• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

So confused! :(

L

Lea76

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Hiya

I have just found out I am Type 2, this has been a great shock to me!

I saw the nurse and she has put me on metformin. 1x500 in a morning for a month then increase to twice a day. She has also given me lots of dietry advice that seems to contradict itself so i am really confused. The nurse said she couldnt tell me how many calories/carbs or sugars to eat each day I have to work it out myself! Shes told me to come back in three months and have a blood test to see how i am doing.

I had already been dieting using the my fitness pal app on my phone and have lost over a stone since January. I am currently eating approx 1500 calories a day with 220g of carbs approx 60g sugars (mainy fruit)

I bought a nano monitor yesterday to try and help me see if i am improving but im unsure how to do this. I took a reading before my tea last night and it was 6.7 2 hours after tea it was 6.4. Before lunch today it was 6.2 and 2 hours after it was 6.0. Does this mean the food i ate was ok for me or how do i know if it wasnt ok for me? I love pineapple and bananas and the nurse said not to eat these often, how could i check to see if they are ok to eat?

Also i usually like to have sugar free sweets or have chewing gum inbetween meals is this still ok to do?

sorry for all the questions and rambling

Thanks, Lea x
 
Lea76 said:
I bought a nano monitor yesterday to try and help me see if i am improving but im unsure how to do this. I took a reading before my tea last night and it was 6.7 2 hours after tea it was 6.4. Before lunch today it was 6.2 and 2 hours after it was 6.0. Does this mean the food i ate was ok for me or how do i know if it wasnt ok for me? I love pineapple and bananas and the nurse said not to eat these often, how could i check to see if they are ok to eat?
Click to expand...

The first thing you would notice if the food you were eating was not ok for you is a high reading two hours after eating. The NICE guide lines say such a reading should be less than 8.5 and yours certainly are. The thing that is a little more difficult to understand is that the before eating readings are high and indeed higher than the two hour reading.

The only thing that I can think of that might cause that is a very long gap between meals. Other members may come up with better answers.
 
Hi Daisy will be along shortly to post some usefull information.

I would be happy to have the numbers your getting, I have been type 2 for 13 years and hardly obtained those figures and only with a recent change of meds can I get them. Would be interesting to see what your first reading in the morning is before any food / drink as its a good starting point for the day. Normally I would have a higher BS reading 2 hours after meals taking metformin

Its a post code lottery on the help and support you can get, with more help coming from this forum than my GP practice, as I found when my BS went sky high.

The way I have had to relearn which food/s is causing me problems (don't know if its the approved way or not), is check your sugar levels before eating a particcular food like a bannana then check again 2 hours later. With me its a white bread problem, if my BS was 6.0 before eating it, 2 hours later it could still be well over 10.0, tried it the other day to recheck and when I checked it was like 12.6. :( . Some fruit does have high natrual sugar levels like grapes which is my favorite fruit.

Taking it the other way I had a turkey omlette the other night with no bread, reading to start was in the 5.0's 2 hours later it was in the mid 4.0's.

What could be useful is to start a diary of what your BS is and what food you have eaten that way you can build up a pattern of food vs BS.

As to the carbs relating to sugar levels its all new to me, as when I diagnosed it was cut down on the sugars and loose weight, (I still need to loose the weight). I need to look into this more myself as I am trying to get a re-balance of my food intake.
 
Hi Lea and welcome to the forum :)

In addition to the advice you have already received, here is the information we give to new members and I hope it helps you. Ask more questions and someone will be able to reply.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
 
Thank you for the replies :)

These are the readings i have had today:

upon waking at 8am 6.8
before breakfast at 9.45am 7.5 2 hrs after breakfast 7.3
before lunch at 13.45 6.2 2 hrs after lunch 6.0
before tea at 19.00 5.3

Ive eaten a lot later than normal today. We usually have tea about 17.30.
I dont understand why my readings increased from waking to having breakfast...should i be eating breakfast sooner?
Apart from the breakfast readings i seem to be within the normal range of a non-diabetic (ok im probably in denial!)
 
