High bg spike confusion

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steveis36

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207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi all
Im slightly confused on my bg as my Diabetic nurse says "its ok to have a spike as long as it comes back down"
Well i take my bg 4-6 a day and my hba1c has dropped from 125 to 86 and the next one is next week and im sure it will have dropped even more.

She did also say "the few spikes the better"
Which get.

Is she right because i have been stressed right out for all this year and then i find out stress and lack of sleep dosent help bgs either
 
Bluetit1802

Bluetit1802

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steveis36

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Bluetit1802 said:
It depends on how high the spikes are. Even short spikes, if they are high, can lead to damage. Roller coaster blood glucose levels are not good for us, so the flatter the better. It is called variability, and this needs to be as low as possible.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/th...ed-with-alzheimers-in-type-2-diabetes.125081/


When you test before a meal and again after 2 hours, are you seeing a big rise from before to after?
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Depends on carb intake really
 
Bluetit1802

Bluetit1802

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steveis36 said:
Depends on carb intake really
Click to expand...

Of course it does. All carbs turn to sugar when eaten, so the more you eat the higher you will spike. If you are worried about spikes, the answer is to learn from what your meter tells you and either reduce portion sizes or eliminate.
 
rom35

rom35

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Bluetit1802 said:
As long as we can catch the peak and say for sure it never went above 7.7, and without a CGM or Libre that is rarely possible for most people.
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Agreed - With typical meal I have spike around 1h after it. So I measure 3x one meal: before, 1h after and two hours after. Normally I go 30 m after each meal for 1km (12 minutes) walk to prevent over 7.7 spike.
 
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steveis36

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207
Type of diabetes
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Ok
I understand the carb things etc
But the main question was is diabetic nurse right?
For me i am trying to keep below 8mmol
And yet my doc says "as long your in single figures"
At the moment i get a spike when it eating about 3 weetabixes or 30g of porridge and when i test an hour later its 14-16mmol
But when i test a full 2 hours it would be back down to 6-8mmol depending on the excersise i have done.
Obviously if i cut out carbs i wouldnt get this but then im worried about going to low but also i sometimes am craving carbs.
 
rom35

rom35

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steveis36 said:
Obviously if i cut out carbs i wouldnt get this but then im worried about going to low but also i sometimes am craving carbs.
Click to expand...
I hope that the native english speakers here will explain to you, that you have not to be worried of low carb meals! @Bluetit1802 Please... I think here it is very important to explain this very clearly.
 
Bluetit1802

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With 2 x Gliclazide tablets and your own meter, you really shouldn't be seeing these high numbers.

steveis36 said:
At the moment i get a spike when it eating about 3 weetabixes or 30g of porridge and when i test an hour later its 14-16mmol
But when i test a full 2 hours it would be back down to 6-8mmol depending on the excersise i have done.
Click to expand...

That spike is not good, but is expected after 3 weetabix or that much porridge, especially if milk is also involved. It is giving you a roller coaster ride. It looks like you are worried about lows because of the Gliclazide so you are eating up to your medication, and that would certainly not be my choice. I would prefer to restrict/eliminate all these starchy carbs and reduce the medication accordingly. (after discussing with nurse of course). Your nurse and doctor are giving you advice to help you avoid hypos with the medication you are taking, and without considering that reducing the meds and eating less carbs might be better for you. The choice is yours, but you have been given some of the advice on spikes and roller coaster levels and what damage they can do.

You are craving carbs because you are still eating a lot. Carbs are addictive. Eat them and you want more.
 
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steveis36

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207
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Bluetit1802 said:
With 2 x Gliclazide tablets and your own meter, you really shouldn't be seeing these high numbers.



That spike is not good, but is expected after 3 weetabix or that much porridge, especially if milk is also involved. It is giving you a roller coaster ride. It looks like you are worried about lows because of the Gliclazide so you are eating up to your medication, and that would certainly not be my choice. I would prefer to restrict/eliminate all these starchy carbs and reduce the medication accordingly. (after discussing with nurse of course). Your nurse and doctor are giving you advice to help you avoid hypos with the medication you are taking, and without considering that reducing the meds and eating less carbs might be better for you. The choice is yours, but you have been given some of the advice on spikes and roller coaster levels and what damage they can do.

You are craving carbs because you are still eating a lot. Carbs are addictive. Eat them and you want more.
Click to expand...
I think its going to be cold turkey for a while
 
Guzzler

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I would suggest lowering your carb intake but doing so very gradually and with detailed recording of your levels. Those readings in the teens, no matter how fast they come down, are undesirable.
 
Bluetit1802

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Yes, whilst still on those Gliclazide tablets you do need to be careful, and you will need to test more than you do now to ensure your levels are safe (under 4 is a true hypo) and have some glucose tablets available at all times. Reduce the starchy carbs gradually, as @Guzzler says. Until your medication is removed/reduced, cold turkey may not be the answer for you. Plenty of people on this forum on your meds, and plenty others on insulin injections, have managed to do all this safely.

I am thinking @Oldvatr has managed to do this.
 
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Oldvatr

Oldvatr

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Bluetit1802 said:
Yes, whilst still on those Gliclazide tablets you do need to be careful, and you will need to test more than you do now to ensure your levels are safe (under 4 is a true hypo) and have some glucose tablets available at all times. Reduce the starchy carbs gradually, as @Guzzler says. Until your medication is removed/reduced, cold turkey may not be the answer for you. Plenty of people on this forum on your meds, and plenty others on insulin injections, have managed to do all this safely.

I am thinking @Oldvatr has managed to do this.
Click to expand...
I agree with treating Gliclazide with caution. I did reduce my medication as the LC diet became more effective, but I did have some hypo events while I did. In my case they were minor, and easy to deal with. The up side of gliclazide is that the effect from the tabs is limited in both time and strength, so having deep hypos requiring assistance should be rare, short lived, and for a T2D, be self recovering since the insulin production will naturally reduce as the glic wears off. However, you do need to keep an eye on things if using Glic with an LC or keto diet, especially and importantly if you are a driver or operating machinery or tightrope walking or other risky ventures. I had my first ever hypo on the very day I completed the Hypo awareness online course hosted by this site, and also the same day I went to the chemists to buy some glucose tablets 'just in case'. Coincidence? Luck? Good idea.......

PS if a driver using Glic you should qualify for test strip support from your GP in the UK, In that case dropping glic totally will also end that support so I keep to a low dose instead. I reduced from 320 mg / day to 40 mg/day over a period of a year, so I went slowly slowly catchee monkey. I found less stress doing it that way.
 
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vic hill

vic hill

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HBACI
normal only taken once every 2/3months is the best guide so i am told .
blood sugars are daily control use and best so steady sugars are more able to say what you are doing ,
vic
60 years on insulin
 
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