# Newly diagnosed Type 2



## Derek Stubbs (Apr 20, 2017)

Hi there.

I was this week diagnosed with type 2  with a reading of 58 on the new testing scale.

I was immediately put on 2x 1000mg of metformin, but have found after taking the first couple
I became very weak & wobbly. Unable to sleep as it feels my whole body shut down.
On the toilet numerous times aswell. I also have lots of trapped wind which has plagued me for years, & it was made worse after starting the medication.

I home tested last night around 7pm on the old scale with a finger prick which read 7.0

So I have today just started the slow release 500mg 1 a day version instead, & fingers crossed it has been a bit better in the bowel region.

I am finding that I have lost my appetite though & have to started to expel gas through the mouth which is unusual for me.

Today I had, 3 hard boiled eggs in a bowl with half a slice of asda 50/50 bread.
I have been eating a few small pears throughout the day & they feel great.
This afternoon I have had a few slices of cheese on Burgen bread (two slices) & I found it a struggle to eat it.
I have been drinking water, black caffeine free tea, green tea aswell, & the od swig of lactofree semi skimmed milk.

I also suffer with terrible bowel problems (Trapped wind & constipation) which I have had for years but never had anything diagnosed but the doctors are arranging for a colonoscopy to check the intestines etc.

After the first of the standard metformin I was getting watery stools with what looked like mucus in them.

I am hoping, that by using the slow release lower dosage will be good for me although I am meant to increase the dose to 2 x500mg in the next few weeks or so.

Anyway, thanks for reading.


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## stephknits (Apr 20, 2017)

Welcome Derek, lots of people struggle with Metformin, hopefully the slow release will help.  people here have reported that things tended to settle after a couple of weeks.  Hopefully despite your previous bowel troubles, this will be the case for you too.
Do let us know how you are getting on and ask away / join in - we're a friendly bunch


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## grovesy (Apr 20, 2017)

Welcome.


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## Steff (Apr 20, 2017)

Hi Derek welcome to this wonderful forum . I hope the metformin  tweaks work better for you


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## Martin Canty (Apr 20, 2017)

Hi Derek, welcome to the group....

Sounds like you are not tolerating the metformin at all well, but stick with it as many people have issues at first.


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## happydog (Apr 20, 2017)

Hello Derek and welcome to the forum.  I have read that it takes a while (about 3 weeks) for the body to acclimatise to Metformin and wind is a known side effect.  Hope you settle down soon.  Not a nice day when you are diagnosed, but you have come to the best place for information and advice.  I have been helped so much.  Godd luck


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

thanks for the replies.

How long does 1 tablet of the slow release stay in the system, is it 12 hours & can metformin help rebuild muscles as I have suffered some
muscle loss, but I felt better last evening while the tablet was still inside working, but I have woke up a couple of hours ago feeling very weak again & couldn't clear my lungs, so I am thinking the metformin had left my system & left me weak again.
I am to increase to 2 tablets so hopefully that will cover a continuous 24 hour cycle & my muscles will stay fuelled up, meaning I feel better.


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## Grannylorraine (Apr 21, 2017)

Welcome to the forum.  Metformin can play havoc with your systems, hope the slow release one works better for you. 

I am envious at your 7.

Lorraine


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## Carolg (Apr 21, 2017)

Welcome to forum


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## Stitch147 (Apr 21, 2017)

Hi Derek and welcome to the forum.


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## PinkGrapefruit (Apr 21, 2017)

Welcome Derek,

Eat if you need to, don't eat if you don't need to. No need to force anything down.

Sounds like you are reducing your carbs which is great; you might experience a 'sugar crash' as you adjust to not having so much kicking around inside you.

Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries) are great to have a little graze on - to give you a little boost (like a biscuit might have used to).

Before DX I often had really bad acid indigestion. A decent low carb diet and healthy veg has totally sorted me out!

Best of luck with it all.


