Not sure if what I’m doing is correct

Ashleyw45

Member
Messages
12
Hi I’ve recently been diagnosed as having type 2. When I was rushed in to hospital for appendicitis’s. I have lost a stone and 1/2 in 3 weeks, I’ve been put on metforman and I’ve cut out sugars and reduced carbs dramatically but my levels are still between 9 and 11.
When should I test my blood ? I have had very Little advise from anyone and I’m feeling confused as to why my levels are still so high?
 

Grazer

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,115
Hi! It takes a while to get your blood sugar levels to settle down. Test just before you eat, then 2 hours after. You are looking for the reading 2 hours after to be not more than 2 mmols higher than the one you took before. That's a general guide you can get more specific later! If it is more than 2, you need to cut some more carbs out of that meal next time. Keep a log of what you ate and the readings so you can compare next time you have a similar meal. Don't panic. Nothing nasty will happen in the short term. Just work on the dietary advice you'll see on here
 
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Ashleyw45

Member
Messages
12
Thanks for that , the support I’ve had when I was diagnosed has been none existent. I had a blood test last week at the doctors to find out more and have an appointment tomorrow which I’m hoping to find out more.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,885
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Ashley and welcome! First as a newbie you’ll find @daisy1 ’s info post useful, it’ll appear on this thread for you when daisy’s next on line. In the meantime ask any questions you have, there’ll always be someone to help. Your levels may take a bit longer to settle as you’ve been ill with an infection too. Infections tend to raise blood sugars plus the stress of a hospital admission.
 
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Debandez

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,019
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi I’ve recently been diagnosed as having type 2. When I was rushed in to hospital for appendicitis’s. I have lost a stone and 1/2 in 3 weeks, I’ve been put on metforman and I’ve cut out sugars and reduced carbs dramatically but my levels are still between 9 and 11.
When should I test my blood ? I have had very Little advise from anyone and I’m feeling confused as to why my levels are still so high?

You have had a tough time. But hopefully you are through the worst now. Onwards and upwards. This is a great forum with lots of help and info to guide you back to good health. Just read as much as you can. Let us know what you eat in a typical day and we can see if it perhaps needs tweaking. Hope you get on ok at the Drs.
 

jjraak

Expert
Messages
7,493
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
blimey, that's a warm welcome to Diabetes world, @Ashleyw45 ..:wideyed:

as @Rachox points out, you've been ill and now on the road to recovery, we hope re the appendix,
but that will take it's toll on your blood sugars..(you'll see that trend when anyones gets the flu or otherwise ill.).

The lack of guidance out there IS woeful, isn't it.
i think we've all been there.

But now you are here, as @Debandez says, you can start to get a good idea of what others do, from the good advice or just reading the posts.
they certainly helped me turn my situation around.

You get some results tomorrow ?.. which i'm guessing should be your HBA1c..score, if you haven't already been given that.
that number is the Gold standard for HOW well you are managing your diabetes...for you it will be the starting point for where you are now...
and how well you have done to get where you will be in 3 months or more,

oh and welcome to our little corner of the web, we call HOME.:happy:
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Ashleyw45
Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

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.
 
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JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,960
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi I’ve recently been diagnosed as having type 2. When I was rushed in to hospital for appendicitis’s. I have lost a stone and 1/2 in 3 weeks, I’ve been put on metforman and I’ve cut out sugars and reduced carbs dramatically but my levels are still between 9 and 11.
When should I test my blood ? I have had very Little advise from anyone and I’m feeling confused as to why my levels are still so high?
Hi @Ashleyw45 ,

Oh my, what a way to roll into this! Hope you're feeling better soon... As you get bloodsugars under control your ability to heal will improve too, so with the measures you've already taken you've done yourself more favours than you may have thought.

This weekend I wrote a little something because I kept repeating myself and leaving things out when I met new people in a similar position to yours (and way back when, mine). Daisy1's post is excellent and in my opinion should just be handed out in the doc's offices all over. So do give that a good read. And here's some more to go over. If you like, you could share what your meals look like now and we could help tweak them? Just let us know if we can do anything eh. I know my diet would've gotten better sooner if I'd found this place from the get-go. Ah well. ;)

Anyway, here's my bit:
There’s a few things you should know.

1. Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested, so not just straight sugars, but starches too. Food doesn’t have to taste sweet to make your blood sugars skyrocket.

2. A meter helps you know what foods agree with you, and which don’t. Test before and 2 hours after the first bite. If you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal was carbier than you could handle. (It’s easy to remember, as you’re a T2: all 2’s, all over the place!)

3. In case you didn’t know already, this isn’t your fault. It’s genetics, medication, decades of bad dietary advice, and basically all manner of things, but nothing you can actually blame yourself for.

4. Diabetes T2 is a progressive condition, unless you (also) change your diet. So you have options. Diet-only, diet with medication, or medication only. But that last option will most likely mean more medication over the years. (And there is more than just metformin, so if it doesn’t agree with you, there’s lots of others to try). So even if going really low carb isn’t for you, you might consider moderately low carb an option, with meds to assist.

