low blood sugars

159redbus said:

since going on a low calori diet since tuesday
iv had low sugarat times
havent got testing strips yet waitng for them throu the post
breakfast 2 weetabix
dinner two slices of small dannish bread
cheese spread lettice
tea rice fusion or ommlette
chicken kiev jkt potatoe

when i get low sugar i have a bannana or an apple
haven been shopping this week and it awkward im a widow and cant be bothered to cook proper meals
what else can i have for low sugar
im in a crisses i think :?

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Hi there 159redbus!

Are you a bus spotter like my beloved husband? Sorry to hear your sugar levels have sunk. It's difficult to say why this may have happened since, on face value, you seem to stagger your carbs well across meals. This doesn't take into account your activity level or weight (which I would never be so rude as to ask about). I am, however, assuming that since you've chosen to go on a diet, then you've probably taken up some form of new exercise too, like walking. This could be using up your carbs more quickly, especially as you're eating fewer than before. Exercise will also speed up your metabolism and get you burning off energy quicker. For some, exercise can also cause BG to dip.

Another thought was snacks. Most folks would cut out snacks if on a diet, but as a diabetic you benefit from topping up carbs through snacks. Snacks I like are Alpen light museli bars (14g carbs each), fruit or nuts.

For a quick sugar boost, normal white bread is a good start. One slice has as much sugar as 3 teaspoons of sugar (15g carbs) and gets into your blood stream quickly. Add some jam, and you're laughing. The least hassle though is dextrose tablets at 3g carbs each. Any chemist will stock these (64p a pack in my local). GlucoGel (formerly hypostop gel) is also worth keeping in stock. It's a tube of glucose gel which can be swallowed or, better still rubbed on the gums and is quick acting. Ideal if you pass out since you can't eat or drink when you're unconscious but someone can rub it in for you. I keep mine in my test kit. Either way, always chase up a hypo with some long acting carbs after your quick fix.

As a long term thought, I used to live alone and ate very badly as I couldn't be bothered to cook for one. A friend then suggested I cook for two and freeze one portion for another day. Simple, but it worked and made me plan my meals better. Planning meals ahead, though tiresome and regimented, means that you only shop for food you need too. This stops bad impulse buying and saves money. You can then plan a healthy, balanced diet.

I hope that once your test strips arrive you'll be able to spot where the dips are and adjust your food accordingly.

All the best
Juliette x :thumbup:

159redbus said:

since going on a low calori diet since tuesday
iv had low sugarat times
havent got testing strips yet waitng for them throu the post
breakfast 2 weetabix
dinner two slices of small dannish bread
cheese spread lettice
tea rice fusion or ommlette
chicken kiev jkt potatoe

when i get low sugar i have a bannana or an apple
haven been shopping this week and it awkward im a widow and cant be bothered to cook proper meals
what else can i have for low sugar
im in a crisses i think :?

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What does "low-sugar" mean?

From your other post redbus, I'm thinking that perhaps you're not really going that low. What number does your meter say?

If the number is bigger than 5, then you probably don't have to worry about it.

Hi Redbus. Let me first say that with the diet you're showing us, it's unlikely that you are having the sort of low blood sugar levels that you need to worry about. Diabetes doesn't cause "hypos" despite what you may have heard, only the drugs we may take cause that. You don't say what oral drugs you are on, but if it's only Metformin then again you needn't worry. What's probably happening is that your sugar levels are coming down more towards normal from previously very high levels, so your body thinks that by comparison they are low. If you are just on metformin, i wouldn't go rushing into eating white bread and Jam - sorry Juliette, but that will simply put your levels up to very high again and the whole yo-yo starts again. You need to get used to lower levels. You don't need glucose tablets either if you're just on Metformin. If you're taking Gliclazide or similar, then you can get blood sugar levels that are too low and need correcting, but you won't know that until you get a meter, so wait till then. If you then find you keep getting readings in the threes, talk to the doctor about adjusting your dose.
I would repeat though, that looking at your diet, I wouldn't imagine you are really getting even moderately low blood sugars unless you are on serious sugar lowering drugs. Perhaps you can clarify that for us.

