Type 2 and body not liking any drugs

[Massive183]

Just wanted some advice for anyone that has been in similar position.
I originally was on metaformin but sufferred severe stomach cramps to point I almost called 999 a few times. I’m not one who would even call a doctor normally.
Went to to next drug a slightly less version of metaformin but still suffered with cramps.
I was put on sitgmalin and it worked with my body but not with lowering my level down.
I was then put on jardiance but I kept having muscle spasms in back of my legs these are not due to tablet aprrantley.

I stopped taking them until I spoke to doctor 2 months later after trying to speak to him he rang me and asked why I did not contact him. Anyway back on them again but I cam not stop going to toilet he is blaming my high level 100 area at moment. But I’m now getting up every night at 2-3 am and having to go toilet.

Does these symptoms go ? I can’t keep getting up at these times. My other half is now been disturbed by me. Doctorow has earned insulin is next step if I can’t take to these tablets. I hate needles so much I’m actually scared of them.

kind of lost on what I should be doing.
I’ve lost over 2.5 stone since July. 4lb off 3 stone now.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Inka]

Hi @Massive183 I recommend that you get a blood glucose meter so you can test your own levels at home. That would show you where you are now and would also be very useful as you move forward because it will help you see how different meals affect you.

As for drugs, insulin isn’t as scary as it sounds. The pen needles are very tiny. You might even find it a relief after all your troubles.

Can I ask how you were diagnosed? And, if you don’t mind saying, what your BMI is? Also, what kind of things do you eat on an average day, and have you cut down carbs (it’s carbs that put your blood sugar up)?

 

[mikeyB]

You don’t mention having any dietary advice, or what you eat normally. The weight loss is great, but how did you achieve that? It is possible that you are a slow developing Type 1 if the tablets do nothing.

I assume that you do test your blood glucose levels if you say the tablets do nothing. What levels are you seeing?

Sorry for all the questions you are being assaulted with, but it helps folk to give better advice knowing all this stuff. 🙂

 

[Ljc]

Hi Massive183.
As @Inka has said insulin isn’t as scary as it sounds and the pen needles are really tiny .
TBH trying to control diabetes without a glucose meter is rather like trying to drive in the dark without headlights.
You see we are all different in how we react to carbohydrates, ie some folks are fine with porridge but others have to avoid it like the plague as it shoots their blood glucose levels up fast and high ,
Also sadly the usual dietary advice given to us with T2 is unsuitable as it too carbohydrate heavy .
This is where self testing comes into its own.
Initially we do in depth testing.
Just before eating then two hours after the first bite, it’s the difference between the two that lets us know if that meal, snack etc was ok. Your looking for an increase of no more than 3or 4 mmol.
In time your pre meal reading will come down.

Many here who have to self fund their own meter and test strips use this Meter and it’s test strips
as it’s the cheapest on to self fund the ongoing cost of the strips £8 for a pot of 50.
Many high street glucose meters use strips that cost over £15 for 50
We use the mmol/l measurement in the U.K.
You are entitled to claim vat relief.
You will need to buy more Gluco navii test strips I suggest at least 2 pots an a box of lancets .

 

[Massive183]

Hi @Massive183 I recommend that you get a blood glucose meter so you can test your own levels at home. That would show you where you are now and would also be very useful as you move forward because it will help you see how different meals affect you.

As for drugs, insulin isn’t as scary as it sounds. The pen needles are very tiny. You might even find it a relief after all your troubles.

Can I ask how you were diagnosed? And, if you don’t mind saying, what your BMI is? Also, what kind of things do you eat on an average day, and have you cut down carbs (it’s carbs that put your blood sugar up)?

I do have a meter but never used it after reading up and speaking with doctor who said i don't need to do it with type 2. feeling rather stupid I have never used it. i got this free from magazine its a countour Next One. Digital version so will work with a app.

I was diagnosed early last year when I had bloods for something I can not actually remember what it was.

Bmi According to Apple Health app is 40.6 , I have digital scales that track my weight via a app.

Ill give you a list of what I use to have and I'm sorry you will probably gasp.

