Need some help please

[barbie_1957]

Having had a lifetime of our wonderful governments low fat healthy eating plan I am fast approching 60 and still overweight and diabetic,
I have been following the Low carb forum for a while but unable to do the diet due to gallbladder issues, these now have been resolved, i had the operation and am fully recovered so i decided to make a start and try see if it would help out my continually high blood sugar levels.I am type2 diabetic for past 11 years and have over the past 2 years seen the quantity of my medications double.
Ok so best reading matter i could come up with for a N00B was Atkins so i did my reading and made a start 2 weeks ago now, and 7 kilo's gone I am thinking wow this makes a change I can do this, but it didnt seem to do anything much for my blood sugar numbers until today that is.
This afternoon I had my very first 3.9 but i didnt feel unwell, i did however take precautions with a few gummi bears but then it went too 3.7 so a few more gummibears, still 3.7 so few more gummi bears finally after 25 minutes i managed to make a 6.3 after 4x 3.7 and way more gummi bears than i ever thought would be neccessary.
Is it possible that I now have to get my tablets reduced? and will I have too up my carbs in the meantime, I was just doing so well with this, and I don't want to have to quit, any suggestions please?

 

[Enclave]

Yes, if low carb is working for you, you will need to talk to your diabetic team about adjusting your blood sugar reducing medication.

 

[Ultramum]

Hiya

I'm on the app so cannot see what type you are nor your meds. Best to always seek medical advice before changing any prescribed meds. Keep a note of BG readings to take with you to see the GP/ nurse

 

[Resurgam]

I stopped taking the pills after a few weeks as I felt so ill, and found I did not need them.
Contact your doctor or nurse, whoever is the prescriber and tell them what happened.
No sense in swallowing things to counteract the tablets and messing up a diet which works so well.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Which diabetes medications are you taking, @barbie_1957 ?

It can make a big difference to the advice you receive.

 

[barbie_1957]

@Bluetit1802
My medications are as follows
Xelevia 100mg (Sitagliptin) x1 before breakfast
Bilxonia 60mg MR (Gliclazide) x2 before breakfast
Metabet 1000mg SR (Metformin) x2 after breakfast
Forxiga 10mg (Dapagliflozin) x1 after breakfast
then that's me done for the whole day (24 hours worth) all i get to do then is regular finger pricks and food

 

[barbie_1957]

OK so it's weekend and I can do nothing about getting to see my diabetic team until Monday, not wanting to blow the diet, i have kept it the same as I was doing but have taken the precaution of removing all medications from the above list apart from the Metformin and have been keeping a very very close eye on my bloods, funnily enough i have had a very respectable day ranging from 6.2 to 7.3, so i will see again how it goes like this tommorrow and talk with my team on Monday.
I drive for a living so understand when I say that I really cannot be doing with Lows like 3,7 this actually legally puts me off road until i get it back up above 5

 

[Resurgam]

you seem to be about the same levels as I get without any medication at all - and as you drive for a living I think that you can make a strong case for staying diet controlled and not taking tablets which could endanger your livelihood.
I do have to spread my carbs though the day and sometimes find myself eating some fairly strange things if I wake up early, but when in my usual routine I don't need to worry about high readings.

 

[Bluetit1802]

OK so it's weekend and I can do nothing about getting to see my diabetic team until Monday, not wanting to blow the diet, i have kept it the same as I was doing but have taken the precaution of removing all medications from the above list apart from the Metformin and have been keeping a very very close eye on my bloods, funnily enough i have had a very respectable day ranging from 6.2 to 7.3, so i will see again how it goes like this tommorrow and talk with my team on Monday.
I drive for a living so understand when I say that I really cannot be doing with Lows like 3,7 this actually legally puts me off road until i get it back up above 5

That was a brave decision, and does require you to test, test, test to make sure your diet is doing the work your meds were doing.
I would write everything down about your levels before stopping meds and your levels now. Take these, and your meter, to the meeting with your nurse/doctor to show them. You may have some opposition. Please let us know how you go on.

 

[Brunneria]

Totally in agreement with the comments above.
Glad you will be talking with your team tomorrow, and i think that keeping excellent records of your prick testing will show them that your meds will need adjusting!

Well done though. That is a huge change for you. How are you coping with the fat intake on Atkins? Is it ok (i'm thinking of fat digestion issues after your gallbladder op)?

Some people seem to have no problems with fat at all, while others do, and some find that if they take it slowly introducing fat in small increments, their body adjusts and copes well.

 

[barbie_1957]

No Fat digestion Issues at all since my gall bladder op, I am 100% hunky dory but I spent 25 years of hell with my gall bladder I am just so very very sorry that I never had it done sooner, and so very very pleased that it is gone now, food has a whole new meaning to me and tates so much better than when it was fat free, I'm thinking OMG what have I been missing all these years

 

[Brunneria]

Oh yeah. I know exactly what you mean!
I'm in food heaven nowadays.

Have you found the www.dietdoctor.com website yet? Some of the recipes (it will even give you recipe shopping lists) are fantastic.

 

[barbie_1957]

yes i have found the diet doctor website, i am actually planning to try the hamburgers and cabbage this evening, i am going to try work it in with atkins as it dont seem too much different

 

[barbie_1957]

OK so I just done my morning bloods, this is before breakfast and medications and I have risen today on a reasonably respectable 8.8 and would you beleive this is actually a better number than I get when I am taking all my meds, my morning numbers have always been high around 10-12 and then they get lower as the day goes on. looks like this is working for me and i am so pleased i took the plunge

 

[barbie_1957]

Well I spoke with my DN this morning and you will never guess, I had absolutely no opposition to my plans or what I have done at all, in fact she was extremely supportive, I showed her my numbers and explained all else and her attitude was very positive, she says to carry on doing what I am doing as it is very obviously working for me, but that if my numbers appear to be creeping up again as the residue of the other drugs leave my system, then to talk again or consider re-introducing the sitagliptin.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Oh wow! That nurse is a gem. Stick to her like glue. Well done for doing this, and I wish you all the best almost med-free.

 

[Resurgam]

Oh that is great - it makes such a difference to have supportive medical help.
I am just into OWL on the first rungs of the carb ladder - I reached that a few days after starting Atkins and have been there ever since - decades later.
If anything I saw my numbers going downwards once I got back on Atkins (off the stupid cholesterol reducing diet) so with any luck you should find that your numbers actually improve over time.

 

[barbie_1957]

My Diabetic team are fantastic, but I do go to a private non NHS clinic as the NHS let me down very badly in 2015 and I had to seek alternative assistance

 

[barbie_1957]

BTW I made thw diet doctors hamburgers,OMG they are to die for, couldn't get cabbage so served them with spinach instead, however I don't know how anyone manages to eat 2 of them, I was rather full after just one so looks like i've done all my cooking for the whole week, they will be going to work with me everyday for lunch with assorted salads

 

[barbie_1957]

One week down the line and not holding my own with just the diet and metformin, 3 days ago my numbers had risen enough to warrant me adding back in the sitagliptin, this morning I had no option but to add back the forxiga, I did kind of expect this as the drugs dissipated from my system, but I am now hoping this will do the trick, i really dont want to have to put the gliclazide back, I am convinced it was causing the hypos.
I don't understand though how i am following this net carb 20 to the letter so therfore no carbs turning into sugar, my weight is still going down but still making way more sugars than i appear to be using