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

Derek Stubbs said:


> can metformin help rebuild muscles


Metformin will only help to control the glucose release from the liver....

As for the muscle loss your diet will help that, first thing is to control the carbs.... Cut or reduce starch sources such as Bread, Pasta, Rice, Cereals & starchy vegetables such as Potatoes... Instead replacing them with green leafy vegetables. Increase your protein intake with quality protein e.g. wild caught salmon or grass fed beef (organic) or organic eggs.


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## Wirrallass (Apr 21, 2017)

Hi & welcome to our forum Derek  - you'll learn so much here  - feel free to ask as many questions as you like  - at first I was prescribed Metfartin! After a number of weeks I couldn't tolerate it any more  - housebound with the same side effects as yourself  - my GP then prescribed another type: Sukkarto SR  - (Slow release) that was a little more gentle but again I began to suffer the same side effects so my GP withdrew this too - some folks here can tolerate it with a little patience  - some can't  - so now I manage my diabetes by diet control & exercise only  - I would give the Metformin a little longer Derek for your body to get used to it but if not then perhaps you should consult your GP. 

I have no idea whether Metformin has any effect on lung problems  - again speak with your GP regarding this issue  - he/she may want to send you for a chest x-ray. Anyway good luck I hope you will start to feel better soon. 

Most of us encounter problems of some sort during our diabetes journeys especially when dx - shock - overwhelmed  - why me? -  so you are not alone there with yours  - stay in touch with us and again feel free to post any more of your concerns  - between all of us we will do our best to help you with advice encouragement and most of all  - support. Take care
WL


Dx Type 2 April 2016
Metformin withdrawn 
Diet control and exercise only


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

many thanks for all the suggestions & advice everyone.  I suspect my lungs not functioning properly are as a result of muscle loss as the diaphragm muscle helps the lungs move up & down.
I take note of the don't eat if you don't want to, especially having seen a few videos relating to fasting.

Also, I have a lot of bowel issues which I have learnt are possibly caused by Diabetes. Hopefully with better diet & some exercise, I will see less symptoms, & I also get an acid feeling aswell, so hopefully that will reduce aswell.

Funny thing is, about 8 years ago, I had very similar symptoms in my stomach with acid feel, loss of energy, & this was at a time when I was really fit & strong as I was playing cricket & cycling a lot, however, I was also consuming lots of carbs & alcohol.
I also had a blood test back in 2009 which said I was prediabtes, but the doctors seemed to poo poo this at the time & they never advised anything.
In the subsequent years to now, I started to eat a lot more, so I could get energy & exercised a bit less, so even though I had energy, I was having to overeat to achieve the energy. So this has finally caught up with me now & I will be changing my diet & look to exercise more again soon.


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

Alas people do not take pre-D more seriously.... I have several friends & my brother in the same category & I would love to see them take the steps to reverse/control the condition before it's too late. I like to educate people on the seriousness of Diabetes but unfortunately you can only go so far.


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

just took my reading now...6.2 but I have not eaten for 3/4 hours, just some water & been in the garden kicking a ball around for half an hour or so.
But I still feel very weak & shaky & I go very red in the face & hands when I do anything strenuous, yet, two weeks ago I was fine & strong, but with higher blood sugars.

I am going to take metformin again soon, (after a sandwich) & then take another reading.

It just feels like I need to eat, but then you have the worry of going too high again & you just get into a circle. It feels like I need the sugars & carbs but I guess I shouldn't do that.

Everyone is commenting on how drained & bad I look, yet last week I was really good.


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

quick edit , I am on Bolamyn SR mg (not metformin but a type of)


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## Grogg1 (Apr 21, 2017)

It's so hard and scary at times not knowing what to eat and how it will effect you.  I'm fortunate and I've tolerated Metformin from day 1 with no issues.  I did have to seriously increase my green intake when I went low carb as I was a little bunged up!!

