Feeling down

[Jo114]

So I went for my first 3 month check with all the hopes that the medication was working and I was shocked to find out my blood sugar level has risen , what's that all about

 

[Freema]

some of it could be from the beginning of those 3 month if they were very high then... my first was also 1.2mmol higher than I´d thought.... but maybe i havent measured all the highest spikes if they were not just after one hour... in the beginning i measured only sharp one hour after eating... didn´t know about the different kind of foods different spike-times

 

[JohnEGreen]

@Jo114 Not knowing what sort of diet you have been following or what medication you are on it is hard to say what it is about.

If you have been following the standard advice given by the NHS then rising blood sugars can be a consequence of that.

Many of us here have found that a diet high in carbohydrates (sugar in another form) will cause high BG levels.

Also many not all of us test our blood sugar levels on a regular basis this can help gain control and reduce the chance of nasty surprises.

In case you have not read the info given by @daisy1 I have tagged her for you.

Oh and would like to welcome you to the forum.

John

 

[Hotpepper20000]

It's all trial and error. Whenever I didn't get the results I expected. It Would knock me down for a bit. It's frustrating. After that I would assess my eating and review my health for the last few months.
Did you have the flu? A cold something else your body was fighting? Stress can do it too.
For myself that raises my BS. It's not just about what you eat. Although it is a big part of it

 

[chalup]

Welcome to the forum. If you are expecting to be able to just take pills and everything will be under control you are in for a disappointment. Diet is 90% of the equation with type 2 diabetes. Medications can and do help but you need to get a meter and test regularly and learn what you can and can't eat. When daisy1 posts her information for you I would recommend you read it thoroughly and follow all the links, especially the one at the bottom to the low carb diet. Everyone is different in what foods suit their own body and learning the technique "eat to your meter" is the best thing you can do for yourself. Welcome to the club

 

[Jo114]

Thank you all your a big moral boost ,going to try to cut down on carbs but I am really confused as to what fruit I can or can't eat

 

[Hotpepper20000]

Thank you all your a big moral boost ,going to try to cut down on carbs but I am really confused as to what fruit I can or can't eat

Most people would say berries are a great place to start. But you can't know for sure unless you test before your first bite and two hours after. Everyone's different.
I can have a small Apple as long as it's with some cheese.

 

[chalup]

You can have a few berries, preferably with full fat yogurt or cream to slow the absorption of the sugars. Most other fruits are too high in sugar. You may be able to eat apples or pears but you will have to test to find out. Fruit is just candy that grows on a tree and most of the fruit we see is nothing like nature intended. It has been altered and cultivated to be higher in sugar and bigger because that is what makes the money.

 

[Hotpepper20000]

You can have a few berries, preferably with full fat yogurt or cream to slow the absorption of the sugars. Most other fruits are too high in sugar. You may be able to eat apples or pears but you will have to test to find out. Fruit is just candy that grows on a tree and most of the fruit we see is nothing like nature intended. It has been altered and cultivated to be higher in sugar and bigger because that is what makes the money.

I agree with you chalup. I can only eat the apples I have growing in my back yard. Being in a northern climate only the tart ones grow here and a such don't spike my BS unlike the one in the supermarket.

 

[Jo114]

Thanks I think I need to test myself more often to see what works It's hard to get your head round though

 

[chalup]

Test before first bite and then at 1 hour and 2 hours for any new or untested foods. Write it down in a notebook. You should test each food 2 or 3 times so you know what that that food does to you on different days. 1 hour will be the spike which ideally should be less than 2 mmol/l and at 2 hours you should be close to where you started. If you are higher at 2 hours than you were at 1 then test at 3 hours as well because fats can cause a delayed spike. Don't expect everything to fall into place right away, it all takes time and will fall into place eventually. All anyone can do is the best they can do.

 

[daisy1]

@Jo114

Hello Jo and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It contains a lot of info about carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program which you might find suitable for you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to 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 well over 210,000 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 free 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.

 

[Jo114]

@ daisy1 Thankyou so much