How to lower A1c in a month

[andilinda01]

I was scheduled to have a torn rotator cuff and bone spur in my right shoulder surgically repaired on Nov 1. My doctor received my A1c results on Tues which was 9.2. The plan was to double my glipizide to 10mg in morning and 10mg in evening and repeat A1c on Oct 27 and if still high would reschedule the surgery. I had a cortisone shot Aug 23 and the blood test Sept 23. I believe the shot may have increased my results. I also have taken 4-6 advil a day for pain and inflammation. I am breaking out in hives and was told to stop the advil, which i did for 3 days but still getting hives and in too much pain not to take it. Iwas blindsided by a call from the surgeon's secretary on thurs that he cancelled my surgery after speaking to my doctor about my high A1c. It has to be 9.0 or less for surgery. Does anyone know how I can lower it quickly? I am in severe pain and not sleeping. I want to have the surgery by the beginning of Dec. I have left a message for my doctor to discuss the plan, how many blood tests I have to have to clear me. She has not returned my call or email. Very frustrated that I don't know what to expect or how long I have to wait. I could use some advise on how to lower it quickly at least to 8.5. I believe the hive are due to stress. Thank you!

 

[pleinster]

I was scheduled to have a torn rotator cuff and bone spur in my right shoulder surgically repaired on Nov 1. My doctor received my A1c results on Tues which was 9.2. The plan was to double my glipizide to 10mg in morning and 10mg in evening and repeat A1c on Oct 27 and if still high would reschedule the surgery. I had a cortisone shot Aug 23 and the blood test Sept 23. I believe the shot may have increased my results. I also have taken 4-6 advil a day for pain and inflammation. I am breaking out in hives and was told to stop the advil, which i did for 3 days but still getting hives and in too much pain not to take it. Iwas blindsided by a call from the surgeon's secretary on thurs that he cancelled my surgery after speaking to my doctor about my high A1c. It has to be 9.0 or less for surgery. Does anyone know how I can lower it quickly? I am in severe pain and not sleeping. I want to have the surgery by the beginning of Dec. I have left a message for my doctor to discuss the plan, how many blood tests I have to have to clear me. She has not returned my call or email. Very frustrated that I don't know what to expect or how long I have to wait. I could use some advise on how to lower it quickly at least to 8.5. I believe the hive are due to stress. Thank you!

Hi. Many of us on this site have managed to get our blood sugar levels down to a manageable level by either dramatically reducing or pretty much just avoiding food with carbohydrates (particularly those foods which have more than 10g carb per 100g of product - see labels). Like a number here, I got my levels down pretty quickly (on no meds) purely by avoiding the following foods ; bread, cereal, potatoes, pasta and rice. Just cutting these foods out as well as the obvious sugary rubbish should make a big difference. This is because carbohydrates turn to sugar in the blood...but no-one tells us that ! Pity you don't have a self-testing meter as testing your levels before and a couple of hours after food would let you know exactly how much difference it is making just to avoid toast ! Hopefully, this would make a noticable difference by the 27th. I am tagging @daisy1, who will be along with some basic but very important info for you to read through and consider. check out the low carb and type 2 threads on this site. Good luck.

 

[Guzzler]

Hi. Many of us on this site have managed to get our blood sugar levels down to a manageable level by either dramatically reducing or pretty much just avoiding food with carbohydrates (particularly those foods which have more than 10g carb per 100g of product - see labels). Like a number here, I got my levels down pretty quickly (on no meds) purely by avoiding the following foods ; bread, cereal, potatoes, pasta and rice. Just cutting these foods out as well as the obvious sugary rubbish should make a big difference. This is because carbohydrates turn to sugar in the blood...but no-one tells us that ! Pity you don't have a self-testing meter as testing your levels before and a couple of hours after food would let you know exactly how much difference it is making just to avoid toast ! Hopefully, this would make a noticable difference by the 27th. I am tagging @daisy1, who will be along with some basic but very important info for you to read through and consider. check out the low carb and type 2 threads on this site. Good luck.

The member is on Glipizide which I think is a bg lowering drug. Is it wise to drastically cut carbs while on this drug?

 

[Goonergal]

The member is on Glipizide which I think is a bg lowering drug. Is it wise to drastically cut carbs while on this drug?

Yes, in this instance because of the medication, caution should be exercised, but @andilinda01 it would be worth a discussion with your doctor about how to manage diet change alongside the medication.

 

[daisy1]

@andilinda01

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as 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 250,000 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 free 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. They're all free.

• 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.

 

[andilinda01]

Hello Daisy
Thank you for the information. I was diagnosed @5 years ago with type 2 but had been under control until the past few months. I have taken my blood sugar readings in the morning before breakfast and they have slowly crept up from 150-285. I do think the later number may be due to cortisone injection. Do you know how long it takes for the cortisone to leave my body? I do have to say that I am very bad at watching my carbs. I do love sweets, baked potato, sandwich with bread for lunch, etc. But because I now can not have my surgery has been a wake up call. I can't go cold turkey and cut all but am going to try. Tues my bs was 287, Wed 265, Thurs 242, Fri 229, & Sat 233. It is coming down slowly but I have to look at your recipes for lunch ideas. I mainly eat chicken, pork chop, ground turkey, and very little beef for dinner. I just have to incorporate more veggies. I got a protein shake to try and thought that I could have it in the evening if I am looking for a snack. I love fruit and saw on your site that I shouldn't eat much. I was disappointed since I thought that would keep me from eating sweets. I found your explanation of diabetes much easier to understand than what my doctor told me. I will print you info and review the sites you mentioned. I am so stressed about not having the surgery and I know the stress can increase my sugars but don't know how to relax. Thank you so much for the info. I am glad I found your site. Can you recommend any good low carb cookbooks that have easy and quick real food recipes?

