Blood sugar still high

[emac]

Hello,
Just wondering if I could run few things past you chaps.
I was diagnosed with diabetes a month ago when the doctor found I had a blood sugar of 27. They have not told me if I am type one or two yet.
I have been prescibed glicazide and I am still stuggling to get my blood sugar down, despite eating well. On 60 mg It was 18 bs on average. I am on 180 mg a day now and still about 14 bs.

Is this normal or could it mean I am type 1? Also my wife is urging me to give up the drink till I get it down - would that make a big difference?

cheers Euan

 

[caitycakes]

Hi emac,

Can't really comment on whether you would be type 1 or 2 so test results will tell. What do you drink?

Caitycakes x

 

[emac]

cheers for getting back to me.

Well I love a beer and am trying to keep to 21 units a week, though realistically I am drinking a bit more than that a week. If I gave up for a bit would it make a massive difference?

 

[hanadr]

Beer is full of carbohydrates, so is bound to put your numbers up.
what are you eating? Have you tried reducing your carb intake?

 

[caitycakes]

It probably would make a big difference, but no-one wants to be deprived so try drinking beers which have been brewed longer. I think the pilsner beers are good for that but check. When they are brewed longer it means that most of the sugar turns to alcohol. They also have a higher alcohol content :mrgreen:

As Hana says, beer is full of carbs, so maybe lowering your food carbs will allow an occasional few beers.

Regards caitycakes x

 

[emac]

cheers,
OK I am going to have break from the pop until I get it below 10 I think (hope it won't take too long!). With the food - the diebetic nurse has told me to eat starchy foods e.g. bran, brown bread pasta etc - but it is not helping to keep the BS down. Do most people who have high BS eat a very low carb diet and only eat lots of carbs when they have low B?

That's probably the world's most obvious question!

 

[caitycakes]

Hi,

The "eat plenty of complex carbohydrates" advice is what everyone gets told on diagnosis. Fortunately, this forum exists. Have a read of some of the low carb threads on here and learn how you can reduce your blood glucose levels by reducing your carb intake. I followed the standard advice at first too and luckily came upon this site. I have made a big reduction in my carb intake and have seen the results in my BG levels almost intantly.

There are lots of people on here with far more knowledge regarding carb intake etc than me. They have given freely of their knowledge and experience and have made a big difference to lots of people including me

Caitycakes x

 

[LittleSue]

Have they done any tests (ketones, C-peptides) regarding what type you are, or are they just waiting to see if you go into DKA? Sometimes they seem to decide by the colour of your socks! If you're a true type 1 then oral meds won't work, you'll need to inject insulin. Have no experience of oral meds so can't advise on how soon levels should come down, but in general often meds are started at a low dose to reduce side effects, the doctors know you'll need more but don't explain.

If/when you eat carbs, low GI is best, but the message that you should eat mainly carbs is wrong. Especially if you need to lose weight.

 

[Trinkwasser]

cheers,
OK I am going to have break from the pop until I get it below 10 I think (hope it won't take too long!). With the food - the diebetic nurse has told me to eat starchy foods e.g. bran, brown bread pasta etc - but it is not helping to keep the BS down. Do most people who have high BS eat a very low carb diet and only eat lots of carbs when they have low B?

That's probably the world's most obvious question!

Bingo!

Try doing this

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

drop as many of the starches as you can at first, this will allow you to see what effect different foods have on your system and at different times of day.

Meanwhile you really should get a GAD and c-peptide test, often they assume you are Type 2 from your age and if you are actually LADA you only get rediagnosed in the ER

 

[emac]

Thanks that site is really useful. I will give that a go. Tried lower carbs today and was down to 12 BS so thats definate progress.

In terms of diagnosis, they have found ketones and they said they are going to do another test on me, which involves drinking glucose?! Think I am in the slightly too young/healthyish (I am 28) for type 2 and a bit old for type one category, so not sure what I am.

cheers for the help

 

[LittleSue]

Thanks that site is really useful. I will give that a go. Tried lower carbs today and was down to 12 BS so thats definate progress.

In terms of diagnosis, they have found ketones and they said they are going to do another test on me, which involves drinking glucose?! Think I am in the slightly too young/healthyish (I am 28) for type 2 and a bit old for type one category, so not sure what I am.

cheers for the help

Ketones tends to suggest type 1 or LADA but type 2s can get them, especially if bs gets very high before diagnosis. You're not too old for type 1, it can start at any age from about 3 months to 70+. Not all type 2s are overweight either. Although many type 2s are overweight and type 1 typcically starts in childhood, many and typically doesn't mean all.