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Reducing levels. How do you do yours?

Kevyu

Kevyu

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Location
Berkshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Evening all. Just done my first ever bs test and although I'm not too concerned right now as not taking all meds yet and still absorbing info, how can I get the reading down if it's high.?
(Today's was 10.3 by the way)

If hypo I know I can have a biscuit or I've read jelly baby in a few posts.
Do I just need to exercise, to try and burn off the sugar or is there something else I can do/eat.

I realise we all react differently but all looking for same result.
 
i have morning coffee biscuits I can have 8 on snacks at night a normal tea but 2 brown wraps for dinner anything brown is better for you like brown rice pasta
 
What medications are you on?
As a T2 you are unlikely to have a hypo unless you are on insulin or something to kick your pancreas into overdrive. That is not Metformin.

If you have a high BG you may not be able to bring it down immediately, depending on the cause.
Changing what you eat, testing, exercise can all have a beneficial effect but there is often a lag of a day or two before you see the full effect.
Walking after a meal helps many people to counter any spike from the meal.

Your 10.3 - when was that?

First thing on waking (fasting) or some other time?

Best to test on waking, before and two hours after each meal (first bite) and just before bed. You then get an idea of how your body handles glucose throughout the day and overnight.

I had a scare with high readings and it took two days to get the levels down again. I think because I just had too much glucose stored in my body. The main thing is to take a deep breath and not panic if something doesn't seem to be working immediately, Sometimes doing exactly the right thing may take hours (or days) before you see the correction. This can be very scary.

To give meaningful advice it would help to know medication, test results, and what you are eating.
 
paulpep said:
i have morning coffee biscuits I can have 8 on snacks at night a normal tea but 2 brown wraps for dinner anything brown is better for you like brown rice pasta
Click to expand...

Ummm.....better or not quite so horribly bad? :)

It depends on your body and how it reacts.
I am also very aware that the general response from this site to everything is "low carbohydrates".
However I can think of some brown things which may not be good for you.:woot:
Rice and pasta, even brown, may be difficult for your body to cope with if you have trouble processing carbohydrates (as most T2s do).
 
LittleGreyCat said:
Ummm.....better or not quite so horribly bad? :)

It depends on your body and how it reacts.
I am also very aware that the general response from this site to everything is "low carbohydrates".
However I can think of some brown things which may not be good for you.:woot:
Rice and pasta, even brown, may be difficult for your body to cope with if you have trouble processing carbohydrates (as most T2s do).
Click to expand...
Sorry, should have said this was 2hrs after evening meal. Wife had Pre planned a jumbalya (rice) so I went with it. Was expecting a high reading. As I said not too worried right now, but really for future reference.
 
Kevyu said:
Sorry, should have said this was 2hrs after evening meal. Wife had Pre planned a jumbalya (rice) so I went with it. Was expecting a high reading. As I said not too worried right now, but really for future reference.
Click to expand...
Oh and Metformin. Taking 2x500mg ATM, working up to prescribed 3x
 
10.3 two hours after a meal is too high.
It could, of course, be a massive improvement over previous levels.
What would you consider to be a high reading?

It is likely to take you 6 months or so to get into the swing of what suits your body so I applaud the "not worried" approach as long as you are at least mildly concerned about your BG level at the moment.
 
Kevyu said:
Evening all. Just done my first ever bs test and although I'm not too concerned right now as not taking all meds yet and still absorbing info, how can I get the reading down if it's high.?
(Today's was 10.3 by the way)

If hypo I know I can have a biscuit or I've read jelly baby in a few posts.
Do I just need to exercise, to try and burn off the sugar or is there something else I can do/eat.

I realise we all react differently but all looking for same result.
Click to expand...

You will soon get in the swing of things. Initially it isn't the actual level that is as important, but the rise from before eating to the 2 hour mark. Keep that rise down to acceptable levels (under 2mmol/l preferably less) and the rest will follow. Record all these readings alongside the food eaten (including portion sizes) and watch for patterns. Your danger foods will soon become obvious.

You are unlikely to hypo on Metformin. It doesn't work that way. As your levels drop you may feel a bit weird, shaky and hypo-like but when you do, test to make sure because it is likely to be a false hypo. (Our bodies became used to high levels, so as they improve it takes our bodies a while to catch up and they think we are too low. so give us hypo symptoms.)

Some people find that a brisk walk after eating will bring high levels down, or running up and down stairs 10 times. I tried this a couple of times and found my levels just increased, so stopped doing it. I now make sure I never see high levels by keeping my carbs right down.
 
In my honest opinion it does not matter what colour your carbohydrates come in they're still carbohydrates.
Some people can tolerate more carbs than other people can this is why testing in the right manner is so important.

Keep a daily log of what you eat, your pre meal reading and your post meal reading. This will show you which foods and the portion sizes your body reacts well to. Also log in your fasting readings although these may take longer to come down for some people.

You are unlikely to have a true hypo on Metformin though there is a feeling of false hypo when your body first reacts to a drop in carbs, this is not dangerous and passes very quickly.
 
You are unlikely to experiemce a hypo on metformin. The best way to learn about how what you eat impacts on your BG is to test before and then a couple of hours after eating. Exercise does help but diet helps more.
 
Echo everything said above.

Keep a detailed food diary and record all your readings for tests, food and exercise. You will see which foods you can tolerate. Test, test,test.

You will make loads of mistakes as you test your different ingredients. Don't beat yourself up, it is a steep learning curve.

If you don't want to use a spreadsheet, you can download the app mySugr to your phone.
 
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