Blood sugar readings advice please...

Your levels are not too low.

Those levels are pretty good. Metformin doesn't bring your levels down, but it does help stop liver dumping. No question is silly when you are learning.

I’ve just read the piece on blood sugar level ranges. My diabetic nurse has never discussed a target to aim for and she still insists that I do not need to test blood sugar levels daily because I have the ‘wrong sort of diabetes’. I’m on 4 Metformin and 1 Alogliptin daily and my last reading in April was 84. I know that I drink too much alcohol and eat too much bread but her derogatory comments regarding this are getting me more depressed and I’m almost at the point of giving up trying to eat more healthily. I can understand anyone reading this shouting serves you blooming right! I have cut down - slightly - on the alcohol but won’t get to know if this has affected my blood sugar levels until April next year as I’m still only being tested once a year.

Does anyone else have the same problem?

Mindles said:

Thank you expect there will be more questions. I think what’s happened is I’ve lost weight and my readings are so much better that it’s almost the other way to what I know so slightly panicky too. I read about people that go to bed with LBS and have hypos so was worrying!

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Hypo's are mainly a concern for people on either insulin or sulfonylurea's. On metformin you should be fine. Non diabetics dropto the high 3's, it's perfectly normal.

Mindles said:

Hi
I’m type 2 on three metformin a day and am getting some blood sugar readings of around 7 in the morning
5.5 before lunch
Same before tea and just now it’s 6.5

Are these readings too low with metformin or about right? I know if I’ve had too much sugar as they nicely rise to around 10/11!
Just really wanted to see what is considered a good level or are these levels too low or am I just being silly!

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Metformin doesn't do much about the carbs (which turn to glucose) you ingest, but it does keep your liver from dumping as much as it normally would. Metformin won't give you hypoglycemia, so don't worry about that. I'd be a little more concerned about the 10/11 readings. That's still a bit high. If you test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite, you shouldn't go up more than 2.0 mmol/l. Otherwise, there were too many carbs in that meal for your body to be able to process. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ might help you there. As well as dietdoctor.com, diabetes.co.uk (not.org!) and Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code.

JMHAY said:

I’ve just read the piece on blood sugar level ranges. My diabetic nurse has never discussed a target to aim for and she still insists that I do not need to test blood sugar levels daily because I have the ‘wrong sort of diabetes’. I’m on 4 Metformin and 1 Alogliptin daily and my last reading in April was 84. I know that I drink too much alcohol and eat too much bread but her derogatory comments regarding this are getting me more depressed and I’m almost at the point of giving up trying to eat more healthily. I can understand anyone reading this shouting serves you blooming right! I have cut down - slightly - on the alcohol but won’t get to know if this has affected my blood sugar levels until April next year as I’m still only being tested once a year.

Does anyone else have the same problem?

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No-one's shouting at you. Just keep this in mind: You're doing it for you, not for some nurse who doesn't have to live in your body, and gives you bad, obsolete advice. Test your heart out. Before a meal, and 2 hours after. If you go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, there were more carbs in the meal than you could handle. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/, dietdoctor.com and diabetes.co.uk (not.org) can help, as would Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code, but just keep this in mind: She doesn't live in your body. And how ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL would it be to improve your numbers and be able to tell her that that was because you DIDN'T listen to her nonsense. Imagine that dropped jaw over your testresults! I know I rather enjoyed letting my dieticians know they were on the wrong tack and I was back into the normal range because I didn't up the carbs and ditch the fats, like they told me to.

Just be careful with the alogliptin, you might hypo if you lower carbs without adjusting medication. Something to discuss with your prescribing doc.

Oh, one more thing... You can actually drink alcohol. Just not beer, sweet wines and liqueurs. Dry wines, bubbly ones, wodka, whiskey, martini's etc are fine. It's the carbs/sugars that get you, not the actual alcohol. Mind you, I used to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and since alcohol made it hurt, I stopped drinking altogether, though even before the diagnosis I had a drink maybe 4 times a year... I know my liver's fine now but I don't see a reason to step away from my teas and coffees.But if you have fatty liver disease, which a lot of T2's do, it might be something to consider. Otherwise, have a look here for what you can safely drink without your bloodsugars going through the roof: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/alcohol-guide

Cheers!
Jo

JMHAY said:

I’ve just read the piece on blood sugar level ranges. My diabetic nurse has never discussed a target to aim for and she still insists that I do not need to test blood sugar levels daily because I have the ‘wrong sort of diabetes’. I’m on 4 Metformin and 1 Alogliptin daily and my last reading in April was 84. I know that I drink too much alcohol and eat too much bread but her derogatory comments regarding this are getting me more depressed and I’m almost at the point of giving up trying to eat more healthily. I can understand anyone reading this shouting serves you blooming right! I have cut down - slightly - on the alcohol but won’t get to know if this has affected my blood sugar levels until April next year as I’m still only being tested once a year.

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If it helps, my DN nurse set the following range - Before Meals - Your range should be between 4 and 7 and 2 hours Post Meal it should under 10. Like others, I try to avoid an increase of more than 2 between eating and two hours after.

Even though your DN is not being as supportive as you would like. Remember that its your body and not theirs. You want things to improve for you and not suffer worsening complications and increased reliance on medications in the future. We all get down and depressed from time to time, but don't give up on healthy eating as it will only help you and not them.

Yes it can be hard, but try to reduce the alcohol and bread. Far better to reduce them now than end up on ever increasing insulin injections in the future.

If you havn't aleady got one, try to get a meter. You can find out what does affect you in real time and you can get an idea of where your Hbac1 is sitting before waiting the year.

Good Luck.

Download the MySugr app. Record your food and readings. After enough data has been entered, around 6 days in my case, it gives you an estimated HbA1c numer. I found it highly motivating when I first started. It is free.