Hello everyone,
I have just joined the forum today, after reading through many posts, especially in this Diabetes thread.
I would like to get some views from anyone who has had diabetes for a long time, but first a little background info about me.
I am currently living in Hong Kong and have been here for 6 years. ( We are considering moving back to the UK in a year or so).
So anyway, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in July, after having ( i now know) 2 weeks of hyperglycemia. I was very weak, badly dehydrated, light-headed etc..before my wife convinced me to see the local doctor. (See, men are bad for taking themselves to the doctor..heh). After checking my blood & urine, they found my blood sugar was over 23 mmol.The doctor gave me a letter and promptly ordered me to go to the public hospital emergency room the same day. Needless to say my wife & I got worried pretty quick!
Anyway, at the hospital they confirmed that i had type 2 diabetes mellitus and i stayed in hospital for the next 4 days while they poked, prodded, injected, weighed and examined me. For a government hospital, the service was very, very good and i felt i was in safe hands all the way through that week.
That was all in July. I was prescribed the following drugs to take daily ( maybe these are similar to the ones in UK?) :
1. Protaphane HM penfill Insulin ( 24 units before breakfast, 12 units before dinner ).
2. Metformin HCL tablet ( 2 x 500mg )
3. Acertil tablet ( 1 x 2mg )
So, when i came out of hospital, my FBG was around 10-11. Within a week, it had reduced to around 6. For the past few weeks, it has constantly hovered around 5 - 5.5
I exercise for about 40 mins, 3 or 4 times a week ( walking up & down the mountain roads here ) which feels like a pretty good workout as i was doing zero previously.
I was supposed to use the 'exchange' system for my diet but i've found this to be too difficult to follow, especially when i have also prepare the evening meals for my family. So basically, I cut out ALL sugar & massively minimize my intake of salt, fats etc..found within foods. I eat almost no processed foods and stick to simple cooked lean meat/fish, veg, whole grains, drink water only etc..
Luckily, my efforts seem to be working OK as i have been losing weight slowly but surely ( lost 33 Ibs so far ).
So here is my only concern right now. In the past week or so, my FBG has been dipping down to below 5. The lowest one was 4.3 which freaked me out a bit. It happened on my final blood test before going to bed ( i check 4 times per day before meals ). I was worried and ate a few pieces of candy. 15mins later it was 4.7.
The question in my head is does anyone think that my insulin level could be reduced soon? I know i can eat more food to balance out the insulin taken, but i want to be sure not to over-eat while also trying to lose weight.
I haven't had chance to discuss this with my diabetes nurse at the hospital yet, as my follow-up appointments are months apart. They say that only the doctor can authorise a change in the medication levels, and the doctor was never around when i went back for a follow-up last time.
I generally feel OK within myself, but i just have this nagging feeling that a FBG of 4 something is a bit low?
What does anyone think? Happy to receive any feedback you think is appropriate.
Oh, and sorry for rambling on for my first post. I'll be shorter next time..lol
Cheers!
Lozzo
I have just joined the forum today, after reading through many posts, especially in this Diabetes thread.
I would like to get some views from anyone who has had diabetes for a long time, but first a little background info about me.
I am currently living in Hong Kong and have been here for 6 years. ( We are considering moving back to the UK in a year or so).
So anyway, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in July, after having ( i now know) 2 weeks of hyperglycemia. I was very weak, badly dehydrated, light-headed etc..before my wife convinced me to see the local doctor. (See, men are bad for taking themselves to the doctor..heh). After checking my blood & urine, they found my blood sugar was over 23 mmol.The doctor gave me a letter and promptly ordered me to go to the public hospital emergency room the same day. Needless to say my wife & I got worried pretty quick!
Anyway, at the hospital they confirmed that i had type 2 diabetes mellitus and i stayed in hospital for the next 4 days while they poked, prodded, injected, weighed and examined me. For a government hospital, the service was very, very good and i felt i was in safe hands all the way through that week.
That was all in July. I was prescribed the following drugs to take daily ( maybe these are similar to the ones in UK?) :
1. Protaphane HM penfill Insulin ( 24 units before breakfast, 12 units before dinner ).
2. Metformin HCL tablet ( 2 x 500mg )
3. Acertil tablet ( 1 x 2mg )
So, when i came out of hospital, my FBG was around 10-11. Within a week, it had reduced to around 6. For the past few weeks, it has constantly hovered around 5 - 5.5
I exercise for about 40 mins, 3 or 4 times a week ( walking up & down the mountain roads here ) which feels like a pretty good workout as i was doing zero previously.
I was supposed to use the 'exchange' system for my diet but i've found this to be too difficult to follow, especially when i have also prepare the evening meals for my family. So basically, I cut out ALL sugar & massively minimize my intake of salt, fats etc..found within foods. I eat almost no processed foods and stick to simple cooked lean meat/fish, veg, whole grains, drink water only etc..
Luckily, my efforts seem to be working OK as i have been losing weight slowly but surely ( lost 33 Ibs so far ).
So here is my only concern right now. In the past week or so, my FBG has been dipping down to below 5. The lowest one was 4.3 which freaked me out a bit. It happened on my final blood test before going to bed ( i check 4 times per day before meals ). I was worried and ate a few pieces of candy. 15mins later it was 4.7.
The question in my head is does anyone think that my insulin level could be reduced soon? I know i can eat more food to balance out the insulin taken, but i want to be sure not to over-eat while also trying to lose weight.
I haven't had chance to discuss this with my diabetes nurse at the hospital yet, as my follow-up appointments are months apart. They say that only the doctor can authorise a change in the medication levels, and the doctor was never around when i went back for a follow-up last time.
I generally feel OK within myself, but i just have this nagging feeling that a FBG of 4 something is a bit low?
What does anyone think? Happy to receive any feedback you think is appropriate.
Oh, and sorry for rambling on for my first post. I'll be shorter next time..lol
Cheers!
Lozzo