How long should it take to get my type 2 under control it’s been around 8 weeks now and my levels are still high . I couldn’t take metformin due to stomach cramps and I’m on 2 glic a day but it’s still averaging around 18 is this normal for the to still be this high does anyone know please ?
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Hi newbie here
- Thread starter Wakey
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They gave me metformin and glic then they gave me slow release metformin which didn’t work either so they upped the glic to 2a day .
I have no idea what you mean when you say Hb A1C what is that please ?
I’ve cut down on carbs and sugars but still learning what I can and cannot eat by looking at internet and stuff
I have no idea what you mean when you say Hb A1C what is that please ?
I’ve cut down on carbs and sugars but still learning what I can and cannot eat by looking at internet and stuff
Leadinglights
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An HbA1C is the test they use to diagnose diabetes, it is the average blood glucose over the previous three months, a level over 47mmol/mol will be a diabetes diagnosis. How much above that indicates how much work need to be done to reduce it and how long it might take. Given you have been prescribed gliclazide suggests it was well into the diabetes zone. Dietary changes are also important, and you say you have reduced your carbohydrates however if your level is still high it indicates you are still not coping with the amount you are having.
It is suggested that no more than 130g per day TOTAL carbs is where people should aim at but the medication you are on you need to be a bit careful as that medication encourages the pancreas to produce more insulin. However if you have insulin resistance then it may not work as well as it should.
I assume that you have been prescribes a blood glucose monitor and strips so you could do some testing of your meals to see if there are any problem food that you are having. Testing before you eat and after 2 hours will tell you if the meal is OK if the increase is no more than 2-3mmol/l.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet, it is a low carb regime based on real food. There are some do's and don'ts as well as some meal ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
It is a good idea to find out what your HbA1C is as it will give a starting point.
rebrascora
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Hi and welcome.
I reduced my levels down to just under 10 via dietary changes in 5 weeks from having mid teens to 20s through dietary changes even though I was actually Type 1 and needed insulin.
Can you explain to us a bit about how your diagnosis came about?....ie. Were you symptomatic and if so, which symptoms? Or was it via a routine blood test?
Have you noticeably lost weight recently perhaps more easily than you expected or unintentionally?
Do you have much/any weight to lose?
Can you give us an idea of a typical day's menu ie a typical day's food and drink intake at breakfast lunch and evening meal plus any snacks so we can figure out if there is any room for further carb reduction or if with the dietary changes you have made, you should be seeing better results?
Certainly you do not be wanting your levels to remain in the teens for months so I am pleased you have come to the forum for support and hopefully we can point you in the right direction.
I reduced my levels down to just under 10 via dietary changes in 5 weeks from having mid teens to 20s through dietary changes even though I was actually Type 1 and needed insulin.
Can you explain to us a bit about how your diagnosis came about?....ie. Were you symptomatic and if so, which symptoms? Or was it via a routine blood test?
Have you noticeably lost weight recently perhaps more easily than you expected or unintentionally?
Do you have much/any weight to lose?
Can you give us an idea of a typical day's menu ie a typical day's food and drink intake at breakfast lunch and evening meal plus any snacks so we can figure out if there is any room for further carb reduction or if with the dietary changes you have made, you should be seeing better results?
Certainly you do not be wanting your levels to remain in the teens for months so I am pleased you have come to the forum for support and hopefully we can point you in the right direction.
I spoke to the diabetic nurse at my surgery today she said my HbA1C was 86mmol so i'm guessing this was high ? From Jan 22 it was 44mmol then went to 86mmol in september . I had been pre -diabetic for a few years but never really knew what this entailed . It was always said at appointments because its in my family that i would be a dead cert to get it ,even then i still didn't take much notice as it was never explained what was going on .
The only thing we think of where it went so bad was that my husband was told he had secondary cancer with no primary ever being seen and now had 12 months to live !!! So we think just the stress of it all sent me over the edge ( Hes still here and doing ok )
Our diet is completely "normal" meat and 2 veg type of thing but i am overweight but have lost 2.5 stones since September .
My average morning levels are around 18/19 on 2 glic .
I had problems with my eyes going blurry and couldn't get enough to drink plus my fatigue was off the scale but kept putting it all down to stress as my husband has brain metastases and can't do much so everything is down to me now plus i'm working full time .
A day now consists of
1x boiled egg
chicken sandwich (wholemeal bread )
meat ,a few potatoes and veg +gravy
That's about it really .
The only thing we think of where it went so bad was that my husband was told he had secondary cancer with no primary ever being seen and now had 12 months to live !!! So we think just the stress of it all sent me over the edge ( Hes still here and doing ok )
Our diet is completely "normal" meat and 2 veg type of thing but i am overweight but have lost 2.5 stones since September .
My average morning levels are around 18/19 on 2 glic .
I had problems with my eyes going blurry and couldn't get enough to drink plus my fatigue was off the scale but kept putting it all down to stress as my husband has brain metastases and can't do much so everything is down to me now plus i'm working full time .
A day now consists of
1x boiled egg
chicken sandwich (wholemeal bread )
meat ,a few potatoes and veg +gravy
That's about it really .
Leadinglights
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So sorry to hear of your sad situation, it is certainly possible that stress can increase blood glucose and you have had that for sure.
There is more variety of foods you can have otherwise you will get fed up with the regime.
