Frustrated With 3 Month Followup

wadekilpatrick

Newbie here. Let me first say hello to everyone. This looks like a great group. Back in Dec. 2012, I went to my general doc and my A1C was 9.9%. He put me on Lantus along with my Metformin, Glipizie, and Januvia that I was already taking. My numbers in the mornings have been super so today I went back for my 3 month checkup, and my A1C was only down to 9.2%. Needless to say i was so dissapointed because I have been busting my butt by watching what i eat and exercising. I have decided to go see an endocrine doc to see what else we can do as my regular doc didn't seem to interested in trying to find any answers.

Wade

djshari

I would be frustrated too. Are you logging all of your food and meter readings? After my diagnosis I bought a notebook and would write down what my fasting bs was, what it was before meals, after meals, and sometimes before and after exercise. This really helped me see patterns and for me that pattern was lower and lower #s. I brought this in with me to my checkup and my doctor looked through it and so did the dietitian and diabetes educator.

Your morning #s have been ok but since your A1C was so high that means you are spiking through out the day. To find out what is spiking you you will have to test more and go from there.

wadekilpatrick

Yeah, I am now starting to test more as I he currently just wanted me testing when i woke up. I am now testing 3/day and now using myfitnesspal to keep track of everything.

The only other thing that frustrates me was about 2 weeks ago, I took one of those Bayer A1C home tests and it read out 7.7 so I was pretty excited about going in this morning till I got the report from him.

Could there be that much of a difference from 7.7 to 9.2 in a home test vs. lab test?

koshkasmum

O hai. I have been wresting with the demon A1c for about the last 20 years so I can understand your frustration.

I heartily second you idea of getting in to see an endocrinologist - family doctors are fine for the day to day but an endocrinologist will get you on to the right track with balancing meds. They can work with you to adjust combinations and dosages until you have achieved your best results.

I test by blood glucose 7 or more times a day (before and 2 hours after each meal and at bedtime - I also test in the middle of the night as I have been known to have lows at 3:30AM!) Frequent testing will allow you (and your endocrinologist) to get a clear idea of how, and how fast, your food is being metabolized. The One Touch Verio meter will keep track of your before and after meal averages, give you warnings about recurring high and low times and give you averages so you can see progress.

Get a referral to a dietitian specifically trained in diabetic issues (in some places there are diabetes teaching programs that you can attend periodically and have a chance to discuss your issues with a dietitian and other members of your diabetic care team.) I notice from a quick glance at your food diary that, while you calories are in good control, your diet is not as well balanced as is generally recommended for a diabetic - a dietitian may be able to give you some real assistance with this..

You don't mention your exercise habits but regularity is key with this. A half hour walk after dinner each day makes a huge difference.

Finally, when you start dropping some weight, you will be amazed at the change in your blood sugar readings. I have lost just under 10 percent of my starting weight and have halved my Gluconorm dosage and have reduced my Levemir (insulin analogue) from 52 units to 16 units daily.

Good luck to you.

Bevkus

Just a quick peak at your diary...carbs are too high on some days. As well, try eliminating processed carbs all together and limit fruit to just berries. Meat and veggies are a diabetics friend. This has helped me greatly.

Good luck!!

jessiekanga

Hi Wade-

Sorry to hear of your disappointment/frustration. I also did the typical snooping of your profile and diary to see if I can help. I'm a mom to two little ones, and saw you have two daughters...congrats... and so I also am really wanting to get it together to be healthy and around for them. I was diagnosed just over 2 years ago. My roller coaster ride is far from perfect.

I am unusual in that I actually can eat about 150-200 grams of carb a day (35% of my diet) and still keep an A1C under 6. When I go higher, and I did, it was because my carbs exceeded that, probably by a lot but I wasn't being honest with myself. I'm saying that to say that I'm not sure you should automatically look there. You eat more calories a day than many, and so your carbs may or may not end up needing to be higher than many as well, that remains to be seen. As you start getting your post-meal numbers, you'll know if you need to tackle carbs, or if you need to space them out more, eat 5 or 6 meals instead of 3, and so on.

I know your frustrated, but also remind yourself that it IS going down. Not by enough yet, but it is, keep at it. I'm sorry your GP didn't have you test more from the very beginning. Fastings are good, but they can't teach you the impact of a single food, or single meal. You'll begin getting that data now, and it WILL make a difference, truly. And yes to Bevkus... meat (fish) and veggies all the way. I also eat a lot more protein than many, mostly because of the myth that it helps you keep your lean muscle when dropping pounds and working out. The protein definitely helps me, and sadly, lower fat ones, for me, make a big difference in my BG. Good luck, and hang in there!

missfittin_missy

I have had amazing results when switched to Janumet and a weekly injection called Bydureon.... the injection is also helping me drop weight. Might be worth investigating further!