Type 2 Not sure what else I can do to help myself

[Maris Piper]

I am 75 female and two years ago was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic with my only symptom being a raised ( 59) blood test. I have studiously given up sugar and most carbohydrates. I cycle a lot on my electric bike. It is hilly where we live. My waist size is slightly over what it should be ( too many nuts!)I was recently at the GP for something else and the nurse said ,” oh we haven’t checked your blood sugar level for a while” so she took some blood and it was 67 so I have been put on 500 mg slow release Metformin. I still have no other symptoms. If I carry on with the same diet ( fewer nuts) and exercise and the Metformin can I expect a lower result when I am retested at the end of 3 months?

 

[lachina]

I am 75 female and two years ago was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic with my only symptom being a raised ( 59) blood test. I have studiously given up sugar and most carbohydrates. I cycle a lot on my electric bike. It is hilly where we live. My waist size is slightly over what it should be ( too many nuts!)I was recently at the GP for something else and the nurse said ,” oh we haven’t checked your blood sugar level for a while” so she took some blood and it was 67 so I have been put on 500 mg slow release Metformin. I still have no other symptoms. If I carry on with the same diet ( fewer nuts) and exercise and the Metformin can I expect a lower result when I am retested at the end of 3 months?[/QU

Hello
It is possible ! there are many things you can do, never give up ! When I discover my situation in 2013, I was visiting another country; when I went back to US, I went straight to my primary doctor, when I get my results my AIC was 10, now is 5.8 %
There is hope at the end of the tunnel.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

I have studiously given up sugar and most carbohydrates.

I think the next step might be to let us know what your normal day's eating is.

Control can often be improved by managing the amount as well as the type of carbohydrates you eat.

It normally takes quite a long time to work out what it is safe for you to eat.

Have you considered testing your Blood Glucose to see what food affect you most?

Edit: Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[In Response]

@Maris Piper do you have a meter?
Many members have had success by eating to their meter.
Rather than reducing carbs, they have used their meter to work out which foods cause the biggest spikes and cut out them.
The usual guidance is to void foods that cause a spike of more than 2 mol/l over 2 hours.
So test before you eat and test 2 hours later.

 

[Maris Piper]

I think the next step might be to let us know what your normal day's eating is.

Control can often be improved by managing the amount as well as the type of carbohydrates you eat.

It normally takes quite a long time to work out what it is safe for you to eat.

Have you considered testing your Blood Glucose to see what food affect you most?

Edit: Oh, and welcome to the forum!

I have been keeping a food diary

@Maris Piper do you have a meter?
Many members have had success by eating to their meter.
Rather than reducing carbs, they have used their meter to work out which foods cause the biggest spikes and cut out them.
The usual guidance is to void foods that cause a spike of more than 2 mol/l over 2 hours.
So test before you eat and test 2 hours later.

I have bought a meter so I think I’ll try testing my blood before and after meals and see what that throws up. I’ve been keeping a food diary and my husband agrees that I can’t eat less carbohydrate than I do except for the nuts in the evening but I’m going to swap those for seaweed thins. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Daibell]

I have been keeping a food diary

I have bought a meter so I think I’ll try testing my blood before and after meals and see what that throws up. I’ve been keeping a food diary and my husband agrees that I can’t eat less carbohydrate than I do except for the nuts in the evening but I’m going to swap those for seaweed thins. Thanks for all the responses.

Hi. In general nuts aren't a problem unless they are high in carbs.

 

[Maris Piper]

Hi. In general nuts aren't a problem unless they are high in carbs.

My fasting test this morning was 9.1 mmol. My husband asked if I knew the meter was accurate so we tested him and he was 4.8 so then we started wondering about medications I’m on. I have been taking 25 mg amitryptiline at night for 5 years for abdominal migraine and 25 gm Meloxicam in the morning for arthritis. Can either of these be affecting my blood glucose level? I’ve been taking the 500mg Metformin since 14 April and recording everything I eat. Most days the only carbohydrate I eat is oats ( home made porridge).

 

[KK123]

My fasting test this morning was 9.1 mmol. My husband asked if I knew the meter was accurate so we tested him and he was 4.8 so then we started wondering about medications I’m on. I have been taking 25 mg amitryptiline at night for 5 years for abdominal migraine and 25 gm Meloxicam in the morning for arthritis. Can either of these be affecting my blood glucose level? I’ve been taking the 500mg Metformin since 14 April and recording everything I eat. Most days the only carbohydrate I eat is oats ( home made porridge).

Hi Maris Piper (great name, I miss potatoes!), can you give us a typical days food?, I know you have said you cannot go lower carb than you are but it would be really helpful for people to advise of their own experiences if they knew exactly what you were eating. Your porridge is high carb and if you are eating it after a morning fasting reading of 9.1 then you are likely to be high all morning, what was your reading after porridge? If you are truly low carb and your readings are remaining high I think I would go back to the GP and ask for more tests, I was diagnosed as 'pre diabetes' 5 years ago when I was 54 and 3 years later it turned out to be type 1. x

 

[Maris Piper]

