The Lurker Returns

[Jimbo]

After ten years of maintaining my HbA1c numbers in the 6-7 range (42/53 for all you young modern types) largely due to the info I got from this forum, I might add, something has changed in me and, over the last two years my numbers have crept up very slowly to 8 (64) despite my best efforts. 🙄
The Doc and my Dietician have been doing their best to help with no luck. I am now on Bolamyn SR 1000mg Prolonged release Tablets twice daily as, I can no longer tolerate the side effects of the standard 500mg Metformin.
I thought I had succeeded in finding a routine that I could cope with, which would also help me deal with my Type 2, but it seems like I am going to have to learn a whole new routine because the old one no longer works.
Being a fussy eater doesn't help much either but, hay ho.
It also looks like I'm also going to have to invest in a Blood Glucose Monitor and strips to help me find out where the problem lies as I can't get my numbers under control anymore by guessing and playing in the dark as I have been for so long.
Why the foxtrot type 2 diabetics don't get a monitor as standard I'll never know, I mean how the hell are you meant to control something with out information?
Jesus I'm depressed.... I'm getting to bl**dy old to learn and retain all this stuff.
There's no pleasure in eating anymore when it all tastes like the proverbial. The things you need to do to stay alive...
I just don't need the grief.
Whine over. 😡
So, l may even ask a few more questions than I have in the last few years.

 

[Docb]

Hi Jimbo. Similar history here except mine went up to 88 after years of diet and excercise and minimal metformin. More metformin made me ill and slow release metformin ( like Bolamyn SR 1000mg ) did very little so I was moved on to gliclazide. Gliclazide carries a risk of hypo so it comes with a meter - at least if your surgery follows NICE guidelines.

A meter would be a great tool for you. You can use it to look for foods that suit you and those that do not. It also shows the effect of changing medication. Both would get you into a new routine pretty quickly - weeks rather than months. Using one is no big deal, you just need to get into the habit of keeping a diary and pen with your kit so that you can note things down.

I'm no advocate of getting a meter at the first sign of diabetes where it is pretty certain that a few changes in lifestyle will be effective and periodic HbA1c checks will be good enough to monitor progess. When you get to your stage or if your blood glucose needs to be reduced a bit sharpish then routine finger prick monitoring and the feed back it gives is unbelievably helpful in getting things under control.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Jimbo, good to hear from you again, but sorry to hear about the circumstances. A meter will definitely help - the cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to get the most out of it 🙂 You might also like to read Maggie Davey's letter and see if there are any obvious changes you can make right away 🙂

Unfortunately, bits can wear out over the years, and it sounds like your pancreas might have declined a bit - either that or there may be something else that has changed recently that might have caused you to struggle a bit more on your old regime - can you think of anything?

Anything we can help with, fire away 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Happy de-lurking 🙂

 

[SueEK]

You sound really fed up Jimbo and with good reason. Hopefully having a meter will help you and I wish you well xx

 

[eggyg]

You’re never too old to learn, it just takes a bit longer for it to lodge in our old befuddled brains! A meter is a great idea though. Don’t get disheartened, keep popping in and asking questions and or rant and rave, we don’t mind. 🙂

 

[grovesy]

I have found over the years I have had to readjust my approach a few times.

 

[Jimbo]

Thanks for all the positive waves people, and yes Sue I am feeling very down at the moment.
I know that D is progressive but, I guess I had let myself forget that during the better years of good control.
The saying that old age rarely comes alone and usually brings a few pals along to kick you when you're down, is true in my experience. 🙄
During one of my chats with my Doc she had suggested going on to Glica... something (Glicazade?), sorry my memory is getting worse as I get older, however, it could be an issue to do so, as, I would have to test everytime before I drive, and, as I drive for a living it may not be ideal purely from the time point of view, mainly because my work is time sensitive. The up side is that I would be provided with all the equipment I need by my surgery, the downside as previously stated, plus I'm not sure about how understanding my employer will be.
As far as I know there are a couple of T1's who work along side me and I will have to make some discrete enquiries into what the drill, and terms are, regarding our employers, their responsibilities and what they will let me get away with.
I had found the link you provided here, on another page Allan and, had already begun researching costs and alternatives, although I must admit, I will most likely go with the forums recommendation as it will no doubt be tried tested, reliable and most important inexpensive, lol.
As to your suggestion that there may be some other health issue resulting in my decline, you've hit the nail on the head there. I have noticed in the last year or so that I am not doing as much excercise as I was once able to do. This is down to my knees getting worse with arthritis, the left one goes through moments of giving out from time to time, although I can manage it most of the time as there is a little warning prior to it happening fortunately.
I must say that my Doc has been very good, in as much as, not giving me a lot of grief over my inability to get my numbers back under control. She actually admitted that sometimes there has to be a certain quality of life ahieved and that although my numbers are not good in the long term, they are not that high relatively speaking. Some people have to deal with much worse.
It's good, as eggyg suggests, to be able to come on here and vent, or rave, to folk who know what you're going through and who can give practical positive advice.
Oh well, we'll see what happens and deal with it as best I can.
Nice chatting with you guys, take care all.

