A few questions from a newbie

BisphamGirl said:

I survived my first social occasion today.
A wake after a family funeral.
I went prepared with a plain egg salad, but they had grilled chicken.
I even tested my BG whilst sat at the table!
Then my brother-in-law made comment that 'he worked at the hospital and wasn't I being a bit paranoid;, BANG went all my confidence.

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I am a receptionist in a very busy garage. I test and inject in front of whoever is in the office with me at the time. Never had anyone make a bad comment about it. Lots ask what I am doing and am very happy to explain to them. God help anyone who makes a snide remark while I am doing it

BisphamGirl said:

Hi everyone.
Being unexpectedly diagnosed Type 2 in March was a wake up call and im determined to get a grip of this.
I was very ill and had surgery over Xmas 2017 and my body just wouldn't heal afterwards. Numerous blood tests while I was in hospital, but it never occurred to them to test my blood glucose! Thankfully my GP practice nurse did when I made myself go in March and BINGO!

So my HbA1c was 97 in March and the diabetic nurse thinks I have had it for quite a while apparently. Appointments made for the retina test and my name is on the waiting list for the DESMOND awareness course. Prescribed 1 x 500mg Metformin daily and foot tickle test done. Appointment booked for another HbAlc in July and the following week for a review.

The Diabetic Nurse said that I didn't need to test, but (after reading the forums on here) I applied for a free monitor and have been religiously testing and from a start of 22.0 my readings are averaging at fasting 8.1 to a high of 9.5 before food and 13.5 after eating. So it's starting to come down.
I feel like I am more in control if I am testing, especially as I want to know if specific foods cause spikes.

I have in the past followed a low-carb diet for weightloss, so am dusting off the recipe books. Fortunately I don't have a very sweet tooth, so have easily knocked eating sweets, cake and biscuits on the head.

So I have a few questions, some might be a bit daft. But need to know if they are related to diabetes.

• Does a lack of or poor quality sleep have an impact on my readings?
• Do I need to inform the DVLA and my car insurance company, I have read different opinions on this, my understanding from reading the DVLA website is no, but the nurse said yes!
  
• If im counting carbs, what total consumption should I be aiming for each day to regain control?
• Any prevention methods to get rid of constantly reoccurring thrush?

Very relieved to find this forum and the voice of experience that is here.

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hi im new on here too i went to lloyds pharmacy for a free check in march ..15.5 ...sent me in panic mode ..set wheels in motion blood test seven days later, appointment to see diabetic nurse ten days later..meanwhile started mosleys blood sugar diet following recipes advice etc.from his book which i found easy ,by the time i had my first meeting with the nurse (type 2) i had dropped 12 kilos nurse not too happy with the diet as ketones were present she was worried as my blood sugar was too low .. danger of hypos(another new word to understand) nurse was pleased that i had gone the right way with the weight loss but try eat to the b.s.meter i now eat 3 meals with small snacks in between to keep my b.s. above 5 to 6 i was 124 kilos in november 2017 now 103 kilos for about 4 weeks now ..weight loss was down to the v.l.c.diet. but now eating carbs to keep the b,s, up go,s against the grain as i am still overweight has anyone else on here had this hypo problem?

Hi @Diawara Well done on the weight loss. What does the nurse rate as being 'too low'? Too low to be diabetic? Unless it was way down under 4.5 then there was no problem and that is unlikely after such a short time on your new diet. It is unlikely that you will go hypo as a type 2 on metformin or working on diet and exercise to bring about control. You body will use the fat it has stored to keep your bg level steady so a bg of under 6 is OK, even if it drops into the 4's it is fine. By keeping eating you keep your bg level higher than your body wants it to be so it keeps trying to store the excess sugar as fat, which stalls your weight loss, increases the problem of insulin resistance and so your pancreas is working overtime to produce more insulin to force bg into cells that are already overfull. If you feel peckish between meals have some cheese, pork scratchings, salami and cream cheese 'treats', but make sure that you 'earn' them. You have walked further or faster than usual, done an extra round of exercise might qualify for a treat. Otherwise cut out the snacks. You will find that your weight loss will start again, aim to lose no more than 1 kg a week so that your skin has time to shrink back to fit the new you, and when you finally reach your goal you only have to make small changes to maintain weight. Anyone who has been on a weight loss diet knows that real test is finding a maintenance diet.

Hi @BisphamGirl , you are absolutely on the right track with your testing regime. Do not let a remark born of ignorance upset your confidence. You are learning to take back control and need to keep testing, particularly in situations where you don't know the ingredients in the food. I am sorry for the loss to your family, be grateful for the time with family members and celebrate your own life. You will find that you don't have time to brood on insensitive remarks.

