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Rising Readings!

Lizedwards14

Lizedwards14

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all,

I really would like some advice!....I am aged 60, and have been type 2 diabetic for nearly a year, with a reading of 50. My GP immediately put me on Metformin, which made me violently sick, as did the slow release form. I saw another GP who said do it with diet, which I was really pleased about. However....I have M.E. very badly and at least two or three days I am bed bound which means I cannot exercise!!!! The good start seems to be diminishing, with readings on my meter regularly in the 8’s!! Even if I eat half a banana, up the reading goes into the 8s. I have cut out all fruit, follow a low carb diet, no sugar in house, and still the readings are in the 7 and 8 s....at rest also! I am wondering if I should go back to GP and ask if there is any other medication. I so don’t want medication. With the M.E. I seem to be so chemical sensitive. Thank you for reading this and any input is appreciated.
 
Hi @Lizedwards14 and welcome to the Forum. First let me tag in @daisy1 for her useful welcome info post.
Can you give us a little more detail about your diet? A typical days menu would be good. You’ve already learnt about fruit with your meter. There maybe other tweaks to your diet we could suggest to get your levels down. 50 is not a hugely high starting point, many here manage to get their HbA1cs down on diet alone.
 
Rachox said:
Hi @Lizedwards14 and welcome to the Forum. First let me tag in @daisy1 for her useful welcome info post.
Can you give us a little more detail about your diet? A typical days menu would be good. You’ve already learnt about fruit with your meter. There maybe other tweaks to your diet we could suggest to get your levels down. 50 is not a hugely high starting point, many here manage to get their HbA1cs down on diet alone.
Click to expand...

Hi.. a typical day consists of breakfast.....bacon and egg, lunch.......salad with cold chicken, or mozzarella cheese or tuna. Maybe a rice cake for a snack. Then supper is meat or fish with vegetables, cooked in various ways. All pretty healthy!
 
A rice cake for a snack? Are there other high carb foods which sneak in?
You know what effect eating high carb fruit has - do you keep checking hoping for a different outcome?
Low carb should reduce your BG to under about 8 mmol/l but you do then have to stick to the plan for the change to take effect.
Once I got under 8 after meals then my numbers gradually went down over the following weeks, as my metabolism righted itself, I think. It did not go wrong overnight, and getting back to normal also requires time.
 
Resurgam said:
A rice cake for a snack? Are there other high carb foods which sneak in?
You know what effect eating high carb fruit has - do you keep checking hoping for a different outcome?
Low carb should reduce your BG to under about 8 mmol/l but you do then have to stick to the plan for the change to take effect.
Once I got under 8 after meals then my numbers gradually went down over the following weeks, as my metabolism righted itself, I think. It did not go wrong overnight, and getting back to normal also requires time.
Click to expand...

I thought a rice cake would be OK..it’s so light! I do get very hungry between meals. I drink lots of water. What do people have as a snack?
 
Thanks for your example menu.
I would question the rice cakes as rice is high carb, although having said that as they are puffed rice each rice cake weighs very little and therefore only contains around 5-6g carbs per cake. Maybe try cutting them out to see if it makes a difference to you. Another question do you drink white tea or coffee throughout the day and are you considering the carb content of any milk?
Oh and in my first reply I didn’t address exercise. When I was first diagnosed I was doing very little exercise as I was waiting for an operation on my foot for my arthritis. I managed big reductions in my HbA1c and weight with virtually no exercise. Exercise can of course be helpful but diet is the major contributory factor IMO.

Edited for typos
 
If you are hungry between meals then eat more for your meals - add in more eggs and bacon, mushrooms and perhaps a side salad. Have coffee with cream, and you should find that your hunger pangs vanish - I eat only twice a day as I am not hungry at lunch time.
High carb foods eaten alone, like the rice cake might be only a small amount of carbs, but grains in particular tend to start an insulin response which not only mops up the glucose from the food but makes you hungry again soon afterwards as your BG levels go on down.
 
There are carbs in a lot of vegetables, especially ones grown under ground and beans/legumes, so it is easy to overdo the carbs unless you are actually counting them. Are you keeping a food diary (including portion sizes) and recording your levels alongside - that is before eating and 2 hours after first bite?
Also salads - what sort of dressings are you using?
I agree about the rice cakes.
If you are hungry between meals it may be because you haven't increased your fats enough. Are you eating low fat products? They generally have more carbs than we can cope with and won't help at all. The real full fat versions are better.

Diet is the key. Exercise helps but is minor to diet.
 
No, I am not actual carb counting and so I will do that. Is the daily amount about 30?? Also, I thought cream was high carb? More so than milk? (in coffee). Thank you all for your help.
 
Lizedwards14 said:
No, I am not actual carb counting and so I will do that. Is the daily amount about 30?? Also, I thought cream was high carb? More so than milk? (in coffee). Thank you all for your help.
Click to expand...

Cream is virtually carb free especially double cream, milk is around 4.5-5g carb per 100mls. I would count up exactly what you’re eating in the way of carbs. The amount you should eat is a personal thing, testing before and after meals will guide you. When I was first diagnosed I started by keeping under 100g/day, after 6 weeks I dropped to 50-70g/day as my blood sugars had plateaued. Since new year I have naturally dropped to between 40-60g/day. You’ll need to experiment to find what gives you the blood sugar levels you desire.
 
@Lizedwards14

Hello Liz 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 need to 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
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.
 
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