Weird experience

I am T2 diet only, average fasting 5.1 (hypo at 3.9) post evening dinner 6.1. I eat 5 times a day including mid-morning and afternoon snack, no carb counting. I usually have a good memory etc. but for the last couple of days I have gone slightly brain-dead. For example, I missed two appointments through getting the day wrong twice and reset my other half's password twice and forgetting what it was afterwards twice and have been a bit 'spaced out'... just not me.

This morning I walked the dog whilst eating an apple, had my typical breakfast of 2 x weetabix, banana and plain yoghurt, then walked the dog again with another apple. Out of curiosity I tested myself about 3 hours after breakfast and my bG was 3.5!

This all seems to tie in with the fact that, for some reason, I didn't bother having a morning and afternoon snack for 3 days. We discussed it at home and both think that I may have allowed myself to be somehow 'sublimally' influenced by the wealth of information and experiences on the site (my fault) as I can't think of a logical reason why I should have been so blase about the snacks ... complacency perhaps?

I tend to 'sail close to the wind' (hypo end) during the day (often get slightly hypo after the 4th dog walk!), and so the snacks seem to be very important to me. In other words, I need a few more carbs rather than less during the day which seems to be a sacriligous thing to say here.

I suppose that the moral of this story is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" which is obvious really, and, to reiterate many others, know and stick with what works for me.... and no fiddling around. Maybe it's also a word of caution to the low-carbers?

If anyone can make any sense out of this then I must be recovering!

nomistheman said:

Seems like you've self diagnosed to me!

Nail hit squarely on the head!

Yeup - you were definitely recovering when you posted!

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Hi, thanks for reply. of course, I meant 'recover' as in hypos rather than from diabetes.Much better now. It's a bit unusual moaning about lack of carbs!

LittleWolf said:

How the hell are your numbers so good @_@

And I've poked a few other 'non diabetics' testing higher that you too @_@

Wow, go you!

But yep, if it's making your brain foggy perhaps you should be a little higher? I know under 5/6 makes me feel ill.

So you're starting to feel a little better now? I hope so. I can be distressing if you're losing rack of things like that. Hope your life is getting all in order, cheesecake. *cuddles*

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Thanks for the lovely note. I sometimes feel like 'Billy no mates' on this site with good readings and no low-carbing. I hadn't appreciated the difficulties people are going through to stabilize their condition.The cheesecake sounds good ... lime!! Maybe an edible candle on top as well and washed down with a slice of banoffee pie to counter the lime! After all it was invented here in Sussex.

On a more serious note, I was diagnosed in the middle of a period of large-scale wine drinking which I have now knocked on the head. It is just possible that there was a link-up there. My latest HbA1C test in early July will tell me more. As far as I am concerned, I will always be diabetic and will continue to treat myself as such.

LittleWolf said:

Invented in Sussex? I had no idea!

You're welcome xx I have a habit of referring to people as confectionary forgot to mention, it means I like you

Everyone is so different! My GP is ignoring me so I think I'm doing alright by myself keeping things between 6 and 12 most of the time. But there are some people on this forum with numbers closer to yours and some that are almost always in double figures @_@ And it's not always indicative of effort, either as discussed in the brittle diabetes threads.

Every body operates so individually..

Well whatever you are doing is working for you so keep it up and stay well ok <3 xxxx


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Credit for the pie's invention is claimed by Ian Dowding (chef) and Nigel Mackenzie (owner) at The Hungry Monk restaurant (now closed) in Jevington, East Sussex. If you ever hear an American claiming it's an American dish you can tell them where to stick it! But that would be such a waste!! You'll be the star if it ever comes up in a pub quiz!

If you are holding your bGs then that's a good thing as it's not easy as you know and you do come across as cool, calm and collected about it. But it's sad you have no support from your GP. I hope you are at least getting an HbA1C test regularly. Mine actually slipped a blood test appointment in for me with telling me. My GP knows me more than I know myself (she's female of course). I was hoping to give myself a bit more time to prepare ... e.g scrub the nicotine stains off my fingers etc! As you say, we are all different. Many of us don't know what our personal bG 'norm' is, any more than we know what our personal normal blood pressure or weight versus height should be.

Anyway, keep at it .... you Tangfastic Haribou! xxx

LittleWolf said:

I am doing ok, just once or twice a week I am around 15 and that incident last Saturday with a rebound 19 after a low. Preferably, Id love some assistance. I mean, I'd like to avoid the sickness that comes with those numbers but *shrug*

No I've never had a HbA1c test or anything. Like I said, can't get one @_@ So I looked up a lab online and currently trying to twist their arm and do it privately without GP consent... £25!!!!

