My dad t2 diagnosed this week

[wannabemammy]

As the title suggests, my dad has been diagnosed with type 2. I'm a type 1 16 years so I'm trying to help him out as much as I can. He's on 500mg of glucophage 3 times a day. He checked his bg before dinner tonight and it was 4.8 mmol. He checked 2 hours after and it was 16.5mmol! That was at 8:30pm. He showed me and I freaked! I asked him to check it now at 10:15pm and it's 5.8 mmol

My question is, is the drop too big in 1 hour 45 mins? 16 mmol to 5 mmol seems like a big jump in a short time and I know typically t2 diabetics don't get hypos but it frightens me! He lives with my Mam and he's 72 years old, they both don't take this kind of thing seriously enough!

Also he said he'll go back to the GP on Monday to show him his readings since diagnosis, I'm guessing 2 hours after eating it should have returned to normal! Should his glucophage be increased?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bulkbiker]

Any idea what he had for dinner? If I got a reading like that I'd retest as it could so easily be a dirty or sweetened finger..especially as it came down so fast

 

[wannabemammy]

He just called me there and said he forgot to take his glucophage, only realised now and that's why it was so high! But it came back to 5mmol then so I'm confused! Now he is after taking the tablet that he missed while his bg is 5. Is he at risk of a hypo?

 

[wannabemammy]

Also he had a half portion of chicken curry and rice for dinner

 

[bulkbiker]

I think that it was a rogue reading maybe curry sauce on the finger.. glucophage is just metformin.. should only have a minor impact on blood sugar levels so he should be fine..

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi @wannabemammy,

I agree with @bulkbiker -- with a spike that high and short-lived, there is a good chance that he might have had some glucose on his finger. So in this type of situation, it might be a good idea to wash hands and retest.

Missing glucophage (another trade name for metformin) shouldn't really have too much of an immediate effect on his blood sugars -- as it accumulates over time in the body and reaches its maximum potency after about 3 weeks.

However, since he had rice with his dinner, there is also a chance that the reading was reflecting his real blood sugar levels.

As you will know, the fundamental defect in T2s is insulin resistance and not always necessarily a lack of insulin. So, if we T2s eat food containing a lot of carbs such as rice, the pancreas releases insulin, but the insulin has little effect. So, the pancreas keeps producing more and more insulin until there is eventually enough insulin to overcome the resistance. However, the insulin produced by many T2s is often many times more than that normal people would produce eating the same meal. So, the pancreas has to work overtime and with time may become exhausted.

 

[kokhongw]

First off metformin don't have such amazing effects even though it helps to improve insulin sensitivity. It takes weeks for metformin to start is cumulative effects.

It is not unusual for T2D to have such large variation...because as Dr Joseph Kraft pointed out, we have highly elevated insulin response that may be many times above normal. This delayed surge of insulin to a high carbs meal will commonly trigger a reactive hypo event. This is often just ignored because most type 2 are told that it is unnecessary to test their glucose level...

https://raphaels7.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/screen-shot-2016-07-20-at-16-18-55.png?w=768

Here is a fairly recent capture of my glucose response after a high carb breakfast (rice, noodles, bread)...using Libre. A 10 mmol drop within 90 mins. Would have loved to see the corresponding insulin response chart...except the technology is not available yet...

Would suggest staying carbs lite...or at least change the meal order sequence...veg, proteins and fats first...eat the carbs last...not together. Have not tried the meal sequence thing myself, but carbs lite works just fine for me...

 

[bluelybell]

I would be thinking certainly wash hands. On an aside I have never found glucophage to have such a massive effect anyway, mine tends towards a steady drop rather than a dramatic one.