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gill.5985

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I find the sugar lows scary i get so anxious and weak, then when im back in a normal range i feel like im exhausted and headachey is this normal
 
Hi Gill. Your profile says T2 with "diet only" treatment. Honestly you shouldn't be getting "sugar lows" at all under those conditions.

Can you please tell us what your actual levels are, and under what circumstances (eg fasting) that they are occurring.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Gill. You profile says T2 with "diet only" treatment. Honestly you shouldn't be getting "sugar lows" at all under those conditions.

Can you please tell us what your actual levels are, and under what circumstances (eg fasting) that they are occurring.
i have been reading about print outs, as my clinic only told me yesterday i wont know proper readings till friday, i wasnt really taking anythingh in as i felt so distraught with how ive been feeling, perhaps when i know more about actual gp readings , i can ask you all a few more questions,
 
i have been reading about print outs, as my clinic only told me yesterday i wont know proper readings till friday, i wasnt really taking anythingh in as i felt so distraught with how ive been feeling, perhaps when i know more about actual gp readings , i can ask you all a few more questions,
and thankyou for your reply
 
Yes it's quite normal. You might incidentally like to read what I've posted on the question 'Reactive Hypoglycaemia and Type 1" posting on the 'Ask a Question' section as much of what I answered also applied to yourself.
i will read this when i get home from work, thank you for replying i came to this sight as i found it all very scary and wanted tovsee how other people coped . thanks
 
I find the sugar lows scary i get so anxious and weak, then when im back in a normal range i feel like im exhausted and headachey is this normal

Hi,

Do you own a personal blood test meter? If so. what are the blood sugar level readings when these incidents occur?
 
@daisy1
Hello gill.5985 welcome
As uart said if you are T2 on diet only the symptoms you are experiencing are more likely to be caused by high sugar levels.daisy1 will be along soon with some useful information for you.
 
@daisy1
Hello gill.5985 welcome
As uart said if you are T2 on diet only the symptoms you are experiencing are more likely to be caused by high sugar levels.daisy1 will be along soon with some useful information for you.

... Or in fairness if the OPs diet control is taking effect? The safe/normal BS levels may also give the sensation of a low too..? (False hypo.) Until accustomed/"acclimatised"...
 
type 2 , yesterday but other results back friday. im finding it quite overwhelming with feeling so rough, they also thought i may have had a virus thats messing with levels, i know nothing about diabetes i feel quite ignorant but this site is very helpful and reassuring thank you
 
Hi,

Do you own a personal blood test meter? If so. what are the blood sugar level readings when these incidents occur?
i borrowed one until i get my own, when i feel shakey confused, dithery the readings were 2.1 and 2.4 up to 8.20after eating but still felt off for a few hours
 
Hi,

Do you own a personal blood test meter? If so. what are the blood sugar level readings when these incidents occur?
replied to this further down , not sure if im writing in right places , please bear with me
 
@gill.5985

Hello Gill and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.
 
@gill.5985

Hello Gill and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.
Thank you this too has been helpful, i appreciate your input, i am mind boggled at the moment, im glad i found this sight
 
i borrowed one until i get my own, when i feel shakey confused, dithery the readings were 2.1 and 2.4 up to 8.20after eating but still felt off for a few hours

8.2 after eating is not too bad, but 2.1 and 2.4 are extremely low.

Diabetes is a disease of having too higher blood sugar, whereas you seem to have some type of hypoglycemia. It will be interesting to see what your HbA1c levels are when your full test results are back.
 
i borrowed one until i get my own, when i feel shakey confused, dithery the readings were 2.1 and 2.4 up to 8.20after eating but still felt off for a few hours


You need to ask your DN or GP for a testing meter. I asked my DN and she gave me a meter and now i get the testing strips for free, I asked her that i was going on the Newcastle Diet and need to test my blood sugar and she i understand and gave me a meter
 
8.2 after eating is not too bad, but 2.1 and 2.4 are extremely low.

Diabetes is a disease of having too higher blood sugar, whereas you seem to have some type of hypoglycemia. It will be interesting to see what your HbA1c levels are when your full test results are back.
i will let you know as soon as i get them, thanks for all the info on the site it really helps ,im still mind boggled at the moment but you lot are amazing thank you.
 
i will let you know as soon as i get them, thanks for all the info on the site it really helps ,im still mind boggled at the moment but you lot are amazing thank you.

make sure you also apply for exemption certificate for your medication, your GP or your DN should complete this for you
 
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