Type 2 reversal did not work for me.

[Kyambala]

@Kyambala if you are able to exercise, then do. It wont reduce your weight, but will aid insulin sensitivity. You will be surprised how little impact metformin has on your BG. It isn't a direct BG lowering drug. It does try to prevent secretion by the liver, and improve insulin sensitivity, hence no hypos with it. If you are injecting insulin you will need your Health Care Peeps on board with LCHF. If you reduce carbs, you reduce the quantity of insulin required to bring sugars down. Injecting insulin when your sugars are already low(ish) may cause a hypo
I am fortunate, as I dont inject insulin, so I can go Low Carb without undue risk

Thanks walnut_face. That is very interesting information. The reason my exercise has dropped so much s because it has been too cold lately to go for walks. Selfish yes. In Uganda the temperature is always between 60 and 90 degrees F. Ideal temperature for being outside. Central heating in my flat and freezing temperatures outside does not encourage me to go outside except for shopping.

BUT, the sun is shining today and right now I am going for a walk.

Bye everybody.

 

[walnut_face]

Know what you mean @Kyambala about the cold. Enjoy your walk!
I use https://www.decathlon.co.uk/essential-mini-stepper-black-id_8360963.html when the weather is inclement.

 

[Resurgam]

Hello Resurgam. Haven't heard from you lately - hope you haven't taken offense at my (joking) comments to Brunneria. I can't afford to lose good friends like you. Your advice is always welcome.

Oh no, no offence - it is just that I have nothing to wear so I am trying to tidy up a bit in my sewing room and find some fabric and sewing patterns not dating from the era of Mrs Thatcher with shoulder pads and lapels of power.

 

[Kyambala]

Oh no, no offence - it is just that I have nothing to wear so I am trying to tidy up a bit in my sewing room and find some fabric and sewing patterns not dating from the era of Mrs Thatcher with shoulder pads and lapels of power.

Good to see you back. Whatever you wear I am sure you will look lovely in it.

 

[CherryAA]

Hello Cherry. I have been Type 2 now for about 20 years and over the years have learnt to read my body. This is important as I used to spend about 9 months of the year in Uganda and if your batteries run flat or you run out of test strips etc. I cannot test myself. Most of my "near" Hypos have happened in Uganda in the middle of the night. Also in Uganda my diet was nearly 100% carbs.

Now that I expect that the rest of my life will be spent in the UK and my diet is LCHF I am on a learning curve to try and balance my eating to my meter readings. I check my blood before breakfast every morning and have been pleased to see that they have between 4 and 5. In the past few days they have jumped to between 6 and 8 and I am not sure why.

I am also eating LESS than I used to do in either Uganda and here in the UK. The amount of carbs I eat is very low. No potatoes, no carrots, no parsnips, no muesli, no oranges, only one slice of bread with my fried breakfast. I eat lots of greens, tomatoes, peppers, fish, meat, chicken, lamb, pork, cheese, and yogurt.

The Metformin reduced my Insulin needs from 60 units AM to 44 units. PM Insulin reduced from 40 units to 32 units.

Since starting on the LCHF diet about 2 weeks ago my weight has dropped from 85 kilos to 83. Not a big drop but at least it is moving in the right direction. I am also doing a lot less exercise than I was doing in Uganda.

I think that I must either do a lot more exercise or eat less food and decrease my Insulin intake - or perhaps both.

It is early days yet. Thanks for your interest. Any suggestions are welcome.

It sounds like you are getting on top of things

I have only had one slice of bread ince diagnosis, - in a sea of 5-8 it standas out as 12 mmol - it was one slice of white bread that caused a huge spike - I use fresh spinach with some oil and balsamic vinegar as my base for bacon and eggs. It works very nicely.

 

[CherryAA]

Thanks Freema. The Metformin reduced my Insulin needs from 60 units AM to 44 units. PM Insulin reduced from 40 units to 32 units. But I am going to try and reduce my Insulin levels even further. 44 + 32 = 76 which means a 24% reduction from the 60 + 40 before I started taking Metformin. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

I've been helping a T2 get off insulin for about 6 months now, via lCHF, he is currently using about one third of where he began. he had been taking insulin for 12 years before that, in increasing doses.

 

[Kyambala]

I've been helping a T2 get off insulin for about 6 months now, via lCHF, he is currently using about one third of where he began. he had been taking insulin for 12 years before that, in increasing doses.

Hello Cherry. You are a winner getting that far. I am still at the early stages on the LCHF diet. I started 3 weeks ago and have lost about 3 kilos -so I am pleased. But - last night at midnight I tested my BS before going to bed and it was 7.5 and at 4 am I awoke to urinate and felt that I needed to test again. It was 3.7 So I ate a small orange and some nuts. Fasting BS this morning at 9.30 am and it was 5.4 Good figures this morning - but why did my BS drop from 7.5 to 3.7 in only 4 hours?

