worried newbie

[Claire Simpson]

Hello. I've been diagnosed some 2 years ago with Type 2. Last year, I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation after an incident when I went to the hospital for routine blood tests.
My glucose levels and weight have been all over the place. When I was diagnosed with Type 2, GP put me on Metformin but it made me so ill he took me off. After gaining a stone in weight (stress related) the GP said I had to lose the weight and get my levels down, and again put me on Metformin. This was last Monday. I have lost 5lb in weight, but the side effects are making me ill. Nausea and having the runs, but most worrying of all is that I've had several occasions when my heart is racing and I'm worried about the AFIB episodes. Can anyone tell me if AFIB is connected to Diabetes. Very worried and wondering if I should come off the Metformin.

 

[Amigo]

You might find this article useful Claire (but don't let it spook you). Are you on slow release Metformin? That's said to be less brutal on the gastric system. I wouldn't come off the Metformin without discussing the issues and possible options with your GP. You need to be telling him about the AFIB episodes. Good luck!

http://www.everydayhealth.com/atria.../atrial-fibrillation-links-diabetes-to-heart/

 

[Claire Simpson]

Yes, it's the slow release one. 500mg twice a day. I did ask the GP about the connection when I read about it, but he said the side effects of stomach ache and having to run to the loo are what's to be expected from Metformin.

 

[Claire Simpson]

The side effects for Metformin and the symptoms of lactic acidosis are the same. How can you tell the difference?

 

[Robin]

When I took Metformin ( I was wrongly diagnosed as a type 2 to start with) I didn't have any side effects, and I now put this down to the fact that I was following a low carb diet to try and bring my glucose levels down. I later read that you are more likely to have side effects if you eat a lot of carb. Have you tried reducing the carb in your diet?

 

[Claire Simpson]

I'm not very good at managing my diabetes, to be honest. There didn't seem to be a problem until I was diagnosed with the AFIB and it seemed to go down from there. I don't eat potatoes, pasta and the last week or so since the Metformin I've only been able to eat toast and yogurt. Is it the carbs that are giving me stomach ache?
What are the carbs I shouldn't be eating?

 

[trophywench]

Anything with flour in it eg bread, cake, pasta, and also sugar obviously, breakfast cereals, spuds, parsnips, fruit such as grapes, possibly bananas (but you'd have to test to see how they affect you) - berries are quite low carb - lovely ripe juicy pears and peaches, nectarines, cherries, pineapple, mango are all full of em.

You may not need to cut em all out completely, use your meter to test to see whether you can tolerate a food or not.

What was your blood glucose when your heart was going bananas - cos high BG can quite easily cause palpitations - in a healthy person otherwise - anyway!

 

[Claire Simpson]

Thank you. My GP practice doesn't give meters to test so I have to wait for the nurse to do it. They don't have a specialist diabetic nurse either. It's all a bit piecemeal.
I suspected that I was AFIB long before it was diagnosed and it was the hospital that did the diagnosis.

 

[Mark Parrott]

Well, my advice would be to get a meter. It makes controlling your diabetes so much easier, otherwise you're just running blind. The SD Codefree has the cheapest test strips & is available from either Amazon or Home Health.