Ur levels will rise if u dont eat. U eat ur eat then its a long time till breakfast so ur liver kicks out to keep you going til you eat. Even non diabetics will rise ive tested this on my husband tho his waking is 5 ish if he waits for 1.5 it goes up to 6.3.
Your reading r really gd i wont worry to much. Im on 3 different pills n rarely get them. Fasting 8.8-10.5 im always around 11-14 after meals but if i dont eat for 5 + hours it goes down 6.9 with odd 5 but goes bk up
when i eat.
Keep up the gd work n dont stress cos that rises BS
Take care
Sue
 
Thanks for the reply sue

I think im just feeling overwhelmed with it all.
At the minute im eating like i have been for the past few months so i cant understand why my readings look ok when ive only just been diagnosed. I thought they would be still high. My fasting bloods were 7.8 + 8.5 i fasted for approx 13/14hrs and my HB1C (or something like that) was 62. I keep thinking the doctors may have made a mistake. I just wonder how im going to cope with this for the rest of my life im only 36 :(
 
Well i no its alot to take in im only 34 n bn at this since May 12 so new to it. My last HB1C was 63 gone up since last one which was 52! So on more pills n had blood test to check for type i am. Was on 60g carbs a day till 2 wks ago but getting BS of 18+ but now have upped carbs due to new meds yet still getting high readings 2 hrs after my tea 15.5 yet b4 was 7.5 but it was 6 hrs ago since lunch. I get my lower readings on wkend days cos i work 11am till 3pm so miss lunch n running around busy yet still only down to 6.9 with odd 5.2. Have had a hypo on my meds tho close to it 4.4. Im due to up meds in 2 wks so im hoping to get in to normal ish range thats if tests show im type 2 n dont need injections tho all these pills play havac with my other medical probems so mayb injections would b better. Its so hard i no but im sure we will get there one day
Sue
 
Heck sounds like you are having a rough time with it. I suppose eventually it will all become second nature and it wont feel like such a hinderance!
On the plus side at least it has given me a kick to lose more weight and do some well needed exercise!

Hope you get sorted with your meds, lea x
 
Hi Lea. Your readings are good so don't worry. Also don't worry too much about sugar levels not always seeming to make sense. The body does unexpected things at times. The liver dumps glucose for various reasons and the whole mechanism is complex. Yes, avoid bananas too much as well as pineapple especially if they are very ripe. Keep the carbs down. I would set something like 200gm including sugar as a target but it's your choice and it all depends on how readily you lose weight and keep the blood sugar down.
 
Hi Daibell if i set my carbs at 200gm what should i be aiming for on sugar?
I like to eat a lot of fruit as i dont like veg apart from carrots betroot and lettuce. i think im going to have to reduce the fruit :(
 
Lea76 said:
Hi Daibell if i set my carbs at 200gm what should i be aiming for on sugar?
I like to eat a lot of fruit as i dont like veg apart from carrots betroot and lettuce. i think im going to have to reduce the fruit :(
Click to expand...


Carbs are sugar, Lea.

Everyone is different but I try to stick at below 100g and under 1500kcalories a day.

Your figures seem really good but I would not allow your condition to ruin your healthy and enjoyable eating habits too much.
I've just rebounded after a very restrictive diet for a few months...... And as a consequence put on 4lb.... But that's working away from home for you....and losing a bit of will power due to reliance on metformin!




Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi. As DaveNN posted, sugar is just another carb so include it in the carb total. Try to have low-Gi carbs such as multigrain bread, wholemeal flour and so on. I try to stay below 150gm/day with a few exceptions. I also love fruit rather than veg so I understand the problem. Apples and berries are the better fruits. Carrots are good BU have them raw as they have a much lower GI when raw and why would anyone cook them anyway?
 
I've tried to be good with the carbs today, had breakfast earlier too. However, I started shaking and felt funny before lunch and my blood was 4.4 after lunch it was 5.1. I've logged all my food today and I've had 161g carbs and 70g sugars. Does that mean I've had 231g? No matter what I can't seem to get my sugar any lower and I'm beginning to feel hungry between meals :( I stop eating about 8pm but I know by morning my blood will still be at 7.8 how can I reduce it?
 
Lea76 said:
I've tried to be good with the carbs today, had breakfast earlier too. However, I started shaking and felt funny before lunch and my blood was 4.4 after lunch it was 5.1. I've logged all my food today and I've had 161g carbs and 70g sugars. Does that mean I've had 231g? No matter what I can't seem to get my sugar any lower and I'm beginning to feel hungry between meals :( I stop eating about 8pm but I know by morning my blood will still be at 7.8 how can I reduce it?
Click to expand...


