BerettaSV10 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Metformin wont cure you, its only to help you help yourself. in such high doses it sounds like your objection to background insulin has forced the medics hand here. I have never objected to having insulin, at first I thought it would be the way forward, as when first started with metformin, had side effects and still have the exhaust gas side affects. My only concern with insulin is the DVLA side of things, the last time I sent my licence back for renew, it took them so long to process it, my licence had expired and had to get them to issue a letter (in effect a temp licence) saying I could still drive. The 3 month wait for the SGC was a pleasure compared with the age it took them to sort out the driving licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 I know what you mean about DVLA they revoked my licence because I made one simple mistake,when I realised I notified them but it still took five weeks and the intervension of my MP they are the most unhelpful people I know,I now have a licence for three years then have to reapply.The doctors where great sending three covering letters and phoning them but still got nowhere thats why I went the MP way.It took only three days for him to get me back on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Just got back from the docs, still suffering from the naproxen, I had a severe reaction to the stuff, only took 2 tablets. Got blood test forms to retest sugar levels in a month's time once the reaction has calmed down. If test results are still high will see about changing / altering the medication, he did say if I was taking insulin as well it would be of concern, due to the fluctuating levels. As on metfartin he is saying carry on monitoring, and if still continues to stay high in the next month call them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Ever scince I was told I was diabetic I have a blood test every 3 month regular checks with the diabetic nuse, retinal checks every 12 month and phone calls to check every thing is ok,in short I do not think they could do much more for me,all this has been done without me having to ask for anything. This is how diabetic management should be, mine is. I know in big town practices this don't happen BUT it will cost the taxpayers a lot more to cover the damage that's being done by this complacancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 I know what you mean about DVLA they revoked my licence because I made one simple mistake,when I realised I notified them but it still took five weeks and the intervension of my MP they are the most unhelpful people I know,I now have a licence for three years then have to reapply.The doctors where great sending three covering letters and phoning them but still got nowhere thats why I went the MP way.It took only three days for him to get me back on the road. When they took my licence off me, I received the letter on the Fri or Sat and was revoked on the Mon, it took around a year to get it back. It's then you realise how bad public transport is and how good your friends are. One thing no one tells you, is when you loose your licence on medical grounds you are eligible to a bus pass, which is of some help in the cost of getting around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) When your driving licence comes round for renewal,as long as DVLA are in possession of your application (and you get plenty of time to prepare everything) you are entitled to drive unless DVLA inform you otherwise.DO NOT go for a long walk or undertake strenuous exercise if your blood sugar is high-its high because of a lack of Insulin in your body and exercise will not produce more-if you were type 1 then high blood sugar can be reduced faster by exercise but only afterr taking Insulin.Drink plenty of water as it helps the kidneys to flush out the excess sugar. Edited December 31, 2012 by bruno22rf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushkin Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 BerettaSV10 - glad to hear others are pitching in about the health care team you are entitled to have looking after you. I'm surprised int his day and age that your GP thinks they know better than these teams about how best to care for you with such high sugar levels. The going for a walk is good advice but so is the not a long walk advice also. Your body needs help to regain some balance and also to find out what is causing the high levels. Once that is done, you can help yoru body sort itself out from the medicationa and advice from your team. When you go to see your team on regular appointments; they will do a blood test, urine test and check yoru weight each time. The dietician will also want to refview your diet - for which they provide you with record sheets to record what you eat and when. One of the tests they do for your blood is the longer term reaction your system is having to cope with - I think - please do not quote me here that it is the GH levels they check for. They will have worked out an ideal top level for this in you and will aim to keep you below this on a monthly basis - this should be a goal of yours as well. Just a wee thought, do you drink coke or similar? If you do - then don't fizzy drinks apart from the Diet ones are really bad for diabetes. Even the diet ones are bad for you as they stimulate the hunger glands and cause you to eat more food. Keep in touch my friend and let us know how you get on- there are a number of us on the site with diabetes. Pushkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 The long term blood test is called the Hb1ac but is flawed.It takes an average type reading but your sugar level could be high/low/high/low constantly but the average would look good.If you take exercise whilst your sugar levels are high you put strain on your heart and circulation-avoid high sugar foods and aim for slow release carbohydratres such as porridge. If you are constantly still getting readings in the high teens and twenties I would pop down to A&E,you may have an infection but