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What’s going on?!

A

Amyp84

Member
Messages
23
Hi all,

I’ve been teTing morning, before and after meals and before bed for a couple of weeks now and there seems to be no pattern whatsoever. Only that my readings seem to be getting a little higher on average. Today after I got up, but before breakfast ( it was a couple of hours before I ate due to commitments) my reading was 10.1. Sometimes eating seems to be lowering my BG, whilst other times raising it but generally not by much. Seems my body has a mind of its own. I’ve been following LCHF diet.

any thoughts?

thanks for reading
 
Assuming you are type two, it can take a little time for your body to empty out all the places it has been stashing the excess - and if you are taking Metformin, that reduces the ability of the liver to release glucose, so it could easily be the case that there are all sorts of things going on in a fairly random and unsettled manner.
 
Resurgam said:
Assuming you are type two,
Click to expand...

She's only 36, I wouldn't be assuming that, and hopefully her team didn't either.... Specially with readings that are trending up on a low carb diet...
@Amyp84 have you had cpeptide and GAD tests to rule out T1/LADA? Have you got much/any weight to lose?
 
Thanks for replying. I haven’t been told a type, but assume type 2. I’m not in metformin. But I’ll be a little more patient!
 
Thanks for replying. Out of interest, how do you know I’m 36??

I do have weight to lose. A few years ago I put on about 3 stone for no apparent reason and have struggled to lose it since. My hba1c has been going up slowly over the past few years although I didn’t know this till my gp told me a couple of weeks ago. I lost about a stone during lockdown last summer, I think through stress. Wasn’t down to a change in exercise or diet that’s for sure. But my hba1c has still gone up a little. I’m so worried that losing weight isn’t going to help because it hasn’t so far. And like I say, I know it can take time after swapping to a LCHF diet for bloods to come down, but if readings are up and down, sometimes higher than what I’m currently getting as a ‘norm’ what is going on?? Is there a way to tell how what your daily levels equate to in terms of an hba1c reading? Hope that makes sense! As in, what daily readings I should aim for in order for my hba1c to be below 48 for example?
 
Amyp84 said:
Thanks for replying. Out of interest, how do you know I’m 36??
Click to expand...

Well, your user name is a hint, and when I click on your name your profile says you are 36, so I'm guessing you clicked a box to show your age when you joined the forums. (You can go into your account and change that on your privacy settings, if you wish.)

Amyp84 said:
Is there a way to tell how what your daily levels equate to in terms of an hba1c reading? Hope that makes sense! As in, what daily readings I should aim for in order for my hba1c to be below 48 for example?
Click to expand...
Here's a link showing hba1c versus average bg reading
HbA1c Units Converter - DCCT to IFCC (diabetes.co.uk)

As regards daily readings, you want them as normal as possible, under 6 before meals and under 7.8 90 minutes after for a non diabetic

Normal and Diabetic Blood Sugar Level Ranges - Blood Sugar Levels for Diabetes

If you just want to be under 48 then under 7 before and under 8.5 after meals will probably do it.

Be aware that most T2s find that their FBG (fasting blood glucose when they wake in the morning) is the last to reduce, because the liver produces sugar first thing in the morning, and though you can eat low carb, you can't control your liver's output.
 
Ah yes! It is a bit of a giveaway isn’t it
Thanks for all the info. Really struggling to get my head round all this. Feels like a horribly restrictive prison sentence I’m faced with. I know that may sound dramatic but that’s how I feel about it at the moment. And not understanding and feeling out of control isn’t helping.

I want to get my hba1c back into normal levels ideally. 48 being the cut off is just a reference point. I’ll have a look at the links, thanks.

I think what I’m most confused about is that I’ve read doing my bg before and after meals will help me understand what I can and can’t tolerate but there seems to be no pattern emerging whatsoever. Nor with exercise.
 
Exercise has much less of an impact on Blood Glucose levels than does what you eat (or even when you eat it). Mild medication like Metformin has even less impact.
Both Steroids and Statins can increase your BG levels, as can infection, lack of sleep and stress.
 
I’m not on any medication at the moment. I do have lack of sleep and stress though!! And not much I can do about those at the moment
 

I had to do an awful lot of testing and recording after my diagnosis, I have kept a food diary since 2012, this has helped me so much.
The thing about testing, is that the pre meal test and the two hours after is just a guideline, I know from experience that depending on when you spike will be different from me, I spike within the first hour about 40-45 minutes after, then because of what happens to me, because of my condition, that my levels don't drop near normal levels till about three hours mark depending on what amount of carbs and which foods I was testing, then there is portion size and I may add, what you drink.
This testing is a way of seeing your improvements and it does take time to cover most foods, you may have an intolerance to certain carbs, your hormonal response to food is determined by insulin resistance, insulin response and wether other hormones namely thyroid or adrenaline.
You will find your spike and when you are back to within two mmols of your pre meal reading. If you test with the same meal and record the results. You do have to be a bit consistent in testing. You will find out the food or combination of food in a meal and then decide what to eat or not.
I hope I haven't confused you even more.
Be patient, this will take some time, but it is so important.

Keep safe
 
Hi Amy

Your story is similar to mine. Until recently I was always slim. Then I suddenly put on a lot of weight. I think this weight gain made me a diabetic type 2. To cut a long story short once diagnosed with diabetes I bought a blood glucose monitor. My readings were all over the place - totally erratic. Then I found out that I had celiac disease that had been undiagnosed for many years. I had no symptoms apart from indigestion and sleeping problems. Which I put down to stress. Apparently the sudden weight gain is typical of late onset celiac disease. Celiac disease means that I have unpredictable absorption which makes it very difficult to control blood sugar. I found the best way to control it is periods of fasting i.e. Dr Jason Fung advice. I finish eating at 9pm and don't eat again until after 1pm. It sound a long time but you are asleep most of the time. Basically all you would be doing is missing breakfast. It's worth a try. And please look up the symptoms of celiac disease. I always thought that gluten intolerance was a made up disease but I've learnt the hard way that it isn't.
 
Wow thanks for the advice. I’m glad you finally got the correct diagnosis and therefore able to manage your conditions. It is so very frustrating when years of our lives are spent knowing something isn’t right without being able to get the help we need. I have been tested for gluten intolerance before, not sure when the last time was though. I will certainly look this up.
Again, thanks for the advice.

take care!
 
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