high blood sugar

carolethed1

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
hi
i was recently told by my diabetes nurse that because i am type 2 diabetic and take oral meds , i did not need to ever take my blood sugar readings. so i stopped , i started 2 days ago and taking it again and my blood sugars are very high 17, 18, 19 etc. what could this be, and i don't know how long they have been high for
 

BooJewels

Well-Known Member
Messages
443
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Most of us find that blood sugar levels are directly related and attributable to what we eat. Generally speaking your BG should be lower before you eat a meal, then rise gradually as you digest that meal. Depending on what you ate, your peak highest level is going to be something like 1-2 hours after eating. Then it should start to drop again heading towards your next meal.

Ideally, under really good control, you'd hope that these numbers would only fluctuate over 24 hours by around 3-4mmol/l between lowest and highest readings. Most of us probably find the range a bit wider than that, but significantly wider would need something to be changed.

For example, I've gone on insulin recently as my numbers were both very high and fluctuating wildly. I've now found, along with reducing the amount of carbs I eat, that my range is typically around 4 at most - largely because on the days I exercise well I can drop one of the readings significantly, widening the range. On days where I'm not as active, the range is only 2-3 - although I'm still a bit high overall. But last night, I had a dinner with too much potato (where I've eaten very little recently) and it shot up by around 5 for an hour - no one to blame but myself for that one.

So even if you're on medication to control your diabetes, you still need to be mindful of what you eat - so the first thought is that you're simply eating too many carbohydrates that can raise blood sugar - lowering the carbs eaten can bring it down significantly - the medication alone won't control it, you need to make some effort yourself too.

What typically do you eat in a day - if you give more details, we can be more specific in our advice.
 
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carolethed1

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Most of us find that blood sugar levels are directly related and attributable to what we eat. Generally speaking your BG should be lower before you eat a meal, then rise gradually as you digest that meal. Depending on what you ate, your peak highest level is going to be something like 1-2 hours after eating. Then it should start to drop again heading towards your next meal.

Ideally, under really good control, you'd hope that these numbers would only fluctuate over 24 hours by around 3-4mmol/l between lowest and highest readings. Most of us probably find the range a bit wider than that, but significantly wider would need something to be changed.

For example, I've gone on insulin recently as my numbers were both very high and fluctuating wildly. I've now found, along with reducing the amount of carbs I eat, that my range is typically around 4 at most - largely because on the days I exercise well I can drop one of the readings significantly, widening the range. On days where I'm not as active, the range is only 2-3 - although I'm still a bit high overall. But last night, I had a dinner with too much potato (where I've eaten very little recently) and it shot up by around 5 for an hour - no one to blame but myself for that one.

So even if you're on medication to control your diabetes, you still need to be mindful of what you eat - so the first thought is that you're simply eating too many carbohydrates that can raise blood sugar - lowering the carbs eaten can bring it down significantly - the medication alone won't control it, you need to make some effort yourself too.

What typically do you eat in a day - if you give more details, we can be more specific in our advice.
Hi Thanks for reply. i do eat mostly sensible stuff . lots of salads but i do have a sweet tooth. i have cut out sugar from tea and sometimes have the odd biscuit. but don't eat chocolate etc. my blood readings used to be between 6 and 9 which was fine for me but now they are between 17 and 19 i get some exercise but not as much as i probably should as i don't ride horses any more and can't swim. its a bit worrying , i am due to see the diabetic nurse again next week but if she again tells me to stop taking my blood readings how do iu keep a check on it
 

phil1966

Well-Known Member
Messages
661
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
i am due to see the diabetic nurse again next week but if she again tells me to stop taking my blood readings how do iu keep a check on it

Personally speaking, I'd ignore her and test anyway - it's your body and your health!
It's only through testing that I learned what I can and can't eat and therefore keep my blood sugar under tight control.
For example - when I was first diagnosed, I couldn't eat more than 30g of carbs a day which I found out through testing. Now I can (and do) have more, but potatoes are still a no-no. Again, I know this through testing.

Without wanting to sound harsh, it's you who will suffer the consequences if your blood sugar isn't kept under control, not the nurse, so (as I said) - ignore her and do what's best for you!
 
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BooJewels

Well-Known Member
Messages
443
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I was going to say exactly what Phil said - it's your health, if she won't prescribe testing materials, then buy your own. Luckily my practice are more enlightened than most and I've never had a probem, but if I had to buy my own materials I would do so in a heartbeat. If you want to get a grip on your glucose levels, you really need to get into the habit of testing and getting to know what foods do to your levels and what pattern of eating will give you good control.

I would suggest that doing some research into carbohydrates and what foods contain them would be well worth your while. Saying that you eat sensibly might not be enough if you don't understand the implications on your blood sugar of particular foods.

As Phil said, many of us here low carb, meaning that we count and watch the amount of carbohydrate and protein we consume. I don't do it hardcore - I find that I need a few carbs and I simply feel much better not limiting them too much - I'm on insulin and gradually improving my levels, so that might be why. I tend to have one fairly carb free meal each day, usually lunch and a small portion of bread or rice/pasta/potato at breakfast and dinner. I probably do abut 50-60g per day on weekdays and more at weekends.

I bet if you were to add up the carbs in your current eating, you might find it to be more than you realise - it's often hidden in things like sauces, low fat products, dressings etc. - you need to habitually read labels and take your reading glasses when you go shopping!
 

Ruth B

Well-Known Member
Messages
447
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
As others have said, keep testing regardless of what the nurse says.

If possible check regularly for a few days, particularly before and 2 hours after you eat anything to see how what you eat effects you and how well your body deals with it. One of my problems originally was snacking, it meant that my BS levels never had a chance to come down between meals so each meal through the day would take me higher and higher. Cutting down on the snacks and making sure that my BS was down to normal levels before a meal meant my body could cope with what I ate for a normal meal.

I haven't had to cut the carbs as much as some here, it was just a case of finding out where the problem was, and the only way to do that is test. You might also find that certain foods send you high, and it isn't always the obvious ones.