Since I've been diagnosed people come up to me and comment how well (and trim) I look but I have days when no matter what I eat my BG is all over the place.  i.e. I was 8.8 after a fairly average meal (high for me) and then an hour later 4.6!  If I feel a bit shaky through not eating for a while I have a cup of tea!  A cup of tea sorts everything out


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

Grogg1 said:


> It's so hard and scary at times not knowing what to eat and how it will effect you.


I went through this 2 years ago without the support & advice of this forum..... It was hard, added to which I was working in Missouri for a few months & the environment change played havoc with my BG & depression.


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## Wirrallass (Apr 21, 2017)

Martin Canty said:


> I went through this 2 years ago without the support & advice of this forum..... It was hard, added to which I was working in Missouri for a few months & the environment change played havoc with my BG & depression.


I empathise with you Martin - that was rough on you  - thankfully you took the bull by its horns and got your diabetes under control  - good for you  - i imagine your depression didnt help matters either at the time  - best thing you did for yourself was to join the Yoga group - it seems to be working for you, take care x
WL


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## Grogg1 (Apr 21, 2017)

Martin Canty said:


> I went through this 2 years ago without the support & advice of this forum..... It was hard, added to which I was working in Missouri for a few months & the environment change played havoc with my BG & depression.


  You've done so well  in controlling your Diabetes, reducing meds and hopefully managing your depression.


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

ok, I took a reading over an hour after eating & it shot up to 10.1 from 6.2 before the meal.
I was sweating like mad during my meal, it was 3 sausages & quite a lot of green beans & a couple of strawberries after. I checked the carb count & it didn't look very high. Each sausage was 7g.

I then took the Bolamyn straight after the meal & then seemed to get a bad reaction off the tablet.
I am burning up inside, my extremities went very red, my temp was 39, which I high for me, I am normally around 36.
I got all weak in the arms & legs & slight tightness in the throat, so I went to the pharmacist at boots nearby, & she has said stop taking the tablets.
I seriously think I am getting lactic reactions as described on the leaflet. This could be a reason why I can't sleep as my body temp is too high.
A recent blood test show raised white blood cells, but they haven't said why.

Is it possible to be type 1 instead of type 2 ?

Going back to see the doctors on Monday, see what they suggest.


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## grovesy (Apr 21, 2017)

I would contact 111.


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## Wirrallass (Apr 21, 2017)

Derek Stubbs said:


> ok, I took a reading over an hour after eating & it shot up to 10.1 from 6.2 before the meal.
> I was sweating like mad during my meal, it was 3 sausages & quite a lot of green beans & a couple of strawberries after. I checked the carb count & it didn't look very high. Each sausage was 7g.
> 
> I then took the Bolamyn straight after the meal & then seemed to get a bad reaction off the tablet.
> ...


Hi Derek sorry to see you still struggling  - glad to hear tho that you are seeing your GP next week - maybe he/she will test your blood pressure whilst you're there. Hope you get some answers re your current health issues, take care.
WL


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## grovesy (Apr 21, 2017)

Forgot to say 39 is a high temperature for any one!


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## Wirrallass (Apr 21, 2017)

grovesy said:


> I would contact 111.


Or you could ring NHS Direct: 0845 4647 to speak with an advisor - NOW. WL


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

I am going to have a cool shower later to try & cool down, I took some gaviscon not long ago & that has helped a little so far.
Temp down to 37.2 now.
I do have a burning left tonsil though.


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## grovesy (Apr 21, 2017)

Sorry but a normal temperature is 37. 39 is very high!


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

wirralass said:


> I empathise with you Martin - that was rough on you - thankfully you took the bull by its horns and got your diabetes under control - good for you - i imagine your depression didnt help matters either at the time - best thing you did for yourself was to join the Yoga group - it seems to be working for you, take care x


It was a temporary thing... BG all over the place, not understanding D, being away from home, not knowing if I'd said my last goodbye to my 14 year old dog (happy to say that  almost 2 years later she is still with us!!!)

