Chris_Tilley
Member
i was shaky for 3 hours this afternoon, almost back to normal, is this because of diabetes? still all new to me
-
Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
Type 2 feeling shaky
- Thread starter Chris_Tilley
- Start Date
Chris_Tilley
Member
it has come back again now tonight, just back from swimming
RoseofSharon
Well-Known Member
To be fair you need to ask your go this question. Have you tested your bg? It's not something any of us can know for sure I'm afraid.
To be fair Lotty. We're both T1 on insulin.. The OP is T2 taking "metformin 500mg slow release".
My understanding of the drug is it inhibits "liver dump" & increases insulin sensitivity to what the pancreas is capable of...?
I do agree with @RoseofSharon about the GP. Further comments are speculation without a meter reading...
For all we know? It could be a "false hypo"? Due to prolonged highs & the body adjusting to normal BS levels....?
No one can guess any further without some numbers.
I'll tag in @catherinecherub she is T2. Hopefully chop some experience into this..?
Last edited by a moderator:
C
catherinecherub
Guest
You are not giving us much information to go on @Chris_Tilley.
What was your blood sugar reading before lunch and 2 hours afterwards?
You really need to test your blood sugars when you feel like this to determine what is going on.
If your have not got a meter then there is no way of knowing what is happening. Ask your G.P. to provide one and if he refuses, (usually on the grounds of cost, but sometimes G.P.'s think that an HBA1c is sufficient for a Type2s), then we can introduce you to a cheap one.
Have you been given the basic advice that @daisy1 provides? That might help you decide what to eat to control your blood sugars.
I would advice that you keep a food diary, test your blood sugars before and 2 hours after meals and ask as many questions as you need to on the forum.
TracyC
Well-Known Member
There have been times in the past long before I was diagnosed that I felt shaky too, and ravenously hungry, would eat to stop myself shaking, but over and beyond what I needed, this could continue for a good 30 mins or more, the shaking also came with a feeling like I might pass out, but I never did. Edited to mention my son also gets these symptoms.
daisy1
Legend
@Chris_Tilley
Hello Chris and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find this useful. Ask more questions and someone will always try to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello Chris and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find this useful. Ask more questions and someone will always try to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
ladybird64
Well-Known Member
It's quite important to mention that those who have high blood glucose levels can suffer hypo like symptoms when their levels reduce rapidly. It is not a "true" hypo as such but is the body's way of reacting to lower levels than it is used to.
It's normally harmless, and rectifies itself, but it's probably best not to drive while experiencing it.
This is why it's so important to have a meter and self test, regardless of any advice to the contrary - we need to know what is happening with our levels, and a HbA1c every 6/9/12 months just isn't enough.
It's normally harmless, and rectifies itself, but it's probably best not to drive while experiencing it.
This is why it's so important to have a meter and self test, regardless of any advice to the contrary - we need to know what is happening with our levels, and a HbA1c every 6/9/12 months just isn't enough.
Lamont D
Oracle
All the advice is very good above, but nobody has mentioned that excessive exercising can lead to either high bloods or as a false hypo if you're on low carb diet.
You need to watch this, but don't give up on the exercise as this is so important, you will have to find your levels through testing and experience.
You need to watch this, but don't give up on the exercise as this is so important, you will have to find your levels through testing and experience.
RoseofSharon
Well-Known Member
@TraceyC I too have felt this way numerous times before diagnosis and a couple of times post diagnosis. None of those times were related to my t2 (strangely my bg's are usually in the 6's when I test during). I have other medical conditions that cause it, which is why I told the OP to chat to their GP. Not only do we not have enough info so many other conditions can cause these symptoms that without the GP doing the right tests to eliminate other possibilities nobody here can know for sure what is causing the issue.
TracyC
Well-Known Member
Aye, I did ask my DN about it today and she said that often times when you are used to your bg being high if it falls even a little it can produce symptoms that feel similar to a hypo. Not saying at all that this is what the OP is experiencing but asking the Doctor would be the sensible route to take.
Lamont D
Oracle
That is known as a false hypo. It is the same symptoms of a hypo because of a quicker drop of blood glucose levels than a high average level of a diabetic.
This usually happens when you start reducing carb intake.
You get a craving for sweet and carby foods. As well as the above symptoms.
This usually passes after a few days on a low carb diet.