 

[andilinda01]

Hi. Many of us on this site have managed to get our blood sugar levels down to a manageable level by either dramatically reducing or pretty much just avoiding food with carbohydrates (particularly those foods which have more than 10g carb per 100g of product - see labels). Like a number here, I got my levels down pretty quickly (on no meds) purely by avoiding the following foods ; bread, cereal, potatoes, pasta and rice. Just cutting these foods out as well as the obvious sugary rubbish should make a big difference. This is because carbohydrates turn to sugar in the blood...but no-one tells us that ! Pity you don't have a self-testing meter as testing your levels before and a couple of hours after food would let you know exactly how much difference it is making just to avoid toast ! Hopefully, this would make a noticable difference by the 27th. I am tagging @daisy1, who will be along with some basic but very important info for you to read through and consider. check out the low carb and type 2 threads on this site. Good luck.

Hello and that you very much for your encouragement an support. I am glad I found this site. I need all the info I can get on lowering my A1c. I am super stressed about this whole situation. I have to admit that my biggest fault is carbs, candy and baked goods. I did receive some great info from daisy1. It was written so I could actually understand what it all means. I do test daily, see my post to daisy1 below along with my recent numbers. I am going to give it my all. Thank you very much for passing my info to daisy1 and your information and support. Any suggestions for destressing?

 

[Bluetit1802]

You will find a lot of low carb recipes on https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

As others have said above, your medication is a worry. Glip works by forcing your pancreas to produce extra insulin. The fewer carbs you eat the less insulin you need. If you end up with too much insulin your levels could drop too low. You really must test religiously and frequently after meals from 2 hours after first bite onwards, and at bedtime to make sure your levels are OK. Just testing before breakfast won't help.

Good luck!

 

[Guzzler]

I can empathise as I suffered rotator cuff injury two+ years ago and although initially I got releif it has never fully healed. The only thing that brings some releif now is a heat pack, though sometimes I am driven to using cocodamol which I dislike taking because it is so very addictive. I hope you get your surgery soon.

N.B
Since going low carb I have found the inflammation has eased slightly, in my shoulder/scapula, anyway.

 

[lowedb]

You can get glucose down, but remember that A1c is an average over three months. So it's not something you can get to drop that fast.

 

[Resurgam]

I went from a Hba1c of 10.5 to one of 6.5 in 80 days - I took Metformin for five weeks but then stopped it and just stuck to low carb foods. I down to 5.9 at the 6 month check.
Low carb eating is very effective in lowering blood glucose, and I find the things I can eat are more than enough to have me keep eating this way. I had painful knees but now am a lot better.
I'm afraid that although you love all those high starch and sugar foods, they do not love you back, and they are going to cause you a lot of trouble if you can't reduce them right down in some cases. It should be a very effective way to reduce your blood glucose, so with the medication you are on you should see big changes and you will need to test and adjust as lows are just as problematic as highs.

 

[Freema]

Fasting and very low calorie diet and low carb content

But take care when being on insulin lowering medication

 

[DCUKMod]

@andilinda01 - The HbA1c test, although talked about as your average over 3 months, the reality it is front end loaded, so that last couple of weeks do impact the score, more than weeks, say 10-12.

One thing I would ask you to really understand is that if you intend to change your way of eating, you must test, test and test some more. At least one of your drugs is designed to drive your blood scores down. So, if you change your diet very radically you could find yourself having unwanted hypos.

On that basis, a "What if?" discussion, with the person who advises you on your diabetes could be very helpful.

I appreciate your dilemma, but you must, above all else, be safe.

Test, test test, then keep on testing.

I do hope it works out well for you. Living with pain is no fun at all.

 

[RosieLKH]

I echo the need to test your BS yourself. I'm on metformin and gliclazide and I was on the verge of being refused an eye op. because my BS had gone up. I went very low carb and got it down, but I did have a hypo one evening when it went down to 3.5. That was the gliclazide at work and my DN suggested that if I knew I was getting my BS down to about 5 or 6 I should also drop a tablet out (I was on 3 a day). I suggest to run any thing you decide to do through with your doctor.

 

[pleinster]

The member is on Glipizide which I think is a bg lowering drug. Is it wise to drastically cut carbs while on this drug?

Thanks. I should have stressed that cutting carbs dramatically if on Gliclazide could possibly cause a hypo..particularly if the person isn't self-testing to see how low the blood sugar is. Still, I cut everything back while on Gliclazide with no ill effect and would still recommend cutting carbs as the quickest way to get the level down. A meter, however @andilinda01, is a must for me.

 

[pleinster]

Hello and that you very much for your encouragement an support. I am glad I found this site. I need all the info I can get on lowering my A1c. I am super stressed about this whole situation. I have to admit that my biggest fault is carbs, candy and baked goods. I did receive some great info from daisy1. It was written so I could actually understand what it all means. I do test daily, see my post to daisy1 below along with my recent numbers. I am going to give it my all. Thank you very much for passing my info to daisy1 and your information and support. Any suggestions for destressing?

Yes. Get a self-testing meter...it will reassure you that your diet is helping and will help you be in control and therefore to feel in control; that can only reduce stress. Also interact here. Good luck.