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High readings

J

johntype2

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7
Need some help please.

I am 65 and was officially diagnosed type 2 a couple of years ago but was borderline perhaps for 10 years. I am on metformin 500 and my latest HBA1C in June was 54.
I used to take readings every day but my diabetic nurse told me to stop as she said I was well controlled.
About 10 days ago my mouth became very dry and has stayed that way since, I didn't realise it was a symptom of type 2 until I googled it yesterday.
I immediately took a reading and was shocked to find it 11.9. This was 4 hours after a bowl of soup for lunch. When I used to check my readings daily it would never go above 8.
Before lunch to day it was 7.5, I had a ham sandwich and 3 hours later it is 12.

As I say my mouth is very dry. I would welcome opinions and advice.
 
Okay, a further bit of information which might or might not be relevant.

I have been a moderate drinker all my life but in the last 20 years or so I have had a couple of glasses of wine with my evening meal. I would like to think that over any period of time I am pretty close to the old accepted level of 28 units a week. I know that the latest recommendation is 14 units, so over the last 3 weeks I have reduced my intake dramatically.

I have read that drinking alcohol can reduce your blood sugar levels, so I have two thoughts or questions.

The first is has my higher drinking levels supressed my blood sugar levels and they have now gone up to what they would have been if I hadn't been drinking. Or, secondly, are my higher sugar levels caused by an adjustment to reduced alcohol and will eventually settle back down?
 
johntype2 said:
When I used to check my readings daily it would never go above 8.
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I think you have answered your own question. By testing regularly you can learn about the food you are eating and what puts up your blood sugar, then avoid it. I my personal opinion, your nurse was wrong when she said you were well controlled. You can get much lower than 54 simply by avoiding foods that raise your blood sugar.
You need to keep testing (even if you have to fund this yourself) and keep a food/blood sugar diary so that you can get those levels down.
Sally
 
Your nurse did you no favours at all there. Cut out (all?) the carbs and test before and 2 hours after every meal to start with. I also stopped eating breakfast when I was diagnosed and I think that the 16 hours of fasting from the previous nights dinner until lunchtime the following day was a huge benefit in controlling my blood sugar levels, possibly even more than LCHF. I think that the combination of the two is a very strong weapon in our armoury but without testing you cannot know what is going on.
 
If you haven't changed what you eat but have relied on the meds then it is very unlikely that you will get better.. far more likely that you will get worse. I doubt your change in drinking has had a significant impact although as I don't drink alcohol at all I can;t really say. However to get your blood sugar under control drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake eat more full fat foods to feel fuller and maybe think about not eating so often. 2 meals a day rather than 3 will probably be a great benefit. Read around on the forum and especially here
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/
to see what many of us have done to help our bodies recover. Ask any questions you like we are here to help.
Try a new way of eating.. what do you have to loose (apart from Type 2 of course)?
 
johntype2 said:
But do you think reducing alcohol hasn't helped?
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Why don't you try an experiment. Follow the same meal plan for week one and week two, but have two glasses of wine each evening on week one and no alcohol on week two. Make sure that tipple is red wine or a dry white so that they don't add sugar in themselves. We would be interested in your results.
I suspect that the levels of alcohol you are talking about will not have made that dramatic a difference, it's the other stuff you put in your mouth (sugar, carbs, starch) that makes the really big difference and needs to be watched, but if you are right, "so long Metformin, bring on the cabernet sauvignon".
Sally
 
thanks for the replies.

When my diabetic nurse told me to stop testing it was because I had kept a food diary and new what was okay and not so good. So the only thing that has changed over the last few weeks is drastically reducing alcohol and getting a dry mouth which triggered me to test my levels and see that they are raised.
Googling suggests that drinking alcohol can supress sugar levels for up to 24 hours. If I was drinking a couple of glasses
of wine each night was I permanently supressing my level and effectively masking a higher level which has now come to light.
Can you follow my logic?
 
Of course I follow your logic. May I suggest you have come up with a cure.
Sally
 
I am old enough and wise enough to know that alcohol and diabetes are not desirable attributes to have. Nor would I ever drink or suggest drinking as a help to diabetes.
But what I am doing is trying to find reasons for why my readings have shot up when my diet hasn't changed over the last 3 years.
 
johntype2 said:
I am old enough and wise enough to know that alcohol and diabetes are not desirable attributes to have. Nor would I ever drink or suggest drinking as a help to diabetes.
But what I am doing is trying to find reasons for why my readings have shot up when my diet hasn't changed over the last 3 years.
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It may be something as simple as the fact that you are three years older and your diet has not changed. Just a thought...
Hugs
 
debrasue said:
It may be something as simple as the fact that you are three years older and your diet has not changed. Just a thought...
Hugs
Click to expand...

I understand what you say, but the diet I adopted when I was diagnosed has actually brought my HBA1C down, so would like to think diet is not the factor here.
 
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