If anybody knows the answer - please advise.

 

[CherryAA]

its interesting, there are a few ways to look at this, I personally rejoice if my numbers go to 3.7 for a tiny bit.

This article is a study of "normal "people .

https://chriskresser.com/when-your-“normal”-blood-sugar-isn’t-normal-part-2/
"
This study showed that even after a high-carb meal, normal people’s blood sugar rises to about 125 mg/dL for a brief period, with the peak blood sugar being measured at 45 minutes after eating, and then drops back under 100 mg/dL by the two hour mark.

Another continuous glucose monitoring study confirmed these results. Sensor glucose concentrations were between 71 – 120 mg/dL for 91% of the day. Sensor values were less than or equal to 60 or 140 mg/dL for only 0.2% and 0.4% of the day, respectively."

The other way to say this would be that sensor values in normal people were between 60 - 71 9 (or 3.3 and 3.9)
or between 120-140 ( or 6,6 and 7,7) for 8.4% of the day i.e 2 hours per day of which some was at either end of the scale.

As such your numbers were completely normal for a none diabetic person . Obviously hypo's re dangerous but as far s I can gather it isn't real much of an issue if you are not on drugs of any sort.
I'v; dropped below 3.9 a few times and its always gone back to the mid 4's fairly promptly, without the need for food.

I am also very happy when I wake up with an average fasting blood sugar under 6 because now I have a CGM I know that if i stay off the carbs I will end up in the non diabetic range for the entire day.





. .

 

[CherryAA]

its interesting, there are a few ways to look at this, I personally rejoice if my numbers go to 3.7 for a tiny bit.

This article is a study of "normal "people .

https://chriskresser.com/when-your-“normal”-blood-sugar-isn’t-normal-part-2/
"
This study showed that even after a high-carb meal, normal people’s blood sugar rises to about 125 mg/dL for a brief period, with the peak blood sugar being measured at 45 minutes after eating, and then drops back under 100 mg/dL by the two hour mark.

Another continuous glucose monitoring study confirmed these results. Sensor glucose concentrations were between 71 – 120 mg/dL for 91% of the day. Sensor values were less than or equal to 60 or 140 mg/dL for only 0.2% and 0.4% of the day, respectively."

The other way to say this would be that sensor values in normal people were between 60 - 71 9 (or 3.3 and 3.9)
or between 120-140 ( or 6,6 and 7,7) for 8.4% of the day i.e 2 hours per day of which some was at either end of the scale.

As such your numbers were completely normal for a none diabetic person . Obviously hypo's re dangerous but as far s I can gather it isn't real much of an issue if you are not on drugs of any sort.
I'v; dropped below 3.9 a few times and its always gone back to the mid 4's fairly promptly, without the need for food.

I am also very happy when I wake up with an average fasting blood sugar under 6 because now I have a CGM I know that if i stay off the carbs I will end up in the non diabetic range for the entire day.





. .

I had forgotten that you were on drugs s you do need to be more careful - for my friend having these type of episodes was the point when he decided to reduce his dosage a bit, but obviusly you should consult with your doctor about that .

good luck !

 

[Resurgam]

I have been seeing lower and lower BG readings - now after dinner I am seeing quite low figures - 6.3 mmol/l today, 6.6 mmol/l yesterday. I am getting low on strips so not testing very often, but the longer I stick to LCHF the lower my figures. As I am not taking any medication I don't need to worry about dropping too low, nor about eating regularly. If I don't feel like eating, I don't bother, but when I feel like having more than my usual two meals I do - having made so much progress so fast I feel that it will be OK to do this easily, no stress.

 

[Kyambala]

I had forgotten that you were on drugs s you do need to be more careful - for my friend having these type of episodes was the point when he decided to reduce his dosage a bit, but obviusly you should consult with your doctor about that .

good luck !

Hi Cherry. Last night went to bed 11.45 and did not test because I felt OK. At 2 am went to urinate and felt a bit shakey. was also seeing black shadows before my eyes which made it difficult to test BS 2.4 My wife came to my aid (as always) and fed me a satsuma, glass of milk, cup of tea, 2 chunks of Double Gloucester cheese, and 5 oat cakes with Philadelphia cheese. Felt much better and went back to bed. This morning 9.30 am BS was 7.5 not surprised really.

Tonight I think that I will lower my Insulin by 2 units from 32 to 30.

I have only been on LCHF 3 weeks and have already lost 3 kilos and don't feel hungry or bloated.