But so many people are doing fine by diet alone (like yourself!) maybe I shouldn't make excuses. It just sucks because I cut all carbs when anorexic, just started getting used to eating again (even my T1 lover tries to stuff me with the carbs he eats and gets upset if I have to stop eating because I feel dizzy/tired) he doesn't understand I don't have insulin to adjust and I'm NOT chronically hypoglycaemic or too thin anymore

But again, it can be done. I don't care so much complications because I've had a plethora of issues all my life anyway. What drives me nuts is the immediate effect of highs/lows. I want to stay in range so I don't wake up on the middle of nowhere after conking out on the bus or being sick. Self testing is helping with that.

Which reminds me, have you had many problems 'sailing close to the wind'?

I mean you feel well at those numbers and don't drop into 2s or anything?

I'm hoping I can get used to your kinds of numbers. I think a lot of people keep the high cycle going by correcting false hypos.

I'm going to chase you to the under 6 mark and make myself real comfy next to you wouldnt go under 4.5 though. 1) dropping really low 2) rebound highs

Do you experience either of these? Did you try the ultra low carb thing? Did it make you sick? If not maybe the longer you get used to that range. The less likely things will go wrong in the low 4s?


What a great nugget of information! Do you just know a lot about Sussex or just desserts? And I love Haribo Tangfastics! Have you ever tasted tamarind fruit? It's natural but tastes every bit as sweet and tangy!


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Does your GP accept you are diabetic or what? Hard to believe you are having to pay for your own HbA1C test. So glad you are eating again. Maybe you should make sure you are easing back into it rather like some people do after low-carb dieting. I would imagine that going from being anorexic to just starting to eat 'properly' again must be a shock your system and will take time. Perhaps one of the low-carbers will read this and advise?

There are loads of people on the site who know much more than me on carbs etc. who can advise, but I remember that on Sunday night I went from 8 to 9 three hours after eating half a small kebab. I read something today about delayed carb release for pasta, pizza etc. which could cause an increase after post-meal test. So maybe you could try to resist your lover's culinary advances (especially of they are takeaways etc.) Must be hard to resist when sitting next to him. Have sex instead ... just watch out for hypos!!! :shock:

I don't deliberately sail close to the wind, but I do have frequent hypos usually in the afternoon. Now I take an apple as I start the dog walk which avoids a hypo or, at least gets me home. Although the apple takes longer to take effect than, say, a sweet drink or dextrose type sweet, it gets me out of it in about 10 minutes. My lunch is typically something like salad and tinned sardines and I don't think I am getting sufficient carbs for my afternoon needs, even in sandwich form. If I go much lower than 3.9 (2.9 is my record) I tend to feel rough for a while as I am recovering and after I have recovered. Sort of 'beaten up ... through the wars' kind of feeling which takes a couple of hours to pass. During the actual hypo, I don't feel ill, mainly weak, shaky and sweaty, spaced out, and light sensitivity increases. I think I have got used to the feeling but I start to get concerned & anxious when I feel I am towards the lower 3s and wish I could be 'beamed' home. Fortunately, it's not far.

Maybe jumping from hypo to high may be because you are over-compensating. It's hard but I try to avoid stuffing myself with just anything, hence the apple and try to remain confident that it will kick in, which it has always done so far. But it's not an instant fix and it's easy to be tempted to shove crisps, bread, biscuits etc. down.

I personally have not chosen the low-carb approach (although my intake in the form of portions is reduced a bit) so I can't comment on how it feels. I did do a Herbalife diet once before I was diagnosed. I did lose weight quickly, but put it all back on again afterwards so I now prefer the slow weight loss approach and continuing to eat the stuff that has got me this far through life without ops, serious illnesses etc. I have, though, knocked the alcohol on the head. I'm one of these people who puts on weight just looking at a bottle of wine, not to mention eating habits associated with being ******. I now only drink soda water with real lime pieces squeezed in rather than **** cordial in the pub. Bit boring, but the lime smells exquisite and at least I'm getting a couple of pints of water inside me.

Certainly being in the lower 4s should help to reduce the highs together with not overdoing the carbs etc. I try to eat slowly to give my body time to tell me 'enough'. No point in forcing the whole plate down without touching my lips if I don't really need it all (which I am renowned for).

I use tamarind bark (I think it is?) when cooking Indian food and love it. I haven't tried the sweets or fruit but maybe I'm wrong and it is the fruit I am eating. I also discovered pomegranate molasses (dodgy name for diabetics) which is syrupy and can be poured straight from the bottle in cooking. It has an identical effect to tamarind, tangy but not too sharp but I'm not sure about the 'molasses' bit!

I was in a garden centre the other week and saw a bag of Tangfastics hanging next to the till. I bought them and polished them off in an hour ... almost as irresistable as wine gums. I felt really sick and guilty (afterwards of course) and saved myself a testing strip.

I picked up the banoffee story from one of the TV chef programs. I'm not really a 'sweet' person (as she will vouch) and am quite happy with cheese, grapes and maybe a suggestive biscuit or two!

I accept your challenge to beat my readings, and really hope you win!