Ok, so you ARE on meds that can cause low blood sugars, so you must test particularly if you're changing your diet. If you keep getting lows, the good side is that your diet is working and lowering your BGs. So if it was me, rather than eating to beat the lows, I'd see the doctor to see if my meds need reducing, which of course would be a Good result.

Hey Grazer

Juliette here, no offence taken. It's good to hear another take on things. I can only talk from my experience. I just wanted to let Redbus know what to do in the event of a hypo, as recommended to me by my diabetes team. I trusted her and took, at face value, what she said about her 'low' as being a low/hypo. Obviously, I agree with all of you out there that this needs to be determined as a fact first, through a blood test, before being treated as such.

If only the NHS would provide us all with this basic level of care...blah....blah...blah. :roll:

Incidentally, Lloyds pharmacy will do on the spot blood tests for you. You have to book a time with our local one, but they do offer that service.

Juliette x

Grazer said:

Ok, so you ARE on meds that can cause low blood sugars, so you must test particularly if you're changing your diet. If you keep getting lows, the good side is that your diet is working and lowering your BGs. So if it was me, rather than eating to beat the lows, I'd see the doctor to see if my meds need reducing, which of course would be a Good result.

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Hi Grazer... I am a newbie to all this but was surprised by what i read in this thread. I thought we were supposed to get sugar as low as possible, and carbs too as they contain sugar? what levels should i be trying for?

Stephen Bond said:

. I thought we were supposed to get sugar as low as possible

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Stephen this thread is 10 years old so I doubt you will get a reply from the original poster's
I'll try to give an answer that makes sense
Diabetes of any type causes our blood sugar to go too high.

Depending on the type or severity of your diabetes you will either control it with diet or medication.

If you use diet and/or one of the milder drugs like metformin ( T2) the chances of your sugar levels going dangerously low are almost non existent, our livers will usually give us a timely shot of glucose to prevent that from happening.

If you are taking insulin or one of the stronger medications like galipizide as the original poster was. It's possible that your blood sugar could be forced dangerously low(called Hypoglycaemia)

Type 1's have no choice, they have to take insulin because their own immune system has attacked and killed off their insulin producing cells. Every day they have to magically work out how much insulin is needed for the food they are eating. They have to keep a very close eye on their levels and take action to bring their blood sugar back to a safe level if it goes too low.

T2's have no problem making insulin but we become resistant to it. Our pancreas battles valiantly to produce enough insulin to cope with the amount of carbs we are eating. The more carbs we eat the worse our insulin resistance gets and we need stronger medication possibly including insulin. Then they too will need to keep vigilant to avoid hypo's

Hope that helps

catinahat said:

Stephen this thread is 10 years old so I doubt you will get a reply from the original poster's
I'll try to give an answer that makes sense
Diabetes of any type causes our blood sugar to go too high.

Depending on the type or severity of your diabetes you will either control it with diet or medication.

If you use diet and/or one of the milder drugs like metformin ( T2) the chances of your sugar levels going dangerously low are almost non existent, our livers will usually give us a timely shot of glucose to prevent that from happening.

If you are taking insulin or one of the stronger medications like galipizide as the original poster was. It's possible that your blood sugar could be forced dangerously low(called Hypoglycaemia)

Type 1's have no choice, they have to take insulin because their own immune system has attacked and killed off their insulin producing cells. Every day they have to magically work out how much insulin is needed for the food they are eating. They have to keep a very close eye on their levels and take action to bring their blood sugar back to a safe level if it goes too low.

T2's have no problem making insulin but we become resistant to it. Our pancreas battles valiantly to produce enough insulin to cope with the amount of carbs we are eating. The more carbs we eat the worse our insulin resistance gets and we need stronger medication possibly including insulin. Then they too will need to keep vigilant to avoid hypo's

Hope that helps

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Hi... LOL... i did not notice the age of the thread!!!! Thank you so much for you very helpful response. I got it now