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newbie with high BG levels...what do i do now?

Helen R

Helen R

Active Member
Messages
26
Location
Shropshire
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Everyone - just joined this forum after being diagnose 5 days ago. I'm on metformin (3 a day) and my BG levels have only dropped from 22 to 20. Is this normal? Doctor reckoned I would feel better in a couple of days, but I don't. In fact now also feeling sick and have horrible metallic taste in my mouth. Been cutting back on carbs, and no sugary foods...but at a bit of a loss as to what to eat and how much. fruit or no fruit? Doctors says eat plain rice and pasta... but this website says not too! Not sure what to do, just want to stop feeling sick and dizzy.
 
I recognise all of that re the metformin. It does not do a great deal for lowering sugar and it can upset the sense of taste.

The NHS advice on diet for diabetes is flawed and the advice of this forum is based on the experience of thousands of people living with the condition every day.

Definitely avoid sugar and if you can avoid flour also. Potatoes and rice are possible. Certain potatoes, especially new ones, may not be a problem and you could always have smaller portions of rice.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello Helen and welcome to the club.

Please don't expect miracles from Metformin. It is a good safe drug that most type 2's have, but it isn't a cure by any means and has limited effect on your blood sugars. It just helps your liver a bit and is supposed to suppress appetite. Worry not about the initial side effects as this is normal, but if you are still suffering after a couple of weeks or if it gets a lot worse ask your doctor for the slow release version as this is more gentle. I'm not an expert on Metformin as I don't take it, but have picked up from what many others on the forum have said.

The only way to reduce your blood sugars is by changing your diet, adding some exercise and losing weight (if you need to). Metformin won't do this for you, it is all down to you and a life-style change. There is a lot of help and advice on this forum, written by people with diabetes. Have a good browse round, look at the low carb threads and make a plan of action.

The NHS advice is very poor, and mostly wrong. All carbohydrates turn to sugar once in your system, not just sugary foods. Carbs = Sugar. The less you eat, the better your blood will be. You need to be aware that starchy carbs are the very worst - bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, pastry and batter. No-one is saying cut these out altogether, but reduce your portions drastically. You can eat fruit but need to be very careful which fruits you eat. Berries are the best - raspberries, blueberries, strawberries etc. Avoid tropical fruits such as bananas and oranges, and avoid all fruit juices.

Please ask any questions you like, and don't panic. Baby steps to begin with.
 
thanks Squire, will keep going with diet. Smaller portions are happening naturally as I have little appetite ( yet another side effect of metformin I understand).
Do you have any advice about how long it can take for the BG levels to drop? thanks :)
 
Helen R said:
thanks Squire, will keep going with diet. Smaller portions are happening naturally as I have little appetite ( yet another side effect of metformin I understand).
Do you have any advice about how long it can take for the BG levels to drop? thanks :)
Click to expand...
You can't rely on the Metformin for results. Things will improve after you manage your carbs and for this you need a meter.. If you are overweight then don't expect a quick result. Things will improve when the weight comes off.

I know it's counter intuitive but losing weight doesn't mean restricting food. Eat big meals but just don't have any more carbs than you can tolerate.

Have you a meter? Are you overweight?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bluetit1802 said:
Hello Helen and welcome to the club.

Please don't expect miracles from Metformin. It is a good safe drug that most type 2's have, but it isn't a cure by any means and has limited effect on your blood sugars. It just helps your liver a bit and is supposed to suppress appetite. Worry not about the initial side effects as this is normal, but if you are still suffering after a couple of weeks or if it gets a lot worse ask your doctor for the slow release version as this is more gentle. I'm not an expert on Metformin as I don't take it, but have picked up from what many others on the forum have said.

The only way to reduce your blood sugars is by changing your diet, adding some exercise and losing weight (if you need to). Metformin won't do this for you, it is all down to you and a life-style change. There is a lot of help and advice on this forum, written by people with diabetes. Have a good browse round, look at the low carb threads and make a plan of action.