Lea, you really don't need to separate carbs and sugar. Carbs ARE sugar. My guess is that you've had 161g carbs total (because labels tend to say "carbs xxx g Of which sugars xxx g). Counting one thing is quite enough :) we don't need to be counting two ;)

Your figures sounds very very good. Well done! Don't worry bout the morning blood, that will be the last to come down. It will follow the others, eventually. You don't need to get any lower during the day, 4.4 and 5.1 are quite low enough. Just keep doing what you're doing.


Type 2 on Metformin, diagnosed Jan 2013, ultra low carber, Hba1C at diagnosis 8% (11mmol), now between 5 and 6 mmol. 13kg lost so far :)
 
Lea76 said:
I stop eating about 8pm but I know by morning my blood will still be at 7.8 how can I reduce it?
Click to expand...

A common trick is to eat something like a couple of dark rye ryvitas or one slice of pumpernickel, maybe a little butter, just a smidgin, and then some thinly sliced cheese or meat or fish paste. This will be slowly absorbed by your blood through the night and this often stops the liver topping you up. Others take a teaspoon of cider vinegar with 2 teaspoons of water which drops the BG so, when your liver tops you up, it goes back to a more normal level.

But, when you lose weight, your body will get energy from your muscle fat, visceral fat or subcutaneous fat and put it into your blood. As long as it goes down and as long as it is within a range, which you are, things are OK. It will settle down into a more regular pattern eventually. Like you, I tend to eat more carbs than most but I do try to ensure that they are all unrefined carbs, wholegrains, brown rice etc. It helps even things out. However, strange things do happen. I am mostly between 5.5 and 6.5 during the day but today I had a salad for tea. I didn't fancy anything heavier and thought lettuce, radishes, boiled egg, tuna, bit of cheese etc would be quite neutral. I went up from 5.8 to 7.3. I haven't been 7.3 for a long time. I had Wienerschnitzel with boiled potatoes a few days ago and didn't leave the 6s. I have four slices of bread at lunch and stay in the 6s. Since when did a tuna salad raise BG? I stabbed another finger and that was 7.4 so I don't think it was a fluke reading.

Maybe my liver felt sorry for me and thought it better supplement my rabbit food with a dash of extra.
 
Hello Lea76 and welcome to the forum. You will find loads of help and advice in the forum and on the site. Well done on the weight loss, it will help to control your levels in the long run. As for carbs, I don't know if there is an app (probably is but I'm not into new fangled things like apps etc) but there is a good pocket sized carb counting book by collins - I think I paid about £1.50 for mine on Amazon which is useful when you get started on the carb counting until you get used to what you're eating. If you are looking at labels, take the total carbs number and not the "of which sugars". I would find 200g a bit high and normally stick to about 150 max, but if it's working for you fine, your levels are not too bad and you';; soon get used to what will adn won't spike you. Keejp up the good work and whatever questions you've got you will probably find the answer here or if not, just ask and you will get plenty of good advice. :D
 
Hi Finzi
Thanks for the advice. I have been counting the carbs & sugars I thought I had to, so glad I don't :)
After lunch today I was 4.3 and I even had pineapple!
Just hope it stays like this
 
Hi, I was diagnosed last Monday. Unfortunately my surgeries diabetic nurse is on holiday. My first appointment is on the 28th March. I'm so confused, my blood test from my fasting blood test was 8.7. I've been watching what I've been eating and cut right down, been shopping and read every label. I'm beginning to feel very weak and dizzy. I'm not sure what to do as I won't see the nurse until next week. HELP :(


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Tarwaddilo said:
Hi, I was diagnosed last Monday. Unfortunately my surgeries diabetic nurse is on holiday. My first appointment is on the 28th March. I'm so confused, my blood test from my fasting blood test was 8.7. I've been watching what I've been eating and cut right down, been shopping and read every label. I'm beginning to feel very weak and dizzy. I'm not sure what to do as I won't see the nurse until next week. HELP :(


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...

Ration your potato, sugar, rice and mostly flour. Don't starve just eat cut the portions containing the foods already mentioned. Come back after seeing your nurse.
 
Back
Top