Probably been asked a million times but ...

Graham76 said:

I generally go to bed with readings of about 8 - a 50 unit shot of Humalog with food. 2 hours after breakfast im about 10. Another 2 hours after that and I'm down to 7 or 8. Occasionally a fraction lower.

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And what time do you eat your evening meal?

@Graham76 Please don't give in! Go back to see you GP or DN and ask for a diabetes education course - I'm sure someone else can advise you on what's suitable as I'm diet controlled T2 so did the DESMOND which wouldn't be suitable for you. There are so many helpful people on here who will advice and support you.
I'll tag in @daisy1 who has really useful information for newbies. Hang in there and read around, and ask questions.

Graham76 said:

Honestly, no. I have asked on several occasions but the nurse skirts over it. In fact when I asked her about carb counting she simply told me to pay for an app on iTunes.

I'm almost to the point where I feel like giving in.

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There is a free carb counting course available. No need to pay for an app. I'm sorry I haven't got a link, but you should find it on Google. When on a fast acting insulin like yours I would think it is essential. Please, search and see what you find.

Your numbers seem not too bad, except the morning reading - as you are taking insulin then you can't drop your carbs to the usual level a type 2 can benefit from.
If you are taking the same amount of insulin at the same time each day then having an even intake of carbs might really help - rather than breakfast being high carb one day and then low for some time - I don't run out of foods I consider an essential part of my diet. Eating two slices of bread for me would be catastrophic, for you it might just give your metabolism a knock, but one it doesn't need.
I think that some HCPs really need to get a swift education in what diabetes is all about rather than making light of what can be a very serious illness if mismanaged.
If your HCPs insist that you take the same insulin at the same time each day then you really do need to work out just how many carbs you have to eat to keep yourself in the right zone, and when, as insulin resistance can change during the day, and keep any changes you decide to make quite small so as to keep yourself safe.

Graham76 said:

I'm 42 and have been T2 diabetic for 8 years now, although it's only in the last year that I've been moved onto insulin in conjunction with Metformin. I'm in a position now where I feel personally happy with my day-to-day blood readings (I'm down to 7 or 8 from 17+ daily), however, my morning blood readings are always high.

I was previously on a morning routine of Abasaglar, which lowered my morning readings from 20+ to 13, after which I could not get my morning readings any lower no matter what I did. And at one point I was on 140 units, and, still, it did nothing.

Recently I've been placed on a new injection (Tresiba) and take 110 units in a morning in place of Abasaglae. This has brought my morning bloods down to 12. In desperation I even upped the shot (rather foolishly perhaps) to 140 units and, still, nothing. The results remain identical as if I was still on 110 units.

I suppose the question is: what gives? What else can I do?

I rotate my shot sites, I do everything I've been told I should be doing, but because I need a cataract operation and because I have been told I need to sign a waver unless I can reduce my hba1c (my last two readings have been 91 - a personal best given it used to be 120), I'm beginning to panic slightly. I'm desperate to get my morning bloods down and thus lower my overall hba1c, but nothing seems to be working.

Anyone been in a similar boat?

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After I started using insulin 75 units twice a day and still having high bs numbers I was put on Dulaglutide (trulicity) a once a week injection. Immediately I was able to reduce my insulin by 30 units a day and my bs were much lower. As a side effect it also dampens your appetite so I then lost some weight. I hope you get something to help you. D

Graham76 said:

As a general rule I don't have a great deal of carbs in a day. I usually have 2 slices of granary bread for breakfast (on the days I don't have scrambled egg) and salad at lunch. My evening meal might occasionally have a few more carbs than it should (always in what I think is moderation), but as a general rule I tend to stick to what works for me. But then again I was told not to go without carbs entirely.

As for weight, I eat next to nothing and seem to have put it on.

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I was eating next to nothing and had high bs readings and couldn't lose weight. All my family kept saying how little I ate ( I think this was due to the dulaglutide ) and yet had a huge tummy, tachycardia and generally felt rubbish. I started lchf in the new year and have not only lost about 17lb I no longer have fatty liver, have reduced my insulin from 120 units daily to 44 units daily and best of all I'm in the non diabetic range. I can't recommend low carbing enough, it's certainly turned my life around

@Graham76

Hello Graham and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will 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

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
  
  
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