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14.9 at bedtime

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Devon local

Devon local

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello there, I've been foolishly casual about my diabetes as my levels weren't that bad. Haven't done a hb1 for a year. The past three days doing my own test and 13.2 morning, 12.5 and lowest number 9.1. I have recently been out on three metformin a day before I was on two but usually only took one now I'm fresking out. I think I was in denial. Any advice? 54 and fit but very overweight. Thank you
 
Hi @Devon local and welcome to the forum. Looks like it is time to get a plan together to deal with your T2. There is no need to panic but neglecting things is not a good idea.

First off would be contact with your GP for a review. That way you should get an up to date HbA1c which will give you a measure of the current status of your T2. Judging from members comments, GP contact varies from very good to very poor so lets hope yours is nearer to very good.

In the mean time read around the forum and the check out the learning zone. It is likely that you have already worked out that your being overweight is probably a big factor and something you will have to tackle. You will find lots of information and ideas of ways to alter your diet both to get your blood glucose and weight down.

Above all ask questions. Nothing is considered too silly on here, we have all been there and know what it is like.
 
Docb said:
Hi @Devon local and welcome to the forum. Looks like it is time to get a plan together to deal with your T2. There is no need to panic but neglecting things is not a good idea.

First off would be contact with your GP for a review. That way you should get an up to date HbA1c which will give you a measure of the current status of your T2. Judging from members comments, GP contact varies from very good to very poor so lets hope yours is nearer to very good.

In the mean time read around the forum and the check out the learning zone. It is likely that you have already worked out that your being overweight is probably a big factor and something you will have to tackle. You will find lots of information and ideas of ways to alter your diet both to get your blood glucose and weight down.

Above all ask questions. Nothing is considered too silly on here, we have all been there and know what it is like.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I am off to the doctor this morning for my Hb1c. When.i woke up my reading was again 11.3.higher than when I went to bed! I will put all my effort into changing it. My question is, why aren't three metformin working. I don't want to go onto ace inhibitors due to the link to Covid problems. Thank you for your kind reply.
 
@Devon local why are you thinking you'll end up of ACE Inhibitors?

Being overweight is also linked to Covid problems

What kind of foods are you eating?
xx
 
Why aren't the metformin working? I don't know but I do know that metformin made little difference to me both when I increased and decreased the dose. My take, and I am not a medic, is that lumping all T2's into the same box and then experimenting with different medications is a poor approach when it comes to working out the best treatment. Metformin works for some but not for all.

ACE inhibitors are prescribed for high blood pressure and would only be prescribed for that reason and not to try and control blood glucose.

Are you thinking about sulphonylureas like gliclazide? These are used for lowering blood glucose and are the one medication that has worked for me. As for worrying about COVID, high blood glucose and being overweight have higher associated risk factors than medication.
 
Docb said:
ACE inhibitors are prescribed for high blood pressure and would only be prescribed for that reason
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not strictly true, they can also be used to protect the kidneys in diabetes xx
 
Thanks for the correction @Kaylz - I'm still learning!

@Devon local I was not trying to be alarmist with my comment on high blood glucose and being overweight as being risk factors when it comes to covid. It comes from the data which shows that of the small proportion of people who catch it and then finish up in intensive care, there is a higher proportion of people with high blood glucose or being overweight than you might expect. I was just trying to put the thought about risks from medication into perspective.
 
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Kaylz said:
not strictly true, they can also be used to protect the kidneys in diabetes xx
Click to expand...
This true and for years been recommended for protective affects.
Devon local said:
Thank you. I am off to the doctor this morning for my Hb1c. When.i woke up my reading was again 11.3.higher than when I went to bed! I will put all my effort into changing it. My question is, why aren't three metformin working. I don't want to go onto ace inhibitors due to the link to Covid problems. Thank you for your kind reply.
Click to expand...
As others have said Metformin does not work directly on levels, it works by helping the muscles to use glucose more effectively.
 
But whatever drugs do, only YOU can limit the amount of food you eat and the exercise you take. You do already know that assimilating the carbohydrate we eat is the overwhelming problem that diabetes causes and therefore it's necessary to think about how much of it you eat ? - ie not ONLY sugar.
 
Devon local said:
Thank you. I am off to the doctor this morning for my Hb1c. When.i woke up my reading was again 11.3.higher than when I went to bed! I will put all my effort into changing it. My question is, why aren't three metformin working. I don't want to go onto ace inhibitors due to the link to Covid problems. Thank you for your kind reply.
Click to expand...

Hope your HbA1c comes out OK @Devon local - let us know how it goes.

Metformin doesn’t work directly on BG levels like some of the other oral meds, or insulin. Met works by gradually seeping into your system and increasing insulin sensitivity while also slightly reducing glucose output from the liver. But it also means that what you are eating plays a huge part in what happens to your BG levels.

