I was diagnosed with T2 about 4 months ago. Taking metformin but still staying around 8-9mmol even with 2gm dose. Sometimes going to 14-15mmol after food. Only falling to normal levels for a couple of hours. Testing using accuchek and Freestyle Libre. Is this to be expected ? Stephen
Glucose level not falling
- Thread starter smitchen
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Freema
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- Type of diabetes
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the metformin don´t do much no medicine really does most of the work in type 2...
metformine is only a kind of stick to lean at...and can to some extend stop the liver a bit in producing very much glucose from proteins and also does something to the intestines which I don´t know what excactly is...
but helping getting the glucose down in your blood only can be done by a strickt diet... like having as few carbs as possible and only the amount of protiens your body basically needs...
most type 2 are very insuline resistent, and there it really helps to Loose as much of one owerweight as posssible , and to avoid the worst foods filled with carbs like most bread,potatoes, rice pasta, fruits, especially fast rising glucose kinds like mango watermelon , bananaes , but also the more average kinds like apples
chalup
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Metformin will not fix your diabetes. It will help but to get your sugars under control you need to change your diet. I will tag @daisy1 for you and she will send you information on diabetes, diet, and how to lower your blood sugars. It is well worth the time to read it through. At the bottom will be a link to the low carb program. It is free. Welcome to the forum.
Indy51
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Freema
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if you don´t know what to eat then try to follow the links in @daisy1
here are also some good recipies http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/category/Recipes
here are also some good recipies http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/category/Recipes
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Hello there smitchen.
Your 14-15 after food does seem a bit high, but when are you 14-15, and when you say you only fall to normal for a couple of hours, what does that mean? A couple of hours between meals? A couple of hours overnight?
If you are using the Libre, you should have some decent traces of your 24 hour cycles.
Do you record what you eat, so that you can make observations between foods eaten an d how the Libre trace reacts?
Hi. Yes, diet is the key as Metformin only helps a bit. If with a low-carb diet your blood sugar remains too high then you will need to ask for an interim HBa1C blood test and diabetes review to discuss additional actions. If you have excess weight then the right diet should be enough with the Metformin to get control but there will be exceptions and additional meds if needed. If you are slim and have possibly lost weight recently without trying then there is always the possibility of mis-diagnosis and being T1. Discuss the extra tests for this with the GP.
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OK, the 14-15 are a bit of a concern, but the others don't seem a million miles off. What are you in the evenings?
What sorts of things are you eating during the day? The harsh reality is as T2, our biggest weapon is what we eat. If, once that's tweaked, you are still higher, then it might require a bit more support with medication to get to the desired point, but worth looking at what you eat now.
daisy1
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@smitchen
Hello Smitchen and welcome to the forum
To add to the good advice you have received above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help you to keep your levels under control. Look especially at the Low Carb Program. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able 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 well over 210,000 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:
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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 blood glucose 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 Smitchen and welcome to the forum
To add to the good advice you have received above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help you to keep your levels under control. Look especially at the Low Carb Program. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able 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 well over 210,000 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
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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 blood glucose 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.
add19
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- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
I was diagnosed 3 years ago and since then my BG dropped and my doctor told me to stop taking med after I effectively controlled my diabetes. Started with 500mg met twice a day. One thing I noticed back then, eating whole grain, including the 'super healthy' ones raised my BG. Fruit was almost impossible. but within weeks I experienced a remarkable improvement. It all depends on changing your life style. If you didn't exercise before, maybe it's time for you to start. Until you see some improvements completely avoid whole grain and fruits(Very moderate). I occasionally eat berries now (blue berry is OK). Test your BG two hours after eating to see how your body responds. We all have different level of tolerance. Vegetables(especially non starchy) on the other hand have less impact on the BG and strongly recommended. learn to love Kale, just as you learned to like candies.
Serena51
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Add 19is correct is saying to test your blood before and 2 hours after eating, we are all different in our reactions. I, for instance,can't eat blue berries but I can take raspberries.
Everyone has pretty much said what needs to be done.
Change your diet - reduce carbs, exit all sugar u can in your diet.
Lose weight - weight loss is the key, lose weight and your blood sugar will drop. Diet is the most important change - while exercising assists its not critical in dropping blood sugar - but diet is the key.
Metformin helps but it's not a magic bullet.
Change your diet - reduce carbs, exit all sugar u can in your diet.
Lose weight - weight loss is the key, lose weight and your blood sugar will drop. Diet is the most important change - while exercising assists its not critical in dropping blood sugar - but diet is the key.
Metformin helps but it's not a magic bullet.
