Scared of high BS resultstoday

[Halfhybrid]

Whether you can have fruit is totally an individual thing. For years now I haven't been able to eat it without my weight rocketing. Even if doing low carb elsewhere. As not eating it now can't tell what effect it is having on Blood Sugar. Good Luck.

Thank you. I am having a phone call tomorrow from the diabetic nurse. She will be disappointed in me as she spoke to me in February when my HBCA1 level was 53 and she said I was on the right tracks. It's all gone to pot now.

 

[filly]

Thank you. I am having a phone call tomorrow from the diabetic nurse. She will be disappointed in me as she spoke to me in February when my HBCA1 level was 53 and she said I was on the right tracks. It's all gone to pot now.

Don't worry too much. I have had the last two years of going to pot! Now back on track.

 

[MrsA2]

Grape jelly? Do you have to add sugar to make it or is there enough in the natural fruit?

For non-diabetics only, sorry, its full of sugar
And yes portion size still matters.. it easy to overeat low carb food as much as any other food.
To stop being hungry between meals try eating more protein and healthy fats (from meat and dairy, or olive or coconut oils) at your meals
There are apps that can help measure macros, that's protein, fats and carbs. Carb manager is one, mysugar another. You'd probably find them useful. I did at first when I was learning. Good luck

 

[Halfhybrid]

For non-diabetics only, sorry, its full of sugar
And yes portion size still matters.. it easy to overeat low carb food as much as any other food.
To stop being hungry between meals try eating more protein and healthy fats (from meat and dairy, or olive or coconut oils) at your meals
There are apps that can help measure macros, that's protein, fats and carbs. Carb manager is one, mysugar another. You'd probably find them useful. I did at first when I was learning. Good luck

Thank you. Will have a look at the apps.

The diabetes nurse phoned this morning as promised. She asked about my diet before and since the high blood sugar result but didn't really comment on it so I asked questions myself. She is going to put me on Metformin. It's a scary prospect, taking medication for this. She did comment that my BS result was "very high" (95 HBAC1) and they needed to prevent organ damage.
I'm pretty scared about all this. It has taken it to a whole new level. My mind is in such a whirl, I don't seem able to take in any information about the condition. I'm still eating low carb in the meantime but want the stress and panic to subside so I can focus on eating plans and some exercise.

 

[Halfhybrid]

Update - feel a bit let down by the surgery. The nurse was prescribing me Metformin, to be collected later that day (Thursday). Went to the pharmacy but no script had been sent through. Checked again on Friday and still no script. I was going away for a long weekend and couldn't follow up with the surgery. So have just had 2 days with high BS levels, attempting to avoid excess carbs whilst keeping the condition secret from my mother in law too.
We had an Italian meal out. I had a small pasta starter and avoided pasta or pizza for mains and stuck to meat with veg and there were a couple of ounces of cubed, fried potatoes too. I did have dessert, which was a single scoop of ice cream with chopped nuts and coffee with no sugar or sweetener. Still think I may have eaten too many carbs.
Can't speak to surgery now till Tuesday. It was the nurse who mentioned potential organ damage with high BS levels and yet they didn't put the script through when they said!

 

[MrsA2]

I had a small pasta starter and avoided pasta or pizza for mains and stuck to meat with veg and there were a couple of ounces of cubed, fried potatoes too. I did have dessert, which was a single scoop of ice cream with chopped nuts and coffee with no sugar or sweetener.

Well done on making good choices in a difficult situation. I bet none of your unsupportive family even noticed !

 

[Halfhybrid]

Well done on making good choices in a difficult situation. I bet none of your unsupportive family even noticed !

Thank you. Were they good choices, even with the obvious carbs? Haha, no they wouldn't have noticed

Tested my BS on return home this evening and it was 24!! I have just eaten a low carb crispbread (5g of carb) slathered with a creamy French cheese. It's not that filling but I'm too scared to eat in case it puts the BS up further (except when I was with family and had to eat).
Should I be avoiding all carbs altogether while the BS levels are high? Would even a little push it to really dangerous levels? I can't find a definitive answer to this.

 

[MrsA2]

Well the pasta and potatoes had carbs in, and the ice cream and was there beer or drinks too? Sometimes it's a balance and a decision to have a few carbs but if that number raiise your bg that high maybe it was too many for you? Certain not good on a daily basis, but on the occasional family event sometimes we may choose to eat more carbs.
Maybe have a no carb day tomorrow, or even a fast to bring the average down?

 

[MrsA2]

It would have been far worse to have pasta starter, garlic bread, pizza, chips and a whopping dessert. So yes, good choices, in the circumstances. Where there better options? You are learning and getting used to a new way of eating. No one gets it perfect from day 1.