you might need Insulin.Good luck-type one is not as bad as you might think so long as you treat it with respect-most complications are self made but there is a world of help out there (look at the response from this forum alone) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 After the new year, could well be worth a call to the hospital to see if they operate a dibetic care team, and how to get refered to them. My local hospital has a doctors surgeery on site thats getting good reports, but its not really convienent to have as a local practice, though its some I will have to take into account. Considering I have been diabetic since 2000 and thought I was doing well, apart from the odd glitch mainly down to me or illness, never seen my results so high even when first diagnosed. When I wenrt through the results on the meter with the doc boxing day +1 showed BS to be 5.9, so went rapidily up since then. Been trying to piece together whats been going on, I did have a attack of the reaction to the naproxen on Fri night (hope that was the last one as its got to be out of my system by now) of severe gut pain and throwing up. I don't drink much fizzy drinks and if I do its diet lemoade, with a 2 litre bottle going flat before its thrown away might be as much as a litre gets drunk in a month. weight wise I am down to 114 kgs, and this is where the docs contradict each other again Had the x ray done on my knee a couple of months back after several years of me saying theres some thing wrong with it, xray confirmed the joint is full of arthritis and out of align. One doctor says don't do any walking (as if one can stop walking around), another one says get out and walk, so do a comprimise walk around town and the WMSG on a Tues afternoon that hill can make it a bit hard on the knee. One think that concerns me is all the different meds I am on, which is 12 on a regular basis plus any add hoc ones for other things, already on B12 injections as I can no longer produce / process B12. Last years Hb1ac was 6.4 and this years was 7.3 which is in acceptable limits, for it to rise by .9 in 12 months is a fair increase and there must be some good swings going on or its been a gradual rise gone unnoticed. Its strange that a forum can offer more good advice than one can get from some official sources, which is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Slight up date on this, I tried phoning the hospital on several ocasions and just got the message the staff were off sick. :( I had my regular B12 injection today, who happened to be with the lady who also does the diabetic screening, mentioned what was going on with the suger levels and the meter alerting me check for keytones :( and she took the time to talk about the results I was getting. She imediately booked a appointment with a doctor who happens to be the best one in the practice and should be referred to the specialist diabetic team. The doctor looked at the past history of my blood tests, and said they have been rising over the past few tests and has now put me on another medication called Gliclazide (Gly-claz-ide) in addition to the metfartin. Now just need to book another blood test test to get the latest blood suger reading. Once these results come back in a couple of weeks (as long as I can get a appointment for the blood sample to be taken) Since the xmas glitch of BS of 22's my BS has still been high varing from 9.5 first thing in the mornings to 17.9 last thing before bed time. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Im on gliclazide and metformin, I average arounf 5.0 never had any side effects with the gliclazide either, hope it settles down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 What is your diet like Baretta SV10? What is your typical mix of protein/fat/carb during an average week? I'm not diabetic nor an expert by any means, but I do take an interest as it runs in my family too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donkey Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Before insulin there are other meds you can be prescribed Byetta exenatide And Victoza liraglutide Both are injected twice a day IMHO byetta is a great drug it worked very well for me for two years or more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 What is your diet like Baretta SV10? What is your typical mix of protein/fat/carb during an average week? I'm not diabetic nor an expert by any means, but I do take an interest as it runs in my family too. Unfortunately thats a bit I need to get sorted and back on track and identify where I am up and down. Already on semi skimed milk, wholemeal bread low fat spreads tried as a treat butter but was to fatty to the taste and have been on these since diagnosed. Fat intake I would say is a little high and when have run out of milk and used normal milk (blue cap) it tastes horrible, Red meat intake is low as don't eat as much meat as I used too, probally need to eat a touch more white meat like turky / chicken. Veg is a big problem and always has been disgusting stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Ever considered a lower carbohydrate diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 This is where I could do with seeing the specialists to see whats the best way for me to control the diabetes and the best food options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Indeed. Most doctors will recommend the high carb low fat diet. But there is a growing consensus that a high protein low carb diet controls blood sugar more effectively. Do some googling and find some forums with fellow diabetics experiences.