 

[Ditto]

With a meter I'm sure you'll soon be back in control. Nothing stays the same unfortunately. Sucks! And so does D. 🙄

Bubbsie gave me my meter and I get the strips off ebay, 50 at a time. I hope peoples will buy summat so I can finance my chronic disability.

 

[KARNAK]

Hi Jimbo nice to here from you, I think from a personal point of view a meter is a great investment. If you go on Gliclazide I believe they have to provide you with a meter & strips because of the risk of hypoglycaemia. Yes you sound despondent but in between the lines I read you feel you need to take better control, we`re here for you mate. I`d be lost without this forum and all my dear friends, today I had some c**p news about my feet but staying positive, amputation was mentioned but hey I can hop as good as the next person. Take care mate.

 

[Jimbo]

in between the lines I read you feel you need to take better control

Absolutely spot on there Ted!

I like my feet and, their current position, as in, attached to the end of my legs, I also enjoy being able to see properly too and, have no desire for either to change, so, getting control of m'numbers is bl**dy important.

About the same time I was diagnosed as Diabetic, 2009, I had a very serious motorcycle accident resulting in a brain haemorrhage which partially robbed me of my sight for a couple of weeks, amongst other things. I have no wish for that to become a permenant feature in my life, the experience is indelibly marked on what's left of my brain, something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. (Well maybe on him, 'cos I really hate him but, not on anyone else). 🙄

 

[Drummer]

I had my sense of taste change when on Metformin - I have never gone back to drinking tea even though I stopped taking the tablets as things tasted so weird it rather put me off. Hopefully you'll find things taste better as you have stopped the Metformin. My memory was affected too - metformin and a statin for a month or so and I could not remember my songs - I've had to relearn over 300 folk songs, and I have not touched my guitar for years, but I still live and learn.

 

[Jimbo]

I had my sense of taste change when on Metformin - I have never gone back to drinking tea even though I stopped taking the tablets as things tasted so weird it rather put me off. Hopefully you'll find things taste better as you have stopped the Metformin. My memory was affected too - metformin and a statin for a month or so and I could not remember my songs - I've had to relearn over 300 folk songs, and I have not touched my guitar for years, but I still live and learn.

This is all new to me and shows that perhaps I really should have stayed in touch and did a lot more lurking than I actually did.
I am still on Metformin just the prolonged release type as the standard stuff made me unwell.
Due to heart problems I've been on statins for ten years now, in fact the Doc's told me I'm on them 'till death us do part. I found that my taste changed beyond belief, straight after my triple heart by pass.
I had no idea that these two meds had such side effects, thanks for the info, now I need to see what the Doc reckons they can be substituted with, if anything.

 

[Docb]

Same sort of history with me Jimbo (well apart from the crash and the bypass stuff), first on metformin and then onto gliclazide, but had no problems with memory or taste or anything other than nausea from more than a minimal dose of metformin. There is a wide range of side effects and most don't get any, but there is only one way to find out how they affect you. Try it and see.

If you want to get control then testing is the way to go to get rid of a lot of the guesswork and as I said above, it is no big deal and the kit should come with the gliclazide.

 

[Jimbo]

Update time!

After several months of experimentation, my Doc has settled on Jardiance Empagliflozin 25mg tabs, one daily. He chose these because it meant that I didn't need to test before driving and they seemed the most suitable compromise. (Could that mean cost effective perhaps?)

My numbers are coming back down into the "required zone".

I was started off on a 10 mg tab but the Doc wasn't happy as the result was not quite good enough, my numbers improved only slightly, the great side effect though was a weight loss of almost a stone so, when the dose was increased to the 25mg tab and, wow, the weight just fell off me.

Now two stone lighter I am a little worried by a recent development which in fairness has only happened twice a couple of months apart but, it's still a worry, if you bare in mind that I drive for a living.

Fortunately each incident has happened first thing in the morning, upon awakening, always being woken, rather than my usual waking up one minute before the alarm goes off, however, another constant factor is the fact that I have slept the whole night through rather than getting up round 3/4 a.m. going to the loo and then having a glass of milk and/or a small biscuit.

Ok, what's happening then, well when I get woken, on both occasions I have felt very light headed and nauseous, I couldn't even face my breakfast and if you know me that's a sure sign something's not right. Even just having a drink of milk had me running to a sink just in case, this morning, as I felt awful.

The first time it happened wasn't to bad, I even managed to force down my breakfast and after half an hour or so I started to feel normal again. On the second occasion though I just couldn't eat breakfast at all, I managed to drink about half a glass of milk but still felt very tired and rough so, I went back to bed where I slept for around two hours before coming too, feeling "normal" this time. I got up, washed, dressed, had my breakfast and then went to work with no further issues or bad feelings, weird.

