new member with number too high

Hi Togfather and welcome to the Forum.
You’ve come to the right place for advise. First let me tag in @daisy1 who’ll post loads of useful info for you.
Ok now the morning reading is often the last to right itself however have you been given any dietary advise. It’s not as simple as cutting out obvious sugar, there are a lot of hidden sugars, in fruit for example. Or anything heavy in carbohydrates as carbs turn into sugar too. I’d say it’s still early days and 12.5 is still way better than 29. Your drug Gliclazide could push you too low (hypo) if you’re not careful with your diet so I’ll leave further advice to those that take it, I don’t.

Did they test for ketones?

Togfather said:

I lost a stone in two weeks, was extremely thirsty and going to the bathroom every half hour and my blood sugar level was apparently 29

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That's classic T1 symptoms. If they did test ketones and it was raised you're more likely T1.

Togfather said:

It has been 2 days and the level is at 12.5. I did make sure that I was not consuming sugar yesterday and expected the level to drop today but it did not.

Does anyone know how to get my morning level down to 7?

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It will not happen straight away it takes time to get levels down

I can't remember the statistical figures but theres a lot of over 30's who are dx'd T1.

Yes the majority of those over 30 that are dx'd as diabetic are T2 but T1 can strike anyone at any age. You could ask for a GAD and c-pep test although the results if negative doesn't mean you're not T1 but a positive will certainly confirm you are - about 25% negative results are incorrect.

At dx most T1s will have some ketones, and most T2s won't.

I was diagnosed T1 this year at 43 - apparently 20% of new cases are over 40.

Originally misdiagnosed as T2 due to my age. Consultant in A&E said T2s don't get ketones so anyone presenting with them should be treated as a T1

Togfather said:

I thought that T1 was something you got from childhood. I am 65

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No - that's what many GPs wrongly think. I'm actually a late onset T1 but still listed as T2 as I gave up arguing with my GP. I was diagnosed at age 60 15 years ago and been on insulin for 5 years. Pointers to T1 at our age rather than T2 include being quite slim or having lost weight recently without trying; this can be due to the body burning body fat as it can't handle the carbs. The tablets you have been prescribed should help but if you can't get the blood sugar down then discuss insulin with the GP and ask for the two tests for T1 (aka LADA) which are GAD and c-peptide. In the meantime do have a low-carb diet with enough proteins and fats to keep you feeling full.

Gliclazide may not actually help, it works by telling your pancreas to release more insulin, which if your pancreas has completely given up the ghost isn't going to help.

Key question at the mo is during dx did anyone mention ketones? whether they tested for them and if they were present? Actually depending on what meter you were given your Doc might be able to prescribe ketone test strips for it - and you could test yourself.

But if your numbers don't go down that much if at all over the next week or two/month (? TBH I have no idea what time scale to say!) I'd ask for the GAD and c-peptide tests.

Togfather said:

I thought that T1 was something you got from childhood. I am 65

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I got it at 50. Now 53. I too lost 20#’s in a very short time. I was also misdiagnosed as a T2 when the reality is I’m LADA, T1 and need insulin injections now.

There are 2 tests that can help you determine which type you are. The GAD will tell you if it’s autoimmune and the c- peptide will tell you how much insulin your pancreas is producing.

It is still early days but if your numbers don’t come down I would request those tests

If you are eating low carb - which with the tablets should - if you are type 2 and lucky, make your blood glucose levels drop quite sharply so do not go at it too quickly. Avoiding the heavy starches, bread potato rice is the usual advice, but I suggest cutting down in stages as you could go too low and go wobbly. If your numbers do not respond in such a simple fashion then there are a couple of possibilities, but all involve tablets or other medication.

If you can see a direct correlation between eating a slice of toast and your blood glucose levels being high two hours later, then not eating toast but having eggs and bacon and the numbers being lower it does indicate that you are in the 'can't deal with carbs' category - but that doesn't let you off needing insulin as both type one and two can need it - and type ones can have intermittent production of their own insulin at the start - which the tablets might cause - I am not certain, but it would seem possible if you have any function left.
In my case I was lucky, just eat low carb and no further action/interest from my doctor

@Togfather

Hello Togfather and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

slip said:

Gliclazide may not actually help, it works by telling your pancreas to release more insulin, which if your pancreas has completely given up the ghost isn't going to help.

Key question at the mo is during dx did anyone mention ketones? whether they tested for them and if they were present? Actually depending on what meter you were given your Doc might be able to prescribe ketone test strips for it - and you could test yourself.

But if your numbers don't go down that much if at all over the next week or two/month (? TBH I have no idea what time scale to say!) I'd ask for the GAD and c-peptide tests.

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Yes, it depends where the OP is within any honeymoon period. I was started on Gliclazide and it helped for a year or so but eventually that was increased to 320mg for several years and it did virtually nothing as my beta cells had obviously largely gone. After some disagreement with my GP I was offered insulin which was salvation. The honeymoon period seems to vary dramatically from person to person.