Uncontrolled Diabetes

rprprp

Member
Messages
5
Just got my HB1AC it's 96, it was 110. My Sugar reading is always high teens minimum.

I take daily

Gliclazide 80mg
Sukkarto 1g
4xBP Meds

And a weekly injection of Dulaglutide 1.5mg

I used to get blood sugar of 9 at best, but now its doubled. I tried eating nothing and no change. Also I don't suffer from extreme thirst or anything like that, except nausea from the injection I think.

Any ideas, I assume I am producing some insulin as I am not dead! I looked on here someone ate 2 burger for lunch and stuff and they are ok.

My doctor is aware.
 
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Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi rprprp and welcome! First let me tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post.
Next it would be helpful if you told us what a typical days food and drink is for you. We may be able to tweak your food choices a bit to help you.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome,

May I ask if you are over weight?

Looking at the medication you are taking your numbers should not be as high as that, so unless you are possibly not producing any or much insulin of your own, it comes down to diet.
 

Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,284
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
-
May I ask how long ago you were diagnosed?
 

rprprp

Member
Messages
5
Hello and welcome,

May I ask if you are over weight?

Looking at the medication you are taking your numbers should not be as high as that, so unless you are possibly not producing any or much insulin of your own, it comes down to diet.

Diet won't affect insulin production?
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Diet won't affect insulin production?

It’ll affect your blood sugar levels though. So as I said above if you could tell us what a typical days food and drink for you is we may be able to help.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Diet won't affect insulin production?

Oh but it does. Insulin is secreted every time we eat (provided we produce insulin naturally) and certain foods need a lot more insulin to deal with it - and of these foods the ones that require the most insulin are those that contain a lot of carbohydrate and also most fruits. For those people that do not produce any insulin themselves, injected insulin is the only answer. For those type 2 diabetics that do produce insulin themselves, the more they produce the more insulin resistant they become. The only answer to this is to eat less carbohydrate and fruit.
 
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rprprp

Member
Messages
5
It’ll affect your blood sugar levels though. So as I said above if you could tell us what a typical days food and drink for you is we may be able to help.

Well today I had porridge, 6oz burger and chips (normally sandwich), for evening meal it was like cauliflower cheese with kale and crumbled sausage meat from good sausages (was nice !) 2 slices bread, don't have sugary drinks except tea or coffee with 1 tsp sugar.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Well today I had porridge, 6oz burger and chips (normally sandwich), for evening meal it was like cauliflower cheese with kale and crumbled sausage meat from good sausages (was nice !) 2 slices bread, don't have sugary drinks except tea or coffee with 1 tsp sugar.

I am afraid this is why your diabetes is out of control with very high levels of blood glucose. There are far too many carbs in those meals. It isn't just sugar I'm afraid, it is all carbs - sugar is just one carb. Breakfast cereals, including porridge, bread and potatoes are doing you no favours at all. Burgers are fine ..... but without the bun! :arghh: Rice and pasta are other foods that cause large blood sugar rises, along with pastries and many fruits.

Do you have your own blood glucose meter?
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Ah - all those carbs are why your Hba1c is higher than advisable.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I am afraid this is why your diabetes is out of control with very high levels of blood glucose. There are far too many carbs in those meals. It isn't just sugar I'm afraid, it is all carbs - sugar is just one carb. Breakfast cereals, including porridge, bread and potatoes are doing you no favours at all. Burgers are fine ..... but without the bun! :arghh: Rice and pasta are other foods that cause large blood sugar rises, along with pastries and many fruits.

Do you have your own blood glucose meter?

I agree with @Bluetit1802 about the carbs and getting a blood glucose meter. You'd also be wise to swap your sugar in your tea for a sweetener.
 

MrsGruffy

Well-Known Member
Messages
147
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
From my experience, it can take days from changing the way you eat, including eating nothing, to see that change reflected in your BG. Use your meter to test which food your body is reacting to. Take your reading at first bite, and then 2 hours after you've eaten. First step is to cut out bread, pasta, rice,grains including wholegrains and any vegetable which grows below ground. All of those are high in carbohydrates, and what you've got going on is an intolerance to carbohydrates.
 

Crocodile

Well-Known Member
Messages
683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
I can't have it often
Burgers and chips. Sure you're not just taking the p*ss. For the benefit of the doubt you seriously need to educate yourself on the food types that contain carbohydrates. Forget the sugar nonsense. Sugar itself is a carb. You need to have a target for meal time carbohydrates and include the contribution of everything you eat. For instance, I have no more than about 20g of carbs per meal. This is higher than some people here but lower than others. You'll need to find your own level after obtaining a meter.

