Lessons learned!

[lesfb74]

Situation - diagnosed 3 years ago, getting worse so put on Metformin, which I could not tolerate, having heavy sweating and dizziness as well as digestive problems. The doctors decided to change me to Gliclazide.

Story - went to get instruction on the drug’s use. Nurse warned about possible hypo risk. Showed me how to use the Verio monitor. Took a test. Reading 26.7. Alarm bells! Well, almost. Next patient told to wait as there was a possible emergency, urine tests and then we all calmed down as no ketones found. But a serious lecture on what a high reading this was, and its possible dangers. I left the surgery as a shocked and worried women.

Next morning, reading 22.4. Still far too high but going in the right direction. Next morning 18.6. Whoopee. Much relief.

Then, this morning. Usual routine. Reading 28.9!!! Well, I panicked. What to do? It’s Sunday. No doctor and no A&E at our local hospital. Tried google. And up came a topic on this forum. And somebody was suggesting that if you get a high reading on one hand, you should try the other one!? Has the world gone mad, I thought? Tried it anyway. Got a reading of 17.5. Then I realised. I had done the first reading in the kitchen - where I had been cutting up fruit for my breakfast granola.

LESSONS LEARNED.

1) Panic doesn’t help.
2) Always try the other hand.
3) ALWAYS, ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE DOING A TEST!!!

Oh yes, and 4). Follow the Forum. I now have the app on my phone.

Sorry about the long story, folks, but if it helps only one person not to have a needless panic attack, it’s worth it I think.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello and welcome to the forum,

Yes, your have learnt at least 2 valuable lessons, although I'm not sure about the second one. It isn't at all necessary to try the other hand. Any finger on either hand will do, but it is very wise to do a re-test if you see a reading that is higher or lower than your normal range for that time of day, and another test after that if necessary. (Always washing, rinsing and drying hands of course!)

I will tag @daisy1 who will post an introductory post for newcomers, which contains a lot of very important and useful information. Meanwhile, please read round the forums, and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[Grateful]

Welcome to the forum!

Well-done for sorting that out, must have been a bit worrisome.

Have you tried a low-carb diet? They are starting you on Gliclazide, so the diet should be tried only with caution and medical advice, as the dose may need to be lowered to avoid hypos.

Some of us have successfully "reversed" our Type 2 diabetes with the low-carb diet. By "reversed" I mean that our blood glucose levels are "non-diabetic." I am one of those people (see signature below).

Here are some useful links:

Explaining the various low-carb options: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-diabetes-diet.html.

Getting food information and recipes: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb.

 

[Guzzler]

Hello and welcome to the forum, it is good to see you.

 

[Rachox]

I did that when I’d peeled a satsuma for my daughter, then didn’t wash my hand before testing!

 

[Bluetit1802]

I should have added my own experience of hand washing. It isn't just specks of food on your fingers - with me it was soap residue. (soap has sugar in it). Since then I always, without fail, rinse my hands thoroughly under running water.

 

[archersuz]

I always dry my hands on kitchen towel after washing and rinsing thoroughly as I'm not sure what might be on the hand towel.

 

[daisy1]

@lesfb74

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 276,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[lesfb74]

I did that when I’d peeled a satsuma for my daughter, then didn’t wash my hand before testing!

Thanks so much for that. I thought I was the only eejit in the place. It’s so easy to panic until you’ve learned the ropes. I was controlling by diet alone for quite a while and thought it would stay that way but I guess getting older doesn’t help.

 

[Mike d]

where I had been cutting up fruit for my breakfast granola.

What are you eating during the day, why granola and what is that fruit? They're my alarm bells

 

[lesfb74]

What are you eating during the day, why granola and what is that fruit? They're my alarm bells

Hi Mike. It was low sugar granola and the fruit was a persimmon - also known a Sharon fruit I think. I mix with natural yoghurt to make a slimming breakfast. Well, that’s the theory. The fruit is pretty sweet so maybe I should have known better? But I hadn’t actually eaten it when I took the test. I was told to do it fasting each morning. I’m overweight but trying to reduce! During the day I usually have a low fat low sugar diet. Luckily I’ve never had a sweet tooth so that part is no problem but I’m not so good on the fats and savouries! I can do without chips but I love good oils on salads, tasty bread, sausages, duck eggs.... Anyway, as I said, I’m still on the learning curve. It’s all a bit scary right now to be honest. I have diabetes in the family and I knew I was pre-diabetic for a long time, then I crossed the line but I still thought I was ok and a sensible diet would handle it. Wrong, as it turned out! Obviously need to do some serious reading and get a proper plan together.