I work away and most of the week I stay in hotels so find it hard getting good meals.one meal i struggle with is breakfast I just cant bring myself to eat normally and one of my harder arears that i need to work on.

Morning
Greggs Sausage baquet
drink Lucozade
Greggs donught

Mid morning
can of monster sugar free

dinner
can of monster
Greggs baquet of some kind
sausage roll
crisps
donught or chocolate bar

Tea
mainly takeaway

supper
don't normally have anything


My Current diet as of about 3-4 weeks ago
breakfast - Greggs baquet
bottle water or orange juice


dinner
pasta salad from Sainsburys or Tesco
fruit or boiled eggs
bottle water


tea
either some kind of curry with chicken or steak with side salad.
nando's once a week chicken wrap , sweetcorn and pea's


supper - easy peelers if im feeling peckish

 

[Massive183]

You don’t mention having any dietary advice, or what you eat normally. The weight loss is great, but how did you achieve that? It is possible that you are a slow developing Type 1 if the tablets do nothing.

I assume that you do test your blood glucose levels if you say the tablets do nothing. What levels are you seeing?

Sorry for all the questions you are being assaulted with, but it helps folk to give better advice knowing all this stuff. 🙂

Sorry when I say they do nothing I meant only on the stiglamin. my glucose went up so the tablets were not enough for me. so he swapped me top the current medication.
my issue is I have not been able to see anyone this year due to covid. I have been suffering with stomach issues and still awaiting a appointment. but this was when I was on metformin. I do suffer with a few issues but no where near the same as before.

 

[mikeyB]

Your diet is quite probably the most unhealthy I’ve seen in a long time. Prior to your recent change, it was astonishingly high in carbohydrates. Now it’s just high.

What exactly is a Greggs Banquet? Orange juice - loads of sugar. Pasta salad - lots of carbohydrates. Easy Peelers - little sugar bombs. Takeaway curries or shop bought curries often contain sugar. Sugar, and carbohydrates are the enemy of diabetes. Haven’t you been told about carbohydrates and diabetes? I’m not surprised the tablets don’t work under that assault, let alone what you were eating before. And that’s before starting on vitamins, micronutrients and dietary fibre.

I’m T1, so I’ll let other T2s guide you away from a lifetime of diabetes complications and an early goodbye to the world.

 

[Gwynn]

Yes, I agree, its not just the sugars but the carbohydrates that cause the problem. I found out from people on this forum. I had zero help from the NHS at diagnosis. At first I had been fighting sugar. Then, when I realised thst the battle was the wrong one, I swapped to fighting carbohydrates. But, with no dietary advice from anywhere, I set about learning as much as I could from the internet and trying 5o sort things out for myslf.

Every meal, every ingredient, every meal time is calculated. This can be done on bits of paper or on a computer with Excel. Its a lot of work at first. The hardest, most boring, but also most enlightening bit is gathering the information from the internet and from books. My daughter telks me it is better to use an App already available on the internet. Of course I didn't take her advice and wrote my own.

Only when you can see exactly what you are eating, the calories, the carbohydrates, can you then detetmine how to effectively alter your diet to suit you and reduce your carbohydrate intake.

But don't try to cut them out completely. Seek advice and help. The beginning bit takes a bit of time, but is so rewarding as time goes on.

I don't think you are alone with getting no dietary advice, so if you can, look stuff up, read lots, create a plan, do stuff that suits you so that you can eat healthily and successfully, whilst enjoying your food, knoeing that you have control wnd know exactly what you are eating.

Peope here on this forum will be only too willing to help you. Ask whatever questions you need to and, as they often say, no question is stupid.

 

[Inka]

I do have a meter but never used it after reading up and speaking with doctor who said i don't need to do it with type 2. feeling rather stupid I have never used it. i got this free from magazine its a countour Next One. Digital version so will work with a app.

I was diagnosed early last year when I had bloods for something I can not actually remember what it was.

Bmi According to Apple Health app is 40.6 , I have digital scales that track my weight via a app.

Ill give you a list of what I use to have and I'm sorry you will probably gasp.

