Another type 2 newbie

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dotty-p

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi,
My name is Hilary and I was diagnosed type 2 diabetes - found when I went to the DRs on something completely different
Must have had it for ages as sugar levels are so high...now have a glucose reader to monitor and quite scary how high they are.

Nice to know there are others out there in the same position
 
dotty-p said:
Hi,
My name is Hilary and I was diagnosed type 2 diabetes - found when I went to the DRs on something completely different
Must have had it for ages as sugar levels are so high...now have a glucose reader to monitor and quite scary how high they are.

Nice to know there are others out there in the same position
Click to expand...
What kind of levels are you seeing?
What was your HbA1c on diagnosis?
Lots of people find that by changing what they eat they can bring the blood sugar numbers down pretty fast.
 
Welcome. What levels are you seeing and what medications are you on?
 
bulkbiker said:
What kind of levels are you seeing?
What was your HbA1c on diagnosis?
Lots of people find that by changing what they eat they can bring the blood sugar numbers down pretty fast.
Click to expand...
Hi Bulkbiker

I was showing HbA1c at 12.8% 116 ifcc on Monday 20/2/23. I am now on Metformin currently 1 a day and artovstatin 20mg. I now have a monitor and glucose levels are still around 12 - although it was 9 last night 2 hours after meal - however it was at 14.3 this morning after fasting but has dropped during the day - now 11.9 2 hrs after lunch - still high

I started a lowcarb diet so hopefully will see some better readings. I have made myself a spreadsheet with all my food data on and readings inc BP so that should help me monitor it. It is early days and I was wondering if the morning levels were high as I am only taking 1 metformin in the morning?

It is nice to know that there are others in the same position as me 🙂
 
dotty-p said:
I started a lowcarb diet so hopefully will see some better readings.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure you will.. mine went down after a couple of weeks of very low carbing and have stayed down ever since. You might think about some time restricted eating as well...
I threw my metformin in the bin as they didn't agree with me at all.
 
bulkbiker said:
I'm pretty sure you will.. mine went down after a couple of weeks of very low carbing and have stayed down ever since. You might think about some time restricted eating as well...
I threw my metformin in the bin as they didn't agree with me at all.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I am (like all newly diagnosed) being impatient - ignorance was bliss but controlling it will be. much better!
 
dotty-p said:
Thanks. I am (like all newly diagnosed) being impatient - ignorance was bliss but controlling it will be. much better!
Click to expand...
You'll be amazed at how much better you feel... I was...!
Taking control of my own health was a game changer for me.. after all it's pretty important.
 
dotty-p said:
I was showing HbA1c at 12.8% 116 ifcc on Monday 20/2/23. I am now on Metformin currently 1 a day and artovstatin 20mg. I now have a monitor and glucose levels are still around 12 - although it was 9 last night 2 hours after meal - however it was at 14.3 this morning after fasting but has dropped during the day - now 11.9 2 hrs after lunch - still high

I started a lowcarb diet so hopefully will see some better readings. I have made myself a spreadsheet with all my food data on and readings inc BP so that should help me monitor it. It is early days and I was wondering if the morning levels were high as I am only taking 1 metformin in the morning?
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum @dotty-p

Hopefully your levels will begin to respond gradually to your reduced carbohydrate intake. Don’t worry too much about trying to get them back down into your target range in double-quick time. If your levels have been running high for a while it can come as a nasty shock to the body for them to sudden lurch back down to ‘in range’ numbers (even if those are theoretically healthier long-term).

It’s better to reduce things gradually over a more sustained timescale, which gives time for your fine blood vessels to adapt. Too sudden a change can trigger transient nerve pain and retinopathy (damage to the eyes). Diabetes management is a marathon, not a sprint 🙂

Good to hear that you are recording your progress. Hopefully you’ll continue to see some gentle movement in the right direction.

Your GP or nurse might suggest adding another tablet or three of Metformin in stages over the coming weeks. Increasing the dose gradually helps reduce the risk of any gastric upheaval, and Met works gently in the background, soaking into your system to help by reducing insulin resistance and limiting glucose output from the liver.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @dotty-p

Hopefully your levels will begin to respond gradually to your reduced carbohydrate intake. Don’t worry too much about trying to get them back down into your target range in double-quick time. If your levels have been running high for a while it can come as a nasty shock to the body for them to sudden lurch back down to ‘in range’ numbers (even if those are theoretically healthier long-term).

It’s better to reduce things gradually over a more sustained timescale, which gives time for your fine blood vessels to adapt. Too sudden a change can trigger transient nerve pain and retinopathy (damage to the eyes). Diabetes management is a marathon, not a sprint 🙂

Good to hear that you are recording your progress. Hopefully you’ll continue to see some gentle movement in the right direction.

Your GP or nurse might suggest adding another tablet or three of Metformin in stages over the coming weeks. Increasing the dose gradually helps reduce the risk of any gastric upheaval, and Met works gently in the background, soaking into your system to help by reducing insulin resistance and limiting glucose output from the liver.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
Click to expand...
Hi,
Thank you for the response and for your advice

It is good to know that speed is not of the essence and slow reduction is better. Also thanks for explaining how metformin works! I am due to go onto 2 tablets mid week it will be interesting to see how that affects my results. Currently my BG seems to be all over the place from 14.8 (fasting) to 8 (before lunch)! I am keeping notes of foods eaten and activity to help me work out any relationships - and losing a bit of weight will help

It is good to know there is so much support out there. Thank you 🙂
 
dotty-p said:
Currently my BG seems to be all over the place from 14.8 (fasting) to 8 (before lunch)!
Click to expand...

Breakfast readings can be a bit stubborn, and some people find they are the last to come down.

The body‘s ‘circadian rhythm’ can trigger a release of glucose either in the early hours, or immediately on rising to help fire up the burners for the day.

Of course, if you have a slightly wonky metabolism, the glucose released by the liver can end up meaning your waking readings are higher than you’d expect having not eaten for 8 hours or so!

Keep working away at your levels gradually, and hopefully your waking readings will gradually come down too 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Breakfast readings can be a bit stubborn, and some people find they are the last to come down.

The body‘s ‘circadian rhythm’ can trigger a release of glucose either in the early hours, or immediately on rising to help fire up the burners for the day.

Of course, if you have a slightly wonky metabolism, the glucose released by the liver can end up meaning your waking readings are higher than you’d expect having not eaten for 8 hours or so!

Keep working away at your levels gradually, and hopefully your waking readings will gradually come down too 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you. That's good to know
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top