My point though is that until we get our condition under control all bets are off on how we will be from one day to another, we have to learn to listen to our bodies..... Personally I can definitely feel when BG is too high & I can totally empathize with @Derek Stubbs regarding the sweating & felling flushed..... A phenomenon that used to happen often.


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

Derek Stubbs said:


> I am going to have a cool shower later to try & cool down, I took some gaviscon not long ago & that has helped a little so far.
> Temp down to 37.2 now.
> I do have a burning left tonsil though


Sounds like an infection of some sort, I'd take plenty of fluids & monitor closely.

As D's we can't fight off infections as easily as non-D's


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

I guess fluctuating body temps are all part of Diabetes.


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

Derek Stubbs said:


> I guess fluctuating body temps are all part of Diabetes.


To be honest, until BG is under control, all bets are off..... The main thing to do at this stage is to learn what spikes the BG & what doesn't, something as innocuous as a sausage can be a problem; sometimes the filler spikes the BG's more than you would think and it varies from brand to brand.
My advice is to test frequently & ditch the meals that spike your BG, you are looking for no more than 2-3 mmol rise after 2 hours, also check after an hour to look for early spikes. In the end you will learn what you can eat & not worry about testing.

BTW, hope you are feeling better


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## Derek Stubbs (Apr 21, 2017)

thanks, I am a bit better now. I will follow your advice.
In the last few months, I have eaten tons of chocolate, sweets loads of processed foods etc & I was probably diabetic without knowing it.
I am going to ask the DR if my blood ph levels are ok, as this can spark the reaction I had
then if that is too low, I need to raise the ph level to a normal one & then maybe try the metformin again.


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## Wirrallass (Apr 21, 2017)

Martin Canty said:


> To be honest, until BG is under control, all bets are off..... The main thing to do at this stage is to learn what spikes the BG & what doesn't, something as innocuous as a sausage can be a problem; sometimes the filler spikes the BG's more than you would think and it varies from brand to brand.
> My advice is to test frequently & ditch the meals that spike your BG, you are looking for no more than 2-3 mmol rise after 2 hours, also check after an hour to look for early spikes. In the end you will learn what you can eat & not worry about testing.BTW, hope you are feeling better


Good advice there Martin   - also @Derek when selecting sausages check the labels to see what % of meat it contains   - I would say anything from 80+% is OK  - the same applies to all other tinned & packaged foods  - check the labels to see what the *carb *content is then select as low as possible  - it might seem a bit of a drag when you initially start doing this every time you mooch around the shelves of a supermarket but you will soon learn what foods & liquids impact your bgls. You need to know this in your endeavour to control *your Diabetes  - *we are all different and Diabetes affects us individually in different ways. Take care.
WL


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## Martin Canty (Apr 21, 2017)

Derek Stubbs said:


> In the last few months, I have eaten tons of chocolate, sweets loads of processed foods etc & I was probably diabetic without knowing it.


When I was advised by the Dr. I was shocked.... I was assuming my thirst & craving for Apple Juice was because I had Low Blood Sugar, not the other way around

There are going to be a lot of changes to your body as you get control of D, just accept what each day brings & if you make mistakes then it's a learning experience.


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## Ditto (Apr 22, 2017)

Welcome to the forum Derek. Hope you get sorted soon, it sounds very distressing.


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## Bryan Osborne (Apr 27, 2017)

Hi Derek welcome to the "club." I was diagnosed in Jan T2 I am on 2x 500mg Metformin. I have to say I too suffered with a bit of a loose bowel for the first week or so but not the trots. I have felt a bit up and down in the first couple of weeks whilst my bod decided it needed to feed off proteins and fats rather than loads of carbs! The BG results were also in big swings. But now 12 weeks + in it is far more stable and I feel really great. 

I think the thing is that it take the body a good while to adjust itself so be patient. Loads of great help on here.


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