Type 2 Life

[Tim55]

4.6 this morning. Much happier with this reading than the 6's I was having a week ago. Still do not understand - could be slightly lower carbs, exercise about the same.

Hi Folks

Mine is back down to 5.8 this morning which is where I expect it to be.

Just corrected a mistake I made yesterday - should have typed 6.8, rather than 5.8!

I think you and I are in a similar position Hiitsme.

I was diagnosed July 2014, a few months before you I guess, after going to the Docs with symptoms I now know to be peripheral neuropathy.

FBG levels at the time were in the mid to high teens, but came down rapidly with LCHF and Metformin, but it took maybe 6 to 9 months before i was seeing them in the 5 to 6 region where I like to keep them - I start to feel a bit off below about 4.5 and I never want to see a level above 7.8, as I believe that is the trigger point for neuropathy damage being caused.

I take a few supplements as well, ALA, Benfothiamin and Methyl Cobolamine, and am now taking just half my prescribed Metformin dose, which seems to be working fine for the last three months or so, but yesterdays 6.8 spooked me a bit.

Back down to more expected levels today though, and OK before tea last night, so maybe just one of those things we can't account for.

 

[hankjam]

5.1 am
seem to be back in the post New Year groove.... time will tell. or just earlier in the day rather than after sleepin's... which are now a distant memory

 

[13lizanne]

Sometimes @ickihun life gets in the way of looking after ourselves. With looking after your little ones and the trouble with your leg I'm sure there must be days when you think "oh s@d it!" I know that I'm certainly like that sometimes keep trying, petal, that's the main thing. X

 

[13lizanne]

Hi Folks

Mine is back down to 5.8 this morning which is where I expect it to be.

Just corrected a mistake I made yesterday - should have typed 6.8, rather than 5.8!

I think you and I are in a similar position Hiitsme.

I was diagnosed July 2014, a few months before you I guess, after going to the Docs with symptoms I now know to be peripheral neuropathy.

FBG levels at the time were in the mid to high teens, but came down rapidly with LCHF and Metformin, but it took maybe 6 to 9 months before i was seeing them in the 5 to 6 region I like to keep them - I start to feel a bit off below about 4.5 and I never want to see a level above 7.8, as I believe that is the trigger point for neuropathy damage being caused.

I take a few supplements as well, ALA, Benfothiamin and Methyl Cobolamine, and am now taking just half my prescribed Metformin dose, which seems to be working fine for the last three months or so, but yesterdays 6.8 spooked me a bit.

Back down to more expected levels today though, and OK before tea last night, so maybe just one of those things we can't account for.

Sometimes there's just no obvious reason for these fluctuations @Tim55 it could have been anything from a faulty strip to a wee infection/something on your finger/ who knows? I think the figures which matter are the average daily figures. You seem to be doing really well as far as I can see.

 

[Hiitsme]

Hi Folks

Mine is back down to 5.8 this morning which is where I expect it to be.

Just corrected a mistake I made yesterday - should have typed 6.8, rather than 5.8!

I think you and I are in a similar position Hiitsme.

I was diagnosed July 2014, a few months before you I guess, after going to the Docs with symptoms I now know to be peripheral neuropathy.

FBG levels at the time were in the mid to high teens, but came down rapidly with LCHF and Metformin, but it took maybe 6 to 9 months before i was seeing them in the 5 to 6 region I like to keep them - I start to feel a bit off below about 4.5 and I never want to see a level above 7.8, as I believe that is the trigger point for neuropathy damage being caused.

I take a few supplements as well, ALA, Benfothiamin and Methyl Cobolamine, and am now taking just half my prescribed Metformin dose, which seems to be working fine for the last three months or so, but yesterdays 6.8 spooked me a bit.

Back down to more expected levels today though, and OK before tea last night, so maybe just one of those things we can't account for.

