Am I being impatient

[Sheilagh1958]

Hi

Am I being impatient?

I was diagnosed with Diabetes 2 three weeks today and have managed to loose a stone in weight in 3 weeks🙂. The day I got diagonosed my finger prick test was 23.9. I was then give an appointment with the nurse 2 weeks later at this appointment my prick test was down to 13.9. The nurse advised me to continue with the diet and exercise regime that I had been following as it was obviosly working (I have managed to loose a stone in weight in 3 weeks). The nurse said that she didnt think that a need at meter at this stage unless I really wanted one I said that I would like one so she suggested that I just do one reading each morning until my next appointment which is a week on Wednesday which I have been doing my prick test numbers for a week now and they vary from 16.5 to 10.9 average being around unlucky for some 13 . Each morning I take my test thinking its bound to be better today but am usually disappointed😡

Should my levels be coming down faster than this or am I just being impatient?

 

[Caroline]

I think to some extent we are all guilty of wanting immediate results. You have done very well in loosing the weight and the numbers are comming down. Don't be too hard on yourself as it takes time to get things sorted, so give yourself a big pat on the back for your success.

Not sure how fast the levels should come down, you were quite high to start with, so it will take a little time. When you next see the nurse, she will reviw your progress and with luck you wont need medication for a while.

 

[Copepod]

It is possible to reduce blood glucose too quickly, reduce body weight too fast etc, so your slow but sure route is best.
Congratulations on your diet and exercise - it's obviously working 🙂

 

[thedame]

Hi and well done on your weight loss🙂 Just wanted to add that T2 levels can often be higher first thing in the morning due to the body thinking it is starved after a long period without eating and release sugar to compensate. When you then eat, the level should reach it's maximum around 2 hours after eating then start to drop. So depending on what you eat for brekkie, you may well find the level drops say, around 3 hours after brekkie to a level lower than your early morning one. I hope that makes sense!

It takes time for your body to adjust of course but also to get your head round it all - don't fret- plenty of people on here to help you

 

[Steff]

Hi hun firstly well done on your weight loss i can understand the feeling of impatcientness i was the same when i was diagnosed it took a good long while before i was seeing single figures and it reallt naffed me off because i felt i was doing all the right things, in time you will see your BS coming down hun and it will feel so good so keep on with it and keep strong xx

 

[Sheilagh1958]

Still high again this morning finger prick 16.5 (please please start coming down). I am now wondering if I should start testing more than the once the nurse suggested. I feel that I am doing everthing I should be doing but not getting the results I know its not a quick win thing but when I reached 13.9 last week at the doctors I felt that I was going in the right direction but know it just keeps sneaking backup again.

Should i stop eating carbohydrates all together for a few days and see what that does (apart from my porridge on a morning of course)?

or do I need to start testing more through the day to get a more honest reading?

or do I need to increase my exercise currently trying to do 20-30 mins exercise a day at least 5 days a week?

Questions Questions Questions.......What do you think I should do?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi Sheilagh

Congratulations on your improvement, and your weight loss (which helps insulin sensitivity).

As others have said, slow and steady is the best bet. A rapid drop in BGs can put stress on your system and give you nasty hypo-like symptoms (even if above the floor level of 4.0mmol/l).

I notice you ask about giving up on carbs altogether, have you reduced your consumption much already? What would you say you ate in grams of carbohydrate per day approx? (other T2s might be able to offer advice/tips)


M

 

[PhoebeC]

You are doing well, stop putting yourself down.

Maybe test at a different time of days for a few days, 'thedame' said that T2 are high in the mornings, so maybe try just before lunch.

Have you cut down on carbs at all? if not this might be the issue. Maybe try a lower carb meal for dinner. I find baked potatos are low carb for me, but fill me up for hours.

x

 

[Sheilagh1958]

Normal servings of carbs a dayare (would of had nornal pasta or rice in the pasta plus maybe another 2 slice of breadover the day so have reduced by carbs

My noraml servings of carbs over the day are usually

Breakfast - one sachet of oats so simple or 2 weetabix (would of just had toast before diagnosis)

Lunch - 2 slices of burgen bread for sandwich or a jacket potatoe around an 8oz size

Dinner (or teas as we say in the north ha ha) 8oz Jacket potatoe (but not if I have had one at lunch time) or 2-3oz of wholemeal pasta or a serving of brown rice

Getting depressed with this now .....reading this morning 16.9.......tested again 2 hours after my porridge (19.5 arghhhhhhh think I might just stop bloody eating for a few weeks)

 

[Sheilagh1958]

Help and advice needed see above message

Help and advice needed see above message

 

[Andy HB]

Normal servings of carbs a dayare (would of had nornal pasta or rice in the pasta plus maybe another 2 slice of breadover the day so have reduced by carbs

My noraml servings of carbs over the day are usually

Breakfast - one sachet of oats so simple or 2 weetabix (would of just had toast before diagnosis)

Lunch - 2 slices of burgen bread for sandwich or a jacket potatoe around an 8oz size

Dinner (or teas as we say in the north ha ha) 8oz Jacket potatoe (but not if I have had one at lunch time) or 2-3oz of wholemeal pasta or a serving of brown rice

Getting depressed with this now .....reading this morning 16.9.......tested again 2 hours after my porridge (19.5 arghhhhhhh think I might just stop bloody eating for a few weeks)

Whilst the numbers are obviously too high, the increase is actually not that bad. I'd be quite happy with a 3 point increase 2hrs post meal. It's looking like the starting point is the problem.

