Sudden spike in glucose reading

[vamkri]

Im not a newly diagnosed patient
I am 40 years old and i got diagnosed with type 2 about 1.5 years ago

Been taking 1000 mg of metformin religiously everyday before bed.

Recently my grand father passed away and that meant a lot of emotional stress and lots of travel for me, i forgot to take the medication half of the time during last month or so ..

Now my glucose levels are as below

Before last month/ today
Fasting glucose — 125 and today 225
2 hours after eating - before -190 now 270

Should i be concerned and visit the doc ? I am afraid my metformin dosage might be increased and there wont be going back.

I do not exercise regularly and plan on starting to workout today.

Please suggest im feeling way off both psychologically as well as physically

 

[Outlier]

I am sorry you are going through this sad time. Emotional stress and grief are just two of the many things that spike blood glucose. But the most important way to tackle our T2 is to restrict the carbs and sugars we eat. If you'd let us know some typical meals, we may well be able to recommend some relatively small changes that will give good results. Many of us have started on Metformin and been able to come off it, or been recommended to but tried diet first, with spectacularly good results, including me.

 

[aylalake]

I empathise with you on your loss.
Stress definitely affects your BG adversely, so any stress-relieving activity would be helpful. Eg. Breathing exercises, going for a walk, listening to music, reading a book, doing a favourite hobby etc.

Usually Metformin is taken with a meal to make it more effective and less likely to cause side effects, so perhaps doing that will remind you to take it regularly again.

Before you rush off to the doctor, try amending your diet, coping with your stress and sadness and, importantly, continue testing as you are doing. Here is a virtual hug to use whenever you need one.

 

[LivingLightly]

Morning @vamkri.

Grieving the loss of a family member or close friend who was important to us, is one of the hardest emotions we cope with. Emotional stress can certainly raise our BG levels. Starting to work out daily with others or simply going for a walk with a friend may help.

I'm a metformin user. The usual advice is to take your tablets in divided doses with meals, say, 500 mg with breakfast and 500 mg at dinner, unless instructed otherwise by your doctor. There's no reason to fear an increased dose. If that should prove necessary, your doctor will help you to reduce the medication once your general health and wellbeing improves.

The way you eat is more powerful even than most anti-diabetic medicines. All carbohydrates end up as glucose in your bloodstream, which makes your diabetes worse, so grains, even whole grains and flour, below ground root veg and most fruits are problematic for most of us.

Your profile doesn't tell us the type of diabetes you've developed. Might be helpful to amend that, if you would like advice from members.

 

[vamkri]

@LivingLightly im a type 2 diabetic, i will update my profile

I have been taking it easy for the past year or so cause my levels were in range ( close to upper limits ) i realize now that i have to take more care and follow rules


@aylalake thank you very much will refrain from eating unhealthy ..

My question was more on the lines of how long is too long with elevated glucose levels, i think my levels have been up for the last 3 weeks or so ..

 

[LivingLightly]

@LivingLightly im a type 2 diabetic, i will update my profile

I have been taking it easy for the past year or so cause my levels were in range ( close to upper limits ) i realize now that i have to take more care and follow rules


@aylalake thank you very much will refrain from eating unhealthy ..

My question was more on the lines of how long is too long with elevated glucose levels, i think my levels have been up for the last 3 weeks or so.

Please be aware that even brief rises up to 270 mg/dl can cause damage over time. Unfortunately, type 2 diabetes is a very individual disorder. None of us can tell you in advance to what extent yours are harmful.

The way you eat is more powerful even than most anti-diabetic medicines, but some of us need a helping hand. Please keep testing.

If I were you, I'd seek a medical view. Meanwhile, if you keep a food diary alongside your BG records, you'll learn which meals result in these higher readings.

 

[vamkri]

So my updated results after i change my diet ( no exercise no change in medication) for the last two days is

Fasting glucose - 160
2 hours after eating -220

Are these ok numbers ?

I still have to incorporate walking for 45 mins and good sleep ( i am a very bad sleeper )

 

[Antje77]

So my updated results after i change my diet ( no exercise no change in medication) for the last two days is

Fasting glucose - 160
2 hours after eating -220

Are these ok numbers ?

I'm including a converter from mg/dl (which you use) to mmol/l (which most of us use) for conveniency.

Those numbers are still a bit on the high side. What did you eat for your meal, what dietary changes did you make?
We're happy to have a look at your food choices to see if there's anything hiding in there which can increase your BG.

 

[catinahat]

2 hours after eating -220

Way higher than I would be comfortable with, I try to keep my levels below 144mg/dl at all time's, what was your level just before eating?
It's the difference between the pre meal and 2hr results that show what that meal has done to our blood sugar.
Ideally you should be looking for a rise of no more than 35mg/dl at the 2hr mark
Anything more would indicate that your meal had too many carbohydrates