As an example, I'll be having berries, yoghurt and nuts for my lunch.
Berries - 100g, total carbs = 11g
Full fat Greek yoghurt - 125g, total carbs = 5.8g
Pecan nuts and seeds - 30g, total carbs = 4.1g

total carbs for meal = 20.9g

Unfortunately, diabetes often is non symptomatic until the damage is already done. Stick around here and read lots. We're quite a caring and friendly lot.

Take care,
Glenn
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have a meter, but let's say I ate nothing for 14 hours what would expect my reading to be

Unfortunately not eating doesn’t always result in a lower blood sugar level as you would expect, it can result in your liver chucking out sugar to help thinking you are starving, which as a diabetic you can’t process so your blood sugar in fact goes up. Google “liver dump” to read about it.
 

Chronicle_Cat

Well-Known Member
Messages
555
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I found a chart which shows the equivalent amount of sugar in high carb foods. It shocked me and helped me understand why high carbohydrate foods are not good for Type 2 diabetics.

Previously, I did not understand that when carbs are broken down in the body, they are like sugar. Most of the public do not know this. Using a blood glucose meter right before you eat and 2 hours after will show the effect a particular carb has on your blood sugar. I cannot eat either wheat or potatoes - a small wholewheat low carb bun (17 g) caused a big blood glucose spike as did a small potato (less than 1/4 cup) with the skin on (so did pasta). . I have eliminated both from my diet (along with other high carb foods I haven't tested.) Many people here have seen reductions in blood sugars and some have been able to reduce or discontinue meds eating low carb.

The chart (from Dr. David Unwin, a British doctor who's seen very good results among the Type 2 diabetics in his practice is on this page. (This site has lots of useful info, the visual guides are very good.)
https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-different-foods-affect-blood-sugar-levels
 
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brassyblonde900

Well-Known Member
Messages
331
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I found a chart which shows the equivalent amount of sugar in high carb foods. It shocked me and helped me understand why high carbohydrate foods are not good for Type 2 diabetics.

Previously, I did not understand that when carbs are broken down in the body, they are like sugar. Most of the public do not know this. Using a blood glucose meter right before you eat and 2 hours after will show the effect a particular carb has on your blood sugar. I cannot eat either wheat or potatoes - a small wholewheat low carb bun (17 g) caused a big blood glucose spike as did a small potato (less than 1/4 cup) with the skin on (so did pasta). . I have eliminated both from my diet (along with other high carb foods I haven't tested.) Many people here have seen reductions in blood sugars and some have been able to reduce or discontinue meds eating low carb.

The chart (from Dr. David Unwin, a British doctor who's seen very good results among the Type 2 diabetics in his practice is on this page. (This site has lots of useful info, the visual guides are very good.)
https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-different-foods-affect-blood-sugar-levels
Thanks, that chart is easily one of the clearest explanations of the carb load in different foods I've seen.
I will save and refer to it when next I'm about to tear my brassy blonde tresses out, explaining to folks that natural sugar is still sugar, and its a marketing ploy to get us to quaff fruit juice without pause.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@rprprp

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 like and someone will be able to 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 235,000 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. Most of these are free.

  • 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.
 

KeithT 2

Active Member
Messages
34
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Just got my HB1AC it's 96, it was 110. My Sugar reading is always high teens minimum.

I take daily

Gliclazide 80mg
Sukkarto 1g
4xBP Meds

And a weekly injection of Dulaglutide 1.5mg

I used to get blood sugar of 9 at best, but now its doubled. I tried eating nothing and no change. Also I don't suffer from extreme thirst or anything like that, except nausea from the injection I think.

Any ideas, I assume I am producing some insulin as I am not dead! I looked on here someone ate 2 burger for lunch and stuff and they are ok.

My doctor is aware.

Hi rprprp. It seems to me, that like most of us have been at one time or another, you are still in some denial and quandary over your diabetes. It took me almost a decade with numbers well above 7 mmol/L and often numbers in the low teens to get serious about the food I was eating. Also the fact that my eyesight was getting progressively worse though still fairly good for my age. The fact is, I didn't want to go blind so needed to take control pretty quickly. I began by analysing what foods gave me the highest numbers. I found potatoes, rice and pasta were like poison to me, sending my BG numbers rocketing. I would suggest that over the the next few weeks you gradually reduce the carbs that could be causing your high numbers and perhaps cut them out altogether after your midday lunch. I did that and my numbers are now often pre diabetic and falling. The bonus was that I also lost 1.5 stone in the year I have been controlling better. I'm no expert, I still make mistakes, and sometimes I get my diet wrong. But in general I am happy with a low carb diet and don't even miss my once beloved potatoes that much. My fasting numbers over this past week have been in the region 4.5, which I am happy with. When I first started taking control in November 2011 my numbers were: Evening 18/11/2017 14.1 Morning 19/11/2017 7.2 Now: Evening 18/09/2018 4.7 Morning 19/09/2018 4.6 So it can be done but you will have to make it work for yourself. Good luck!
 
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