Type 2 When should you check levels and bring them down?

[LAHend]

My dad is T2 and on glicliside - (possible near to insulin, as levels still high) trying to bring his levels down at the moment, they are always usually about 10ish or above. He is really struggling trying to bring them down. He doesn't check levels in the morning,should he? Doc said don't take levels too often as they will fluctuate. He was unwell recently and not eating and that's when his levels were lowest. He is trying to cut out carbs and checks sugar level on most things he is eating but as soon as he starts eating again after being unwell his levels go up. He's unsure y? He ate brown bread and butter, bran flakes and a few bruschetta bites (low in sugar he thinks) Level was 12.6. Had a curry with some rice and a little nan etc later and 1.5 hrs later his level was 10.2 but he was expecting it to be even higher than the 12.6. Very confusing?!

 

[Resurgam]

Your dad is eating high carb foods - low sugar isn't going to help, cutting out the densely carbohydrate foods will lower his blood glucose, and he can then try various foods to see how much of them he can tolerate - some people can manage porridge oats, and some find double digit levels.
People do find that they are able to cope with some carbs better later in the day as their insulin resistance lowers.
As your dad is taking Glicliside if he eats very low carb as I did to get non diabetic readings, he will probably go too low, but he could lower his blood glucose by cutting down and checking his readings frequently rather than getting double digit blood glucose.

 

[seadragon]

Bread often spikes people really high - more than table sugar as it is quickly broken down to sugar in the body as all carbs are. If he doesn't want to give up carbs completely its worth getting a book that gives the GI values of common foods - its a real eye opener for those who have never realised (as most of us hadn't) that carbs = sugar in the body. He could try cutting down bead, pasta, potatoes etc and eating lower carb fruits - e.g. strawberries raspberries blueberries. Snack on nuts and cheese ( limit any crackers. Eat more veg particularly above ground veg. The good news is he can have butter on his veg so they are tasty. If he's on gliclizide it would be wise to discuss lowering the medication if he is going to go full low carb high fat.

The only way to really see how what he is eating is affecting his blood is to test. A morning fasting reading gives a good baseline. It may well fluctuate but you should still see some pattern - hopefully reducing over time.
One of the best ways is to keep a food diary for a week and test before a meal and at 1 and 2 hours after each meal. That way you can see what affects the blood sugar most. If a meal causes a spike look at what was in it and then you can test those foods again. Make sure you write it down each time.

You can then continue testing as you introduce lower carb meals. After a while you can reduce the testing once you have a better understanding of what spikes BS

Eventually he will learn what he can and can't eat to keep BS down.

I also recommend visiting Dietdoctor.com website - its got lots of free info on low carb foods and benefits and you don't have to sign up to anything to access it.

My mum cut carbs on gliclizide and got a few dizzy spells when sugar went a bit low so she reduced her dose with approval of her doctor (well she told him later) and now doesn't take it at all.

 

[tan800]

ou can then continue testing as you introduce lower carb meals. After a while you can reduce the testing once you have a better understanding of what spikes BS

Eventually he will learn what he can and can't eat to keep BS down.

Hi， @seadragon I am very planing to follow the method you described to reduce my carbs daily in order to lower my BS level, basically to do testing, adjusting, refining. Wonder how long this process may take, say, are two months long enough ?
I have never done this kind of testing before, like to know more about the whole process.

Thanks

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi， @seadragon I am very planing to follow the method you described to reduce my carbs daily in order to lower my BS level, basically to do testing, adjusting, refining. Wonder how long this process may take, say, are two months long enough ?
I have never done this kind of testing before, like to know more about the whole process.

Thanks

I am still doing it after 3 years! My levels are normal, but I still do it to avoid complacency and the all too easy "carb creep".

 

[Bluetit1802]

@LAHend

As said by others, sugar is only one carb. All carbs convert to glucose once inside the system, and the worst culprits are bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals and flour. Even the supposedly healthy wholemeal varieties convert to glucose. We also have to be very careful with fruit and milk. If your dad wants to lower his levels and hopefully avoid insulin, it is these foods that need reducing.

