A very close friend recently had a high A1c after a few years of controlling his Type 2 with diet and exercise. At a recent follow up endo appt he was told he needed to go back on to Metformin in an attempt to decrease his A1c. He had gained some weight due to being sedentary over the winter due to illnesses and injury. Needless to say, he was devastated with this news. He felt like a failure after having been successful for many years with diet and exercise. He called me very distraught and devastated about his A1c. I tried to console him and gently told him that for the near future we would be on a fact finding exploration to determine what his BG was doing. Like I try to tell myself, I told him there was no emotional value in BG readings. We are scientists collecting information to make treatment tweaks to his meds and diet & exercise.
Why do we always, at first glance, condemn ourselves when we have an out of range BG reading. I’m working hard at it but it still takes my breath away when I get a wacky reading wondering what I did wrong for my BG to be so out of range. My friend was so dejected and disgusted with himself. He wanted to give up right then and there, telling me, “Why should I bother caring?? It won’t get me any where!” I promised him I would brush up on my T2D knowledge and together we would navigate these new waters. I told him we were in this together & I would do all I could to help him learn to care for his T2D. So, I have been immersed in T2D research and have learned a great deal about the differences between T1D & T2D.
I admit I wasn’t as well versed about T2D as I was T1D but I have done a great deal of reading & learning how to manage this type of D. First off, I asked him if he could commit to testing, for starters, twice a day-a fasting upon awakening and a BG check before bed. He has done an excellent job in taking on these new tasks. I was a little shocked to hear his endo tell him that testing wasn’t that important & to test “whenever”. I told him we needed to see what his baseline BG’s were doing & if the metformin was working or did it need to be tweaked. He has taken these new tasks on , as well as, checking before lunch and postprandially to evaluate his baseline BG’s. Doing so brought some interesting info to light that we wouldn’t have been aware of without him testing as he had. He has a very reactive response to any carbs, so he’s working on cutting portion sizes and making better carb choices. He is going to make an apt to see the Registered Dietician at his doctor’s office soon to help with this.
My friend pointed out that I actually have it easier in dealing with my meals because I can bolus for any amount of carbs I ingest where he doesn’t treat for carbs or correct for a high BG at this time. I agreed with him but I told him to hang in there. We are still in the beginning of his treatment of this beast and needed to continue to collect as much data to further evaluate his BG response to the Metformin and the new exercise plan he has embarked on. This weeks new task is to log the time and BG reading he gets so he can show his endo when he sees him next. This has been a little challenging as we all can relate to how much we hate to keep a log. We’re looking at a few different iPhone apps to help with this, as well as, trying to get a meter that would automatically sinc his BG reading with his iPhone. We’re looking at the Verio Sinc, specifically. It would be great if his insurance covers the strips for the Verio., then he could email his BG results to his doc for any appts he has. Any one have any suggestions as to a meter which would help in his quest to have his BG’s automatically download, taking the hassle out of logging?? Also, are we correct in that the Verio sincs with the iPhone?? He has an iPhone so we’ve been searching and trying out new diabetes apps regularly.
It seems the Metformin is starting to kick in as his BG’s have come down a bit, especially fasting. It’s been very informative in researching T2D to help my friend. I also have another support person in him to help me with my day to day management of my T1D. We have each other’s back in the diabetes war. I’ll keep updating the blog with what I’ve learned through this new chapter in my and my friend’s life as I try to support my good friend.
Remember, check! Don’t guess!!
(Now, My friend understands why I say this phrase.)
muddybrooks 