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New boy - can't understand BG levels

S

srm100841

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Location
South Wales
Hello fellow sufferers. I'm new to this forum although I was firstly diagnosed with Type 2 some 7 years ago. Since then I've been treating the problem with pills (Gliclazide) and diet. My readings are consistently high - never low. They average about 10.

What baffles me is that there is a discernible trend with my levels regardless of any experimental variations I apply. My lowest readings are just before dinner at about 6.30pm. Breakfast time my levels are higher and lunchtime highest of all.

I'm pretty strict with my diet but even when I experiment, the readings are virtually always the same. Does anyone have the same results?

Steve
 
Welcome to the forums, lots of good advice here.

Those numbers are waaaaaaaaaaay too high :shock:

You say you are strict with your diet. Can you give more detailed info about the food that you eat?
 
I would like to know what your actual Bg levels are before meals, and 1 and 2 hrs after meals. Plus what is your reading before bedtime and when you get up ?
 
Thanks for the replies Cugila and Spiral.

My levels are way too high I accept. My typical diet is for breakfast at say 8.30am: porridge, orange and tea or occasionally bacon, beans, ryvita, orange and tea. For lunch between 12 noon and 1pm: ryvita, cold meat or pate, tomato, salad, tea and orange. This varies if I eat out of course. For dinner at about 6.30pm: a couple of cans of beer, perhaps a glass of wine, meat and vegetables (almost always no potatoes, rice or pasta although rice and pasta are my favourite staples), fish, shellfish with salad, casserole, curry with lentils, plus an orange, apple berries and a cup of tea. For supper at 9pm a bowl of soup with ryvita, or beans on toast plus some fruit and a glass of milk.

I avoid bread apart from the odd slice, potatoes, rice and pasta as above. I take 2 tablets before breakfast at 8.30am and 2 before supper at 9pm.

I take my readings before breakfast, before lunch or before dinner. Thus the times are about 8.30am, 12 noon or 6.30pm. I haven't so far taken readings within an hour of eating.

I do a small amout of exercise each day. I have noted that when I take a reading within 3 hours of exercise then my levels are high.

Steve
 
Steve
It looks like you are being very conscientious about obeying the "usual" dietary instructions from the NHS.
Many of us on this forum, have found that doing this leads to consistently high numbers( YES???)
Those of us who have good control and are aiming towards non-diabeic numbers, have found that it's essential to restrict carbohydrates. That porridge for breakfast is one of your villains. It puts BG up and keeps it there for hours. How about a scrambled egg instead? (Microwave ones are so quick) You already restrict your carbs a bit, but do you know how much you are eating? Collins Little Gem Calorie Counter is a small and inexpensive book with thousands of foods listed, showing Calories,protein,carbs, fats and fibre.
In the end, it's up to you to decide for yourself how restriced you want your carbs to be. Low carbers aim for under 50 per day, but there are plenty of people, happy to use more medication, who eat much more carb.nevertheless, relying on medication alone isn't easy.
And then there's E***CISE.
Hana
 
Hi srm.....

You have given us some helpful information about your diet which Hana has addressed to some extent BUT we have no idea what your actual Bg numbers are ? Please don't be shy.... :D

If they are high before a meal, then we also need to know what they are after a meal as this is very important. Test one and two hours after meals and let us know the numbers. Only then will YOU see what effect those foods/drinks are having on youtr Bg levels.
 
hanadr said:
Steve

In the end, it's up to you to decide for yourself how restriced you want your carbs to be. Low carbers aim for under 50 per day, but there are plenty of people, happy to use more medication, who eat much more carb.nevertheless, relying on medication alone isn't easy.
And then there's E***CISE.
Hana
Click to expand...
Hi Steve,

There are also people who eat a moderate amount of carbs without any medication and it is finding the balance that is right for you. You are not a failure if medication is needed as everyone responds differently. Insulin resistance varies from person to person.

The porridge breakfast isn't really a balanced meal as you are not consuming any protein and the orange, (i presume you mean orange juice) is something that will spike your blood sugars. Try flaked almonds and some berries with the porridge and ditch the orange juice. That may work out better. When you have the bacon and beans etc I wouldn't eat the ryvita with that as the carbs in the beans will be enough.

You really need to take some readings 1hr and 2hrs and possibly 3hrs after meals to see which foods are causing the problems and even the ryvita could be having an adverse effect. I find that ryvitas, although fairly low in carbs do raise my blood sugars. Oat cakes might be a suitable substitute.

It is only you who can find the right balance for you and there is a lot of trial and error and lots of testing involved before you get where you want to be.

