Blood sugar always high

[Effiehell]

Hi all,

I am hoping for some help. I was diagnosed during COVID and put directly on insulin. For a while I adjusted the insulin to keep blood sugar in range. However I was needing more and more to keep in range. I put on lots of weight.

Four weeks ago I decided to come off the insulin and go very low carb to see if I could lose the weight and get better control. However, I just can’t get in range. My fasting blood sugar in 12-13. I wake at 5am. Even though I don’t eat, it will slowly rise and reach about 15-16. I eat at 1pm usually a salad or soup and it will rise to about 17-18. It will then come down to about 13 before dinner (meat and veggies) at 7pm. It will shoot up again to 17 - 18. I then jog/walk until it comes down to 12ish - sometimes this takes 2 hours.

I have lost over a stone in the last 4 weeks. Will my blood sugars improve as I lose weight or do I need to go back on insulin due to the damage of the high blood sugars?

 

[Pipp]

Hi all,

I am hoping for some help. I was diagnosed during COVID and put directly on insulin. For a while I adjusted the insulin to keep blood sugar in range. However I was needing more and more to keep in range. I put on lots of weight.

Four weeks ago I decided to come off the insulin and go very low carb to see if I could lose the weight and get better control. However, I just can’t get in range. My fasting blood sugar in 12-13. I wake at 5am. Even though I don’t eat, it will slowly rise and reach about 15-16. I eat at 1pm usually a salad or soup and it will rise to about 17-18. It will then come down to about 13 before dinner (meat and veggies) at 7pm. It will shoot up again to 17 - 18. I then jog/walk until it comes down to 12ish - sometimes this takes 2 hours.

I have lost over a stone in the last 4 weeks. Will my blood sugars improve as I lose weight or do I need to go back on insulin due to the damage of the high blood sugars?

@Effiehell
The concern I have is that you have been on insulin regime for almost five years. It seems extreme to go ‘cold turkey’ . Those blood glucose levels, are too high.
Have you informed the GP or diabetes team of what you are doing?

 

[Pipp]

I would also suggest you check for ketone levels, @Effiehell .
This article gives more info.

Hyperglycaemia (Hyper)

Hyperglycaemia, or a hyper, is when your blood glucose levels, also called blood sugar levels, are too high. For many people a level above 7mmol/l before a meal and 8.5mmol/l two hours after a meal would be a hyper, but target levels can be different for everyone and should be individually...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[EllieM]

I have to be careful what I say as I am T1 and not T2 so I am "cross posting".

There is a really interesting article here by the freshwell low carb team on how to reduce insulin for T2s on a low carb diet, and they definitely don't advocate going "cold turkey", but using a system where the insulin is reduced gradually.

https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/documents/10/Deprescribing-Freshwell-Flow-Chart-v11.pdf

Given your diagnosis during covid I wonder if you ever had any tests to confirm which type of diabetes you had? (There are multiple types, not just T1 and T2.)

An issue here is that everyone, even those on a keto diet, need some insulin to survive. So it's possible that you just aren't producing enough of your own insulin at the moment to cope with even the lowest carb diet.

Here is the NHS advice on diabetic ketoacidosis, which is an acute life threatening condition caused by insufficient insulin.

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Find out about diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), including what the symptoms are, when to get medical help and how to prevent it.

www.nhs.uk

I have lost over a stone in the last 4 weeks. Will my blood sugars improve as I lose weight or do I need to go back on insulin due to the damage of the high blood sugars?

We're not allowed to give medical advice on the forums but I would urge you to do this experiment under consultation with your medical team.

 

[Chris24Main]

@EllieM - that Freshwell low-carb guide is fantastic. I hadn't come across that before. I think I'll print out a copy to take with me on my next DN appointment. Hugely positive, but covers all the potential risks thoroughly.

 

[Effiehell]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I thought I’d update. I have lost nearly another 8 lbs and my blood sugars have come down so I think it was worth coming off the insulin. I’m still on the same diet but my fasting blood sugar is now 8-10 which I know is still high but much improved. Throughout the day I am rarely going over 12 so I think it’s going in the right direction.

 

[Effiehell]

@Effiehell
The concern I have is that you have been on insulin regime for almost five years. It seems extreme to go ‘cold turkey’ . Those blood glucose levels, are too high.
Have you informed the GP or diabetes team of what you are doing?

I haven’t as their solution has been to inject more insulin. It’s also very difficult to get an actual appointment.