Gliclazide is a drug that stimulates the pancreas to produce extra insulin. The fewer carbs we eat the less insulin we need, so your dad needs to be careful not to go too low or he may hypo. If he finds his levels are going too low then he needs to have a discussion with his doctor/nurse about reducing the Gliclazide dose.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

My dad is T2 and on glicliside - (possible near to insulin, as levels still high) trying to bring his levels down at the moment, they are always usually about 10ish or above. He is really struggling trying to bring them down. He doesn't check levels in the morning,should he? Doc said don't take levels too often as they will fluctuate. He was unwell recently and not eating and that's when his levels were lowest. He is trying to cut out carbs and checks sugar level on most things he is eating but as soon as he starts eating again after being unwell his levels go up. He's unsure y? He ate brown bread and butter, bran flakes and a few bruschetta bites (low in sugar he thinks) Level was 12.6. Had a curry with some rice and a little nan etc later and 1.5 hrs later his level was 10.2 but he was expecting it to be even higher than the 12.6. Very confusing?!

Avoid all carbs to reduce blood sugars. Avoid eating bread, including brown bread, nan bread. Avoid eating rice. Avoid eating breakfast cereals including bran flakes as they are pure carbs. For some low carbs meal ideas check out www.dietdoctor.com

 

[Bluetit1802]

Avoid all carbs to reduce blood sugars. Avoid eating bread, including brown bread, nan bread. Avoid eating rice. Avoid eating breakfast cereals including bran flakes as they are pure carbs. For some low carbs meal ideas check out www.dietdoctor.com

This is not a sensible approach for someone on Gliclazide unless he knows exactly what he is doing. Gradual reduction is more sensible initially.

 

[Resurgam]

Hi， @seadragon I am very planing to follow the method you described to reduce my carbs daily in order to lower my BS level, basically to do testing, adjusting, refining. Wonder how long this process may take, say, are two months long enough ?
I have never done this kind of testing before, like to know more about the whole process.

Thanks

If you lower your intake of carbs you should see a difference next day - the consequences will stack up over the following days weeks and months, but lowering carbs one day will mean you wake next morning without having had to try to cope with them - a better situation to be in.

 

[ickihun]

I advise it's done slowly. It's not a race.
The arteries don't like fast changes. He should start by changing his breakfast first.
Give him eggs, no bread or beans. Maybe a bit bacon or ham, for now.
What does he drink?

 

[Art Of Flowers]

When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes the first thing I did was check the ingredients labels on what I was eating and drinking. I found my "heathy" Jordan's Country Crisp breakfast was 24% sugar, so I stopped eating that. Instead I was eating porridge as I that had no sugar and was low glycemic carbs, but when I eventually tested two hours after eating it I discovered it spiked my blood sugar from 6.5 to over 10. So I stopped eating that too and now have a cheese omelette for breakfast.

I was eating the occasional jacket potato, but discovered this was high carb and cut that out. Similarly with bread, rice and pasta. It turns out that Special K breakfast cereal raises blood sugar faster than eating raw sugar. Most breakfast cereals should be avoided if you are type 2. It does take a while to realise all the foods you need to stay clear of.

Someone with a blood sugar level of over 10 long term is likely to suffer serious complications such as nerve damage. Unfortunately, drugs like Metformin and Gliclazide are not a cure for high blood sugars. They can help a little, but they also can have serious side effects. The most effective way to reduce high blood sugar levels is though your diet. This should enable levels of medications to be reduced as blood sugar levels normalise. Testing is the key and care is needed to ensure blood sugars don't get too low and cause hypos.

 

[seadragon]

Hi， @seadragon I am very planing to follow the method you described to reduce my carbs daily in order to lower my BS level, basically to do testing, adjusting, refining. Wonder how long this process may take, say, are two months long enough ?
I have never done this kind of testing before, like to know more about the whole process.

Thanks

I think I tested and kept a food diary religiously for a couple of months - then if I was eating foods I knew were 'safe' I wouldn't bother testing. Now over two years of low carbing I am aware of what foods I can safely eat and what foods will spike me, so I tend to only test in the mornings (I suffer from the dawn phenomenon so I like to see my morning fasting readings) or if I have eaten something different and want to see it's effects. Also sometimes I admit I give in to temptation and then I test after a meal and if it's higher than I'd like then I will usually do a brisk walk for 20 minutes or so which in my case usually brings blood sugars down to within 'safe' limits which I take to be lower than 7.8 mmol. My golden rule is to never go to bed on a level above 7.0. i have found that for me walking around (indoors or on the spot if necessary) will immediately reduce BS levels.

 

[LAHend]

I advise it's done slowly. It's not a race.
The arteries don't like fast changes. He should start by changing his breakfast first.
Give him eggs, no bread or beans. Maybe a bit bacon or ham, for now.
What does he drink?

He drinks diet iron bru most of the time.

 

[ickihun]

He drinks diet iron bru most of the time.

Of course water is better. Although I cannot talk I drink diet lemonade some days.
He is doing well making a change at a time.