Type 2 and readings all over the place.

[mitchman]

Hi all, I have been a type 2 dietetic for the last 12 years. I have always kept everything going along quite well. Had the blood test early December and the result was 6.5 so doctor happy with this. However we moved just after the result and changed doctors as well.

Now I am really very lost to know what to do again. All of a sudden my readings started going off the chart. I have kept my diet the same as before but cannot seem to get control of my readings.

I would wake up feeling so dry and on checking my readings would be up to20 and later in the day as high as 31 and then all over the place. Went to new doctors had blood test and this time the results were 11. I

Doctor changes medication drastically.

However reading are all over the place and getting Hypo's 2 or 3 times a week. I am checking my looks between 5 & 6 times a day and it is better except the hypos and still high readings but much better.

Yesterday I woke with a reading of 10 then lunchtime 8.8 after tea 5.6 and then an hour later hypo with reading of 2.8. It took ages to get my blood readings back up after drinking orange juice and eating a sweet desert and then a small twin bar of chocolate the reading 90 minutes later up to 5.9 then 2 hours later 6.5 at bedtime around midnight. Nothing further to eat and now wake this morning with a reading of 11.

Any ideas or advice from anyone please?

 

[Hiitsme]

Hi all, I have been a type 2 dietetic for the last 12 years. I have always kept everything going along quite well. Had the blood test early December and the result was 6.5 soDoctor happy with this. However we moved just after the result and changed doctors as well.

Now I am really very lost to know what to do again. All of a sudden my readings started going off the chart. I have kept my diet the same as before but cannot seem to get control of my readings.

I would wake up feeling so dry and on checking my readings would be up to20 and later in the day as high as 31 and then all over the place. Went to new doctors had blood test and this time the results were 11.

My medication has in the past been metformine 850mg and a daily injection of 1.2mg of Victoza (

Hi @mitchman and welcome
I will tag @daisy1 for her information pack, more aimed at newcomers but something there might help you.
If your diet has remained the same it might be the meds have stopped working. Would it be worth looking at your diet and seeing if this could improve? What about exercise? Has your doctor suggested changing your meds?

 

[Mrsass]

Be careful on over correcting when you go low, I know it's very easy to do but that's a lot of carbs/sugar you had, the juice and maybe 1 plain biscuit would have likely been enough to bring you back up to a decent level and stay steady.

I'm type 1 not 2 but I'd say your medication needs looking at as with such massive swings in bg something isn't right


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[Lamont D]

Hi all, I have been a type 2 dietetic for the last 12 years. I have always kept everything going along quite well. Had the blood test early December and the result was 6.5 so doctor happy with this. However we moved just after the result and changed doctors as well.

Now I am really very lost to know what to do again. All of a sudden my readings started going off the chart. I have kept my diet the same as before but cannot seem to get control of my readings.

I would wake up feeling so dry and on checking my readings would be up to20 and later in the day as high as 31 and then all over the place. Went to new doctors had blood test and this time the results were 11. I

Doctor changes medication drastically.

However reading are all over the place and getting Hypo's 2 or 3 times a week. I am checking my looks between 5 & 6 times a day and it is better except the hypos and still high readings but much better.

Yesterday I woke with a reading of 10 then lunchtime 8.8 after tea 5.6 and then an hour later hypo with reading of 2.8. It took ages to get my blood readings back up after drinking orange juice and eating a sweet desert and then a small twin bar of chocolate the reading 90 minutes later up to 5.9 then 2 hours later 6.5 at bedtime around midnight. Nothing further to eat and now wake this morning with a reading of 11.

Any ideas or advice from anyone please?

Hi, can you tell us what meds you are on? as this will have a significant effect on your control and your blood glucose levels.
If this is the case that your meds are causing the fluctuating bloods, then speak to your GP. He needs to know what they are doing to you.

If you continue to have hypos after that, you may need to look at Hypoglycaemia.

The answer to it all in the long run, is you are probably eating too many carbs and have become more insulin resistant. You need to have another look at what you are affected by.

Having too many high carbs when you have a hypo could rebound with really high bloods and then you have another sharp drop. This will make you feel awful.

Hope this helps.

 

[daisy1]

@mitchman

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and, although you have had diabetes for a while, you may find something useful in here and it could help you to stabilise your levels. If you have any questions just ask 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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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 bloodglucose 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.