Blood levels - how long is a piece of string ;)

[DeanLJ]

Hi

so i've done my first 2 weeks as a T2 diabetic.

I've had very little refined sugar (3 small portions of english mustard, 2 of brown sauce)

I've reduced my carbs massively to approx 70g to 90g a day (including carbs in veg and fruit)

my blood has come down to 13.3 this morning from 22.5 mmol the day after diagnosis two weeks ago

I know we are all different but what is the 'norm' for getting numbers down in to single figures?

not had much chance to exercise as currently working long high pressure hours for a tight deadline.

The first 5 days after diagnosis was just diet control, then on 1 x 500g Metformin, and this is the 3rd day on 2 x 500g Metformin (doc wants me up to 4 x 500g Metformin asap)

Would love to hear how long it took others to reach single figures and then to hit the 'normal' range

thanks

Dean

 

[DeejayR]

Hello. You've answered your question with your heading. We're all different, and you're going in the right direction. We're all in this for the long haul.
"Hopefully within a few weeks my new normal will be like i was 10 years ago", to quote from one of your previous posts.
That would be great, but most of us find there's work to be done first.

 

[Bluetit1802]

You are doing well so far, so well done.

You have to remember this isn't a sprint. It is a marathon. We all have different degrees of pancreas damage, insulin resistance, medication and differing diets and lifestyles, so we are all different.

Just keep testing before and after eating, keep a food diary, compare your pre and post meal levels, and if the rise is unacceptable to you, have a look at that meal and see how you can amend it. Amend it (portion-wise) and then try again. Try to keep any rises to under 2mmol/l, preferably less, and record your levels alongside your food diary entries. Patterns will emerge. Trial and error. Eat to your meter. It's the only way, and if you do it properly you will see those numbers drop.

 

[DeanLJ]

thanks folks, i guess i was just looking for reassurance, i'd seen some posts (LCHF forum) where people had gone from 20's to 8's in one or two weeks.

I had a blip mid week and have identified the homemade cheese sauce my wife made as the culprit. Odd that homemade parselty sauce didn't have the same effect

4th day today testing pre/post meals and am seeing the advantages of it. hoping i start getting the test strips on prescription at the rate i'm going through them LOL

many thanks for the replies

Dean

 

[Daffodils1]

Hi there, it took me six months to get to morning readings in late 5s, early s6s, but we are all different, as other posters have reassured.

All the best, marathon not a sprint advice offered above mentioned to me 6 months ago and is so true.

 

[honey badger]

its going in the right direction,and some of that time, was not helped it sounds without any medication.
I started around 3 weeks ago on 20 plus but was already on medication, I dropped carbs drastically, and am now averaging around 4.6.
However, as someone has already posted, we are all different,and react differently.
I would take comfort that for the first 5 days you were med free, and your body reacted to low carbs without meds, so hopefully you are not totally broken,and with some med help will bring it down even more.
Keep on it.

 

[britishpub]

My fasting reading on 5th May which was 3 weeks after diagnosis and lifestyle change was 7.8

It was 16.8 on the morning after diagnosis.

You are heading in the right direction, so well done to you.

As they say, it is a lifestyle now, and as long as the trend is downwards, you can be happy.

 

[Sirmione]

You will get there , dealing with type 2 is a learning experience. It took me about 4 months to get my overnight fasting levels under control, even now they can throw a few surprises. My BG levels came down with a step change while I was on holiday but keep in mind you will get unexplainable ups and downs in fasting and average readings..
One thing I found works for me is having something to eat immediately before bed, for me it is usually a small chunk of cheese and a couple of cherry tomatoes with small glass of milk. As I picked up from others on the forum it isn't so much a diet but a style of eating I don't count carbs just try to avoid them, Gradually you will build up a knowledge of which foods contain hidden carbs and just stop buying them and also how much of a food containing carbs you can eat in one meal.

One other suggestion is to check your BG meter against test solutions, I have had 4 different types of meter only one of which (Codefree SD) gives reasonably accurate readings against both Medium and High range test solutions.

 

[Diafite]

Hi Dean,
You are off to a good start-well done.
I was diagnosed T2 back in Feb this year and I was devastated. My weight was 13stone, height 5' 9". I immediately stopped all carbs - bread, potatoes,pasta, noodles, etc and increased my meat intake with lots of fresh veg. I then started to learn all I could about T2 and at times was confused about what I should do. I purchased a copy of Reverse Your Diabetes by Dr David Cavan. The book is easy to read and clarifies a lot of the mystery surrounding T2 and helped me immensely.

My initial HBa1c reading was 102 (mmol/l of 11.5) - doc was not impressed. I was quite tough with myself and I then purchased a Codefree blood tester, I got a little paranoid and tested myself 6 times a day as soon as I got up in the morning before any drink or food, mid day, afternoon, early evening, late evening and again at bedtime. I set up a spreadsheet and recorded all the readings and calculated my daily average and also my weekly average. Why did I do this because I found out that the HBa1c test comes up with an average for the past 120days. I also found that by testing as I did I soon worked what foods were raising or lowering/raising my levels and also gave me a target to aim for, yes I was disappointed when levels went up but at least I knew why and I could rectify the problem. The doctor also said that I can come down from 3x500mg of Metformin to 2 a day.

I can now report that my latest HBa1c reading Jun this year was 42 (mmo/l of 6) - doc wash shocked and pleased. The HBa1c reading also confirmed that my testing and readings from the blood monitor was working as my reading matched exactly the readings from the blood test. My diet has now changed a little, as I now know that I can have the odd piece of toast, go out for a meal and indulge now and again.

I am due another HBa1c in Oct and I feel confident that I can remain at a proper level. Hopefully I will be able to reduce Metformin again and possibly stop altogether.

Other things I did:
Drink only Almond Milk - an acquired taste.
Hanfuls of fresh mixed nuts, Almonds, Brazil, Hazelnuts and Walnuts - great for taking the hungry feeling away.
Greek Yoghurt.
Plenty of vegetables with meals.
Scrambled eggs, mushrooms and bacon.
Soups.
Crisp bread.

Dean I hope I have not gone for too long about this but hopefully it may help you. Remember we are all different so different things have different effects.

For me I found the testing the best way to achieve my goals.

I wish you the best of luck as you progress, however it does take time but can be done.
Good Luck.