Eggs are good for breakfast in any form, scrambled, poached or with bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes or full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and maybe seeds or nuts or a small portion of a low sugar granola.
Lunch you could have homemade soup, any cooked meat, cheese and salad with coleslaw.
Dinner meat, fish, high meat content sausages, chilli, curry, with plenty of vegetables or salad.
There are many suggestions for low carb meals in the link I posted earlier.
Some people can tolerate bread but tend to restrict it to one slice and there are substitutes for potatoes which are much lower carb like butternut squash.
You need to make sure you are having enough protein and healthy fats otherwise you will have no energy to cope with a busy life.
rebrascora
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Oh! Goodness! So sorry to hear of your husband's situation and the stress you are under. Sending (((HUGS))).
You must still be feeling pretty grim with your levels that high.
Looking at your diet....
Do you have anything with your boiled egg on a morning? A slice of toast perhaps?
I am guessing your sandwich is 2 slices of bread? Any fruit with it or anything else?
Meat and veg is low carb but the potatoes are quite carb rich but if you only have a small portion then it's not a massive carb intake over the day and if you were genuinely Type 2 I would expect that diet plus the Gliclazide to be having a much greater impact in reducing your levels than it is, so I rather wonder if you might be Type 1. Severe shock can be a trigger for Type 1 diabetes.
The only thing to clarify is fluids? You don't mention what you drink throughout the day and perhaps extra carbs are sneaking in with your fluid intake, but short of drinking smoothies or fruit juice of full sugar carbonated drinks I don't think your diet warrants the levels you are getting and if the Gliclazide is not bringing them down then that suggests that you have impaired insulin production.
I think you need to get in touch with your GP or diabetes nurse and ask if they will refer you to a specialist diabetes clinic or at least do tests to make sure you are not Type 1..... These are GAD antibody and C-peptide tests. Ideally these are best sanctioned and the results interpreted by an experienced diabetes consultant.
Out of curiosity, are your relatives with diabetes insulin dependent?
You must still be feeling pretty grim with your levels that high.
Looking at your diet....
Do you have anything with your boiled egg on a morning? A slice of toast perhaps?
I am guessing your sandwich is 2 slices of bread? Any fruit with it or anything else?
Meat and veg is low carb but the potatoes are quite carb rich but if you only have a small portion then it's not a massive carb intake over the day and if you were genuinely Type 2 I would expect that diet plus the Gliclazide to be having a much greater impact in reducing your levels than it is, so I rather wonder if you might be Type 1. Severe shock can be a trigger for Type 1 diabetes.
The only thing to clarify is fluids? You don't mention what you drink throughout the day and perhaps extra carbs are sneaking in with your fluid intake, but short of drinking smoothies or fruit juice of full sugar carbonated drinks I don't think your diet warrants the levels you are getting and if the Gliclazide is not bringing them down then that suggests that you have impaired insulin production.
I think you need to get in touch with your GP or diabetes nurse and ask if they will refer you to a specialist diabetes clinic or at least do tests to make sure you are not Type 1..... These are GAD antibody and C-peptide tests. Ideally these are best sanctioned and the results interpreted by an experienced diabetes consultant.
Out of curiosity, are your relatives with diabetes insulin dependent?
42istheanswer
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@Wakey Have you been trying to lose that weight or has it just fallen off without you intentionally cutting calories? Unintended weight loss often suggests type 1 rather than type 2. And even if you were pre-diabetic with family history of type 2 that doesn't absolutely exclude the possibility of you developing type 1
I wasn’t trying to lose weight No although we don’t eat big portions either really my problem would be having crisps and a chocolate bar on the go for lunch more than anything else .
No not trying to lose weight really as have always found it hard to lose weight but having said that I don’t help myself as would often have crisps and a chocolate bar for lunch !!
Yes I think you might be right I have a sneaky suspicion it might be type 1 I spoke to nurse this evening and she’s contacting the diabetes people to ask their advice as I’m still averaging 18/19 in the morning. I do eat an apple a day or a small banana plus I drink mostly no added sugar squash but she’s asked me to keep a food diary now just to see where it could be going wrong but I feel I’m fairly good with my food since being diagnosed.
rebrascora
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Good to hear your nurse is seeking specialist advice.
Bananas are probably the highest carb fruit so not the best choice, but I don't think an occasional banana or an apple each day should be keeping your levels up in the 18s especially if you are taking Gliclazde.... unless you are also eating crisps and a chocolate bar as you mention in your previous post above?? A food diary can be really helpful, so good that they have asked you to do that. Hopefully they will do some further testing. You might want to ask for insulin in the meantime to bring those levels down a bit. If you are Type 1 you will need it anyway, so nothing really to lose in starting it now.
Do let us know how you get on with the nurse.
Bananas are probably the highest carb fruit so not the best choice, but I don't think an occasional banana or an apple each day should be keeping your levels up in the 18s especially if you are taking Gliclazde.... unless you are also eating crisps and a chocolate bar as you mention in your previous post above?? A food diary can be really helpful, so good that they have asked you to do that. Hopefully they will do some further testing. You might want to ask for insulin in the meantime to bring those levels down a bit. If you are Type 1 you will need it anyway, so nothing really to lose in starting it now.
Do let us know how you get on with the nurse.
No I’m not eating crisps and chocolate bars any more not since I was diagnosed so something is not right
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