I was talking to a collegue who is also Diabetic, although a type 1 in their case, and she said my description of how I felt sounded like a "hypo".

So, questions, is it possible to experience a hypo when you're type two with no previous?
Could these new pills be reducing my numbers so much that I am now too low at times?

Any suggestions, hints, help would be appreciated, regards Jim.

 

[rebrascora]

Only a blood glucose meter would tell you that. Do you have one? If not they can be purchased quite cheaply (approx. £15 and £8 for a pot of 50 test strips if you chose the SD Codefree or Spirit TEE2 meters. A meter will also help you tailor your diet to your individual response to carbohydrates, so you will be able to see what certain meals do to your BG levels and reduce the portion size of those foods to keep within target.
I personally have never felt sick with a hypo, just hungry and actually had to be very restrained not to eat too much and I think that is a more common response to a hypo rather than nausea and not being able to face food, which I have not heard anyone mention before. Also a hypo will usually wake you up, rather than needing the alarm clock, so I would wonder if these are side effects from the medication rather than a hypo. Have you checked the Patient Information leaflet with the tablets?

 

[Drummer]

As a type two on no medication biscuits and milk do not feature in my diet - perhaps your need for treatment is to deal with such foods, rather than actually being needed to treat the basic problem.

 

[rebrascora]

I would agree with Drummer that drinking milk and eating a biscuit in the middle of the night is not a good plan for a Type 2 diabetic. If you were doing that because you were previously on insulin and frightened of going too low, then the obvious thing to do would have been to reduce the insulin, rather than feed it.

 

[Northerner]

Update time!

After several months of experimentation, my Doc has settled on Jardiance Empagliflozin 25mg tabs, one daily. He chose these because it meant that I didn't need to test before driving and they seemed the most suitable compromise. (Could that mean cost effective perhaps?)

My numbers are coming back down into the "required zone".

I was started off on a 10 mg tab but the Doc wasn't happy as the result was not quite good enough, my numbers improved only slightly, the great side effect though was a weight loss of almost a stone so, when the dose was increased to the 25mg tab and, wow, the weight just fell off me.

Now two stone lighter I am a little worried by a recent development which in fairness has only happened twice a couple of months apart but, it's still a worry, if you bare in mind that I drive for a living.

Fortunately each incident has happened first thing in the morning, upon awakening, always being woken, rather than my usual waking up one minute before the alarm goes off, however, another constant factor is the fact that I have slept the whole night through rather than getting up round 3/4 a.m. going to the loo and then having a glass of milk and/or a small biscuit.

Ok, what's happening then, well when I get woken, on both occasions I have felt very light headed and nauseous, I couldn't even face my breakfast and if you know me that's a sure sign something's not right. Even just having a drink of milk had me running to a sink just in case, this morning, as I felt awful.

The first time it happened wasn't to bad, I even managed to force down my breakfast and after half an hour or so I started to feel normal again. On the second occasion though I just couldn't eat breakfast at all, I managed to drink about half a glass of milk but still felt very tired and rough so, I went back to bed where I slept for around two hours before coming too, feeling "normal" this time. I got up, washed, dressed, had my breakfast and then went to work with no further issues or bad feelings, weird.

I was talking to a collegue who is also Diabetic, although a type 1 in their case, and she said my description of how I felt sounded like a "hypo".

So, questions, is it possible to experience a hypo when you're type two with no previous?
Could these new pills be reducing my numbers so much that I am now too low at times?

Any suggestions, hints, help would be appreciated, regards Jim.

Hi Jimbo, good to hear from you 🙂 It would be worth testing should this happen again - actually, it might be worth setting an alarm for 3 am to make sure you wake at that time and have a test to see where your levels are. 3 am is the time when our body's natural rhythms mean that our blood sugar is likely at its lowest due to the trickle of glucoase from the liver being at its lowest in the middle of the night. It's possible that you are not actually hypo, but your levels are lower than you have experienced for some time, and this can lead to symptoms similar to a hypo, but without the danger i.e. your levels are not dangerously low. We're all different and not eveyone has a 'textbook' reaction to medication, or combinations of medications - I've known people on metformin to report having hypos, although it's supposed to be impossible 😱 Actually, even non-diabetics can have hypos, although generally that's in response to extreme exercise/exhaustion which I'm guessing is not the case with you! 🙂 I would also add that, if you are only feeling like this occasionally and in the night, you are most likely going to be fine during your day when you are active and your liver is fully up to speed 🙂

So, I'd do some tests and report back to the doctor - it's possible your meds need adjusting 🙂 Please let us know how you get on 🙂

 

[Jimbo]

Thanks everyone, more options to investigate and hopefully find a solution. I'll let you know how things progress, thanks again.