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Disaster or was it ?

B

brianmt

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
On Saturday I did my blood sugar upon waking and it was 5.2, I was going to drive 200 miles in a few hours, so bearing in mind the DVLA's recommendation of not driving with a BG of less than 5, I decided to up my BG. Anyway my better half had just made herself a toasted teacake and the smell was gorgeous, so I thought " one of them will raise my BG " I must say it was soooooo tasty, After a hour I did my BG and was slightly disappointed to find it was 8.6, I didn't expect it to be that high, after 2 hours my BG was 6.0, much more acceptable. I set off on my journey
After reaching my destination some 3 hours later , I did my BG and found it to be a good 5.7.
I don't intend to make a habit of eating teacakes but apart from the rather high spike after a hour , it seems my body handled it quite well. I'm just a bit worried about the 8.6 spike, do you think that's normal ?
 
@brianmt I've had a very quick look at your profile and earlier posts, am I correct in thinking that you are diet controlled, no meds, or perhaps just Metformin? My apologies if I've missed something. I was just confused as to why you were testing before driving. The recommendation of "5" and requirement to test is for people on insulin or drugs which stimulate the body's own insulin production.
To return to your actual question, 8.6 is not too big a surprise after a teacake. Another day it could be lower, someone else might come in much higher. We wouldn't find 8.6 acceptable, others might, it all depends on how often, is it the start of "carb creep", what other issues do you have, what is your attitude to risk and do you think it is a risk. Fat lot of help I've been, huh!
Sally
 
Are you on medication to lower your bg or insulin? This would be a factor. (You may like to put these details into your signature as it would speed up your replies and help other members advise you).

As a T2 not on medication/insulin, that spike would have happened to me, too. Especially if it was a teacake with fruit in it.
 
Yes, it would help us all if you mention which medications you are on, either in your post or preferably in your profile signature. Types of medication do matter when advice is sought.
 
Thanks for the replies. Yes it was a teacake with raisins in, lots of them and tbh the spike didn't really bother me especially as it was down to 6 after another hour.
I do a lot of driving, so I'm quite careful not to have a low BG before starting out. I had a colonoscopy a few weeks back and my bg was 4.4, the consultant, who was excellent, gave me glucose to raise it so there was no chance of a hypo during the op. I tend to use the same attitude when driving.
No medication just diet and excercise.
 

My first thought is why not if that is what works for you. My pedantic thought is to just mention that your liver will sort you out and raise your bgl's which is what I let it do. Another thought has just occurred to me your way is nicer. How lovely for you to know that you can have another teacake in the future.

My last thought is colonoscopy ouch! Hope that all is well.
 
That made me laugh !!!!!!
Teacakes are certainly not back on the menu but it's nice to know if needs be. Now mince pies, fingers crossed. I used to love minced pies, but I'm not tempted......much.
The colonoscopy went well nothing found, mainly an old man's MOT but it was the blood test pre op that flagged up the diabetes
 

Glad to hear that they found nothing. I'm lucky I can't stand dried fruit so......... but a nice meringue with fresh fruit.
 
Luckily I can eat most fruits without to much of a problem, bread, pasta, cakes, shredded wheat on the other hand send my numbers into double figures or at least they used to, not had any for 5 months
 

Totally agree on the mince pie front. This time of year is proving hard as every time I leave the house they surround me! Roll on Christmas eve!
 
Guzzler said:
Totally agree on the mince pie front. This time of year is proving hard as every time I leave the house they surround me! Roll on Christmas eve!
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If something is going to make me fall of the wagon , so to speak, it's minced pies. My wife bought a box of 6 the other day, it was murder watching them disappear one by one. Just a look at the number of carbs in each one put me off
 
Oohh noooo, mince pies!!! My husband, who loves to bake, says he has found a low carb recipe for these little temptress's. But I cant help but think that one reason they will be lower carb is because they are going to be so tiny I won't be able to see them.
 
brianmt said:
bearing in mind the DVLA's recommendation of not driving with a BG of less than 5
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As a diabetic on insulin I've received the DVLA's Guide to driving (DIABINF)
As a user of this forum I'm well aware that many seem to INTERPRET the DVLA's Guide to mean that insulin users must not drive below 5 mmol/L.

The Guide does not say that. Here's what it says :
"If your blood glucose is 5 mmol/L or less TAKE A SNACK.
If it is less than 4 mmol/L ... DO NOT DRIVE"

If people feel safer not driving until above 5, that's a personal choice.
I believe the DVLA allows anyone to drive with a reading between 4 and 5 mmol/L as long as they're pushing their blood sugar in the right direction.
This seems to agree with that :
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/life-with-diabetes/driving
Geoff
 

As others have said, the DVLA recommendations do not really apply in your case; in fact they are totally irrelevant unless you are one of the very rare diet only T2s who experience frequent severe hypos. That would be BG levels well below 4. In fact, 4.4 is not usually regarded as a hypo. I presume that you had to fast for an extended period before your procedure (2 days I think) so in that specific case you could have been at risk of a hypo because you had been starving yourself.

As http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html points out, normal resting level of BG for non-diabetics is 4.0 to 5.9.

I think you are worrying without any good reason, and following advice not intended for you. Unless, of course you do suffer uncontrolled dips of BG below 4.0 without notice.

However, if it makes you feel happier I doubt it is doing you any physical harm.
 

I am officially diabetes resolved, and no longer on the diabetes register, but that doesn't affect the price of fish.

My take on all of this is that for the majority of T2s not taking insulin or the more aggressive glucose lowering medications, we are not supported to test, never mind pre-driving testing. How would any such member have a clue where they are, never mind a relative measure of below or above 5?

My personal had always been I have never specifically tested before driving. OK, I surely have tested in the lead up to driving for one reason or another, but I don't make it a common practise.

I'm just about to drive about 130 miles, and don't feel the need to test.

A couple of years ago, I listened to a Consultant Endo talk about the rules for driving and he agree that they words are non-specific for most T2s, but he feels unconcerned that the majority don't test - ever.

Of course, he might be considering that many T2s don't go into the 4s too often, but I do, and lower. Regularly. My liver seems to work as it should, and just gives me a helping hand.

If a non-medicated or Metformin medicated individual chooses to adopt the very cautious approach, then I applaud them. If anyone feels rough, from whatever cause, including a potential blood sugar number lower than their usual, then they must not drive.

Those are my personal views, and posted as a person, not a moderator
 
In the absence of blood sugar lowering drugs, you do not need to treat anything.
Your doctor was wrong to give you something for a BS in the fours and tell you it was a hypo, it wasn’t, it was a perfectly perfect BS level that if had gone any lower, would have been corrected by your liver putting out some glucose into your blood stream. That’s the normal second by second waltz that goes on between pancreas and liver.

There are many, many of us, including some on insulin, that run with HbA1c’s in the fours.
 
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