up and down

[Wendi22]

I have had 2 fasting BG tests through my GP since being diagnosed of 14.3 and 14.9, 4 weeks apart, and so he has doubled my Metformin from 1000 to 2000 a day and put me on gliclazide 3 days later with a BG monitor. The first measurement with the nurse after lunch was 19.1. One day later, after one gliclazide and the measurement was 6.7. I don't think I can blame one tablet for such a miraculous drop; could the appalling nausea over the weekend and lack of food and sleep be the cause instead, or my ineptitude at testing?

 

[ickihun]

I have had 2 fasting BG tests through my GP since being diagnosed of 14.3 and 14.9, 4 weeks apart, and so he has doubled my Metformin from 1000 to 2000 a day and put me on gliclazide 3 days later with a BG monitor. The first measurement with the nurse after lunch was 19.1. One day later, after one gliclazide and the measurement was 6.7. I don't think I can blame one tablet for such a miraculous drop; could the appalling nausea over the weekend and lack of food and sleep be the cause instead, or my ineptitude at testing?

Gliclizide does work well for many.
What diet changes have you made? Other than involuntary sickness (which for me increases my bgs) because diet can make a huge difference for type2s.
Once you start eating 'normally' again you could start slowly reducing your carb intake. Do you suffer from food binges? We have found carb craving is the culprit. The solution is less carbs in our diet.
With Gliclizide you must test regularly, especially if you are going to try and reduce your overall levels.
How much Gliclizide do you take and how often?

 

[Wendi22]

Gliclizide does work well for many.
What diet changes have you made? Other than involuntary sickness (which for me increases my bgs) because diet can make a huge difference for type2s.
Once you start eating 'normally' again you could start slowly reducing your carb intake. Do you suffer from food binges? We have found carb craving is the culprit. The solution is less carbs in our diet.
With Gliclizide you must test regularly, especially if you are going to try and reduce your overall levels.
How much Gliclizide do you take and how often?

I've never been overweight, I went to the GP initially because of unexplained weight loss. My diet was already healthy so there is little room to improve it, the nurse told me to continue eating what I was. I've only taken gliclizide 30g for 2 days, so it's a little soon to blame for the dip I think!

 

[bulkbiker]

My diet was already healthy so there is little room to improve it,

Can you define what "healthy" means to you please?... because if you had FBG figures in the 14's something obviously wasn't very healthy in what you were eating? Lots of carbohydrate and fruit perhaps?

 

[ickihun]

Many diabetics aren't overweight. Especially if their body isn't absorbing nutrients correctly.
Metabolic problems are renound to be attached to fatty liver and fatty pancreas, even in those not overweight. It's also renound to be attached to weight loss or gain. If the insulin pathway is interrupted or blocked. Liver is involved in balancing things out.
You'd be surprised by changing your diet how your side affecting meds can be reduced then stopped safely. Obviously some cannot get rid of all their meds immediately but worth a try? Have a read in our success stories and testimonials. I know none of them personally but I've tried their methods and a tweeked lower carb diet has been a huge help to me. I hope you too. Theres plenty of time to be on meds when nothing else has worked but as a newly diagnosed person with a diagnosis of type2 then you have a great prognosis if you change your lifestyle. (Diet, exercise and avoiding stress) Meds can be staved off with the right diet for your bg levels. Which are all a personal level and very variable, for life. Managed mainly by diet but very unlucky if low carb eating isn't suffient in the early years of diagnosis. Dr's do not suggest low carb eating on the nhs, well except one that I've seen post. @Southport GP does but we aren't lucky enough to have him being everyone's GP. His word is spreading thou.

I won't go on but I wish someone had told me in 2002 or had diagnosed me at 6yrs old but with this support.
I hope you do consider a diet change. You won't regret it.

 

[Smallbrit]

I’m tagging @daisy1 for you for her very informative intro post as you are a newbie on this forum. Apologies if this has been done on a different thread. But two introductions is better than none!

 

[daisy1]

@Wendi22

Hello Wendi and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will 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 235,000 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 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. Most of these are 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
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.