The NHS advice is very poor, and mostly wrong. All carbohydrates turn to sugar once in your system, not just sugary foods. Carbs = Sugar. The less you eat, the better your blood will be. You need to be aware that starchy carbs are the very worst - bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, pastry and batter. No-one is saying cut these out altogether, but reduce your portions drastically. You can eat fruit but need to be very careful which fruits you eat. Berries are the best - raspberries, blueberries, strawberries etc. Avoid tropical fruits such as bananas and oranges, and avoid all fruit juices.

Please ask any questions you like, and don't panic. Baby steps to begin with.
Click to expand...
Squire Fulwood said:
You can't rely on the Metformin for results. Things will improve after you manage your carbs and for this you need a meter.. If you are overweight then don't expect a quick result. Things will improve when they weight comes off.

I know it's counter intuitive but losing weight doesn't mean restricting food. Eat big meals but just don't have any more carbs than you can tolerate.

Have you a meter? Are you overweight?
Click to expand...
yes I got a metre and have been testing first thing in the morning, before eating. Is this a good idea?
A bit overweight, but not hugely. .new diet sure help with that no doubt.
 
Testing first thing in the morning is of doubtful value since your body supplies sugar to "get you going" first thing and you might be reading that and feel disappointed.

It is a really good idea to test before eating and again two hours after eating. You might feel that you need more detail later on in your progress but for now these two readings are very useful. Mostly it is because you can see how much of a rise was caused by the meal. If it is a big rise then re-think the components of that meal and don't do it again.

In any case you must try not to have a reading of more than 8.5 two hours after eating. Some people aim for less.

Since you are a little overweight then you are free to cut carbs more or less as you choose. This option is not open to the thin people always.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Hello Helen and welcome to the club.

Please don't expect miracles from Metformin. It is a good safe drug that most type 2's have, but it isn't a cure by any means and has limited effect on your blood sugars. It just helps your liver a bit and is supposed to suppress appetite. Worry not about the initial side effects as this is normal, but if you are still suffering after a couple of weeks or if it gets a lot worse ask your doctor for the slow release version as this is more gentle. I'm not an expert on Metformin as I don't take it, but have picked up from what many others on the forum have said.

The only way to reduce your blood sugars is by changing your diet, adding some exercise and losing weight (if you need to). Metformin won't do this for you, it is all down to you and a life-style change. There is a lot of help and advice on this forum, written by people with diabetes. Have a good browse round, look at the low carb threads and make a plan of action.

The NHS advice is very poor, and mostly wrong. All carbohydrates turn to sugar once in your system, not just sugary foods. Carbs = Sugar. The less you eat, the better your blood will be. You need to be aware that starchy carbs are the very worst - bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, pastry and batter. No-one is saying cut these out altogether, but reduce your portions drastically. You can eat fruit but need to be very careful which fruits you eat. Berries are the best - raspberries, blueberries, strawberries etc. Avoid tropical fruits such as bananas and oranges, and avoid all fruit juices.

Please ask any questions you like, and don't panic. Baby steps to begin with.
Click to expand...


Thank you for your advice. Much more helpful than the doctor and his vague indication that the diabetic clinic will call me within a couple of months! Have also found the Team BG site and the food information on this is really helpful too.
I know its all highly individual... but is there anyway I can know how long it will take to bring my BG levels down to a normal range, assuming I follow a tight diet routine. I was exercising moderately anyway, but have done less in last few weeks due to feeling ******!
 
You need to test first thing in morning, then before meals and again two hours after them to build up a picture of what effect certain foods have on your BS levels. Losing weight should help. I believe Metformin takes several weeks to build up to its full effect. I don't think it lowers BS levels by much but has protective effects for heart , liver and kidneys, as well as reducing appetite which is good if you need to lose weight. Exercise is also good for lowering levels and burning off any carbs that you might choose to include - I find doing just ten minutes on my exercise bike several times a day helps keep my BS under the pre and post meal target ranges. If you look under type2 with insulin forum there's a thread called a new you in 42 where a group of us record our exercise efforts. Just 30 minutes a day soon adds up.
Welcome in, it's a friendly and supportive place.
 
