Feeling washed out

[PeterJohn]

Hello
i am type 2 take on 500mg of metformin a day. Take in the morning after breakfast. Been on for 22 months. last few days been feeling pretty washed out. Yesterday felt that bad I came home from work. Tested at 13.8 (12.00) after resting for four hours was down to11.5. Didn’t eat during that time, ate breakfast at 8 Drank black coffee. I then decided to take another metformin started to fell better after 1hr. Retested was down to 8.5. felt a bit higher after dinner, but was soon ok.

this morning woke had coffee, then had two slices white toast and smooth peanut butter. Took tablet at 9.20. This is my normal breakfast. Started again to feel tired! tested again 13:5

this is not like me ? I have not taken any more metformin only the 500. I think I have slight cold but that would be it.
you views and experience please ..?

 

[Inka]

Hi @PeterJohn

I’m Type 1 but I find that a) my blood sugars go up when or even before I’m ill, and b) high blood sugars make me feel rough. Even a cold will put my blood sugar up. In fact, having a day of higher than normal blood sugars is often a sign of impending illness.

Hopefully a Type 2 will be along later to give more tailored advice, but in the meantime I’d make sure to keep hydrated and rest. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[grovesy]

If you have a cold that is likely to raise the levels.

 

[PeterJohn]

Hi. Sorry to hear you're a bit under the weather but one thing that jumped right out at me was your white toast for breakfast. Seriously, mate - you shouldn't be going anywhere near white bread.

What else are you eating?

Martin

 

[PeterJohn]

On my Desmond course they said in moderation. 2x slices is 2.8 grams sugar
most yogurts have 8grams

i think I am sensible , try to get under 30 per day

 

[rebrascora]

I agree with @Anitram I wonder if you have misunderstood the DESMOND course. Diabetes is not just about sugar, it is about carbohydrates. Your digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates in white bread almost as rapidly as if it was all sugar. Many of us would not even consider one slice of wholemeal bread, which usually breaks down slightly more slowly than white.
As Martin asks, what else are you eating? Rice, potatoes, pasta, pasty? All these things will increase your BG levels and continuing to eat them in any quantity could cause your system to fail, even with more Metformin.

 

[Drummer]

No wonder you are feeling wiped out - you are starting each morning with more carbohydrate than I would eat in a whole day and many people are more resistant to insulin at that time of day too.
I can't see how two slices of bread is equal to less than three grams of carb - 30, perhaps, but bread is a high carb food.

 

[Felinia]

On my Desmond course they said in moderation. 2x slices is 2.8 grams sugar
most yogurts have 8grams

i think I am sensible , try to get under 30 per day

2 slices of white toast are indeed 2.8gm sugar, but a whopping 38.2 gm carbs, and it's the carbs in total you have to watch out for. I was told moderation = 4 slices of low carb bread from a small loaf PER WEEK on my course. I get Hovis low carb seeded or wholemeal when I can. Others have their favourites.

 

[rebrascora]

I would also like to say.... "Welcome to the forum!".... I hope we are not coming across as overly critical or unwelcoming.... We are probably all just a bit shocked that you have been so misinformed about diet.... although we really should not be surprised. Good dietary advice for Diabetes is hard to find in the NHS. You have come to the right place though as we have lots of knowledgeable and experience diabetics here on the forum who are happy to help and inform others who want to learn to manage their condition better.

 

[grovesy]

As Barbara says, we are all here to help. It sounds as though you are focussing on the wrong thing - sugar content - instead of what matters, which is how much carbohydrate you're eating. I haven't been on a Desmond course so I can't comment on what you may or may not have been told but I've found forum members to be a mine of information on diet, more so than books and websites, so you've come to the right place.

Martin

I have not been on one either, but from reading reports on here all the Type 2 courses seem to vary quite a bit.

 

[PeterJohn]

Thank you all for your replies.
sorry to say your Correct ..! I have forgotten carb totals completely. I think whats highlighted things is a cold.
a lesson learned and so glad I asked.

 

[stephknits]

Hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thank you all for your replies.
sorry to say your Correct ..! I have forgotten carb totals completely. I think whats highlighted things is a cold.
a lesson learned and so glad I asked.

Welcome to the forum @PeterJohn

Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so wiped out by your cold - illness can certainly push BGs higher, and erratic and high BG can certainly make you feel grim.

Great that you have a BG meter, and are in the habit of checking before and after meals to see how they are affecting you.

This framework by Alan S has helped many forum members over the years to tweak their food plans towards more in-range numbers

Test, Review, Adjust

Managing blood glucose levels for type 2 diabetes. Learning how to achieve long term control by testing and diet.

loraldiabetes.blogspot.com

And don’t blame yourself for following the advice of your education course either. It’s a shame they focussed on sugar, rather than total carb content, because as you can see, sugar content is only a small part of the story, and the body doesnt treat the carbs from sucrose all than differently to the other carbs in an item.

Hope your cold gets better soon, and let us know how you get on with your ongoing food experiments. Lots of experienced folks here to share their tips and hints for making more BG friendly swaps and changes.

Perhaps take a look in the ‘what did you eat yesterday’ thread in the Food section?