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Confusion type 2

H

Harley86

Newbie
Hi there hope everyone is well..
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 2 years ago...battled with my weight my bloods showed come down a bit , but then personal stuff got me down and eat again, about 2 weeks ago started eating properly excersising. But since then my bloods are low and have to constantly keep boosting it up with biscuits and lucosade , I've eaten mcdonakds twice and its not boosted it...just keeps dropping they have took me off gliclaside and keeping me on 4 metformin a day.. its scary as had ambulance out last Saturday as was eating cakes starch carbs just to boost it and wasn't working till paramedics said to drink this lemonade my daughter had that was flat with sugars in it and a peanut butter sandwich and then went up to 9. Summat , tbh I have not had much help from my docs or diabetic nurse at all...it scares me ...I want to continue my walks and now my mum who type 2 said to take one metformin in morning and 2 at dinner. And said to always carry a lucosade on my walks...in next few days sboukd have my new blood tests results back I dont want this beating me stress and upset brings it down can anyone help...as dont want to end up in the 3s again xxxx
 
Welcome to the forums @Harley86.

As a long term T1 I have had a lot of hypos and I can totally empathise with you hating them.

There are a number of reasons why people not on insulin can get hypos, and unfortunately I suspect you are going to need to wait for those test results to make some progress on those reasons. (And maybe ask for a referral to an endocrinologist as many GPs are pretty clueless unless you are vanilla T2).

How are your blood sugars when you are not hypo? Some examples of reasons for low blood sugars are insulinoma (a benign cyst on pancreas produces excess insulin, they operate to remove it), reactive hypoglycemia (body produces too much insulin in response to carbs and reducing the carbs in your diet stops the hypos) and exercise induced hypoglycemia (not sure about treatment for that) so as you can see the reasons and the treatments can be very different and you'd need to have a number of specialist tests to detect your reasons.

Did you get any advice from the paramedics as to what you should do while waiting on your test results? Lucozade used to be a good source of carbs but they recently changed their formulation to have less carbohydrate so you might be better with a non diet fizzy drink or a sports energy drink that is specifically designed for giving athletes carbs. Personally I just carry glucose tablets or jelly babies but I don't have any issues swallowing when I'm hypo and I have sufficient warning to scoff some carbs. But yes, make sure you've always got access to sugary food at all times, so you can act if your blood sugar goes low.

I think most of the UK regulars have gone to bed now (you'll probably get better advice in their morning). I'm going to tag a few members who know about hypos and might be able to advise, though we aren't doctors and even if we were allowed to diagnose (we aren't allowed to) you really need some results through before anyone can make much sense of your situation.

@Lamont D , @Brunneria are experts on reactive hypoglycemia and know about the various tests people get when they have unexplained hypos.

In the mean time, while you're waiting for your results, would it be possible to go for walks with a friend? That would give you more confidence and mean that if you got into trouble they could help you. (And make sure you have carbohydrate with you !)

Good luck.
 
Hi and welcome @Harley86

Sorry you are having such stress.
Can you tell me what numbers you are seeing when you test your blood glucose?
 
Gliclazide combined with low carb eating can absolutely cause the hypos you're experiencing. Anyone on it who is changing their diet should be monitored closely and have their meds adjusted. Have you had any episodes since stopping it? I've heard of T2 diabetics having lows on metformin only, but it's extremely rare. I would expect you're in a better place now.
 
Hi there
so i am on a keto diet, i am type 2 diabetic and my doctor told me that i no longer have to stab my finger for a blood glucose reading although i still do sometimes and usually my blood sugar at its highest is 7 mmols ? I used to have blood sugar that was 24mmol and i used to fluxuate everyday where i would get extreme lows and i would feel dizzy and then highs where i would fall asleep from eating too much sugar. since i changed to a low carb diet i found that i no longer get dizzy and i do not need to take glicazide? I eat about 20 grams of carbs per day and i am never hungry, i guess what i am trying to say is try the keto diet if you can it really is life changing and i have lost weight aswell. i am also new at the diabetes thing and my biggest problem is i hate needles and the thought of pricking my finger 3 times a day really was very unappealing and thats why i went low carb because i dont need to anymore!! well i hope this helps you and keep going !! i completely understand about the mcdonalds and i love a bacon double cheeseburger with shredded lettuce and a small bit of big mac sauce! i just bring a knife and fork with me and eat the meat! no bun! i dont need chips and i choose diet coke as a drink and yes i might eat 4 of those but you need to think this is your life and your health.. these little changes make all difference and you can still enjoy the treats! i have atkins chocolate bars if i want chocolate and i have discovered how to make keto pancakes!! with keto maple syrup!! there are keto crisps and loads of great things to eat, i reecently made shepherds pie made with mashed cauliflower and loads of mozzarella cheese on top!! its lovely!! please you can get the right balance in your insulin just try the keto or low carb.. anyway nice speaking to you
Matt
 
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