Helen R said:
Thank you for your advice. Much more helpful than the doctor and his vague indication that the diabetic clinic will call me within a couple of months! Have also found the Team BG site and the food information on this is really helpful too.
I know its all highly individual... but is there anyway I can know how long it will take to bring my BG levels down to a normal range, assuming I follow a tight diet routine. I was exercising moderately anyway, but have done less in last few weeks due to feeling ******!
Click to expand...


Could you post an idea of what you were eating pre diagnosis and now.. You say you are not massively overweight and were exercising so really control is going to depend on what you are eating. I am overweight but ate what I thought were healthy carb laden low fat meals and it turns out that all those wholemeal breads and brown rice were doing me no good.
 
Helen, you keep asking how long it takes for blood sugars to come down. There is no answer to this. It all depends on you. Be certain they will not drop overnight unless you cut out carbs altogether. If you do as Cold Ethyl says and give us an idea of your daily diet, we can help you. Once you start testing your before and 2 hour after levels, post them on here with the food you ate (and drank) and we can help.
 
Hi. I agree with the other posts. I had the metalic taste with Metformin for 6 months but it disappeared years ago. It does fade so do persevere. As others have said it doesn't help a lot but is of some use. Your GPs diet advice is rubbish of course; so much for their expert training. Reduce the carbs and your blood sugar and weight should go down but it will take a few weeks. The more you reduce the carbs the quicker it will be. If you want a target to get started go for 150gm/day of carbs and see how that goes. If you are quite young and not overweight then let us know.
 
Hi Helen

I sometimes get a metallic taste in my mouth if I eat something containing fake sugar. If you have started putting sweeteners in your coffee, for example, that might cause the funny taste.
 
Thanks everyone for all your support. Feeling a bit less stressed by it all now as I know there are people out there who talk more sense than the doctors. I have been steadily losing weight for about a year, just a little at a time.... but I was lowering sugars and fats and not focussing so much on carbs. I am now starting to cut out carbs as much as humanly possible. Obviously no sugar, but may not worry quite so much about the fats... though not get silly with them. The carbs do fill you up though, so is there any advice for non carb foods that help you feel less hungry? Not much of an appetite at the moment, but I do get a bit hungry.
 
Helen R said:
but may not worry quite so much about the fats... though not get silly with them. The carbs do fill you up though, so is there any advice for non carb foods that help you feel less hungry? Not much of an appetite at the moment, but I do get a bit hungry.
Click to expand...

Hi Helen, welcome.

Yes, veg and fats! Carbs may fill you up but it's transitory - so you still feel hungry and eat more carbs ... You can eat meat, fish, nuts (some are lower carb than others), eggs, butter, cream, cheese, berry fruits, vegetables (above ground) - in fact you need to in order to get the calories to replace those that you formerly got from the carbs. Have a look at www.dietdoctor.com/lchf - many on here follow this diet to a greater or lesser degree.

Hope this helps, keep asking questions as you need.
 
sanguine said:
Hi Helen, welcome.

Yes, veg and fats! Carbs may fill you up but it's transitory - so you still feel hungry and eat more carbs ... You can eat meat, fish, nuts (some are lower carb than others), eggs, butter, cream, cheese, berry fruits, vegetables (above ground) - in fact you need to in order to get the calories to replace those that you formerly got from the carbs. Have a look at www.dietdoctor.com/lchf - many on here follow this diet to a greater or lesser degree.

Hope this helps, keep asking questions as you need.
Click to expand...
Thanks Sanguine. Will try this :)
 
l disagree with the have to test first thing in the morning if after the odd test you are stable in the morning why waste sticks. As a t2 stick limits means odd first thing test but meals are what count. l try for under 6 at 2 hrs but thats my choice
 
Hi I am new here I join up because my Thai wife is diabete she is 14 to 13 in the morning before food but now I think I might be the same I am 6.9 in the mornings but after two hours I can be up to 12 I am from aus am 46 years old and over weight


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