Diabetes type 2/metafomin/menopause

[Becca19962014]

I've tried posting on a diabetes forum but for some reason it won't accept my email address so I'm posting here instead. I hope that's ok.

I got my diagnosis today. I do have diet problems and exercise problems due to other disabilities. My GP has told me I must take metFormin (?spelling) and start tomorrow. I'm really worried about side effects. I am going through a lot of stress at the moment and my ibs is out of control totally. I cannot go far from a toilet and am doubly incontient and it's a nightmare, sorry if tmi.

The problem is I'm really worried it'll make this worse. Despite what I've been told I cannot cheaply get meals from social services delivered, they're way out of my budget (I'm on benefits and cannot pay £6 for one frozen ready meal even if it is for diabetics), I can't cook for myself and no money for carer. So I've been living on things which I've been told today are now banned. I know I get massive drops in blood sugar and I'm worried this medication will make that worse.

With both hands in splints I cannot chop or cook vegetables and many fruits trigger ibs attacks. I take a lot of pain meds and ibs meds but things are not controlled. I have food every two hours so I can take pain meds without them making me even more ill.

GP didn't seem to understand issues around not being able to purchase the expensive foods I've been recommended from the organic food shop. I don't have a supermarket so am really limited in what I can eat. Before becoming disabled and losing benefits I had a healthy diet and could exercise but as I lost that functioning I needed to pay for help and can no longer do this.

She mentioned a lot about needing new tests for eyes and circulation. But my eyes and circulation are badly effected by my other conditions which are badly misunderstood and I no longer have consultants as they're not local and I cannot travel.

I'd appreciate any advice on the tablets, they're slow release and GP thinks I'll be fine on them but I'm really worried because of what it says in the leaflet. I'm supposed to have one a day and then go up to two,mi was wondering if I could just stay on one because my sleep is horrendous anyway without stomach ache on top.

I was also wondering about menopause as I've been told I'm peri menopause as well and that this med is ideal along with something called Menopace.

This is a lot for me to take in so any advice would be great. I've a lot to do for the next few days and am really worried I won't be able to if this upsets my stomach (I must get a benefit form completed and back can cannot do this at home).

Any advice appreciated (and well done if you got to the end!!)

I've sent you a pm.

You absolutely do not need to buy expensive organic food, please don't think foods you can eat are out of your price range. I know its scary getting a new diagnosis and so much change and people recommending things to you - whirlwind!

1 What do you usually eat OP?

2 Are things like these doable for you?

Breakfast
a bowl of cereal with semi-skimmed milk
2 slices of wholegrain toast with spread and/or jam
a fat-free yogurt and fruit.

Lunch
a chicken or ham salad sandwich...
a small pasta salad...
soup and a roll...
...with a piece of fruit and a diet or fat-free yogurt

3 Do you get PIP or anything like that? Do you think given your new needs you could do with a reassessment and see if you can get more money maybe to fund meals on wheels?

4 If that's not doable, is there anyone who can do whats called meal prep for you? You get a load of tupperwear boxes and get them to do a big batch of meals for you, like say a piece of fish, veg and a carb (all these you can buy frozen btw very cheaply in supermarkets - online delivery perhaps?). Freeze or refrigerate, then each day you can bung one in the microwave like you would a ready meal.

4 Your GP is right, slow release metformin better for those with IBS, if its not good for you there are other options. At first you might feel a bit dodgy whilst you're getting used to managing your diet.

It must be worrying for you right now, Please do try again to join the diabetes forum even if it means making another email address because it sounds like you could do with support from those who are more knowledgable and understanding of your situation.

I already have many diagnoses, one of which is why I have diabetes and shows its deterioating rapidly, so I'm struggling with that as well.

1. I usually eat what I can get really. It must be really easy to prepare, very cheap and available locally.

1. I can't have wholegrain or brown bread due to ibs. My stomach just can't handle it. My bread is whatever is left at the end of the day before usually as I can't afford to buy a whole loaf when most of it ends up in the bin I don't have a freezer, or the space for one.

My problem is I must snack between meals so the meds I take then don't have serious consequences. It must be things that will line my stomach. Breakfast is shredded wheat with small carton of juice and semi skimmed milk, lunch usually a roll with ham, possibly small piece of cheese and main meal usually baked beans or ready meal from Iceland if need hot meal or complan meal replacement or cereal again. I also have cereal before bed so I can take the nine tablets I need to then otherwise i get horrendous stomach cramping which keeps me up. I have ulcers from when I was told no more snacking last time and ended up damaging my stomach permently.

3 im going through transfer from DLA to pip but can't get to an assessment or get supporting letters, it's extremely likely I'll continue to get what I do now, most people are turned down and I've no way to get to medical so can't appeal if it's lost. I can't include diabetes in application as I must have had it for at least six months and the forms due back in a week. Even if I did get it my money wouldn't go up enough to afford what are very expensive ready meals - when I get swapped to universal credit I'm not going to have enough money to pay for taxis to see GP/get medication and expensive food from social services. if I got pip under universal credit I'd lose about £100 a week. If I don't I lose £150 a week. I live rurally, the majority of my money goes on taxi fares. When put on universal credit which happens from next spring everywhere for those on ESA I'll need money to get to jobcentre and a computer as well - that'll cost me well over £100 a month due to distance to jobcentre.

4 I have no family or friends in real life. None. I don't have access to a freezer or microwave and can't afford to cook things from scratch every day. That's why go said to go to social services or get carer - social services would take all my money above £73 a week (all DLA and disability premiums to fund this and it would be a meal a day, I'd have no way to get more food as I'd need money for taxis)

5 I have to be able to get meds every day, otherwise I'll get really ill and I've got to get the pip form sorted. I don't have time to break in new meds right now. It's all well and good for the GP to say to rest but it's not an option.