Hi Maris Piper (great name, I miss potatoes!), can you give us a typical days food?, I know you have said you cannot go lower carb than you are but it would be really helpful for people to advise of their own experiences if they knew exactly what you were eating. Your porridge is high carb and if you are eating it after a morning fasting reading of 9.1 then you are likely to be high all morning, what was your reading after porridge? If you are truly low carb and your readings are remaining high I think I would go back to the GP and ask for more tests, I was diagnosed as 'pre diabetes' 5 years ago when I was 54 and 3 years later it turned out to be type 1. x

My reading this morning 2 hrs after porridge ( plus Coffee with semi skimmed and kefir with full fat) was 10. Yesterday I had the same breakfast, lunch was a boiled egg and 5 sprouts ( left overs) and 5 black olives and dinner was quorn mince with onions, leeks, mushrooms and tinned tomatoes ( 1/4 of a tin.) with purple sprouting then 2 tbsp whole milk natural yogurt, 2 dessert spoons mixed oats, linseed, chopped nuts and raisins with 5 grapes and a tbsp blueberries. Later I had a packet of seaweed thins ( carb and sugar-free) and before bed,, 2 small kiwis ( meant to help me sleep better!) Yesterday 2 hrs after dinner my reading was 11.3. I could omit the raisins at dinner, I have about 6.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Your problem could be the fruit. Grapes are particularly bad for diabetics, also dried fruit such as raisins. This includes all fruit juices, fruit smoothies etc. The best fruits are berries such as strawberries and raspberries. Blueberries are higher in carb content but OK in small quantities. It isn't only the carb content, it is also the fructose. Fructose is dealt with by the liver, which treats it as toxic much like it does with alcohol, and turns it to fat mostly round the liver - the proverbial spare tyre.

Keep testing before you eat and again at 2 hours. You could also test before the 2 hours, say at an hour or 90 minutes in case you are spiking too high during that period. I would also cut out the porridge. Eggs are excellent for breakfast, cooked any which way. Record these levels in your food diary so you can look for patterns with certain foods.

 

[KK123]

My reading this morning 2 hrs after porridge ( plus Coffee with semi skimmed and kefir with full fat) was 10. Yesterday I had the same breakfast, lunch was a boiled egg and 5 sprouts ( left overs) and 5 black olives and dinner was quorn mince with onions, leeks, mushrooms and tinned tomatoes ( 1/4 of a tin.) with purple sprouting then 2 tbsp whole milk natural yogurt, 2 dessert spoons mixed oats, linseed, chopped nuts and raisins with 5 grapes and a tbsp blueberries. Later I had a packet of seaweed thins ( carb and sugar-free) and before bed,, 2 small kiwis ( meant to help me sleep better!) Yesterday 2 hrs after dinner my reading was 11.3. I could omit the raisins at dinner, I have about 6.

Hi there, thanks for replying. It is hard isn't it, your diet sounds 'perfect', very healthy on paper but if you were to look at many of those foods in terms of spoonfuls of 'sugar' then it's easier to see what might be keeping you high. As an insulin user I have to do this basically as my body doesn't care where the glucose is coming from, be it an apple or a bag of haribos, so that porridge would be around 4 teaspoons of 'sugar' even before the milk, the kiwis around 3 teaspoons of sugar, the tomatoes, one spoon, the grapes (eek...I use these as a fast acting glucose raiser following a hypo, basically pure sugar). It's not that there is anything wrong with those foods as such BUT they will raise your levels so that's the concern for you. So many people think it's all about not consuming 'sweets/cakes/crisps', but it's all about the carbs which turn to 'sugar'. x

 

[TriciaWs]

I would try substituting both the oats and the grapes & raisins for low carb as both of those are likely to be raising your blood sugar. Grapes are a high carb fruit and dried raisins even worse.
On a low carb diet I would replace the semi-skimmed and low fat products with full fat - real Greek full-fat yogurt is usually the lowest in carbs. And as others suggest go for berries (or rhubarb with a sweetener such as erythritol) instead of kiwi and grapes.
Instead of oats if you don't want to eat eggs at breakfast I make a porridge with milled flaxseed, chia seeds, a little coconut milk with water, and some chopped nuts and other lowish carb seeds, plus cinnamon - served with double cream.
Add in some more green veg for vitamins, minerals and fibre - lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach - also cauliflower (it makes excellent rice and also mash)?

 

[Maris Piper]

Thanks everyone for the replies. After continuing to test I was 8.6 before lunch and two eggs and some black olives later I am down to 6. Does anyone know anything about the effects of Amitriptyline on blood sugar?

 

[Goonergal]

Thanks everyone for the replies. After continuing to test I was 8.6 before lunch and two eggs and some black olives later I am down to 6. Does anyone know anything about the effects of Amitriptyline on blood sugar?

No personal experience, but this quote:

‘If you have diabetes, amitriptyline can make it more difficult to keep your blood sugar stable. Monitor your blood sugar more often for the first few weeks of treatment with amitriptyline and adjust your diabetes treatment if necessary. Speak to your doctor if your blood sugar levels are causing you concern.’

Comes from the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/amitriptyline-for-depression/

So perhaps a chat with your doc about alternatives?

 

[lucylocket61]

Does anyone know anything about the effects of Amitriptyline on blood sugar?

I am juggling several health conditions. I have to make choices based on my overall health. So if you need the amitriptyline for another condition I would focus on lowering your fruit first and becoming aware of what has sugar in. It can be a surprise to find out how many carbs are in healthy foods.

 

[Maris Piper]

Thanks for the advice.