Hi I'm Julie. Recently diagnosed with Type 2

[Tippy.tosca]

Hey I have type 2 and struggling to lower my blood sugar. On Metformin 1 500 mg to start with then up to 2 in two weeks also on one Gliclazide 500 mg.

 

[bulkbiker]

Have you modified your diet in any way since diagnosis?
I'll tag in @daisy1 for a very helpful intro to low carbing and how a lot of us control our blood sugar levels.

 

[Kentoldlady1]

Hello and welcome.
This is a great site. Full.of.information and advice. Have a cup of tea and a long read. Then come back with questions about how you.fit.into all.of this.

It would be helpful.to know something about you. Any other health problems? Dietary restrictions or medications? Many things affectour bgls and advice can be directed for your unique needs.

Good luck with it all. Keep posting.x

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello and welcome,

Please have a good read round all the threads to see how others are managing to control their blood sugars. It isn't as hard as you may think. A suitable diet is the key to it all, and there are various options to chose from, and it isn't just a matter of cutting out sugar!

 

[paulus1]

hi and welcome to the forum.

 

[Guzzler]

Hello there and welcome to the forum. As has been said, there are a shed load of options that you can choose from which can help you to best control your condition so have a good wander around the forum before you make any firm decisions about how you are going to tackle getting into control of your condition.

Control can begin very quickly with dietery changes and with those changes come improved well being and outlook for the future. Now, you can breathe

 

[ickihun]

Hi Julie.

Have a read of daisy1s info which should be following shortly.
The backbone of diabetes but concentrate on diet and remember the times you've had success in the past but with supoort from here. You can achieve so much more.

I personally struggle with sleep so I'm often around with others late at night or early hours, not always but occasionally so if you want to roam around reading and posting freely without sometimes the peak times where some have been the honey to us very very friendly busy bees.
We just want to help and help you achieve much more than us with the right info, at set off.
Welcome and enjoy the enlightenment.

 

[daisy1]

@Tippy.tosca

Hello Julie and welcome back to the Forum In case you haven't seen this yet, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will 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 276,000 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 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[Tippy.tosca]

Many thanks for that to be honest I'm scared to death. I was only diagnosed last Friday I've been checking my blood regular to be honest it's all over the place I desperately need to get it low after lunch it went up to 17.5 all I had was a ham sandwich and a low fat yogurt. How do I get my levels below 10? All help greatly received. Julie.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Many thanks for that to be honest I'm scared to death. I was only diagnosed last Friday I've been checking my blood regular to be honest it's all over the place I desperately need to get it low after lunch it went up to 17.5 all I had was a ham sandwich and a low fat yogurt. How do I get my levels below 10? All help greatly received. Julie.

Please don't be scared, although it is a natural reaction that we have all been through when first diagnosed. It will pass. This is not a sprint race, it is a marathon, so baby steps are called for. Slowly does things, take some deep breaths, and read as much as you can. Daisy's post above is extremely useful.

I think your meter has told you something already - bread is one of your danger foods! I can't eat it either. There will also have been carbs in your low fat yogurt - did you check the nutrition label for total carbohydrate? It is carbs that increase blood sugar levels as they turn to glucose once inside the system. Fats have no effect at all, in fact, they actually help a bit. There is no getting away from this I'm afraid. Diet is the key to control, and control will only be achieved and sustained if you lower your carb intake.

A warning about lowering carbs. You are taking Gliclazide, which is a strong drug that stimulates your pancreas to produce extra insulin. The more carbs you eat, the more insulin you need. Conversely, the fewer carbs you eat, the less insulin you need. So reducing carbs must be done very slowly otherwise your levels may drop significantly - possibly to hypo levels. Your doctor/nurse needs to know if you are going to try lowering your carbs as the Gliclazide dose may need adjusting downwards. Metformin doesn't have the same effect and is quite safe.

A good plan is to eat to your meter. This is what I did, and it worked a dream for me. (I am diet controlled only - no medication)
Test before you eat.
Test again 2 hours after your first bite.
Don't worry about the actual levels for now and look at the total rise from before to after.
Any rise should be under 2mmol/l, preferably less.
If it is more, there are too many carbs in that meal.
Keep a detailed food diary including all ingredients and portion sizes.
Record your levels alongside the food.
Patterns will emerge after a period of time, enabling you to eliminate the worst offenders or reduce portion sizes of some items.

