.

Certainly helps having someone to chat to.

Take care xxxx