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In ketosis but still having raised BS

R

Rhiannonalan

Member
Messages
13
Hello all.

I was diagnosed as type two diabetic about six weeks ago. I knew I was diabetic as I was constantly thirsty, peeing all night and had unexplained weight loss (also mum and brother T2).

Anyway, I was started on gliclazide 40 mg twice daily. I had low carbed before so I had some understanding of what I needed to do.

There are obviously lots of things I need to learn but the most pressing question I have is this :- given that I am in ketosis and therefore using body fat for energy (suggesting I am keeping carbs low enough)

1. Would I be right in saying that blood sugars of between 7-10 (with ketosis) indicate that I am still unable to produce enough insulin to cope with circulating sugar levels despite very low carb intake and gliclazide.

And

2. Where (and why) is the extra glucose coming fromif its not from diet? I assume it is from my liver? But why does my body feel the need to keep my BS elevated above normal.

I am at a bit of a loss where to go next in the quest to get my levels within an acceptable range. Exercise helps a bit but still my BS never drops below 7.

Any suggestions gratefully received

Many thanks. Jane

Probably should mention I have bowel cancer that has spread to my liver and lungs and have spent the last eight years having treatment (surgery, radio frequency ablation and chemo). I do know the steroids I get once every two weeks does not help at all :crazy:
 
Hi Jane and welcome to the forum :)
There will be some members along soon who can answer your specific questions. In the meantime, here is the information which we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful, in particular with regard to your levels. Ask any more questions and someone will have an answer.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS


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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Jane

Sorry to hear of your problems but welcome to the Forum. As you have identified, steroids are not good to blood sugar levels and will generally increase them through increased insulin resistance. You liver cancer may also be having an effect on your blood sugars. It might be wise to have a chat with your oncologist as you will need to have a diabetes management regime that sits well with your cancer status.

Take care and hope this helps.

Regards

Doug
 
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