I have trouble waking up, it's like I'm in a coma.

[cmx9]

I don't know what it is but I can't wake up if I go too long without eating. My blood sugar levels will not drop below 180 mg/dl. If I eat anything, they spike to 280-350 depending on what I consume. Even with metformin, they won't go lower than 180. I don't understand what's wrong with my diet and Idk what I'm supposed to be doing. I've tried to switch over to high fiber, low sugar and carbs foods but nothing is working. Everything I eat spikes it through the ceiling. I have a huge headacge 24/7 because I'm not eating any sugar and I just want to sleep all day long. I don't understand this.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I don't know what it is but I can't wake up if I go too long without eating. My blood sugar levels will not drop below 180 mg/dl. If I eat anything, they spike to 280-350 depending on what I consume. Even with metformin, they won't go lower than 180. I don't understand what's wrong with my diet and Idk what I'm supposed to be doing. I've tried to switch over to high fiber, low sugar and carbs foods but nothing is working. Everything I eat spikes it through the ceiling. I have a huge headacge 24/7 because I'm not eating any sugar and I just want to sleep all day long. I don't understand this.

Hi @cmx9 , and welcome,

Sorry about everything you're going through. For the headache, try having bone broth, coconut milk or electrolyte supplements, you're likely dehydrated some and low on electrolytes, which can cause headaches and a general feeling of misery.

What are you eating and drinking throughout the day? I know I thought I was low carbing when I wasn't, and when you're just starting out, mistakes can be made. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help you suss out where thing go wrong yourself, if you're not comfortable going into your diet in detail. (I don't know why, but some people tend to avoid or ignore the offer to help look for pitfalls).

What you're supposed to be doing? Exactly this: Asking questions. Look for what works for you. So you're getting that decidedly right. As for the fatigue, that'll happen when blood sugars are high all the time... Once that gets sorted, it'll get better. But give yourself time.

Good luck,
Jo

 

[ajbod]

Forget fibre, and sugar for now, cut out the carbs as much as you possibly can, ANY CARBS, forget whether white or brown, there's very little difference.
The important things to severely limit to start with are, Potatoes, Rice, Bread, Pastry, Breakfast cereals and Pasta. Also avoid anything grain based, like cakes and biscuits and vegetable oils.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT FATS, they are our friends.
Metformin has little to no effect on your blood sugar levels, it works by restricting the amount of Glucose your liver can pump out.
Please give us an idea of what you are eating, there are many pitfalls and hidden carbs which we may be able to point out. "Good healthy eating advice", doesn't work for us type 2 diabetics.
The more info you can give, the better chance someone here will have the answer for you.
Chin up and don't worry, we've all been where you are now, and with the help and support here, we are in a MUCH better place now, and are only too happy to help you get there too.

 

[Danmiluk]

If you have switched to a low sugar low-carb diet and you've got a severe headache, you might be suffering from what I called "my sugar come down."" Mine last for about a month when I cut out sugar and reduced cards. You will spike regardless of what you're eating, but it should come back down within 2hrs after food, I was in the same boat and discovered that fresh orange juice that I had for my breakfast and the amount of cups of coffee with milk I was drinking in a day.
When you are looking for sugar content assuming your in the uk don't look at the front of jars and cans these indicators refer to daily intake amounts. Look at the back and it will give you a better idea in a percentage.

 

[HSSS]

When you are looking for sugar content assuming you’re in the uk don't look at the front of jars and cans these indicators refer to daily intake amounts. Look at the back and it will give you a better idea in a percentage.

don’t bother looking at the “of which sugar“ number. Look at the carbs. In the uk it will just be labelled carbs. In the USA it’s net carbs you want to count.

 

[HSSS]

I don't know what it is but I can't wake up if I go too long without eating. My blood sugar levels will not drop below 180 mg/dl. If I eat anything, they spike to 280-350 depending on what I consume. Even with metformin, they won't go lower than 180. I don't understand what's wrong with my diet and Idk what I'm supposed to be doing. I've tried to switch over to high fiber, low sugar and carbs foods but nothing is working. Everything I eat spikes it through the ceiling. I have a huge headacge 24/7 because I'm not eating any sugar and I just want to sleep all day long. I don't understand this.

How long have you been diagnosed?

 

[Antje77]

Hi @cmx9 , welcome to the forum.

High BG makes me very drowsy, being above 180 (and often way above) would make me want to sleep all the time as well.
I see you're only 32, how long have you been diagnosed with T2?
From your profile I see you're only on metformin, which is a very mild medication.
Do you see a doctor or diabetes nurse regularly for your diabetes?
There are a lot more possible medications if diet and metformin don't do the job.