Moderating your carb intake (that’s all carbs, not just sugary sweet things) can really help. How much you need to cut back is very individual, but lots of new members find keeping a brutally honest food diary for a week or two (including estimated carbs) is a really good first step to spotting where the ‘big hitters’ are that are raising your BG levels

Your morning/overnight BG rise is likely to be Dawn Phemonenon - a throwback to our cave dwelling forebears where the liver ‘fires up the burners’ just before or at the time you rise so that you have ready energy to go and snaffle a mammoth (or some nuts and berries) for breakfast.

All well and good with a fully functioning metabolism, but less than helpful if that glucose can‘t easily make it out of the bloodstream and just ends up sloshing about causing mischief!

Keep asking questions, and let us know how things go 🙂
 
Wow! So many helpful answers. It seems to have calmed down now. This morning it was 9.1 and in the afternoon yesterday 7.2. My HbA1c test results arrived today and is 66. I don't eat many complex carbs. I don't eat bread or rice etc. Occasionally I will have potatoes (from the garden) I will occasionally have chocolate. I think having a cup of hot chocolate tipped me into the morning high. It would seem I can't have any carbs as they send my blood sugar crazy. I walk and am fit etc. On the plus side I have found these incredible keto doughnuts which are low calorie, healthy, and zero sugar! I shall drop a link here.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Hope your HbA1c comes out OK @Devon local - let us know how it goes.

Metformin doesn’t work directly on BG levels like some of the other oral meds, or insulin. Met works by gradually seeping into your system and increasing insulin sensitivity while also slightly reducing glucose output from the liver. But it also means that what you are eating plays a huge part in what happens to your BG levels.

Moderating your carb intake (that’s all carbs, not just sugary sweet things) can really help. How much you need to cut back is very individual, but lots of new members find keeping a brutally honest food diary for a week or two (including estimated carbs) is a really good first step to spotting where the ‘big hitters’ are that are raising your BG levels

Your morning/overnight BG rise is likely to be Dawn Phemonenon - a throwback to our cave dwelling forebears where the liver ‘fires up the burners’ just before or at the time you rise so that you have ready energy to go and snaffle a mammoth (or some nuts and berries) for breakfast.

All well and good with a fully functioning metabolism, but less than helpful if that glucose can‘t easily make it out of the bloodstream and just ends up sloshing about causing mischief!

Keep asking questions, and let us know how things go 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you that is very useful.
 
trophywench said:
But whatever drugs do, only YOU can limit the amount of food you eat and the exercise you take. You do already know that assimilating the carbohydrate we eat is the overwhelming problem that diabetes causes and therefore it's necessary to think about how much of it you eat ? - ie not ONLY sugar.
Click to expand...
Yes, of course
 
Docb said:
Thanks for the correction @Kaylz - I'm still learning!

@Devon local I was not trying to be alarmist with my comment on high blood glucose and being overweight as being risk factors when it comes to covid. It comes from the data which shows that of the small proportion of people who catch it and then finish up in intensive care, there is a higher proportion of people with high blood glucose or being overweight than you might expect. I was just trying to put the thought about risks from medication into perspective.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have been deep diving into all things Covid since Feb. It would appear that there is a link to Ace inhibitors and a bad outcome. I am of course trying to lose weight. Thank you
 
Hot chocolate or a mocha send my levels much higher than you would expect, even with Options hot chocolate. Bit disappointing as hot chocolate was my drink pre diagnosis, but now I have coffee with cream and absolutely love that, so don't feel as hard done by.
 
rebrascora said:
Hot chocolate or a mocha send my levels much higher than you would expect, even with Options hot chocolate. Bit disappointing as hot chocolate was my drink pre diagnosis, but now I have coffee with cream and absolutely love that, so don't feel as hard done by.
Click to expand...

I don't have it that often but it is a winter drink. I will switch! x
 
Kind of middle-ish. 48 or more gets you a diabetes diagnosis. It's certainly not a really bad reading like some of us who were well into 3 figures at diagnosis.
 
rebrascora said:
Kind of middle-ish. 48 or more gets you a diabetes diagnosis. It's certainly not a really bad reading like some of us who were well into 3 figures at diagnosis.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear you have had 3 figures. I am so pleased it is getting lower for you. Thank you for the reassurance x
 
At the time, like you, it was just a number and I had no idea how bad it was, so not overly upset about it. It is however quite satisfying to see how much lower it is getting now as I get better at managing things. I am due a blood test next week and then a telephone app with the consultant the week after that, so hoping I have made more progress. Diabetes is a marathon not a sprint but every little positive milestone helps with the motivation to keep doing your best.
 
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