I could use some help

[Nikkipants]

Heya, I just got diagnosed with T2 this last Wednesday. I am confused about a few things. My dr put me on Metformin 500mg once a day with my breakfast. I took it as directed, all the while, changing my eating and adding exercise in one to two times a day. I am eating tons of veggies, low carb, high protein and no sweets.

So on Sunday, I took my medication with my breakfast (2 eggs, spinach, sauteed tomatoes and garlic) and had a string cheese a couple of hours later. About 1.5 hours after this, I started feeling really weird. I felt fuzzy headed and almost drunk. I assumed my sugars were just adjusting from the medication. I left a message with my doctor, ate a sandwich and took a nap because I was feeling off. I woke up from my nap like 30 minutes later and the nurse was calling. She said the doctor wants me to stop the metformin and call today. She gave me no test kit, so I am not sure of readings.

Then I borrowed a friends kit and tested my sugar this morning 2 hours after my breakfast (no medication.) I had a smoothie I made with a whole large banana, 1/4 cup of oats, 3 tbsp of peanut butter, and some peanut butter protein powder all blended together with almond milk. When I tested my sugars 2 hours later, they were 126.

When I initially went to the dr, my glucose was 143 fasting. Honestly, I don't know how these things work, but I would assume that my sugars would be higher than 126 2 hours after eating if they were 143 fasting, no?
Now she is telling me to start on half a tablet a day because I had a "headache," which isn't even true.

And I'm also wondering, could my diet and exercise plus the metformin have made my sugars too low? I don't know how metformin works and if it can do that.

So sorry for the huge post, I'm so confused!

 

[Antje77]

When your body has gotten used to high blood sugars you may feel yuck when they descend to a more normal level, it's called a false hypo. It could be very well that that has happened to you. Without testing regularly there is no way to tell really.
My situation is completely different from yours but I'll post a link we like to give to all new members, it has a lot of useful information. Come back with all your questions please, and have a look around the forum as well
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/
Good luck!

From the numbers you quote for your blood glucose it looks like you're in the USA, southern Europe or another part of the world where they measure in mg/dl. Most posts on this forum use mmol/l. Nothing wrong with using the mg/dl figures, but for understanding when reading around this conversion table may come in handy:

 

[Marie 2]

There is no way to know? Buy a meter and start testing, it will tell you fasting, after you eat etc. It's a cheap investment for your health and when you are having blood sugar issues one of the most important investments you could make. You can do what you think is right but you really have no idea.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Nikki and welcome to the forum. First let me post a link to the useful info written for newbies.
Now it’ sgood You have started to reduce the carbs in your diet this is the thing that will have the largest effect on your sugars, Metformin is a very mild drug and doesn’t have a direct effect on a meal by meal basis, it’s more of a cumulative effect, so one tablet for only 4 or 5 days won’t have done much and holds very very little risk of hypos
My guess as to what has happened to you is this. Only a guess as you didn’t test your blood when you felt ill on Sunday. I think that your body has got used to running high so on reducing your carbs in your meals on Sunday your blood sugars dropped to more normal levels but your body objected by giving you symptoms of a hypo, but it was a false hypo as it was no longer used to normal levels.
Your next breakfast including banana and oats isn’t so low carb as the Sunday one. However you can’t really compare a fasting test one day with a post breakfast test on another day. You need to test methodically before and two hours after each meal to learn how different foods affect you.

Edit to add, I didn’t post the link as Antje beat me to it!

 

[HSSS]

I’d agree a false hypo is a definite possibility. 126 (7mmol) is by no means low but if you’re used to much higher it might feel horrible.

You say you’ve changed you’re diet but that smoothie with oats and bananas would be way too carb laden for many if not most type 2. What guidelines were you given in how to change your diet?

 

[Nikkipants]

Yes! I did that on purpose to test my sugars after. Thanks so much. You guys are so helpful!

I’d agree a false hypo is a definite possibility. 126 (7mmol) is by no means low but if you’re used to much higher it might feel horrible.

You say you’ve changed you’re diet but that smoothie with oats and bananas would be way too carb laden for many if not most type 2. What guidelines were you given in how to change your diet?

 

[Resurgam]

I bought a Nutribullet just days before diagnosis and have yet to make much use of it. Blitzing plant materials ruptures the cell walls and releases the carbs for easy digestion. Two tests showed that back then I should not drink them as even salad ingredients without fruit caused a considerable spike.
Low carb foods are a great way to lower blood glucose, so you can get - with any luck - a restoration of normal metabolic functions as the strain is taken off - but for many type two diabetics the way of eating needs to be ongoing to maintain the improvement.