Hope this helps.

Catherine.
 
Thanks again everyone. I'll look at reducing my carbohydrate intake and institute a new testing regime at more frequent intervals.

My readings this year are as follows:

B/fast - average 11 - highest - 13.7 - lowest - 9.6
Lunch - average 11.2 - highest - 16.2 - lowest - 10.1
Evening - average - 9.2 - highest 16.8 - lowest - 5.8

Steve
 
Hi Steve.

Thanks for the numbers. They are very high and you definitely need to do something about your diet as I have no doubt that this is the root cause of your high numbers.

As a T2 you need to try and get your numbers down to at least the 2009 NICE guideline figures which are as follows:
Fasting (waking)................between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals...............no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you can get the numbers after meals lower then so much the better.

As you can see, you have some way to go but nothing is impossible. We will give you all the support and help you need. Anything you don't understand or want to know just ask.
 
Cheers Cugila. My next test is due in about half an hour. This will be some 4 hours since my lunch and about an hour before dinner. I'll do some other testing as has been suggested particularly after meals as I've not dome this before.

For the future I'll see how I can reduce my carbohydrate intake. By the way, the 'orange' I referred to was always a fresh fruit and not a drink.

Steve
 
Steve.

Oranges.....contain about 13g carbs per fruit. Now, that has to be factored in to your overall diet as it could tip you over the edge Bg wise, especially when combined with the other stuff you are eating ? Fruit is good but remember the carbs, and the fact that really means sugar !!

Testing tells you all. Check with that carb counting book and/or labels.
 
Great advice so far :D

You used the word "sufferer" in your inital post. Now I don't intend to trivialise what a nasty long term health problem that T2 diabetes is for some people. But I'm not suffering. I got my diagnosis before any of the long term complications set in and I have been able to use the fact of my diagnosis to make some pretty fundamental changes to my diet.

Since I started to get the blood glucose readings lower, I don't get headaches anymore and I'm not fatigued by the early afternoon. My dry mouth has improved. This year my oilseed rape season hayfever didn't turn in to bronchitis as it had done in the 2 previous years. I have lost loads of weight, the sensation in my toes is improving and since I stopped eating obvious starchy carbs in May I no longer get indigestion and acid reflux and my mouth doesn't feel quite so "furry" when i wake up in the morning.

There are loads of very minor, apparently trivial improvements in my health, which I put down to improved blood glucose control, and I'm noticing things which have improved every couple of weeks. So for me, my diagnosis has been a bit of a blessing - I'm probably healthier than I have been for a very long time. And the dietary changes I have made are not a hardship, the food has been delicious - I'm a vegetarian low carber. I just need to be a bit better planned than I used to be when I'd buy a sandwich from M&S.

You need to find a dietary apporach that works for you. That means it has to be food you enjoy eating, or you just won't stay with the diet, and that meets the blood sugar control targets you set for yourself. My intitial targets I reviewed on a weekly/monthly basis and were simply to have an improvement at the next blood test.

So really, my diagnosis has helped me to make massive improvements to my health and because I know I have a long term condition that requires active management to stay on top of it. I can see the impact of my hard work and occasional (and sometimes, like the last few days, frequent :oops: ) lapses in my meter. This keeps me motivated - I time my tests to pick up the height of the spike after meals.

So, if you plan to bring your blood glucose under your control, it does not necessarily mean you suffer, although I's say I was suffering before my diagnosis. The improvement in my health over the last few months, since diagnosis in Feb/March is something you can see :mrgreen:

Good luck!
 
I can't yet claim to be 'born again', but I have started taking steps to change my approach to the problem.

Firstly I have arranged to get hold of the book 'Collins Little Gem etc' and will do some dietary planning based upon what I find there. Secondly I have (figuratively) kicked the morning porridge into touch. This morning I replaced it with a scrambled egg.

I did take two extra readings last evening. The first was taken 1 hour after dinner and the result was 10.5. Dinner comprised a lamb curry, lentils and spiced cabbage and peas plus a couple of cans of ale and a glass of wine. The second reading was taken 2 hours after supper and the result was 10.8. Supper was a smallish bowl of stew which did include a small amount of potato, and a ryvita. With each of the meals I finished with an orange.

This morning after a long fast (12 hours) because I got up late, my reading was 11.6.

I must say that generally I feel considerably better than I did pre-diagnosis 7 years ago. However, the diabetes brings with it a nasty little bundle of other problems which I could well do without and I just can't seem to reduce my levels as is necessary.

Anyway, thank you all for being of help and be assured that I will follow the advice given.

Steve
 
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