5. Are you overweight? 90% of T2’s are. Yeah, that means 10% are slim and always were. If you did gain weight, it was the precursor of this metabolic condition. We make loads of insulin, but become insensitive to it. So carbs we eat turn to glucose, and normally, insulin helps us burn that glucose for fuel. When it doesn’t, that glucose is stored in fat cells instead. When those fat stores are full, the glucose remains in our bloodstream, overflowing, into our eyes, tears, urine, saliva… And then we’re T2’s. So weight gain is a symptom, not a cause. This also means that “regular” dietary advice doesn’t work for us. The problem lies in our inability to process carbs. And most diets focus on lowering fats and upping carb intake. Which is the direct opposite of what a T2, or prediabetic, for that matter, needs.

6. There are 3 macro-nutrients. Fats, protein and carbohydrates. Those macro’s mean we get the micro-nutrients we need: that would be vitamins and minerals. So… If you ditch the carbs, you should up another macro-nutrient to compensate, to make sure you don’t get malnourished or vitamin deficient. Carbs make our bloodsugars rise. Protein too, but nowhere near as bad as carbs do, so they’re alright in moderation. Fats however… Fats are as good as a glucose-flatline. Better yet, they’ll mitigate the effects of any carbs we do ingest, slowing down their uptake and thus the sugar-spike. Contrary to what we’ve been told for decades; fats are our friends.

7. Worried about cholesterol? On a low carb diet, your cholesterol may rise a little as you start to lose weight. That’s a good thing though. (Believe it or not). What was already there, stored in your body, is starting to head for the exit, and for that it’ll go into your bloodstream first. So when you have lost weight and it stabilises, so will your cholesterol. And it’ll probably be lower than what it was before you started out.

8. You’ll lose weight on a low carb diet. Weightloss will help with your insulin-resistance, and not only that… Going low carb might help with other issues as well, like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and depression.

9. Always ask for your test results. You don’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been.


So what raises blood sugars? Aside from the obvious (sugar), starches raise blood glucose too. So bread, and anything made with grain/oats flour, rice, pasta, corn, cereals (including all the “healthy choices”, like Weetabix and muesli), most beans and most fruits. So you’ll want to limit your intake, or scratch them altogether.

Which food items remain on the shopping list? Well, meat, fish, poultry, above ground veggies/leafy greens, eggs, cheese, heavy cream, full fat Greek yoghurt, full fat milk, extra dark chocolate (85% Lindt’s is great!), avocado, (whole) tomatoes, berries, olives, nuts, that sort of thing… Meal ideas? Have a couple:

Scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, maybe some high meat content sausages?
Eggs with ham, bacon and cheese
Omelet with spinach and/or smoked salmon
Omelet with cream, cinnamon, with some berries and coconut shavings
Full fat Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries
Leafy green salad with a can of tuna (oil, not brine!), mayonnaise, capers, olives and avocado
Leafy green salad with (warmed goat's) cheese and bacon, maybe a nice vinaigrette?
Meat, fish or poultry with veggies. I usually go for cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, with cheese and bacon to bulk it up. Never the same meal twice in a row because of various herbs/spices.


Snacks? Pork scratchings, cheese, olives, extra dark chocolate, nuts. :)

Of course, there’s loads more on the web, for people more adventurous than I. (Which is pretty much everyone). Just google whatever you want to make and add “keto” to it, and you’ll get a low carb version. There’s a lot of recipes on the diabetes.co.uk website, as well as on www.dietdoctor.com where you’ll also find visual (carb content) guides and videos. And I can wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Jason Fung’s book The Diabetes Code. It’ll help you understand what’s going on in your body and how to tackle it, whilst not being a dry read. Not only that, but you’ll know what to ask your doctor, and you’ll understand the answers, which is, I believe, quite convenient.
 
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KK123

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,967
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi @Ashleyw45, you say you are recently diagnosed as type 2, can you tell us how that came about and when exactly, what they have based that diagnosis on?, you have lost nearly two stone, is that definitely down to the appendicitis? Hope you feel better soon. x
 

Ashleyw45

Member
Messages
12
I was sent to hospital after I went to walking centre in agony. The doctor there took a urine sample and was very concerned so sent me to hospital where I had blood tests and was told I was diabetic. This was 3 weeks ago Saturday.
I started to loose weight before I went in , since I’ve been out with the wake up call I’ve lost a stone.
 
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Grazer

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,115
Kind of what I expected with the testing level you told us about earlier.
So, now you know, just need to get on that diet and testing regime already outlined to you. You'll have loads of questions, so just keep asking. You'll always get an answer.
Key thing is, this illness is for life. So you need to find a diet, exercise and lifestyle regime that a) gives you acceptable blood sugar levels when you test and b) you can live with for life.
So re-read the dietary and testing advice above, and start today (although I think you've already started, so well done on that)
It'll take a while to get the hang of it all, but in time it will become second nature
 
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