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Need help again

pau1200

Well-Known Member
Messages
75
Location
Birmingham
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi,

I am really struggling with my diabetes and can’t get to see the doctor, my appointments keep getting cancelled.
I think the SR metformin is no longer working as my levels are often in the 20s.

This morning I woke to blood sugar in the 16 and 3 hours after 2 weetabix and a splash of milk I’m still up at 24. I have always suffered from high morning readings but not this high and I have always tolerated weetabix. I may have been naughty over Christmas but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

Not sure what to do and I’m starting to feel scared as I can no longer control my levels.
I am willing to try anything and have been considering joining the low carb program, is it worth the subscription? Does it work? I need meals that are simple to make and not fancy, bacon and eggs are my go to and I do t really eat root veg or bread anymore

thanks
 
Hi @pau1200.

Sorry to hear your BG is getting into the 20's - that's far too high.
You should be measuring just before a meal and then 2hrs afterwards, so your reading of 24 was probably higher or much higher - not good!
I can't say if the Low Carb program is worth the subscription fee. I went Low Carb without using any fancy recipes. If you like simple food then I can't see why you should need it. Just swap out high carb food (like Weetabix) for lower (or zero) carb food like cold meat, eggs, cheese, full-fat greek yogurt with a handful of berries and/or nuts. If in doubt google the carbs (net carbs in the case of USA sites) in whichever food you fanct.

For me it was meat, fish, eggs, hard cheeses, full-fat dairy, nuts, avocado, olives (& Oil), tofu, plus leafy greens and other low carb veg such as cauliflower, broccoli, courgette, cucumber etc do it for me. But I did test them all extensively with my BG meter in order to find if I could eat carrot, parsnip, apple etc. - Answer was no. not much.
 
Does it work? Well for me it certainly did, and I started from a higher reading than you so it is worth considering. Metformin will not touch those sorts of levels ast is only good for a couple of mmol/l points at best. The main thing is that you can do an LC diet immediately and try it out. There is a lot of information about it on the Forum, and that advice is free, Look at the LC recipe section, and also the Success and Testimonials section to seee what others are achieving.

However, with bgl levels that high, you need to keep a close eye on things since it could be that your pancreas is not producing sufficient insulin. Make sure you read up about DKA which can happen if your insulin levels are too low, since that is a serious warning that needs medical attention.

Try cutting out the carbs from your diet, It should begin to take effect within days. But the Weetabix has to go. You need to be considering a daily upper limit of 150g of carbs a day and that is for all meals and drinks combined. Perfectly possible to do, and many of us here do lower than that (I have been doing it for around 8 years now)
 
Maybe cut out high carb foods for a few days but if your levels after eating do not go down then I'd advise insisting on getting tests done to check that you are an ordinary type 2 and not something more interesting.
I am just boring, low carb = low blood glucose, job done.
 
Thanks for the advice, I have kept it under control for about 2 years but it seems to have all changed and gone wrong. I havnt eaten anything else today and did a couple of miles with the dog and have got it down to 10. The wife has made a stew so I will have a small bowl and pick out the potatoes and see what that does
 
2hrs after my small bowl of stew by bs is at 12 so hasn’t returned to normal but much better reading than 20s. I looks like I need to start from scratch with logging my food again.
 
pau1200 said:
2hrs after my small bowl of stew by bs is at 12 so hasn’t returned to normal but much better reading than 20s. I looks like I need to start from scratch with logging my food again.
Click to expand...
Was it 10 before the stew?
If so that rise isnt so bad, working on getting the overall levels lower pre food and a rise of 2, at most, 2 hours later is an aim many of us try for (it’s not always perfect especially fatty/carbs foods can spike later or longer) but as a general aim is quite easy to understand

but logging foods can be helpful anyway and helps on an awareness and portion size understandings. It makes you think about what’s in there. A stew with potatoes will have fragments of the potato so could be higher in carbs but of course shared foods will never be truly accurate portion size wise

(you said again, so sounds like you’ve done already, so not trying to teach you to suck eggs but helpful for others reading the posts )
 

It was 10 before the stew and 12 2 hours after and you right there will be buts of potato, carrots mixed up with it so will have some carbs.

I have been on this journey before and went low carb but eventually found a point where my sugars where not to bad and with the metformin the doctors where happy. I stopped regular testing until recently as I found myself suffering with low energy. To see reading in their 20s really has scared me and with covid my regular appointment with my diabetic team have always been cancelled.
It feels like foods I could tolerate before are now of the bad list. I guess that’s what’s upsetting, I thought I had it under control and maybe I have become lazy but now know I need to start again from the beginning.
 
It seems like I reading about myself in your post, I had my sugars under control until about 2 years ago when everything exploded, I was diagnosed with cancer, I lost 6 members of my family within 6 months including my father and husband. I lost all interest in cooking meals and it was easier for me just to raid the grand children's treat box and so over the time my sugar levels were averaging 18 instead of 6 before all this happened. After being threatened with insulin at Christmas I decided I would take myself in hand and so on Monday 3rd January 2022 I started on a low carb plan, I have started cooking again and find that I am enjoying it and today my sugar levels are varying between 4.2 and 5.8 I did check them on another machine to double check and they were correct. I know that it is only water as well but I have already lost 7lbs which does everything to boost confidence that I can do it. So I was wondering pau1200 if needed we could perhaps support each other in our journey.
 
I cannot eat carrots or potatoes it would send my sugar levels over the top
 

That would be great, I need all the support I can get at the minute. I have seen an improvement already and my levels seem to be around 9 which is better than the 20s, I’m suffering with diarrhoea at the minute which I have had on and off since starting metformin, and I’m still n slow release but every few months after eating I suffer for a few days.
I am focused to try and sort my self out l and have a lot of weight to loose too.
 
I’m sorry you are not getting to see a doctor can’t you access e consult or telephone consult ? I’ve had issues with Meds etc and have been able to see docs and get tests done . Keep on at them it’s your health!! Low carb diet which you can do yourself
 

I’ve spoke to my doctors over the phone and they say the will get me in as soon as possible for my diabetic review. I have mentioned the diarrhoea to them before and all he says is it won’t be the medication even though I only started suffering since starting it albeit 4 years ago. I did ask the possibility of it being something else and they dismiss it because of the lack of blood or pain and it not being constant.

My blood sugar was down to 8.0 2 hours after breakfast (bacon and scrambled eggs) but suffered a few hours later with the runs.

Now if I am being totally honest I am not the best at taking medication but since I’ve restarted looking after myself I am talking it regular and have reduced what I eat a lot and gone low carb. I think because I have changed a lot I’m hoping it’s my body adjusting to regular sr merformin (sukkarto) couple with a low carb diet.
 
I beg to differ with your doctors opinion…..it sounds exactly like the Metformin to me.
 
Lakeslover said:
I beg to differ with your doctors opinion…..it sounds exactly like the Metformin to me.
Click to expand...

I think the problem I may have is the diabetic doctor I used to have has now retired and she was good with medication but wasn’t the friendliest. The new diabetic doctor we have is very young, he’s friendly but it feels like your talking to google.

To be honest it’s upto to me to manage it and I have received lots of great advice from this forum. I’m hoping by being good I might be able to drop the metformin and control with diet and exercise but I’m a long way from that
 

i used to work with a young doctor once and he was always looking things up on Google!

yes, we are the best people to manage our conditions. I’ve reduced my HbA1c from 71 to 44 in a year after deciding to ditch their eat well diet and follow people on here by going low carb. Small steps and you will get there.
 
Change the brand - your doctor should agree to that. Stay away from Sukkarto/Morningside - speak to the pharmacist for other options.
 
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