T2 diabetes on Metformin - BG levels high - help

[windy2k14]

Not sure whats going on and need some suggestions. Doctor was against me testing but I had already obtained the meter from a link on Diabetes.co.uk. been doing ok until recently, which is surprising really. A year ago I was diagnosed with both diabetes T2 and coeliac disease - amongst other things - which my previous health professionals should have spotted. Last year was awful but I managed to keep my sugar levels between 4.8 and 8.2 - which is within range. Even when I lost my job I managed to keep them under control.

Recently things have gone a bit haywire and I am around 7.2-8.8 before breakfast, and 2 hours after breakfast I range between 9.3 and 16 - which is way too high. My breakfast usually consists of 30g cereal with 150ml milk, and an actimel - thats it - plus a cup of tea of course. this has not changed, but recently, where I am looking for work, I had a really positive interview and then went down with a bad cold. This is when the sugar levels went high, and I am struggling to get them back down again.

Can anyone possibly give me some idea how to bring the levels down?

p.s. I changed for a couple of days to gluten free porridge - but have to be careful with that as it sometimes sets the coeliacs off and that can look like a heart attack.

ANY suggestions would be really helpful

Thanks

 

[ladybird64]

Your cereal is high carb, which can raise blood sugars - if you can avoid it, it'd be beneficial. Many recommend a full fried breakfast but I can't stomach that, what about fried/poached eggs and bacon, or scrambled egg made with a little cream? Mushrooms are useful too, high meat content sausages..
Full fat Greek yogurt (I actually prefer the Turkish one, available from Lidl) some berries, raspberries, blueberries..
Go continental and have a couple of slices of cold ham and some cheese..There are a good few "alternative" brekkies out there that hopefully shouldn't affect your CD, and will bring those levels back down

Hope this helps.

PS - Porridge. Although it is usually recommended for diabetics, many find that it has bad effects on the bg levels and therefore avoid it. If you do chance it, in any form, I'd make sure you test two hours afterwards, to see how it affects you.

 

[windy2k14]

Thank you ladybird64 - I will try that. I know if it goes really high the easiest way to bring it down a bit is a piece of toast - which I have gluten free bread (not what I made this evening - thats a brick ha ha ha) I have recently taken to omlette (almost fat free) for lunch with a couple of slices of this bread from the doctors which is really dry but good for toasting. that has been found to help maintain a good control during the day, but the mornings are always difficult.

I will give your suggestion a go

Thanks again

p.s. I cant face full fry up - too much fat causes other problems for me - I cant take much fat. A little butter is ok but not too often.

 

[Robbity]

Your cold may also contributing to your higher levels, in which case you may have to just "sit it out". It's not only food which can affect your levels: illness, infections, stress (good or bad), and even the weather may also do so.

Best of luck with the job!

Robbity

 

[ladybird64]

Thank you ladybird64 - I will try that. I know if it goes really high the easiest way to bring it down a bit is a piece of toast - which I have gluten free bread (not what I made this evening - thats a brick ha ha ha) I have recently taken to omlette (almost fat free) for lunch with a couple of slices of this bread from the doctors which is really dry but good for toasting. that has been found to help maintain a good control during the day, but the mornings are always difficult.

I will give your suggestion a go

Thanks again

p.s. I cant face full fry up - too much fat causes other problems for me - I cant take much fat. A little butter is ok but not too often.

Hmm. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have read that gluten free bread can still contain flours made from other starches such as rice, and therefore cab be just as carb heavy as ordinary bread. As you seem to be eating a fair few slices, it is probably wisest to test two hours afterwards? It may need to be something that you either cut down on or cut out all together.

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

Some of the actimels can be quite high carb too depending on the flavour.

 

[AloeSvea]

Not sure whats going on and need some suggestions. Doctor was against me testing but I had already obtained the meter from a link on Diabetes.co.uk. been doing ok until recently, which is surprising really. A year ago I was diagnosed with both diabetes T2 and coeliac disease - amongst other things - which my previous health professionals should have spotted. Last year was awful but I managed to keep my sugar levels between 4.8 and 8.2 - which is within range. Even when I lost my job I managed to keep them under control.

Recently things have gone a bit haywire and I am around 7.2-8.8 before breakfast, and 2 hours after breakfast I range between 9.3 and 16 - which is way too high. My breakfast usually consists of 30g cereal with 150ml milk, and an actimel - thats it - plus a cup of tea of course. this has not changed, but recently, where I am looking for work, I had a really positive interview and then went down with a bad cold. This is when the sugar levels went high, and I am struggling to get them back down again.

Can anyone possibly give me some idea how to bring the levels down?

p.s. I changed for a couple of days to gluten free porridge - but have to be careful with that as it sometimes sets the coeliacs off and that can look like a heart attack.

ANY suggestions would be really helpful

Thanks

Doctors often do what is suggested in their primary care manual - and it is in my country's primary care manual to strongly dissuade T2 diabetics from self-testing. Why? They don't say! But the doctors, apparently, believe they are helping us help ourselves have a better life by us not actually knowing how food, drink, and activity actually affects our blood glucose and therefore our overall health! Go figure!

And yes - absolutely - ignore it!

About your readings. It does look like you suffer from 'the dawn phenomenon' (and there is a great thread in the forum on it) - your insulin readings are low enough for your liver to put out a significant amount of glucose into your bloodstream in the wee hours of the morning, 'believing' that you don't have enough glucose in there already, due to low insulin level. As a fellow DPer I know this situation well! And when you start the day with a high reading - it can pretty well determine your readings for the whole day unfortunately! ie high and getting higher after meals.

As you probably know from being in this forum already - the first and foremost way you can help your liver, and your post meal blood glucose level, is by lowering the amount of glucose you put into it during the day - by lessening the amount of carbohydrates in your food. (And this means less glucose stored in your liver for it to be put out as part of the DP, which means better fasting blood glucose levels.) Then you can experiment or try out all the other methods we diabetics discuss! (Metformin, berberine, apple cider vinegar, bitter melon, gymnema sylvestre, cinnamon, turmeric to name the main ones off the top of my head...) (oh - and fasting and intermittent fasting lest I forget!). I will look forward to reading your experiences if you start trying out different things!