This is called "eating to your meter". Let it teach you which carbs (and how many) your body tolerates. We are all different in this. The worst culprits are bread (including wholegrain), rice (any colour), pasta, potatoes, flour and most fruits. We also need to be careful with milk. You may find you can tolerate smaller portions of any of these, so use your meter to help you decide.


I hope that helps.

 

[Tippy.tosca]

Yes that helps a lot thank you so much.
My Dr is on about my Gliclazide may need increasing he never mentioned anything about lowering it.
I don't drink milk I hate the stuff I did check the low fat no sugar yogurt thought it was safe obviously not. Most of my mother's side of my family had type two so in my heart I knew I'd get it sometime I still wasn't ready for it mum went on insulin for the last few years of her life my uncle and mum oth died of complications I'm. determined to do this right so help from other diabetics fingers crossed should help thanks for your advice I really appreciate it. Julie.

 

[Resurgam]

Many thanks for that to be honest I'm scared to death. I was only diagnosed last Friday I've been checking my blood regular to be honest it's all over the place I desperately need to get it low after lunch it went up to 17.5 all I had was a ham sandwich and a low fat yogurt. How do I get my levels below 10? All help greatly received. Julie.

Ah - well - the problem is that most of the advice about eating a healthy diet is on very shaky ground for ordinary people, and for a type two diabetic it is just plain wrong. Bread is usually very high carb, low fat yogurt has more carbs than the un messed about one.
I eat the protein rolls from Lidl as they are the lowest carb breadish food I can find to buy, and I eat full fat Greek yogurt and add desiccated coconut to it or a small amount of mixed berries and cherries frozen fruit.
As you are on medication to lower your BG then you would need to remove the high carb elements of your diet slowly and carefully, or discus eating low carb with a doctor or nurse, but I'm afraid that the 'eat carbs' message is very strong in their training so despite there being many people with perfectly normal BG levels - some not taking any tablets - the information is being studiously ignored.
Me being me I went home from the doctor's surgery and ate no carbs for 24 hours, then had a small salad - but I was not taking tablets, and I did low carb on and off for about 40 years to control my weight.
I am one year from diagnosis and hardly think about my diabetes these days - my results were normal six months ago and I have nothing to worry about.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Yes that helps a lot thank you so much.
My Dr is on about my Gliclazide may need increasing he never mentioned anything about lowering it.
I don't drink milk I hate the stuff I did check the low fat no sugar yogurt thought it was safe obviously not. Most of my mother's side of my family had type two so in my heart I knew I'd get it sometime I still wasn't ready for it mum went on insulin for the last few years of her life my uncle and mum oth died of complications I'm. determined to do this right so help from other diabetics fingers crossed should help thanks for your advice I really appreciate it. Julie.

Good luck with it all, and keep us posted on how you intend to proceed. Just be aware that Gliclazide is a strong drug. It lowers blood glucose levels, and is effective at doing that, but reducing carbs will reduce the need for the extra insulin it makes your pancreas produce. The last thing you want is for your blood glucose to go too low. Keep your nurse well informed of your chosen dietary plan. You never know, in time you may be able to come off Gliclazide completely - many on here have.

 

[ringi]

There is no current risk of a Hypo with a BG of 17.5! Once your BG is down to about 7 after most meals, talk to your doctor about reducing your Gliclazide dose. You MUST have about the same amount of carbs at each meal while on Gliclazide, otherwise, it is not possible to get the dose right.

When taking Gliclazide you must check your BG before you drive and every 2hs while driving. If under 5 eat carbs, if under 4 don't drive until it has been over 5 for some time.

Personly, as I was committed to "low carb", I stopped my own as soon as I started to get readings under 5, as I was not willing to each carbs because of taking a drug. We can't tell you how to change does of drugs as we are not qualified doctors, but remember you can cut tablets in half if needed.

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You can see that unlike your doctor we all assume you can get your diabetes under complete control by decreasing the carbs you eat as most of us have done it.