 

[Lainie71]

Wow, 2-3 strawberries is hardly anything! I was eating a whole punnet for dinner with cream poured on them. I thought that was OK as they are supposed to be so low in sugar and I'd rather have them than any potato, rice or pasta.

There is so much contradictory advice. One article on the web said "fruit is fine for diabetics as the sugar is natural fructose, rather than the sugar in baked goods". So I thought that's OK then. I love fruit. I'll use it as a substitute.

Then one article says no grapes as they are just sugar water while another article says grapes are good fruit to eat.

I don't eat between meals much - until now. Since I discovered the high BS level, I've cut down on carbs and food in general and have found myself ravenous in between meals and having to ignore the actual hunger pangs which isn't easy. I've had things like peanuts, ham, cheese and salami or sometimes an apple.

Grape jelly? Do you have to add sugar to make it or is there enough in the natural fruit?

I cannot eat strawberries or berries of any description, they send my bg high even if I have them with cream or full fat yogurt. I can only eat a small apple now and again together with peanut butter otherwise it will also spike. I find its just not worth it anymore

 

[filly]

I cannot eat strawberries or berries of any description, they send my bg high even if I have them with cream or full fat yogurt. I can only eat a small apple now and again together with peanut butter otherwise it will also spike. I find its just not worth it anymore

Plus is peanut butter and n apple....

 

[Halfhybrid]

Well the pasta and potatoes had carbs in, and the ice cream and was there beer or drinks too? Sometimes it's a balance and a decision to have a few carbs but if that number raiise your bg that high maybe it was too many for you? Certain not good on a daily basis, but on the occasional family event sometimes we may choose to eat more carbs.
Maybe have a no carb day tomorrow, or even a fast to bring the average down?

Yes, I could feel myself flinching as I ate. I'm not sure what better options there would have been. Pasta and pizza would have been carb overload. The other desserts were carb heavy tiramisu and pastry based dishes.
I'm not sure what else I could have had. Maybe not eaten the potatoes but they were sitting there looking soooo inviting and I hadn't had anything like that for 3 weeks or so ....

 

[MrsA2]

There's always the choice of saying "No" but that comes with time as your bg drops and your tastes adapt. I don't even look at a dessert menu now, sometimes I'll have cheese instead, but more often not. To satisfy interest or craving I have a single bite of whatever my ever forgiving hubby has, and always find it too sweet!

 

[Halfhybrid]

Finally got my Metformin - 6 days after the surgery was supposed to put the script through!

What I don't understand is why you have start off with 1 tablet a day for 7 days and then 2 tablets a day thereafter. I would have thought you start on a higher dose and then take it down. There was no information leaflet with the medication, just the pharmacist's instructions about how many to take per day.

Bought a variety of low carb products from a company mentioned on this website. Wish I'd saved my money. The bread slices are the size of a playing card with 3g of carbs per slice but they are not pleasant eating and you are left with a mouthful of what feels like straw at the end.
Although I don't eat rice or pasta very often anyway, I actually felt like some pasta so used the low carb packet I'd bought. Again, I wish I hadn't bothered. Al dente, it had a texture like rubber bands. When I boiled it a bit longer, it had the texture of rubber bands that have already had a good chew.

Is whole wheat pasta and rice OK if you don't eat too much? I'd rather have less of something than eat things attempting to be the real deal and failing.

 

[Liam E]

What I don't understand is why you have start off with 1 tablet a day for 7 days and then 2 tablets a day thereafter. I would have thought you start on a higher dose and then take it down. There was no information leaflet with the medication, just the pharmacist's instructions about how many to take per day.

That is simply to get your tummy used to it. Metformin has a very common side effect... which you may well have noticed by now. Easing into your dose is to minimise that.

 

[Halfhybrid]

That is simply to get your tummy used to it. Metformin has a very common side effect... which you may well have noticed by now. Easing into your dose is to minimise that.

Oh, I see. I was OK the first day but the next 3 days had bad reflux symptoms. Luckily, I am taking esomeprazole already so just doubled the dose on those days. Seems to have improved my IBS but gone slightly the other way, which I guess has turned it into "normal". Today, had no side effects at all.

Day 7 tomorrow and then 2 tablets a day from Wednesday. Did a BT on return home from work, having not eaten since 1.30 and level is 15.3 which is still not good. Does that mean Metformin is not working? :-(

 

[Liam E]

Oh, I see. I was OK the first day but the next 3 days had bad reflux symptoms. Luckily, I am taking esomeprazole already so just doubled the dose on those days. Seems to have improved my IBS but gone slightly the other way, which I guess has turned it into "normal". Today, had no side effects at all.