I work away and most of the week I stay in hotels so find it hard getting good meals.one meal i struggle with is breakfast I just cant bring myself to eat normally and one of my harder arears that i need to work on.

Morning
Greggs Sausage baquet
drink Lucozade
Greggs donught

Mid morning
can of monster sugar free

dinner
can of monster
Greggs baquet of some kind
sausage roll
crisps
donught or chocolate bar

Tea
mainly takeaway

supper
don't normally have anything


My Current diet as of about 3-4 weeks ago
breakfast - Greggs baquet
bottle water or orange juice


dinner
pasta salad from Sainsburys or Tesco
fruit or boiled eggs
bottle water


tea
either some kind of curry with chicken or steak with side salad.
nando's once a week chicken wrap , sweetcorn and pea's


supper - easy peelers if im feeling peckish

No, I didn’t gasp. I admire your honesty 🙂 It’s easy to gradually slip into poor eating habits, especially when you’re busy or away from home.

There’s good news here: if you improve your diet, you should see a great change for the better in your blood sugar and your general health.

Don’t try to change everything at once. Gradually make changes and stick to them. You need to cut down on carbs a lot, as has been said, but also eat less processed stuff and more low carb veg eg green veg.

You’ll see such an improvement once you get your diet in hand.

 

[Inka]

@Gwynn Your avatar is still showing you as Type 1 which might cause confusion. I can’t remember if you were told you had steroid-induced diabetes, Type 2 or that it had gone away, but I’m sure there’ll be an option for you to choose on your Profile. 🙂

 

[AndBreathe]

@Massive183 - I'm sorry you have been going through the wars, but as someone who has lived with T2 diabetes for a few years now, I think there could well be a number of options for you to try, before insulin.

There are allegedly over 400 drug combinations available to treat T2 diabetes, before considering insulin, however, many, many T2s, including myself find that the biggest difference we can make to our health and wellbeing is what we eat and drink. I know that has been the case for me.

Looking at the diet you describe, I know my body would find that very hard to deal with. I find I need to keep a bit of an eye on the carbohydrates I eat, so for me that's bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, pastry and baked goods in general.

In your shoes, my feelings would be to really focus on eating fresh foods. I hear you say you find it difficult in hotels, but as someone who has travelled extensively, it is doable, without breaking the bank.

For breakfast, personally, I tend to have full fat yoghurt, with some berries, and often a decent swirl of cream, of in winter, or when travelling, it'll often be bacon and eggs. That usually keeps me going for several hours.

For me, lunch tends to be a salad, with meats or cheese, and dinner meat and vegetables, or if a takeaway is on the cards, I'm happy enough (provided it isn't Italian - I've never much cared for pizza or pasta).

For example, if it's b=to be Indian, I just have the curry, but don't bother with rice. When all is said and done, the rice just carries the tasty stuff to our mouths, without too much dripping! If what I'm having happens to be runny, a spoon helps out with it.

I really would urge you to get some strips for your meter and start testing - before you eat, then 2 hours after you start eating. If the number is higher than you want, then you either need to cut down on the portion size, or side-step that item, for a while at least.

That is what I did, and took my HbA1c from 73 to 37 in under 4 months, and it has stayed low since.

At first, I sometimes could feel my head would explode with all the changes I was making, but it has been worth it. My new way of eating is just what I do now, almost instinctively.

 

[Gwynn]

Well, the diagnosis is not settled yet. They have said type 1, type 2, not sure, possibly LADA, not type 1 but to be confirmed.

Personally, I have no idea except that it cannot be type 1. What should I change it to in my personal details?

 

[Inka]

@Gwynn ”No Selection” which I think you might have done anyway 🙂 Then update it once you get an answer.

 

[Gwynn]

Thanks done it. I think

 

[DaveB]

Yes, I'm afraid your diet is dreadful and needs to change to reduce the carbs. The excess weight and poor diet implies you are probably T2 rather than T1. Did you try Metformin SR (Slow Release) version? It's likely if you can keep the carbs below 150gm/day and lower if possible plus Metformin SR and exercise you may be able to control weight and BS without further medication.