Diawara said:

hi im new on here too i went to lloyds pharmacy for a free check in march ..15.5 ...sent me in panic mode ..set wheels in motion blood test seven days later, appointment to see diabetic nurse ten days later..meanwhile started mosleys blood sugar diet following recipes advice etc.from his book which i found easy ,by the time i had my first meeting with the nurse (type 2) i had dropped 12 kilos nurse not too happy with the diet as ketones were present she was worried as my blood sugar was too low .. danger of hypos(another new word to understand) nurse was pleased that i had gone the right way with the weight loss but try eat to the b.s.meter i now eat 3 meals with small snacks in between to keep my b.s. above 5 to 6 i was 124 kilos in november 2017 now 103 kilos for about 4 weeks now ..weight loss was down to the v.l.c.diet. but now eating carbs to keep the b,s, up go,s against the grain as i am still overweight has anyone else on here had this hypo problem?

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Your nurse is getting things wrong I'm afraid. What was your level when she said it was too low?

It is extremely rare for people on Metformin to have a hypo. When we go a bit low our livers normally kick in and dump some stored glucose to bring us back up to safe levels - just exactly what happens with healthy non-diabetics, and is what keeps us alive. Some other diabetes drugs can cause hypos, but not Metformin. Only start to worry if your levels are dropping below 4, and if that happens, a cup of tea with milk or a very plain biscuit may be enough to bring it up back to 4 plus.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

I agree with @Phoenix55 that snacking between meals is a bad idea. It does not give our pancreas chance for a rest. It will be working overtime to keep the glucose under control. In fact, fasting is better than snacking. If I were you I would cut out the snacks completely. They do far more harm than good. Eat 1, 2 or 3 meals a day and fast in between each meal other than the odd cup of tea or coffee, and of course, water. There is absolutely NO reason to increase your carbs. If you are hungry, increase your good fats.

Phoenix55 said:

Hi @Diawara Well done on the weight loss. What does the nurse rate as being 'too low'? Too low to be diabetic? Unless it was way down under 4.5 then there was no problem and that is unlikely after such a short time on your new diet. It is unlikely that you will go hypo as a type 2 on metformin or working on diet and exercise to bring about control. You body will use the fat it has stored to keep your bg level steady so a bg of under 6 is OK, even if it drops into the 4's it is fine. By keeping eating you keep your bg level higher than your body wants it to be so it keeps trying to store the excess sugar as fat, which stalls your weight loss, increases the problem of insulin resistance and so your pancreas is working overtime to produce more insulin to force bg into cells that are already overfull. If you feel peckish between meals have some cheese, pork scratchings, salami and cream cheese 'treats', but make sure that you 'earn' them. You have walked further or faster than usual, done an extra round of exercise might qualify for a treat. Otherwise cut out the snacks. You will find that your weight loss will start again, aim to lose no more than 1 kg a week so that your skin has time to shrink back to fit the new you, and when you finally reach your goal you only have to make small changes to maintain weight. Anyone who has been on a weight loss diet knows that real test is finding a maintenance diet.

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hi it may take me some while to digest all the imfo so bear with me please
i had a overnight fasting nurse checked i think it was 3.9 (fours the floor five to drive) another phrase alien to me!
nurse seems to be a decent sort but she was concerned and sanctioned a accuchek meter and strips and i have checked since 21/3/18 i will soon have my first 90 day blood test since my iinitial blood test.
most of my waking b.g are 4.8 5.1 none higher than 6.0
two hours after breakfast up to5.0 to 6.7
lunch similar
evening meals similar
the highest ive recorded so far is a couple of 7.8s and a few 7.0s
breakfasts gram flourand oat pancake(fillig)
during work hours
whole meal bread (homemade}
almonds pumkin seeds walnuts etc
evening meals various but mainly low carb vegetables etc no ready meals
inbetween and before bread snacks say an apple/ 50 grams w/meal bread
im addind to this post re. previous advice

was this a hypo?
thursday the 3rd of may i was at work as usual diet as above
breakfast ..{before b.s.5.5]
lunch
apple and slice rye bread 10.30,3.00and4.30 before driving
handfull of almonds about 6.pm
my kids brought a take away meal to share but it didnt turn up until about 8 pm i was feeling a bit"ratty" but started to eat the meal with them no problems for a few minutes we were watching something on t.v. and chatting when i started getting "muddled" i couldnt remember the name of the month of september or the month before it,or after it or any month of the year!
i felt most strange i knew i should take some glucose tablets but i seemed to be in slow motion! my son who has reactive hypoglycemia got me to take the tablets and after talking rubbish for a few more minutes things returned to normal and we finished the meal..
was this a hypo my diabetes nurse was talking about? if so is this why she was so adamant about the snacks thing?
yesterday i tested b.s 6 times all about 5.5
i dont understand having such high numbers initialy losing the weight keeping to a healthy diet then seeminly having trouble with the low results
apreciate any comments
thanks

BisphamGirl said:

Then my brother-in-law made comment that 'he worked at the hospital and wasn't I being a bit paranoid;,

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I hope you told him that it's your eyes and toes you are protecting and he should know better...