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No Idea What A Hypo Is, Help Please
- Thread starter wasdale
- Start Date
Diabetes is a condition that causes hyperglycemia that is high blood sugar. ‘Hypos’ (hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar) can be caused by certain tablets or insulin. Your profile says you are on diet only, if this is the case you aren’t at risk of hypos. Hope that helps 
Hi, well I was diet only but have just been put on metformin as they cannot understand why my sugars are very high when my diet isn't too bad, I've just read somebody elses post who is on hormone tablets due to cancer & the sugars seem to have risen since. I had cancer in 2016 & because I only had 1 chemo due to nearly killing me I've been put on hormone tablets & just wonder could this be causing a rise in my sugars? It's very hard when you're trying to deal with 2 serious illnessesDiabetes is a condition that causes hyperglycemia that is high blood sugar. ‘Hypos’ (hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar) can be caused by certain tablets or insulin. Your profile says you are on diet only, if this is the case you aren’t at risk of hypos. Hope that helps
Thank you I'll do that, only just joined on here so just getting my head round stuff as it took me a few hrs to even figure out how to post on here. Thanks for your help
sally and james
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,093
- Type of diabetes
- Family member
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @wasdale
It was the sentence I've quoted above that jumped out at me. Your doctor/diabetic nurse thinks your diet "isn't too bad", but often what the medics mean by this is that your are eating the official "healthy" diet, with carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, potato etc) forming the basis of your meals. This is the worst possible diet for diabetics as all these foods break down into sugars once eaten and then push your sugar levels to dangerous and inappropriate levels. Some doctors are aware of this, but most are still following the outdated advice.
It sounds like you have a lot to get your head round at the moment, but could I suggest that reading up on Low Carb diets could solve at least some of your problems.
Sally
Yes my head is battered at the moment as I thought I was doing things right by buying low sugar products & looking at the traffic light system etc now I've got to chuck just about everything in the cupboards & start again
That would be great if @daisy1 could post some info, I've not long joined the forum and there's so much info my head is banging & I won't take it all in. ThanksHave you read @daisy1 's excellent info sheet yet? If not, she will post it on this thread.
On metformin you shouldn't get hypo's, no worries
There is a lot of talk about hypo's on the forum because people on insulin or gliclazide can get them and they're nasty things.
Good luck!
It's a marathon, not a sprint! You don't have to try to learn everything in a day, or a week, or even a month or a year. Take your time and go out to enjoy the weather when your head starts buzzing!
@wasdale , not sure if daisy1 is about at the moment so here’s a link to the info she posts:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/
If you need to find it again it features as a sticky thread at the top of the Newly Diagnosed Forum and also some if not all the mods have it in their signature. Hope that helps rather than waiting for daisy1
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/
If you need to find it again it features as a sticky thread at the top of the Newly Diagnosed Forum and also some if not all the mods have it in their signature. Hope that helps rather than waiting for daisy1
Thanks I plan to not long moved to the Isle of Man so making the most of the gorgeous weather
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@wasdale
Hello Wasdale and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello Wasdale and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