Hi @Tim55
I also went to the doctors because my foot was playing up and really difficult to walk. Started suddenly New Year's Day last year, Waited 6 months for Podiatrist appointment who told me I needed even tighter control of blood sugar and see my doctor for guidance on levels to aim for. He just told me to stop testing or if I really wanted to only 3 random tests a week. My HbA1c at that time was 50 but he was sure it would have come down from looking at my readings and thought it would be in the pre-diabetic range. I haven't seen him since I got my latest HbA1c in August of 33. At Desmond in September we were all told to aim at being under 7 - 2 hours after a meal which is my aim. My foot is the main reason for trying to get very tight control. It has improved but not back to normal. I want to be able to walk at normal speed without it reminding me every step I take that I'm diabetic. When I got 6's for fasting readings I went back to testing a lot more but still don't understand why sometimes it goes high. I am still learning and will be interested to know if the supplements sort out your problems. I'm not on Metformin, just diet and exercise.
I do hope your levels continue to come down and stay down. I have read the thread on peripheral neuropathy you were posting on and do hope yours improves.

 

[4ratbags]

Morning FBG 7.3

 

[13lizanne]

Hi again @Tim55 I didn't know, until I read @Hiitsme 's post why you worry about keeping tight control of your BG. Sorry, I didn't mean to trivialise your concern

 

[hankjam]

Hi @Tim55
I also went to the doctors because my foot was playing up and really difficult to walk. Started suddenly New Year's Day last year, Waited 6 months for Podiatrist appointment who told me I needed even tighter control of blood sugar and see my doctor for guidance on levels to aim for. He just told me to stop testing or if I really wanted to only 3 random tests a week. My HbA1c at that time was 50 but he was sure it would have come down from looking at my readings and thought it would be in the pre-diabetic range. I haven't seen him since I got my latest HbA1c in August of 33. At Desmond in September we were all told to aim at being under 7 - 2 hours after a meal which is my aim. My foot is the main reason for trying to get very tight control. It has improved but not back to normal. I want to be able to walk at normal speed without it reminding me every step I take that I'm diabetic. When I got 6's for fasting readings I went back to testing a lot more but still don't understand why sometimes it goes high. I am still learning and will be interested to know if the supplements sort out your problems. I'm not on Metformin, just diet and exercise.
I do hope your levels continue to come down and stay down. I have read the thread on peripheral neuropathy you were posting on and do hope yours improves.

@Hiitsme good work on the 33 in August.
I would say your GP is not really helping. If you think your foot is directly related to your DB, then I would say you are doing the right thing by concentrating on your BG's. When you increased your testing were you able to use it to help in control. I sometimes think my diet is not that varied, meat and veg, which I am fine with but that my BG is more dependent on what my liver thinks I need... I can fast test through out the morning and it will rise from low 5's to low 6's and yet have a crash in the late afternoon to sub 5.0 and then rise up to mid 5's before dinner... separating inputs with natural rhythms is something I'm still working on.
I have an issue with my right foot.... it sometimes feels as if it has been sitting in a freezer and everyone tells me my pulse down there is fine.... it is odd.
Wish you well
Hj

 

[ickihun]

@Hiitsme good work on the 33 in August.
I would say your GP is not really helping. If you think your foot is directly related to your DB, then I would say you are doing the right thing by concentrating on your BG's. When you increased your testing were you able to use it to help in control. I sometimes think my diet is not that varied, meat and veg, which I am fine with but that my BG is more dependent on what my liver thinks I need... I can fast test through out the morning and it will rise from low 5's to low 6's and yet have a crash in the late afternoon to sub 5.0 and then rise up to mid 5's before dinner... separating inputs with natural rhythms is something I'm still working on.
I have an issue with my right foot.... it sometimes feels as if it has been sitting in a freezer and everyone tells me my pulse down there is fine.... it is odd.
Wish you well
Hj

Hj that's how my right leg/foot problem started. On being checked at a&e for a dvt they also said the same about my cold foot.
I left feeling it was either a circulation problem or a trapped nerve.
3 weeks ago my gp stated that it's a trapped nerve.
With a half numb foot and now only occasion pain in my leg. It's weakness and numbness should just one day go.
2 months in and I'm none of the wiser whether it's possible neuropathy or not. Praying, not.
I guess if it's still there in 2 yrs time it might be neuropathy??? Too late???
Fighting my high bgs just in case.
Fingers crossed I'm doing the right thing. I wouldn't know.