Day 7 tomorrow and then 2 tablets a day from Wednesday. Did a BT on return home from work, having not eaten since 1.30 and level is 15.3 which is still not good. Does that mean Metformin is not working? :-(

Metformin isn't a miracle, it takes a while and can only do so much. I'd strongly advise a low carb / keto / ketovore / carnivore diet to do the heavy lifting of keeping you well for the long term.

I self diagnosed during covid and went straight on low carb even before I'd booked the doctors appointment to confirm what I already knew. It took me 5 weeks of low carb to get my morning blood sugar down from low teens range to sub 7. So I got my fasting blood sugar down even before I started metformin. My HbA1c was 77, even with a month of low carb taking the edge of it.

A year later I've lost a fair bit of weight and my HbA1c is 38. Most of that is down to the diet. Metformin works, but it can't do that by itself. The mostly carnivore diet I follow has had a couple of benefits I really wasn't expecting. My asthma has improved MASSIVELY and acid reflux is a thing of the past. Much more clarity of mind too, and less aches and pains. Your mileage may vary of course.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the problem didn't happen overnight, and it won't go away overnight either. Eat right. Keep at it. It takes time, but you will get on top of it.

 

[Halfhybrid]

Metformin isn't a miracle, it takes a while and can only do so much. I'd strongly advise a low carb / keto / ketovore / carnivore diet to do the heavy lifting of keeping you well for the long term.

I self diagnosed during covid and went straight on low carb even before I'd booked the doctors appointment to confirm what I already knew. It took me 5 weeks of low carb to get my morning blood sugar down from low teens range to sub 7. So I got my fasting blood sugar down even before I started metformin. My HbA1c was 77, even with a month of low carb taking the edge of it.

A year later I've lost a fair bit of weight and my HbA1c is 38. Most of that is down to the diet. Metformin works, but it can't do that by itself. The mostly carnivore diet I follow has had a couple of benefits I really wasn't expecting. My asthma has improved MASSIVELY and acid reflux is a thing of the past. Much more clarity of mind too, and less aches and pains. Your mileage may vary of course.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the problem didn't happen overnight, and it won't go away overnight either. Eat right. Keep at it. It takes time, but you will get on top of it.

That's really useful information thank you. I never thought to ask how quickly Metformin works. I started going low carb as soon as I saw my first BS test result a month ago but it has not gone down by very much, which has been worrying me in case it is causing damage to my organs.

Like you, I'm a bit of a carnivore and remember, aged about 3, telling my Mum that only liked to eat meat, fruit and mushrooms. Maybe my body knew what I should be eating even that long ago. I am also asthmatic and have had acid reflux most of my adult mind. If there is an improvement in these, that would be amazing, as of course, would weight loss be.

Didn't too badly at the weekend. Went away with family and turned down the travel chocolates entirely and had about 4 sugar-free boiled sweets. Had a Chinese meal out but didn't eat much rice and everything else was meat, fish and veg based. Had an ice cream dessert which maybe I shouldn't have, and a couple of lagers in the evening, but on the whole, ate well without feeling "deprived" of anything if that makes sense.

Thanks for telling me that it won't go away overnight as I just thought medication would mean an almost immediate effect.

 

[Halfhybrid]

My 86 year old Dad has just been told he has prediabetes and his surgery is arranging a series of phone calls and group meetings about how to prevent prediabetes becoming diabetes. I have still not told the family I have diabetes, not even now. Presume Dad has it due to his age and that he has consistently had about 4 plus teaspoons of sugar in his tea every day and drinks about 20 cups of tea a day.
Find myself giving him diet advice and mentally kicking myself for hypocrisy. Can't tell them though. It will be different for me i.e. the blame game for being overweight most of my adult life.

Feel somewhat bitter that I was not offered any such support when I first found out I had slightly raised blood sugar. But that's by the by.

I wanted to ask if there are such things as support groups for diabetics where people get together physically, not just online? Feel very alone in this journey and it might help to talk to others in person and find out how they are coping and get some tips for diet, exercise etc. - diets for real people.

 

[ajbod]

Type 2 diabetes is to some extent genetically predisposed, ie you inherit the predisposition from your ancestors. You developed it sooner than your father, although he is only prediabetic at the moment. keep the thought that your relatives who are scathing in their comments are also predisposed to it, so at some point will probably catch you up.
Avoid carbs as much as possible, eat plenty of Protein and real fats, if you get hungry you need more at mealtimes, the blood levels will fall gradually where it might be averaging 15 one day a couple of days later it may be 14. Slow and steady wins the race. Your father is lucky that you have gained some insight as to how to deal with his situation, he may also now have a different opinion as to your diabetes as he's facing the same thing, and didn't think he would be.