Diagnosed T2 March 22 unsure about bloods

[epguy]

As you can see from my bio details I have successfully lost over 15kg and following as low carb as I can. My waking bloods always hover between mid 8 to mid 9 and six month average 7.7
If I have something as simple as two Weetabix or a simple ham sandwich( as a test of my reaction.. I normally steer clear of bread/cereal/rice/potatoes etc) I'm in the 10 - 13+ area!
Apart fro going totally keto I don't know what else I can do! I have a medical history of becoming tolerant of drugs quickly..could the metformin be failing?
I'm being advised by my Diabetes Nurse that an average blood glucose in the 7 range is "fantastic" but I'm worried that, at that kind of level, its exacerbating my neuropathy. As the spine consultant insisted "I need to get a grip on my diabetes if you don't want more neurological problems in the future"
What do you all think is my best bet? A change of drug or hard core keto? Or am I expecting too much from the weight loss and an six months average of 7+ is OK?

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum.
Your weight loss is fantastic and should be helping and if your HbA1C which is what I assume you mean by average blood glucose is 7% then you are doing well as that would be in the low end of the diabetic range, the threshold is 6.5% or 48mmol/mol.
Many do try to avoid those high carb foods you have mentioned because they will increase blood glucose by more than you want.
You may benefit from some strategic testing of some of the meals you are having by testing before you eat and after 2 hours, an increase of less that 3mmol/l would indicate you have tolerated your meal OK or if it less than 8--8.5mmol/l after 2 hours again OK.
If you keep an eye on the total carbs you are having per meal or per day that should give you an idea if you need to reduce any more. Many find they need to be less than 130g per day but many do go lower but not as low as Keto which is less than 20g per day and hard to maintain.
You have to find a regime you enjoy otherwise it won't be sustainable for the long term.
Have a look at this link as it may give you some ideas for modifying your diet.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

 

[Rabidlamb]

Greeting @epguy
I've cut & paste your bio for all to see

Diagnosed Type 2 March 2022 with Hba1c of 99
Immediately put on Metformin 1500mg pd
Weight at diagnosis 13st 7lb
Height 5'11"

Went on Professor Taylor 800cal diet and lost 2st 7lb within 8 weeks
Hba1c August 2022..43
Weight 10st 10lb
Continue to try and limit carbs as much as possible (probably less than 80g pd)
I take a 45min Spinning class 3 times a week averaging 500 cals and 11 miles per session.
Painful neuropathy in left arm, leg and foot. Was thought to be spine related but specialist believes that its diabetes related and I have been undiagnosed insulin resistant for decades!..hence the neurological damage (now spreading into right leg and foot)

Congrats on the great weight loss.
You weren't that big to begin with, from memory Taylor chose candidates with higher BMIs for his Direct Trial to increase his chances of success.
In fairness he has just repeated the results with a lower BMI cohort (<27) in a study called ReTune but you must know it's not the magic bullet for everyone.
If visceral fat is your route to T2 then dramatic weight loss has a shot, there is however more than one route to insulin resistance.
Normally neuropathy would display in both limbs at the same time but I stand to be corrected on this.

If I were in your shoes I would ask for a fasting insulin & c-peptide test to confirm if my both is still producing sufficient insulin then go from there.

 

[harbottle]

Neuropathy can be in one limb - it's called proximal neuropathy, and I think I had it as I had a pain in one thigh that got worse and kept me awake all night. It went away when I lowered blood sugar after cutting carbs (The same time my eyesight improved.)

Proximal Neuropathy - NIDDK

Overview of proximal neuropathy—a rare type of nerve damage in your hip, buttock, or thigh that typically starts on one side and may rarely spread to the other.

www.niddk.nih.gov

My pain was dismissed by the GP as 'wear and tear'.

Metformin won't dent a hba1c of 99 much. Only lifestyle changes can bring it down, and you've been doing well so far. (Mine was 83 and I was a similar weight and slightly smaller.)

You don't need to go 'Keto'. I still eat carbs, but only if they're in vegetables, legumes, nuts and some fruits. I avoid all the 'refined' stuff and make bread from Almond flour.