 

[hankjam]

Hj that's how my right leg/foot problem started. On being checked at a&e for a dvt they also said the same about my cold foot.
I left feeling it was either a circulation problem or a trapped nerve.
3 weeks ago my gp stated that it's a trapped nerve.
With a half numb foot and now only occasion pain in my leg. It's weakness and numbness should just one day go.
2 months in and I'm none of the wiser whether it's possible neuropathy or not. Praying, not.
I guess if it's still there in 2 yrs time it might be neuropathy??? Too late???
Fighting my high bgs just in case.
Fingers crossed I'm doing the right thing. I wouldn't know.

@ickihun it's sometimes near impossible to know. Discussed cold foot with GP a number of times and got absolutely nothing back.. same with itch at base of spine... sometimes want to rip it out... GP... hmm.... not sure what that is...
my left foot.... fine!

and who knew bed socks were such a good thing... not me until a couple of nights ago....

 

[ickihun]

@ickihun it's sometimes near impossible to know. Discussed cold foot with GP a number of times and got absolutely nothing back.. same with itch at base of spine... sometimes want to rip it out... GP... hmm.... not sure what that is...
my left foot.... fine!

and who knew bed socks were such a good thing... not me until a couple of nights ago....

I've put a spare quilt at the bottom of my bed to wrap around one leg if necessary. The cold weather affects my whole leg. At times it feels like something is poking out of my under part of my thigh. Weird feelings and pains.

 

[Tim55]

Hi again @Tim55 I didn't know, until I read @Hiitsme 's post why you worry about keeping tight control of your BG. Sorry, I didn't mean to trivialise your concern

Hi there

I didn't pick up on any trivialisation, as you put it, no worries!

Getting late here now, and I may have had a beer or two, so refraining from posting further, but I will come back to your and Hiitsme s points tomorrow

 

[Merrylizard1314]

This a.m. BGL 3.9 ketones 1.2.
Unusually, I stayed in bed this morning, with a cup of tea and a book I wanted to finish. It was very restful and I did not arise until 11a.m. Summer laziness.
The other day, I was wondering why medics were placing greater reliance on the HbA1c test as an indicator of heart disease of any kind, rather than FBG or post prandial, so I looked at HbA1c and CVD on the iPad, and found several studies, which indicated that even a result in the "normal" range could be an indicator of endothelial damage, with a greater likelihood if T2D was diagnosed, in the order of 18-30%.
One of the studies, easier to understand, was from Pakistan.
It seems to me that overcoming one aspect of this insidious disease, merely leads to uncovering another, however I feel that the insulin resistance which is at the core, is not helped by the dietary advice given to newly diagnosed people, to eat things which worsen the condition.
My solution is to make certain that everything I eat is nutritionally dense, and to eat enough, but not too much, with episodes of fasting from time to time.
Enjoyable activity, swimming, walking and vegetable gardening, with the usual chores and daily event juggling, are much the same for everyone. I used to have almost incapacitating arthritis, but refused to give up exercise, did not take painkillers because of side effects, and now I just deal with any painful episodes and hardly notice them any more.
Nice to see you, @hankjam and @Hitsme
You are so courageous, @loulou99782, I think you started this thread, didn't you? If I could make you feel better by willing it, I am doing it already.

 

[Hiitsme]

@Hiitsme good work on the 33 in August.
I would say your GP is not really helping. If you think your foot is directly related to your DB, then I would say you are doing the right thing by concentrating on your BG's. When you increased your testing were you able to use it to help in control. I sometimes think my diet is not that varied, meat and veg, which I am fine with but that my BG is more dependent on what my liver thinks I need... I can fast test through out the morning and it will rise from low 5's to low 6's and yet have a crash in the late afternoon to sub 5.0 and then rise up to mid 5's before dinner... separating inputs with natural rhythms is something I'm still working on.
I have an issue with my right foot.... it sometimes feels as if it has been sitting in a freezer and everyone tells me my pulse down there is fine.... it is odd.
Wish you well
Hj

Thanks @hankjam
I was given a meter very soon after diagnosis as my GP later told me it was obvious I would be on insulin very soon as my levels were really high. I used my readings to find what worked and didn't work testing about 6 times a day. I think stress affects me now more than food so that is one thing I need to keep an eye on. Hard to always avoid stress. Pain also puts my levels up.

