Help! Type 2

Alliebongo

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
i am type 2 46 years young my bloods are 13 all the time . Recently been put on sitagliptin and bloods increased yesterday to over 16 n I started sweating felt sick n spaced out n very very tired . Had to come home from work I've been on that many different meds n none work ! An Mri has shown I have cervical spondylitis in my neck n I'm in constant pain with my arm . Would this affect my bs? My hbac1 was 7 back to Drs today any advice really appreciated because I'm at end of my tether
 

chalup

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,745
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
I guess the most important question is what are you eating? If you are still eating a lot of carbs no amount of medication is going to give you proper control. Carbs need to be controlled to some extent. To what extent is individual. Just be careful with your meds if you start cutting carbs. Go slow and if you start to go too low you will need to talk to your doctor about dosage. You can start by cutting out or reducing sugary drinks including juice and milk, bread, pasta, rice, potato, oatmeal and other cereals, and fruit. Meat, fish, dairy, non root veggies, nuts, avocados, olives, full fat yogurt, and a bit of high cocoa dark chocolate are your friends. Pain can certainly have an effect on blood sugar as well. I am going to tag @daisy1 for you and she will send you some info that you should read carefully. At the bottom of her post will be a link to the low carb program. Diet is your best tool as a type 2. I hope this helps.

I am not a doctor this is just my opinion.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Alliebongo

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 220,000 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

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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,652
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Are you on any steroid meds? These can dramatically increase blood sugar.
 

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
i am type 2 46 years young my bloods are 13 all the time . Recently been put on sitagliptin and bloods increased yesterday to over 16 n I started sweating felt sick n spaced out n very very tired . Had to come home from work I've been on that many different meds n none work ! An Mri has shown I have cervical spondylitis in my neck n I'm in constant pain with my arm . Would this affect my bs? My hbac1 was 7 back to Drs today any advice really appreciated because I'm at end of my tether
I too had cervical spondylitis at one time, and it is a mechanical problem, and should not be affecting bgl is any direct manner, However, the stress caused in reaction to the pain and stiffness may well raise your adrenalin levels, and this will in turn affect insulin action. Raised bgl after an injury is often reported on this site.

Are you taking painkillers? Some medicines are interferred with by NSAIDS, so you should check the meds leaflets or ask a pharnacist.

I was also on Januvia, and my GP warned me of an increased risk of pancreatitis and cancer, I hope you have also been similarly advised and that that in USA the FDA has a warning and active investigation into this medication. but UK has no restrictions so far,