The diet they've given me is just not possible for me. All the foods I eat and can afford are banned. I can't afford to pay more than 20p for baked beans for example even if they are low sugar and salt, nor can I afford the extra for healthier ready meals and certainly can't afford not to get shopping in Iceland (which is banned on this sheet). It's all about cooking from scratch (impossible with my disabilities and even if I got pip for that it won't cover even an hour of help a week). A lot of the foods I cannot eat due to intolerance with ibs which is already a problem things like salads are a problem for me as I cannot digest lettuce and cannot under any circumstances have food with pips, or sesame or any seeds in (I have diverticulosis). I rely on complan, no idea how I can manage without. I already only eat healthy cereal and drink water (except small carton of juice with breakfast).

I've also become reliant on community food, which is basically what's left over in supermarkets and past use by - there's no option with that food. I must get by with cheapest food, which again being the value foods they're banned as well.

I don't have space for microwave. I have a baby belling oven with two hobs and oven only, and can't afford to be cooking from scratch on that as its so expensive.

Thankyou for the support though, it's appreciated.

Correction it's extremely unlikely I'll continue to get what I do now.

Bloody autocorrect.

This is a little tricky.

Clinically, you do need to take the metformin. Left untreated diabetes can have very serious consequences on your quality of life (I'm sure this has been spelled out to you), but metformin is known for its gastric side effects. Prescribing a slow release version can reduce the risk of this, and you can build up a tolerance to these side effects over time. The risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) is negligible. Menopace is a supplement and there is no incompatibility.

The issue that is affecting your immediate quality of life is your double incontinence, this must be hell. I don't have any advice around your diet (and can understand that this will be difficult to unpick, but generally a Mediterranean diet is recommended), but you do need a medical referral to get to the bottom of it. It won't come through overnight but persist. Regarding the diabetes, reduce your carbohydrate intake and stick to vegetables a non-tropical fruit to fill you up. Only you know what suits you, so take it from there.

Good luck.

What do you mean by medical referral? I can't get to the now local hospital, it's too far for me to travel (sorry if that's blindingly obvious question!).

Yes the problems have been spelled out, but there are serious other issues with other conditions as well (which are known to cause diabetes in later stages) which I cannot access any hospital care for as I cannot get there (medical transport is no use to me due to distance and severity of pain and incontienece as well).

The carbohydrate thing is confusing me because the leaflet says to ensure I have regular carbs throughout the day but the diet says to have none.

Vegetables are expensive not pre prepared and I must cook them because I can't eat raw (jaw problems).

Thankyou for putting my mind at rest about hypoglycaemia as that's an issue for me causing collapse and the leaflet says not to take the medication if that's every happened as it can cause it,but doesn't say how high the risk actually is!

It's so complicated!!

Thankyou for the help and advice though, it is appreciated even if it sounds like I don't because I'm knackered and need to try get some sleep so can talk total rubbish in those circumstances. I think my problem is suitable foods for all the snacking I must do to properly line my tummy for my meds (it can't be veg or fruit as its not enough to line it properly).

Thankyou.

You're right, it is very complicated, and further complicated by your other conditions. Ideally you should have a referal to an endocrinologist, diabetes specialist nurse and dietician. I see how hard it is for you to access these due to your circumstances. Is there a community team in your area?
The trouble is cereals are high in carbohydrates, so not great, especially twice a day. Good low carb snacks are cheese, eggs, Brazil nuts, cold meats. Are these doable for you? Aldi, Lidl and tesco do high protein rolls, but whether you can tolerate them is another matter.
Have you been given a meter and testing strips? You really need these to monitor your glucose levels, especially before eating and 2 hours after to see what effect the food you are eating has on your blood glucose levels.

I can't get to endo or diabetes nurse or dietcian as they're in a different county and I cannot get there. Hospital transport must be completed in a day and I cannot possibly travel that far and back and be functioning in any choherant way. (Insert a lot of swearing here about removal of services and inability to get to them if disabled/on own/unable to drive).

I have cheese sometimes instead of the extra cereal but that's on the banned list for the diet - however, I think if the second lot is a reduced amount to what I've been having that'll help and if I only have cereal that's already measured like weetabix or shredded wheat that'll help me not to have too much). I did mention cheese as I've been finding that quite helpful recently with other things I've had issues with - I'm not talking massive blocks here by the way, but I was told no cheese. No aldi, lidl or Tesco here. There's an Iceland and co op nearby but the co op is too expensive for me to do regular shopping in. Maybe lack of shopping options is why the hysterical outburst about Iceland being shit. It's not my fault it's the only other supermarket around here and far more affordable than co op.

The meter and testing strips is another confusing area, but as you've mentioned it - I've been told not to bother [confusing] I've been using testing strips for fasting and two hours after food for almost two years. I've adjusted food accordingly when there's been an issue and GP printed off readings (it's a professional reader with USB port to print off), they've said I no longer need to do this as its a waste of time on the medication as that'll sort everything This is why I had the concern about it going very low, because at times it does go very low - think admitted to hospital after losing consiousness and accused of not eating for hours low even when I have eaten) and I mentioned the readings I've had have being either pre diabetes or normal and didn't understand why I've been told it's suddenly severe, but apparently the test they did showed glucose for three months and is the gold standard so they don't do any others anymore. I wasn't testing everyday but at least twice a week. I'd been told I was at very high risk due to another endo problem after taking massive steroid dose so I was to monitor. Now I've been told not to bother.