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Hello

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Em18

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi,
I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this year. A blood test in Jan showed I was diabetic but my GP neglected to inform me until June and only a week ago, after a hyperglycaemia attack and admitted to hospital, I was prescribed metformin 500mg twice a day. I have had blurred vision but it has returned to normal, I still have high blood sugars readings, unsure what is going on.

I am experiencing some of the side effects, tummy pains, vomitting, lack of appetite...any advice will be welcomed.
 
I am fairly new and still learning so just saying hi. You will get lots of help here.
 
Thank you for your replies so far, I have been following the low carb diet since June and working out in the gym with a very qualified PT. Since mid June I have gone from 20st 8lbs to 18st.
 
Hello @Em18 and welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear about the difficulties you had with your diagnosis, but good to know that you are now following a diet and exercise plan that is showing good results for your weight loss.

You say that your blood sugar readings are still quite high, can you give us an idea of what they are?
Do you have a blood sugar monitor?
Many of us use this not only to get an idea of general progress but to measure the effects of different foods on blood sugar levels.
The way we react to foods, particularly carbs is different for everyone. The amount of tolerance varies, and even the same foods eaten at different times of the day, or in different combinations, can have varying effects.

There are many reasons why blood sugars stay high, but looking at the effects of different foods may reveal some indicators.

If you would like more information about monitors please let us know and we will send you some links.
 
Toucan said:
Hello @Em18 and welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear about the difficulties you had with your diagnosis, but good to know that you are now following a diet and exercise plan that is showing good results for your weight loss.

You say that your blood sugar readings are still quite high, can you give us an idea of what they are?
Do you have a blood sugar monitor?
Many of us use this not only to get an idea of general progress but to measure the effects of different foods on blood sugar levels.
The way we react to foods, particularly carbs is different for everyone. The amount of tolerance varies, and even the same foods eaten at different times of the day, or in different combinations, can have varying effects.

There are many reasons why blood sugars stay high, but looking at the effects of different foods may reveal some indicators.

If you would like more information about monitors please let us know and we will send you some links.
Click to expand...

Hi Toucan,

My blood sugar readings started at 26.0 last Wednesday and finally started to drop on Monday to 21.5 but today they've spiked again to 25.7.

Yesterday evening I was sick so only ate a little bit of dinner.

Average day food intake is around 1000 calories.
Breakfast - wheatabix x2, blueberries approx 8 and approx 30ml semi skimmed milk.
Lunch - salad with protein i.e tuna, chicken drumstick.
Dinner - protein, veg and sml amount of carb i.e. wholemeal rice, 3-4 salad Potato.

I only got a monitor last Thursday so still getting used to do the readings. Currently first thing and 2 hours after food.
 
hello @Em18
Those reading look incredibly high. What units of measurement are you using? Meters usually measure mmol/L.

if you would like to read more about how to use meter readings test-review-adjust is a helpful article.
 
Toucan said:
hello @Em18
Those reading look incredibly high. What units of measurement are you using? Meters usually measure mmol/L.

if you would like to read more about how to use meter readings test-review-adjust is a helpful article.
Click to expand...
I'm using accu-check preforma nano, measures in mmol/L.
I have only just started on metformin 500 mg twice a day since last Thurs after being left untreated by my GP for 6 months, I was rushed to hospital last Wednesday with a hyperglycaemia attack.
 
If you change to low carb foods and still get high readings, you are not an ordinary type two and really should have more tests done to check that you are correctly diagnosed.
Cutting out grains and anything high carb should result in a swift reduction in BG levels
 
Em18 said:
I'm using accu-check preforma nano, measures in mmol/L.
I have only just started on metformin 500 mg twice a day since last Thurs after being left untreated by my GP for 6 months, I was rushed to hospital last Wednesday with a hyperglycaemia attack.
Click to expand...
The hospital diabetic team want me between 5-10 mmol/L, they have signed me off for 2 weeks while we try to get my levels under control.
 
Drummer said:
If you change to low carb foods and still get high readings, you are not an ordinary type two and really should have more tests done to check that you are correctly diagnosed.
Cutting out grains and anything high carb should result in a swift reduction in BG levels
Click to expand...

Thank you, I have a follow telephone appointment tomorrow, I will question the type 2 diagnosis.
 
Anitram said:
Do you make a note of how many carbs you're eating? Low carb is considered to be less than 130g per day although many members go much lower.

Martin
Click to expand...
Hi Martin,

I use my fitness pal from under armour to calorie track.
Today I've had 95g of carbs, yesterday was 74g of carbs and have stayed under 800 calories for the day as advised by the consultant at the hospital.
 
Hi Em and welcome from me too.

Those BG levels on a low carb diet are extremely concerning. Please do not do exertive exercise when your levels are mid teens or above and if you don't have any means of checking for ketones then ask about that at your GP surgery tomorrow or go to a pharmacy and buy some Ketostix (approx. £5) and test your urine. Is anyone supervising your treatment and ringing you regularly for updates?

The stomach pain and vomiting may be down to the Metformin but it could equally be down to ketones. Please check your breath.... does it smell sweet like pear drops when your levels go really high (mid 20s)? You should be checking for ketones once your BG levels get into the mid teens or above. They often assume you are Type 2 if you are diagnosed with diabetes and are not a child and particularly if you are carrying a bit too much weight, but Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age and any BMI and treatment for it is very different and it is much more urgent that you get the right treatment (ie insulin) sooner rather than later. Many Type 1s are misdiagnosed because they are older (myself included) and it is just assumed they are Type 2. Please push for more support with getting those levels down and get a means of testing ketones and if you start seeing ketone readings with high Blood Glucose readings then get yourself to hospital again.
 
Hello @Em18 and welcome to the forum. 🙂

I bet it was the Weetabix! Rice and potato wouldn't help either. I had similar readings a few weeks ago, but I was eating even more stupidly than normal.
 
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