Do you go to bed high too, or are you starting to get quite low then?

Overall, I'd say that your carb portions are not excessive in any way.

Andy

 

[novorapidboi26]

Hey, well done with the weight loss, that will really help with your control.......

Its hard to comment on what I really dont understand myself........upping the excercise would definetly be a consideration, only if it can be done, dont puch to hard, this would, as mentioned. increase your sensitivity.

I would say there alot of carbs in your daily diet, they may be whole meal and release glucose slowly, but everyone reacts differently, which would lead me to say, test as much as possible to establish whats good and whats bad...

Depending on what meds your on, some tweaking with them may also be on the cards.........

If you can test more often your mind may then get occupied with what foods are doing what and what you can do to experiment, this might help with the need for good numbners NOW!!! And then before you know it, your eating food you like with little effect to the blood sugars.........

Keep up the good work......

 

[Ellowyne]

Well done on your weight loss!!...That is a brilliant acheivement!

As for readings, well, I have the same kind of readings, and yet I am on Leveimer and Novorapid Insulin!...I still struggle to get my readings down, and, as for Insulin, it makes it so, so hard to lose weight!!!....So, I'd say, Just keep going as you are for now becuase you are doing great!

Ellowyne x

 

[Sheilagh1958]

Whilst the numbers are obviously too high, the increase is actually not that bad. I'd be quite happy with a 3 point increase 2hrs post meal. It's looking like the starting point is the problem.

Do you go to bed high too, or are you starting to get quite low then?

Overall, I'd say that your carb portions are not excessive in any way.

Andy

Hi Andy only diagnosed 3 weeks ago and had my first appointment with the nurse just last weeks. She asked me if I wanted a test meter so I said yes she suggested only testing once a day in a morning but that is not really giving me a true picture is it? So I think I probably need to be testing more. If my morning results where coming down I would be happy to test once a day but unfortunately that doesnt seem to be coming down its just madly fluctuating

 

[Sheilagh1958]

Hey, well done with the weight loss, that will really help with your control.......

Its hard to comment on what I really dont understand myself........upping the excercise would definetly be a consideration, only if it can be done, dont puch to hard, this would, as mentioned. increase your sensitivity.

I would say there alot of carbs in your daily diet, they may be whole meal and release glucose slowly, but everyone reacts differently, which would lead me to say, test as much as possible to establish whats good and whats bad...

Depending on what meds your on, some tweaking with them may also be on the cards.........

If you can test more often your mind may then get occupied with what foods are doing what and what you can do to experiment, this might help with the need for good numbners NOW!!! And then before you know it, your eating food you like with little effect to the blood sugars.........

Keep up the good work......

Hi .............No medication at the moment just diet and exercise

 

[novorapidboi26]

So it really is all about the foods primarily...........

If you could get a picture of whats going on overnight that would be good.....

Do you have something to eat close to bedtime? I suffer from dawn pehenmonon, a dump of glucose in the morning from your liver to kick start the day, this may be a factor of high mornings, I am never less than 12.

There are medications that can help prevent this liver action....i would investigate over night to see if something is happening in the early hours..

 

[Andy HB]

Hi .............No medication at the moment just diet and exercise

I was going to question why you weren't on meds already, but since a recent thread about too quick a reduction in HbA1c causing other problems, I think the way that you're progressing is actually pretty good.

So long as you continue the downward progression in the bg readings, I don't think that you need be too concerned for now. Just keep the exercise going and maybe up it to an hour or so a day? But don't rush it, because I know that I was still feeling pretty grotty occasionally atleast three weeks in from diagnosis.

Well done about the weight loss by the way!

Andy 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi Andy only diagnosed 3 weeks ago and had my first appointment with the nurse just last weeks. She asked me if I wanted a test meter so I said yes she suggested only testing once a day in a morning but that is not really giving me a true picture is it?

Hi Sheilagh

Many HCPs seem reluctant to offer comprehensive testing to T2s as some people get disheartened by the results. Your approach, however seems proactive and focussed. It can help in adjusting diet to look at results before and after meals. There is a fairly test-heavy, though quite well thought-of, systematic approach (Jennifer's Advice: Test, Test, Test) which you could consider for a few days (or your own version of it). This sort of thing can be worth doing as long as it provides you useful information to work with and doesn't dent your excellent work so far.

Your carb intake seems fairly controlled from what you've said. I gather some T2s find they are less tolerant of carbs in the morning... Which may be the cese for you, or may not. Frustratingly everyone's diabetes seems to have its own quirks.

M

 

[Andy HB]

Hi Andy only diagnosed 3 weeks ago and had my first appointment with the nurse just last weeks. She asked me if I wanted a test meter so I said yes she suggested only testing once a day in a morning but that is not really giving me a true picture is it? So I think I probably need to be testing more. If my morning results where coming down I would be happy to test once a day but unfortunately that doesnt seem to be coming down its just madly fluctuating

I'm inclined to agree, but see Steff's new thread about testing. I've briefly mentioned what I did when first diagnosed. If you need more info, just let me know.

Andy

 

[Andy HB]

Your carb intake seems fairly controlled from what you've said. I gather some T2s find they are less tolerant of carbs in the morning... Which may be the cese for you, or may not. Frustratingly everyone's diabetes seems to have its own quirks.

M

From what Sheilagh said, she was already high before breakfast and the porridge only increased her from 16.9 to 19.5. If she'd gone from 4.9 to 7.5 (say) that would have been the perfect result, in my opinion. It sounds more like it's the starting point that is the problem to me.

Andy