Seriously confused

[Jen74]

Came home from nightshift having had nothing to eat except a yoghurt at 18.30 before work last nighy and bm 14.8mmol, i know its not healthy to not eat but id expect a lot lower a bg arh! And thats with metformin

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I shouldn't rely on the Metformin since it does not make very much difference to blood sugar levels. In my case it made none at all.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Came home from nightshift having had nothing to eat except a yoghurt at 18.30 before work last nighy and bm 14.8mmol, i know its not healthy to not eat but id expect a lot lower a bg arh! And thats with metformin

What sort of work do you do? Is it physical? Stressful? There could be many reasons for that high number.
What are you normally when you return from night shift, and what sort of numbers do you see before and after food?

 

[Jen74]

What sort of work do you do? Is it physical? Stressful? There could be many reasons for that high number.
What are you normally when you return from night shift, and what sort of numbers do you see before and after food?

I work 13hrs on my feet, i used to sit around 8mmols after work but over last month sugar has went to 18mmols after food n still up at 16mmol 3 to 4 hours later

 

[Bluetit1802]

Oh dear, that is a worry for you.

Are you following any particular diet regime? Low carb for example, and are you keeping a food diary and recording your levels alongside? Doing that is an excellent way of discovering which foods are causing the problems so you can eliminate or reduce some of the carbs. It is carbohydrate that raises blood sugar levels, particularly potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and breakfast cereals.

 

[Jen74]

Oh dear, that is a worry for you.

Are you following any particular diet regime? Low carb for example, and are you keeping a food diary and recording your levels alongside? Doing that is an excellent way of discovering which foods are causing the problems so you can eliminate or reduce some of the carbs. It is carbohydrate that raises blood sugar levels, particularly potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and breakfast cereals.

Ye thats whats confusing tho i didnt eat anything lol

 

[kokhongw]

Ye thats whats confusing tho i didnt eat anything lol

When I was first diagnosed, that was what I experienced. Nothing seems to bring it down...

But after I took some strong raw puer tea and started low carbs things immediately improved.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Ye thats whats confusing tho i didnt eat anything lol

Not eating anything and then doing a 13 hour shift when you are on your feet the whole time, plus any stress, may have caused your liver to dump glucose in your blood stream to keep you going. This is usually most common when you first get up and start the day, but also happens at other times, and is a natural occurrence. Your liver probably thought you had insufficient energy so tried to help you out.

Are you following a low carb regime and keeping a food diary, and testing before and after eating? What sort of results do you see?

 

[Jen74]

When I was first diagnosed, that was what I experienced. Nothing seems to bring it down...

But after I took some strong raw puer tea and started low carbs things immediately improved.

Whats puer tea?

 

[Jen74]

Not eating anything and then doing a 13 hour shift when you are on your feet the whole time, plus any stress, may have caused your liver to dump glucose in your blood stream to keep you going. This is usually most common when you first get up and start the day, but also happens at other times, and is a natural occurrence. Your liver probably thought you had insufficient energy so tried to help you out.

Are you following a low carb regime and keeping a food diary, and testing before and after eating? What sort of results do you see?

If im honest i find the low carb difficult its in most things lol as i live alone i do eat processed food as dont see point cooking from scratch just for me lol

 

[Bluetit1802]

If im honest i find the low carb difficult its in most things lol as i live alone i do eat processed food as dont see point cooking from scratch just for me lol

The point is that unless you pay attention to your carb consumption your levels will not come down and may start to rise. Your health is at stake and there is nothing more important than that.

It is summer time and we are having some glorious weather at the moment. It is salad time. Eggs, tinned salmon, sardines or mackerel, cold meats, cheese are all easy to prepare with some salad leaves, peppers and either olive oil or Hellmans real mayo. Or you could batch cook. Set one day a week aside to prepare and cook your food, portion it up and freeze it. Or a slow cooker where you can just throw in all the low carb ingredients and slow cook it whilst you are at work to make a tasty stew. Then again you can portion it up and freeze it. It just requires a bit of planning and organisation.

 

[leslie10152]

Came home from nightshift having had nothing to eat except a yoghurt at 18.30 before work last nighy and bm 14.8mmol, i know its not healthy to not eat but id expect a lot lower a bg arh! And thats with metformin

If you very active and don't eat for long periods, chances are your liver will react as if the body is in danger and release glucose. I go through this myself from time to time on busy shifts.

 

[Chook]

I did five years of nights and it really screws with your BG. I don't think I had what I'd now class as a 'normal' reading the entire time I was doing nights (I did 4 x 12.5 hrs on and 4 off).

Because of the well documented effect that working nights have on BG and the warmer temperatures at the moment you really need to be even more careful than most people about the carbs that you eat otherwise you will soon start feeling rubbish - constantly thirsty, constantly needing to pee, tired and generally under the weather.

I'm not just saying this to worry you but this is exactly what happened to me and is the reason I had to come off of nights. Had I taken firmer control I would probably still be working nights because (weirdly) I did enjoy it.

 

[kokhongw]

Whats puer tea?

It is a kind of semi fermented chinese tea.

 

[Resurgam]

I used to read classical Greek and Roman stuff and they seem to have been keen on self catering - big strapping warrior chap gets back from racing his high mettled steeds or throws off his armour or puts on clothes after being at the gym and then sets to and cooks himself something tasty - nothing about dropping in at the market for fast foods on the way home.
I'm not sure when cooking up good foods became something to be avoided, but reversing the trend would seem to be a good idea - particularly when your health is dependant upon keeping control.
I think that planning to have things in the fridge is half the battle - and could you stop for something to eat on your night shift? Maybe getting some Lidl protein folls - cutting them in half and freezing them then having some cold meat or cheese or whatever you fancy would mean that you have lower readings by the time you stop work.
Do cut the rolls in half before freezing, then you can grab, fill and be off even though they are still rock hard.

 

[Jen74]

It is a kind of semi fermented chinese tea.

So how does it help bg and more importantly does it taste ok lol and where do u get it?

 

[barriebanana]

Oh dear, that is a worry for you.

Are you following any particular diet regime? Low carb for example, and are you keeping a food diary and recording your levels alongside? Doing that is an excellent way of discovering which foods are causing the problems so you can eliminate or reduce some of the carbs. It is carbohydrate that raises blood sugar levels, particularly potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and breakfast cereals.

Have read new potatoes are the best way to eat potatoes if you have to have them

 

[Bluetit1802]

Have read new potatoes are the best way to eat potatoes if you have to have them

Yes, they are. Also, strangely, home made chips! Or at least they work for me, but only 6 or 7. However, only testing with a meter can confirm if they are OK or not. Mash and jackets are the baddies.

 

[barriebanana]

Yes, they are. Also, strangely, home made chips! Or at least they work for me, but only 6 or 7. However, only testing with a meter can confirm if they are OK or not. Mash and jackets are the baddies.

Thanks for reply Bluetit

 

[DCUKMod]

@Jen74 - How many times a day are you testing, and are your bloods always high now?

If this is a sudden rise in your blood scores, does it correlate to a new tub of strips, say? It is possible to have the odd "off batch", that maybe hasn't been properly seal or something.