 

[jonbvn]

Good evening Chery. Looking at your profile you really are a "winner". You seem to be approaching your Diabetes like you are going into battle. 2 meals per day! 10,000 steps per day! Puts me to shame - but also stimulates me to try. Congratulations!

A good analogy. I suppose we are all fighting a war with this disease, given that the consequences of losing.

 

[Kyambala]

I have been seeing lower and lower BG readings - now after dinner I am seeing quite low figures - 6.3 mmol/l today, 6.6 mmol/l yesterday. I am getting low on strips so not testing very often, but the longer I stick to LCHF the lower my figures. As I am not taking any medication I don't need to worry about dropping too low, nor about eating regularly. If I don't feel like eating, I don't bother, but when I feel like having more than my usual two meals I do - having made so much progress so fast I feel that it will be OK to do this easily, no stress.

Hi Reurgam. I would love to be able to fast for a day, or even miss a meal, but my BS seems to drop quite drastically and quickly.
Fortunately, I have a wonderfully wife who looks after my every need - especially when I almost Hypo in the middle of the night.

She is a wonderful gift from God. A real treasure.

 

[Kyambala]

A good analogy. I suppose we are all fighting a war with this disease, given that the consequences of losing.

Hi jonbvn. I am very fortunate because I always wake up when my BS drops very low so that I have never had a complete Hypo in the past 20 years of Diabetes. God also gave me a wonderful wife who is quick to jump out of bed and come to my rescue.

 

[Resurgam]

Hi Reurgam. I would love to be able to fat for a day, or even miss a meal, but my BS seems to drop quite drastically and quickly.
Fortunately, I have a wonderfully wife who looks after my every need - especially when I almost Hypo in the middle of the night.

She is a wonderful gift from God. A real treasure.

So you are taking drugs to lower your BG?

 

[walnut_face]

Hi Cherry. Last night went to bed 11.45 and did not test because I felt OK. At 2 am went to urinate and felt a bit shakey. was also seeing black shadows before my eyes which made it difficult to test BS 2.4 My wife came to my aid (as always) and fed me a satsuma, glass of milk, cup of tea, 2 chunks of Double Gloucester cheese, and 5 oat cakes with Philadelphia cheese. Felt much better and went back to bed. This morning 9.30 am BS was 7.5 not surprised really.

Tonight I think that I will lower my Insulin by 2 units from 32 to 30.

I have only been on LCHF 3 weeks and have already lost 3 kilos and don't feel hungry or bloated.

@Kyambala you really do need to see your Health Care Team (HCT), and soon. If LCHF is your desired root, inform them that this is your chosen path, and that, no matter what they say, you are sticking to it. You are injecting insulin to reduce your Blood Sugars, but if they are no longer rising as high, due to your dietary choice, then the bodies call for insulin is also reduced. BUT you must discuss this with your HCT and let them advise you on an insulin reduction plan

 

[Kyambala]

So you are taking drugs to lower your BG?

Hello again Resurgam. I used to take 60 units of Insulin AM and 40 PM so the doctor put me on 2 metformin as well.
This reduced my Insulin to 44 AM and 32 PM.

My diet in Uganda was mainly carbs. Normally when I return to UK I increase my Insulin to about 46 AM and 34 PM which leaves my BS about 7 or 8.

Now that I have started on LCHF I haven't quite settled on what my dose should be and have been experimenting with varying my dose by 2 or 4 units AM & PM.

So, this AM it was 44 and tonight it is 32. I will check my BS before I go to bed. Will let you know tomorrow.

 

[Kyambala]

@Kyambala you really do need to see your Health Care Team (HCT), and soon. If LCHF is your desired root, inform them that this is your chosen path, and that, no matter what they say, you are sticking to it. You are injecting insulin to reduce your Blood Sugars, but if they are no longer rising as high, due to your dietary choice, then the bodies call for insulin is also reduced. BUT you must discuss this with your HCT and let them advise you on an insulin reduction plan

Thanks Walnut_face. I have already seen them and they advise a variation of 2 units at a time until I find out which level suits me. But thanks for the advice.

 

[CherryAA]

From what I have seen for many people the reduction in insulin does is quite quick if you adopt a strict low carbs diet

my readings have been under 4 dropping to a low of 3.4 temprorily for about 3 hours this evening. I don't take drugs so there is nothing to adjust - but these do appear to be in the normal range for a non diabetic.

 

[CherryAA]

That's a pity, how big a spike is it? My bs always goes up with a meal including it, but usually less than 2mmol and its always a tiny part of that particular meal anyway. mine is expensive- around £12 per bottle- but that lasts weeks. I have no idea how the ingredients change with price