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How low to go regarding BG levels

H

helen louise

Well-Known Member
Messages
155
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi All

Woke up this morning feeling like someone has pulled my power lead out!

took my BG level as normal & hey presto it was 4.2 which has shocked me purely for the fact the lowest I have been in the morning since diagnosis two weeks ago is 9.7 & that was yesterday, the average over the last two weeks has been about 12,
Do I have to be careful about dropping too low? I have just eaten some low carb pancakes & feel a bit better but will test again shortly

Helen
 
Hey Helen Louise!

As you're just on metformin and diet is very unlikely you'll go too low. 4.2 is perfect for a fasting level. It might feel a little odd because you've been running much higher, but your body will soon get used to the lower levels. A non-diabetic fasting blood range is between 3.6 and 6 ish so you are doing brilliantly. People usually say diabetics shouldn't go below 4, but that's really aimed at those of us on insulin or other glucose-reducing medication. Keep it up! And it's good to see you coping a little better!

Smidge
 
Thanks Smidge

Normal service has resumed BG is now 10.2! :roll:
 
Just be pleased with the low BG! On metformin and diet only, you won't get a dangerous hypo like people on insulin and certain other drugs can. You can have low blood sugar, as can any non diabetic. I love it when I get those readings. Had a 3.2 once after golf and had a bacon sarnie to celebrate!
 
I do take take 1 x 40mg Gliclazide per day also but from what i gather thats a pretty low dose!

Bacon sandwich ooohhh! I could just eat one of those now :lol:
 
Meant to say I don't know what drugs you're on of course, but Smidge suggested you're on met and diet only. No offense Smidge! Glic CAN produce unwanted lows as I understand, but I believe it's unusual, particularly on low doses. Nonetheless, you could ask your doc if you're not sure. I still wouldn't worry about low 4's.
 
Yep just started taking three 500mg metformins a day from yesterday as I have been building up to that dose apparently to limit the digestive upset which so far has been ok
 

You don;t want to go so low that you feel bad.
Whilst 4.2 is on the cusp for the definition of a hypo, as long as you feel alright and it doesn't keep dropping you should be safe..
We are all different and although a Type2 will not react like a Type1 to a low blood sugar it can make you feel unwell for a period of time. If you find, as you did today, that eating something makes you feel better then I would carry on doing that.Be selective in what you choose for a snack and don't have too many carbs in it. Depending on the size of the pancake, they can have as much as 20 carbs in them. This is according to the Carbs and Cals Visual Guide.
 
Wish I'd wake up at 4.2!

Being just on Metformin then you'll behave just like a non diabetic with low sugars. At some point your body will compensate for you all automatically as it should.

Low BG's in the 4's can initially make you feel bad if your body has got use to running high. As you get your daily average to drop you should find the effect will go away. It's rather like the nicotine craving you get when you first give up smoking but it's carb / sugar craving so to get that you are doing really well imo.

I actually get the reverse effect, if I drop into the 4's I wake up and like Grazer my lowest ever reading was in the low 3's and I felt fine.
 
Pancake wise it was a low carb type made with the following

1 egg
dribble vanila extract
2 tbs whey protein powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
lactose free milk
1 tsp oil
1 heaped tsp canderel yellow

made two reasonable sized pancakes
 
Funny you should say about cravings, I only ate pasta possibly less than once per year but I find myself wanting to eat it now :roll:

Need to try baking some bread soon & going to start with spelt!

The worst thing I am missing at the moment is a sandwich!
 
I have a sandwich using Burgen soya and linseed low GI bread. Only 11 carbs for one slice and doesn't seem to raise my BGs.
 

The cravings are weird. Last week I got the craving for good old steak and chips (well steak, chips, peas, mushrooms and Stilton). All ok apart from the chips. My lovely wife cooked a brilliant dinner. She's taken to the low carb diet as well as she was diagnosed pre diabetic a few years ago then lost weight and managed to reverse before any permanent damage but still "runs" slightly above average.

The way we carb count is decide a max for a meal say 40g (based on that days total so far) add it all up and then make up the difference in rice, pasta, pots etc. I ended up with 8 chips and guess what only ate 3 of them, decided I would have rather had more mushrooms, stilton, peas or steak etc. I haven't eaten bread for 3 weeks. Could still kill for rice though!
 
xyzzy You may be able to tolerate a couple of spoons of brown basmati rice .It doesnt effect my BGs and it is very filling
CAROL
 
carty said:
xyzzy You may be able to tolerate a couple of spoons of brown basmati rice .It doesnt effect my BGs and it is very filling
CAROL
Click to expand...

Lucky you, I love rice!

I usually tell people that we are all different and just give my tolerances as an example. If you look at the posts I give to new forum members I suggest they simply halve what they take in a starchy carbs and take it from there so more a Sid portion control approach at least to begin with. My philosophy is what you eat should be driven by what you find is safe not some low carb / high carb / whatever carb /dogma. I even say you can do the take drugs / insulin choice if you think it will suit you. Safety by testing is my message but how you achieve that is entirely up to you.
 
xyzzy
I totally agree with you (on this anyway).The secret is to try and test, sometimes your body will suprise you White rice drives me haywire ,ordinary Basmati raises BGs but brown Basmati in small quantities is ok .Have you tried it ?
CAROL
 
Hey CAROL

carty said:
(on this anyway)
Click to expand...
:shock:

Your answer is yes I have.

Plain white boied rice 25g (1oz) tops.
Brown ASDA basmati rice 50g (2oz) tops - great double!
Indian Takeaway Pilau (fried) rice 75g (3oz) tops - just about, on a good day!

Weights are uncooked amounts for the first two, the Pilau is roughly a third of one of the tin serving thingy's

I have similar limit's with pasta.

Tried egg noodles and rice noodles can do around 40g of either. Bought the ones that are already "moist"

My best find is I can eat 150g of fresh fruit salad with my main meal.

I love spicy food of all kinds and have never went for chocolate or sweet things, more of a pasty man, so in that regard I'm lucky (except for giving up pasties off course).
 
helen louise said:
I do take take 1 x 40mg Gliclazide per day also but from what i gather thats a pretty low
Click to expand...

Ooops sorry Helen Louise! Was reading your other post where you said you were increasing your met and assumed that's all you were on. As Grazer says, Glic can cause lows but it's not likely to cause you serious problems. However, if you've cut your carb drastically you might need your meds reviewed. See how you go. But the fasting level was very good!

Smidge
 
Helen Louise
i aim to be about 4.2 fasting. I do this by eating very low carb and I believe it's the right place to be. I've been doing this for years and although my fasting sometimes creeps up to almost 5, I knock it back down. My intention is to keep my Bg at a non-diabetic level and i do so most of the time. i eat to my meter too and haven't seen a 7 since i don't know when and that's the way I'll stay with my eyesight and my feet and kidneys all working properly.
Hana
 
xyzzy said:
Plain white boied rice 25g (1oz) tops.
Brown ASDA basmati rice 50g (2oz) tops - great double!
Indian Takeaway Pilau (fried) rice 75g (3oz) tops - just about, on a good day!
Click to expand...


Rice used in Indian cooking is almost always Basmati rice as far as I know, Pilau Rice is a recipe not a type of rice :thumbup:

Ive never heard of brown basmati rice TBH Carol and always eat white basmati rice, always have as I like the texture and lack of stickyness (starch) when prepared properly.

The reason basmati rice is easier for many diabetics to eat is that it has a particular molecular make up that is very hard for the human body to break down to a single glucose molecule (or so I was told by the dietician I saw) so whilst it may have as many carbs as other types of rice they are not totally metabolised by our stomachs :thumbup:
 
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