Thank you. How would I know if the ketones go up if the colour doesn't match the chart already?
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type 1 or 2?
- Thread starter Suzanne1
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rebrascora
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I am not sure which Ketone test strips you have as it sounds like they measure a whole range of things. Mine, which are "Ketostix", just measure ketones which is what you want to keep you safe.
thanks, will order some now
brilliant thanks, off to order some now
thanks ive ordered some to come tomorrow. the other thing that doesnt make sense to me is that everything i read talks about weight loss but i have put on half a stone in the last month? that doesnt make sense to me as surely i should be losing purely through diet if not the actual diabetes. why would i be putting on weight? thanks
Spathiphyllum
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A key feature of Type 1 is that you start unintentionally losing weight. With Type 1, your own body is unable to produce anything like a normal amount of insulin, so your body can't make use of your food, and you begin literally starving to death, no matter how much you eat. The only way to stop that and avoid starving to death is to start injecting insulin.
If, instead, you are unintentionally gaining weight-- you are practically certainly Type 2. But your current treatment clearly isn't working, so you need to go back to your GP and ask whether you can be referred to your local hospital's diabetes unit.
You should also ask your GP whether the NHS 'soup and shakes' programme is available in your area, and if so whether you can be put on it-- so you can have a go at trying to reverse your Type 2, not just managing it. All best wishes!
rebrascora
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You make it sound rather more clear cut than it actually is for some people. I think if it is a sudden onset type 1 then that weight loss can be an obvious factor, but I think many older people who develop Type 1 have a more gradual onset, and if they are initially diagnosed as Type 2, the dietary changes and perhaps Metformin can contribute to allowing the body to limp along without that obvious weight loss although, since those people are perhaps attempting to lose weight to help reverse their "Type 2" diagnosis, it can just appear that their dietary measures are working. It is only when BG levels don't come down despite significant dietary changes and lower carb eating that it can suggest other things at play. I also think that if people up their fat intake along with low carb, the body doesn't need to eat into it's stores, because it is getting them from food, so whilst BG levels may remain high, the body isn't necessarily starving. The lower carb eating can also allow the remaining insulin production to cope without DKA so that the body doesn't reach crisis point for many years, however those high BG levels are potentially doing harm in the meantime.
thank you. i was loosing weight when i was on metformin and then they changed the med and i have put on weight. i have just googled the new med and there are lots of reports of huge weight gain so i think it may be the meds rather than the diabetes itself if that makes sense. but, the meds def arent working so will contact gp, thanks
thanks, this is interesting too. i was loosing weight on the first med but since changing to the second med ive put on weight. ive just googled the meds and lost of people are reporting weight gain so i feel it may be a meds issue not a diabetes issue? thanks
rebrascora
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Was that weight loss due to the Metformin though or a change in diet or both. Metformin was originally developed as an appetite suppressant I believe, so it can help with weight loss in some people.
What is the other medication that you are using which you think may be causing weight gain?
to be honest my diet hasn't massively changed, that is why diabetes came as a surprise. i haven't had an appetitie for ten years now so struggle to eat at all, would happily not bother so i can't tell if it was the metformin as it didnt make any difference to my appetite, or the diabetes, which caused the weightloss.
the meds im on now are gliclazide?
rebrascora
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If Gliclazide is causing weight gain, then that would be more of an indication of Type 2 than Type 1. Glic, stimulates the body (pancreas) to produce more insulin so that it can remove more glucose from the blood and store it as fat. If you were Type 1 generally Gliclazide will have little impact because your pancreas is unable to produce more insulin.
You did say in one of your earlier posts that dietary changes failed to reduce your BG levels in the first instance so you were started on Metformin, so I assumed you had made some changes to what you eat.
Are you carrying much excess weight, perhaps around your middle? Apologies if you have already answered this question or don't feel comfortable to do so, just trying to understand your situation better.
You did say in one of your earlier posts that dietary changes failed to reduce your BG levels in the first instance so you were started on Metformin, so I assumed you had made some changes to what you eat.
Are you carrying much excess weight, perhaps around your middle? Apologies if you have already answered this question or don't feel comfortable to do so, just trying to understand your situation better.
Carrying a lot of excess weight around my middle, definitely!!!
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