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaedra1106 Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Took my idiot GP since 2008 to admit I'm diabetic, even had a hospital consultant ring him and tell him I wasn't "sugar intolerant" as he insisted. Put me on Metformin about 7 weeks ago (1000mg twice a day), asked them not to as I have severe IBS but that's what I was given (as it's the cheapest option), not saying the results are bad but I've lost 2 stone since starting them. Luckily I've moved house and have a new doctors, will be seeing the diabetic team next Wednesday so hopefully they'll put me on something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Had the same problem with my docs took them a few years and was not until I was in a bad way they finally said I was diabetic, if they had done the blod tests streight away would of been better instead they just did a random pee test and as that was in limits said I was ok. Metformin seams to be the standard perscribed medication as you say its cheap and another reason is its not supposed to make your BS go too low. In all the years I have been on metformin the lowest BS I had was 4.0. Metformin does have several side affects some embarressing like being very gasey, even after all these years. Think I had a few other problems with metformin to start with, which have eased over the years. One thing the doc said today was overall don't normally need to monitor the BS as like once or twice a day like you need to do with insulin. She also said that the new medication can cause the BS to go low so might need to have some biscuits or some thing if it does go low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 If you don't already have a meter you can get them free on line or via the phone a couple of places that do them are. https://www.abbottdiabetescare.co.uk/free-meter-signup nice little meter http://www.lifescan.co.uk/corporate/register/get-free-meter The life scan one you might need to phone up for as when I tried it refered me to call their 0800 number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 As far as I know,all meter makers are happy to send you free meters-up to 3 is not a problem.They make their money on the test strips that your Doc prescribes for you-they will also supply replacement batteries free of charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushkin Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 BerrettaSV10 - glad to hear back from you. Keep pushing them about who your health care team are or will be for your Diabetes management and support. Where I live, I have a team who work from a part of the local hospital that has been made into the Diabetes centre. All professions to do with treating he illness are based in the one centre and even if you feel low and want to drop in to see them - that's okay - someone will sit with you and talk over the problem to try and resolve it. Whether it be a specialist Diabetes nurse, the consultant if they are able to make time for them to see you. My named nurse or her colleague in case she isn't there. Podiatrist if you are having trouble with your feet. And of course the dietician - whom we all love and can't wait to have her tell you to eat less of the good stuff and more of the veggies . If you need to get a blood test you go into the clinic and they do the test for you there and then and the results are ready in about 20 minutes ( a full blood screen for diabetics)- which is about the length of time needed to talk to the staff. From the sounds of it, I think your area hasn't quite got that far yet but should be building towards it ASAP. Hope this helps. Pushkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 (edited) I will be taking the first tablet of Gliclazide (80 mg) in the morning, so will check what the BS is like before taking it and out of curousity will monitor the BS several times each day for the next few days to see how the results are coming. May be a bit over sampling the tests but would rather know how its working and don't want to risk the BS going too low. What is getting a concern is I will be on 17 regular persciptions, altough 2 of them are for meter / test strip suplies :( and all due bar 3 to having diabetes. Edited January 30, 2013 by BerettaSV10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AULD YIN Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 I was told two years ago i was diabetic by the doctor,never checked my bs and told me i did not need a meter but sent a letter to the hospital DB clinic ,still feeling **** after seeing the docter went to speak to my brother who is diabetic and got his meter to check my BS ,it read 35 so the wife phoned the surgery and told them ,we were then asked to return to surgery for meds and i had to buy a meter at boots as they would not give me one .Up to last week i was on 2 metformin and 2 gliclazide morning and evening, then was put on the injection last thing at night with 2 metformin morning and evening and discontinue the gliclazide ,count still jumping about though went down to 2.2 one morning but a cup of tea with sugar soon took it up to 12, DB nurse could not be better gave me 2 injection pens new meter a packet of dextro if count goes two low and she phones every 2 or 3 days to monitor me.Apart from stinking the house out with the fartin and runs and the wife spending the house keeping money on smelly spray ,plus if the dog farts now i get the blame ,it could be worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 One thing for new comers to being diabetic is as long as you take meds or insulin to control the BS, is to register for your perscripion expemption card which is free. I would hate to have to pay the perscrion charges for my meds. I had the same thing about meters and not needing one and was inititialy given pee strips to use, I asked for a meter and they said I would be worried by the numbers I would see, in the end I got a meter which until recently I bought and got through a few until I found the type I liked. I would rather see the numbers as at least even if you feel you are not yourself its handy to check if its the BS levels or some thing else. If like me told not to bother checking to checking regularly which I followed, which has not helped as the BS levels have crept upslowly until out hand. I would say test at a rate you feel comfortable with, may be once a week or day but it gives you a insight in how well controlled you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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