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High levels on low carb

lcarter

Well-Known Member
Messages
513
Location
Nottingham
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
My pancreas
Hey everyone.

I stopped empa to do low carb and as close to keto as I can, and all I’m taking is Metformin. I’ve done some fasting last night and today, and I’ve had high levels ever since eating a chicken salad, followed by yoghurt and seeds.

I then had 3 squares of Lindt 70% chocolate and I caved into my sweet cravings and had an options hot chocolate (6g of carbs) as I’ve tried organic cocoa and cream keto hot choc and it did nothing for me.

I’ll be honest, most days I’ve had 30g of carbs from nuts or onion, I’ve cut all the **** out.

But tonight I craved an options hot choc and when I saw it was 6g I decided to have it. (With water and cream)

My blood ketones are 1.4 and my blood glucose is 15.8.

The hot chocolate is the only thing I can see that would have caused such a spike as pre meal I was 9.6 (which is GREAT for me!)

I’m off insulin (about three weeks now) and I really don’t want to go back on it.

I’ve walked for 2 miles today, I know the options was a bad idea but my levels were climbing after the dinner.

Any advice and kind words welcome, I’m learning and trying so hard. Thanks
 
lcarter said:
My blood ketones are 1.4 and my blood glucose is 15.8.
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This is a red flag for me. If those ketones are creeping up while glucose isn’t going down then you should seek immediate medical assistance. And I mean immediate.
 
Jim Lahey said:
This is a red flag for me. If those ketones are creeping up while glucose isn’t going down then you should seek immediate medical assistance. And I mean immediate.
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Hmm but it’s nutritional ketosis? It’s not the same as ketoacidosis, right? I only know this because last time I went to A&E they said well if you’re low carbing and it keto this will happen.

I’m a type 2.

I had the high ketones yesterday when levels were low.
 

Nutritional ketosis can can quickly become ketoacidosis if blood glucose and blood ketones are simultaneously high. In all likelihood you will be ok and the high glucose was temporary due to the carbohydrate, but you should remain vigilant. If you see rising ketones while your glucose is elevated then you should be alarmed. In my opinion anyway. Rather be wrong than have you suffer an episode. DKA can kill, as I’m sure you’re already aware. Be careful.
 
There are 12 carbs in 3 squares of the chocolate. Have you tried breaking just one square into 7 or 8 pieces and letting it melt in your mouth? That will satisfy the choccy fix and save you 8 carbs too. I have graduated to Lindt 90% recently (before I had 85%) and find it very chocolaty to just have one square after my meal ... broken into pieces on a side plate and melting in my mouth (yummy)
 
May I ask why you were taken off insulin? I normally read people stop it due to having very strict control of blood sugars, it doesn’t seem like your control is tight enough, was it your decision or the doctors to stop it?
 
Fenn said:
May I ask why you were taken off insulin? I normally read people stop it due to having very strict control of blood sugars, it doesn’t seem like your control is tight enough, was it your decision or the doctors to stop it?
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I think the poster had been told she was type 1 for 12 years and then they suddenly told her she was type 2! Bizarre situation and very interesting.
 
KK123 said:
I think the poster had been told she was type 1 for 12 years and then they suddenly told her she was type 2! Bizarre situation and very interesting.
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Ah ok Thankyou, sounds a horrible situation, was your control good when you were taking the insulin ICarter?
 
Fenn said:
May I ask why you were taken off insulin? I normally read people stop it due to having very strict control of blood sugars, it doesn’t seem like your control is tight enough, was it your decision or the doctors to stop it?
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It was my decision because I wanted to try this. My control was better with empagflozin though, but it apparently doesn’t sit well with keto.
 
Fenn said:
Ah ok Thankyou, sounds a horrible situation, was your control good when you were taking the insulin ICarter?
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No, it was like this! Really strange! I do want to take some just to get them down, then see if I can keep them down.
 
How about just taking the slow acting and let low carb replace fast acting, assuming that’s what you took? Then weening off the slow acting too, cold turkey sounds harsh, but I’m as far from an expert as you can be.
 
When I tried switching from dairy milk to 85% lindt I found it too bitter. The solution was to carefully melt it (look this up, it can be done in a microwave on 10s bursts), then stir in some warmed double cream and stevia sweetener. The intense choc from 85%, now 90% means I only need one or two squares.

This can be turned into hot choc with hot milk.
Enough extra cream and it becomes choc pud instead.
 
If you are having readings around the 9.6 that you reported, and that seems normal for you, then you are not in ketosis. Therefore your ketones should be zero if they are nutritional. A ketone reading combined with high(ish) bgl is an indication your internal insulin is not working as it should, Since you were previously an insulin treated person, then it may be that you need to consider a basal dose to keep the floor levels low.

I note from my T1D buddies that they are used to running with levels around 12 as 'normal'. I normally control to around 6 as a T2 on orals and diet, but when I was in hospital recently and eating Eatwell hospital food, my average went up to around 12, and the doctors were very happy with that. But when I had a 5.5 they were trying to force digestives down my neck to treat this harmful hypo. So insulin users seem to regard higher levels than me as being normal. For diet control only you should be aiming at 6 or below especially if you want ketosis
 
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