Super High bg levels, help please

Hpetal said:

Hi folks, I am seriously worried about my high readings over the last couple of weeks dispite sticking to a reasonably medium low carb diet and walking the dog each day. Today has been especially bad, fasting waking at 7am was 12.1 breakfast 2 pork sausages
then post lunch it shot up to 17.1 had a small roll with tuna chunks. pre teatime 19.8 and feel like sh*t, thought it was the meter so just used a different meter for post meal mince with mediterranean stir fry veg no potatoes. reading aaaarrrrrr 24.9 I am in a right panic never been that high. how can I get it down quickly????
Meds 1x100mg glucophage sr + 1x 40mg gljclazide morning and teatime. I drink plenty of water during the day and limit of 3 cups of coffee per day. I have been sweating and desperate for a pee during the night but my night test last night at 3.30 am was 10.8. and wake up most mornings the last few says with steaming headache.
I have my review with diabetic nurse next wednesday so holding out to discuss all of this, I have been type 2 for 7 yrs so not new but just can't get a grip on this at the moment. HELP

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where the sausages high pork content ? in not and were the frozen supper market sausages these contain a lot of rubbish that will increase your levels and if i remember correctly a Mediterranean stir fry has root veg in them which again will push up your levels .
but if this continues contact your doctor or diabetic nurse urgently but would recommend calling 111 for peace of mind

@Hpetal Sorry to read that you're struggling at this time.Would it be possible for you to contact your nurse before then? ''I would try''

Hello @Hpetal Have you phoned your surgery to see what out of hours service is available for emergencies? It may be that you have to phone 111 but its now Friday and waiting until Monday to contact them seems an awfully long time given the blood glucose readings you are getting

Hpetal said:

Fresh pork butchers sausage, don't eat supermarket processed rubbish, and my stirfry veg was peppers,courgette, red onions, tomatoes, oregano and olive oil no root veg

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you need to phone some expert.. 24 is worryingly high... maybe you are getting ill or maybe you are about to need insuline , maybe not... but I think it is for experts to decide... your GP or diabetic nurse or the hospital

don´t wait 2 days before contacting them... you need to have their wiev now I think... it is really high your blood glucose

You also might consider to ask for a c-peptide test to tell you how much insulin you are producing. If it is very low then you may need insulin. It is also possible you are LADA. A GAD antibody test may also be a good idea.

You need to go to A & E or phone NHS 111 because some of those levels are dangerously high. If you find yourself in the 20's and stay there any length of time, you must call for help. Really, you must. With the medication you are on, and eating reasonably moderate carbs, you shouldn't be seeing those levels. Something is wrong.

All you can do for yourself is drink water by the gallon.

Good luck

Hi. Although being in the 20s is not good you're probably OK very short-term unless it moves up to the high 20s, but keep checking and have plenty of water. I was often in the 20s before I had the tests done myself and eventually went onto insulin. If you are not overweight, you may be Late onset T1 (LADA) and not T2. Ask the nurse for the two tests GAD and c-peptide if slim. The Gliclazide may need to be increased if you suspect T1 and probably insulin sooner or later. Do keep the carbs way down until the diagnosis/medication is confirmed. Personally I wouldn't bother with NHS 111 as it can be a nightmare but go straight to A&E instead if you feel unwell or go to 'Hi' on the meter.

Phone 111 even if it is only for advice and to let them know you are worried . Don't let your readings stay in the 20's.
You say you are a carer for your husband... what happens if you collapse ?

Hpetal said:

sticking to a reasonably medium low carb diet

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100gms sausages could be as much as 20gms of carb and a 100gm bread roll could be 50gms of carb. Your waking BG could easily be thanks to your liver and you might be surprised at what a simple bread roll can do.

The best thing to do is seek proper medical advise and ring your normal GP to get the out of hours number. There's also 111 and A&E in a real emergency. You are rightly concerned so best to get checked by a medic. I can't comment on meds but did you mean 1,000 mg of metformin?

Long term probably good idea to get a c-peptide and insulin resistance test done, might be at your own expense though, GPs tend not to want to give them out.

I am glad you are feeling better. Those numbers are still too high although not immediately dangerous and damage will slowly happen. I do not know if you have read @daisy1 's information post but she will send it along soon. The information she sends is important and I highly recommend a thorough read and following all the links. Near the bottom will be a link to the free low carb program on this site. There is a lot of help and support here for the asking. Someone will always be around to answer questions.

@Hpetal

Hello and welcome to the Forum I am glad you have received so many useful replies. In addition, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will help you. Ask more questions, as many as you like, 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 147,000 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 free 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. They're all 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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Hpetal said:

i suffer with fibromyalgia

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That doesn't help. Glad things are better, look after yourself.

Is there a hyperbaric oxygen therapy centre near you? I've had several benefits including less muscle pain, clearer thought processes and even some relief from muscular spasms in back. Nearly forgot, sleeping like a baby for a while as well.

Hpetal said:

I fear the good old NHS will not be paying for that sort of therapy.

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I've been attending the Chiltern MS Centre in Wendover near Aylesbury, Bucks. It relies heavily on volunteers and about £1 million a year has to be raised from charitable donations. I know it's free for people with MS, and I have a feeling that people with Fibromyalgia may use the facility for free as well, I need to check. I've actually volunteered to help operate the machinery (all the operators are volunteers), a great way to keep the cost down for others. I know that Wycombe Wanderers use the facility for injured players, like me they pay.

I pay £20 a session and have had some benefits in that my muscle pain is nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past. My brain fog seems to have lifted although my memory is still hopeless. The flexibility of my knees has improved as well. It also has an interesting, but temporary, effect on my BG. It drops a lot because insulin resistance is improved while in the chamber. It goes back up as soon as I exit the chamber.