 

[Caeseji]

Heya, I just got diagnosed with T2 this last Wednesday. I am confused about a few things. My dr put me on Metformin 500mg once a day with my breakfast. I took it as directed, all the while, changing my eating and adding exercise in one to two times a day. I am eating tons of veggies, low carb, high protein and no sweets.

So on Sunday, I took my medication with my breakfast (2 eggs, spinach, sauteed tomatoes and garlic) and had a string cheese a couple of hours later. About 1.5 hours after this, I started feeling really weird. I felt fuzzy headed and almost drunk. I assumed my sugars were just adjusting from the medication. I left a message with my doctor, ate a sandwich and took a nap because I was feeling off. I woke up from my nap like 30 minutes later and the nurse was calling. She said the doctor wants me to stop the metformin and call today. She gave me no test kit, so I am not sure of readings.

Then I borrowed a friends kit and tested my sugar this morning 2 hours after my breakfast (no medication.) I had a smoothie I made with a whole large banana, 1/4 cup of oats, 3 tbsp of peanut butter, and some peanut butter protein powder all blended together with almond milk. When I tested my sugars 2 hours later, they were 126.

When I initially went to the dr, my glucose was 143 fasting. Honestly, I don't know how these things work, but I would assume that my sugars would be higher than 126 2 hours after eating if they were 143 fasting, no?
Now she is telling me to start on half a tablet a day because I had a "headache," which isn't even true.

And I'm also wondering, could my diet and exercise plus the metformin have made my sugars too low? I don't know how metformin works and if it can do that.

So sorry for the huge post, I'm so confused!

Welcome to the forums! Certainly would be best to get your own meter and test but it sounds like as others have said it was a false hypo which in some ways is a good thing because it shows your bloods are going back down to a better starting point than you were at before. Sometimes the tests can be wonky for so many reasons but also if you do have insulin going around in you still it can cause a bit of a lower crash in glucose after a carb heavy meal.

 

[Antje77]

Yes! I did that on purpose to test my sugars after. Thanks so much. You guys are so helpful!

I think we're all very happy you decided to jump in head first only days after your diagnosis
I'll bet you 10 euro's (pounds, dollars, zloties, peseta's, whatever you fancy) you're one of those giving helpful advice to confused newbies in a couple of months while handling your diabetes in a way that has your GP question their text books, just like @Caeseji did!

If you plan on posting more on the forum, it would be helpfull if you filled ot your profile to include type of diabetes and medication. Not sure how to do it on a phone,if that's even possible, but on a pc just go to your profile on the upper right of the page.

 

[Nikkipants]

I think we're all very happy you decided to jump in head first only days after your diagnosis
I'll bet you 10 euro's (pounds, dollars, zloties, peseta's, whatever you fancy) you're one of those giving helpful advice to confused newbies in a couple of months while handling your diabetes in a way that has your GP question their text books, just like @Caeseji did!

If you plan on posting more on the forum, it would be helpfull if you filled ot your profile to include type of diabetes and medication. Not sure how to do it on a phone,if that's even possible, but on a pc just go to your profile on the upper right of the page.

Thank you! I hope so. I filled out my profile.
Also, I send a message to my doctor and asked her to prescribe me a meter. She is being weird and asking if I want training. No, man! I just want a meter!
Anyway, thank you guys!

 

[copilost]

Hi Nikki, me too, last Wednesday and also jumped in crazy! I turned down meds and opted for diet for three months to see if I could turn it around. I feel weird on keto, not bad just odd. Also better than I've felt in years. Have had some shakes and also full body tingling in the morning, very strange. I've seen some advice to get some glucose tablets to deal with shakes, would be interested to see what people think of that. I got a meter and have ordered more strips and a control solution (free from meter supplier when registered meter).

 

[Antje77]

Thank you! I hope so. I filled out my profile.
Also, I send a message to my doctor and asked her to prescribe me a meter. She is being weird and asking if I want training. No, man! I just want a meter!
Anyway, thank you guys!

Getting a meter from your doctor is only useful if they're willing to prescribe test strips as well. Meters are cheap, test strips expensive. So if they won't, look into the cheaper test strips and get the meter that goes with it. I assume you're not in the UK so no use giving you information about test strips there. Sounds like you'll figure it out anyway