 

[slip]

before someone comes along and says 'cut out the bread and the cereals, you must go low carb high fat'. That would have been the sensible advice pre-Gliclazide, I'd suggest you keep as you are but keep testing.

 

[slip]

Also with regards the OP, I scared myself *expletive* testing my daughter once.........& once she had washed her hands and we retested, normality resumed.

 

[Resurgam]

I look at the persimmons longingly, but they are too high in carbs for me with no medication - however I am pleased that low carbing also means that I am getting thinner and need to buy new clothes. People are starting to notice.

 

[Bluetit1802]

@lesfb74

Can I ask if you test at other times rather than just a morning fasting test? Testing immediately before you eat and again 2 hours after the first bite will give you an idea of what that meal did to your levels, and maybe show you that some of your choices need a bit of tweaking. The general thinking is to keep the rise from before to after under 2mmol/l. A food diary comes in very useful with this, one that includes portion sizes and all the ingredients. You can then record your levels alongside the food and over time look for patterns. Your personal danger foods/portion sizes should become obvious. I find a spread sheet very useful for all this.

I see you are on a low fat way of eating. That is fine, but fats won't raise your blood sugar levels and you need to be careful with some low fat food products as they often contain added sugar. Always read the nutrition labels for the total carbohydrate amount. (The "of which sugars" bit can be ignored) No need to avoid good olive oil on your salads - it is good for you. (so are eggs!)

 

[ringi]

Firstly to get a more dependable BG reading, wipe off the first drop of blood with tissues and test the second drop of blood. Washing hands in clean water (rinse of all soap) first and drying with clean tissues also should be done when possible.

As to Gliclazide and low carb, there is nothing to be concerned about, provided you keep some fast acting carbs nearby for if/when you get a Hypos, and test often including before and when driving. If below 5 eat carbs, if below 4 do not drive until above 5 for some time.

As soon as your readings are often below 7 2hr after meals, talk to your GP about reducing your Gliclazide dose. You will find it hard unless you have about the same level of carbs at all meals, so you need to decide what you are going to do and keep to it. Normally when someone on Gliclazide starts low carb, we tell them to reduce their carbs slowly, but as your BG is so high, you are unlikely to get a bad Hypos even if you did not eat at all for a day.

(I decided to stop my own Gliclazide without waiting for my GP's approval as my BG was getting very low, and I was by then very committed to low carb, but we must always advise people to talk to their GB about drug doses. Remember you can cut a tablet in half if needed.)

 

[Bluetit1802]

Firstly to get a more dependable BG reading, wipe off the first drop of blood with tissues and test the second drop of blood. Washing hands in clean water (rinse of all soap) first and drying with clean tissues also should be done when possible.

Some of us, including me, have enough difficulty getting one drop of blood, never mind a second!

 

[woodywhippet61]

Some of us, including me, have enough difficulty getting one drop of blood, never mind a second!

I have this. Then I read on the Abbott leaflet on 'how do a finger test' not to squeeze. Well how I'm supposed to get any blood out of my finger without squeezing is beyond me. Last time I tried I ended up with 5 ouchy finger pads, 1 you'll get nothing out of me side of finger and I don't know why you are bothering trying me from a thumb pad. I got 1 drop of blood that wasn't enough for my libre and 1 other drop of blood which was enough for the code free. I soaked my hands in hot as I can stand it water before trying, I shook them and I held them pointing downwards.

I'm sitting here writing this because my Libre is reading 2.4 and I really need to do a finger prick to check it out and just can't get up the enthusiasm because of the struggle to get blood out. Great now it's reading lo. My brain is saying that I'm okay because my liver will kick in.

Edited to say that it has just kicked in.

 

[lesfb74]

Thanks to all for your help. I’m following the advice to keep a food diary and test regularly during this first month on Gliclazide and it’s paying off. When I started my readings were well up in the 20s but are now in the lower teens. And I can also see my danger areas. Sadly, my much loved baked potatoes (usually the slimmer’s best friend) will now have to be a rare treat but I guess it will all be worth it when I get that BG back into single figures.

 

[Mike d]

Sacrifices @lesfb74 are regrettably, part of the game. Yeah, I loved my roast spuds too. Keep going until you reach that goal as you've obviously improved a lot Keep well. Mike