4.8 this morning and stayed under 5 even 2 hours after evening meal yesterday. Still don't understand what I was doing different yesterday from last week. Could even be the test strips.

 

[ickihun]

Fbg 4.4
Hba1c 54 = 8.1?
Maybe need to take insulin exactly 15 mins before food. Rather than variably. Humulin M3.

 

[bigjohn9916]

@ickihun I've found that between 10 and 15 minutes before food seems to make Humulin M3 more effective in keeping my bg down, but finishing eating before 30 minutes has elapsed can also make a difference in reducing that after meal spike.

 

[ickihun]

Thanks @bigjohn9916 . New Year New Me. Hopefully. I still need loads of weight off or I'll be talked into bariatric surgery. I feel under pressure which isn't helping.
The stupid thing is the stress is coming from me but my nerves are shot. :-\

 

[bigjohn9916]

Surgery must be the absolute last resort. Keep plugging away at the diet. A little tip! Just leave that last mouthful on the plate.

 

[Tim55]

Hi Folks


FBG this morning was 5.4, which is Ok by me.


It seems I have a few questions to answer if I can.


First, I would say the symptoms described above on cold feet and lack of feeling are very familiar to me - I ignored them for about twelve months before going to my doc, which I now think was a mistake.


At the time, I was told I had probably been diabetic fror some considerable time and I had damaged my nerves and if I could control my FBG levels to "single figures" I should avoid any worsening of the condition, but I should not expect it to improve.


The NHS attitude seems to be "Problem solved, you're diabetic".


I agree with Merrylizard though, I am not simply diabetic, I have symptoms of diabetes because something is not right and there seems to be no interest from the medical profession in figuring out what that is, and I have come to believe insulin resistance is a more useful description to focus on.


There is an excellent thread in the complications bit called "Help in Dealing with Neuropathy" from which I learned that insulin resistance can be due to an inability to properly metabolise vitamin B12, and associated symptoms include a tendency to obesity (sic), senility, lack of focus and an increased likelihood of Alzheimers and / or Parkinsons, none of which appealed to me!


Some people on there reported significant results from taking supplements including Alpha Lipoic Acid , Vitamin B12 and vitamin B12.


I had had my B12 levels checked and they were found to be "normal" but the body can't use B1 or B12 directly, it first has to convert them to a methyl form which will dissolve in the fatty tissues, and if the body can't perform this function effectively the vitamins are simply washed out with no chance to do their job.


In order to combat this, these vitamins are available as the methyl, lipid soluble form as supplements called Methyl Cobolamine and Benfothiamin and I have been taking these along with ALA for about 6 months and I firmly believe they are helping to combat my Neuropathy, although it is a long, slow and painful process and if you think you are starting to suffer from Neuropathy I would certainly try to do something it about it as soon as possible.


The NHS advice that single figures is good enough is flawed in my opinion too - anything above 7.8 leads to Neuropathy so I try to keep my figures below this .


Tim

 

[Tim55]

Fbg 4.4
Hba1c 54 = 8.1?

I think 54 works out equivalent to 8.4 if I've got the maths right...

The trigger point for a diagnosis of diabetes is 42.

My first one was about 112, but my last one was 34 which I think is equivalent to an FBG reading of 5.3.

This was last September and since then I have reduced my rolling 16 day average from 5.63 to 5.42 so I am fairly confident my next one should be Ok too , although I had seen it as low as 5.04 while on holiday last year.

One other thing I learned while reading up on the vitamins was that Metformin is known to inhibit the metabolism of vitamin B12, hence my desire to reduce my dosage. If I was really brave I would try cutting it out altogether but I am not willing to risk further nerve damage until my feet have improved a bit further........