There are also different types of diabetes to consider.
Have you been tested to make sure it's T2?

 

[cmx9]

Forget fibre, and sugar for now, cut out the carbs as much as you possibly can, ANY CARBS, forget whether white or brown, there's very little difference.
The important things to severely limit to start with are, Potatoes, Rice, Bread, Pastry, Breakfast cereals and Pasta. Also avoid anything grain based, like cakes and biscuits and vegetable oils.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT FATS, they are our friends.
Metformin has little to no effect on your blood sugar levels, it works by restricting the amount of Glucose your liver can pump out.
Please give us an idea of what you are eating, there are many pitfalls and hidden carbs which we may be able to point out. "Good healthy eating advice", doesn't work for us type 2 diabetics.
The more info you can give, the better chance someone here will have the answer for you.
Chin up and don't worry, we've all been where you are now, and with the help and support here, we are in a MUCH better place now, and are only too happy to help you get there too.

I've already, rather reluctantly, cut all but bread out. I switched over to whole grain bread years ago but I guess it was a mistake. Metformin's been keeping something under control, but I don't know exactly what. I have a blood glucose monitor that I check with about every 4 hrs. Before Metformin, it was reading 450-600 mg/dl. It's a lot lower now but that's also because I've cut normal sodas off completely. I'm now drinking sugarless homemade tea, sugar free pepsi, and water. The sugar free pepsi doesn't affect my blood glucose at all and I've been testing it for months.

How long have you been diagnosed?

Since late October. I've felt terrible for years and my right eye has been going blurry for a good amount of time. It goes away when my blood sugar lowers or I sleep.

High BG makes me very drowsy, being above 180 (and often way above) would make me want to sleep all the time as well.
I see you're only 32, how long have you been diagnosed with T2?
From your profile I see you're only on metformin, which is a very mild medication.
Do you see a doctor or diabetes nurse regularly for your diabetes?
There are a lot more possible medications if diet and metformin don't do the job.

Some context on my life, I haven't been to a doctor since just a few months ago. I think I've had some form of diabetes for years but it wasn't diagnosed. I don't do regular health checkups and my body's finally feeling it. I'm 99% positive it's t2 diabetes but I can't recall exactly what my doctor said. I know my A1C was 13 something, but I don't have any way to test it at home. Also, I have a vial of insulin sitting downstairs that I just got filled but I haven't been brave enough to take it yet. I'm not afraid of shots, just afraid of the effect it might have on me if my blood sugar drops too quickly.

What else is there for this other than metformin and insulin? I think I need to get myself tested to make sure this is t2 before doing anything else.

Thanks for all the replies and info, googling questions just doesn't get the same results these days.

 

[EllieM]

What else is there for this other than metformin and insulin? I think I need to get myself tested to make sure this is t2 before doing anything else.

There are plenty of T2 drugs between metformin (relatively mild) and insulin.

It's unusual but not impossible for T2s to start on insulin. Often the ones that do are actually misdiagnosed T1s. The common tests to differentiate between the two are cpeptide (measures how much insulin you are producing) and GAD antibodies (detects whether your immune system is killing off your insulin producing cells). And there are also other rarer types of diabetes.

What did your doctor say about taking insulin?

 

[cmx9]

There are plenty of T2 drugs between metformin (relatively mild) and insulin.

It's unusual but not impossible for T2s to start on insulin. Often the ones that do are actually misdiagnosed T1s. The common tests to differentiate between the two are cpeptide (measures how much insulin you are producing) and GAD antibodies (detects whether your immune system is killing off your insulin producing cells). And there are also other rarer types of diabetes.

What did your doctor say about taking insulin?

He recommended me going on metformin and another drug, but I mentioned that I struggled to swallow the whole metformin pill, so he prescribed me insulin. I don't know what the other pill is called. I've been cutting my metformin in half to get them down easier but I still have a feeling like they're not being swallowed.
How do I ask my doc to test me for that stuff? I won't see him for another 2 months so I'm kinda on my own for now.

 

[HSSS]

He recommended me going on metformin and another drug, but I mentioned that I struggled to swallow the whole metformin pill, so he prescribed me insulin. I don't know what the other pill is called. I've been cutting my metformin in half to get them down easier but I still have a feeling like they're not being swallowed.
How do I ask my doc to test me for that stuff? I won't see him for another 2 months so I'm kinda on my own for now.

Ask to see him sooner?