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Another New Member HI All

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Mattj39

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3
Hi all,
My name is Matt, I am 39 have 4 kids 3 with special needs and have been married for 19 years.
I got the shock of my life 2 weeks ago after feeling really unwell..
I have had a bad back ache for over a year and thought it was where i lifted something wrong, well 2 weeks ago i could not stop drinking, in one day i managed 8 pints of water, 3 cans of coke, 4 cups of tea and a 500ml bottle of coke, was up all night using the loo..
Whent to the docs next day did the test in a bottle and was rushed to hospital with a sugar level of 28,
I have been put on metformin 500mg 2 tabs twice a day, also my cholestral was very high, so am on statins as well..
I have been on the tabs for a couple of weeks now, but am struggling to control the sugar levels, they have dropped to normal, but today i could not get above 1.8, after eating a mars bar for a quick sugar rush, i managed a cup of coffee with a little sugar and 4 choc biscuits and finally after 3 hrs i managed to get to 7.2, but then 3 hrs later i had dropped 2.8..
Tonight after having a drink i am up at 12.4..

here are the results of my testing..
over a week, 19.4,15.9,16.3,14.9,18,2,12.8,12.1,11.3,6.7,10.8,7.7,5.2,6.4,4.9,6.4,2.4,3.9,2.0,1.8,12.2.

average over 7 days 5.2

i was wondering now i have cut out most sugar, dont have it in tea and coffee, and cut out the coke, i was wondering if my metformin tabs dosage is too much and it is dragging my levels down to low..
Matt
 
Have they done blood tests to see if you are Type 1 or Type 2? Your sudden onset is far more common in Type 1. Go and make sure they have diagnosed you correctly.
 
Hi Matt and welcome to the forum :) I agree with Jen that you need further testing asap.

Whichever type you are, this information written for new members will be useful to you. Have a good read then come back and ask as many questions as you like as there is usually someone who will know the answer.

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Matt and welcome. Can't answer your question, but Metformin doesn't lower blood sugar in that way so i think you need answers from the Doc as to why you're getting such lows.
 
Thank you very much for warm welcome,
I am due back to the docs this week, so i will put to them the questions you raised.
The Doc was adament it was type 2, but as you say everyone can make a mistake.
I have to admit since cutting the junk food and high sugar level drinks I do feel so much better, it is just the last few days all i have wanted to do is sleep.

As said I will mention this to nurse and cod when i see them this week..

Thanks a lot for all the info posted, it is nice to be on a site where you get so much help and understanding, I will say I admire people who have been diabetic for many years, i have a friend who is 16 she has had it since 8, i really admire people how they can control their diet, cos it is so hard, especially when I am a skilled sugar confectioner and I am sales manager for Nestle, selling loads of choclate and coffee LOL, anyone want my samples ha ha ha

thanks again folks

Matt
 
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