Hi newbie today

[Deand]

Hi all
So I’m Di and I have been type 2 for about twenty years pottering along on one then eventually 2 metformin a day. Sugars usually about 6 to 7 when I tested. We went to turkey last October and since this two week holiday I have not been able to get my bloods below 10 I test in a morning and the doctors have put my metformin to four a day. I joined today in the hope of some help. I am melting down emotionally the smallest thing is bringing me down. I am guessing this is the sugars but what to do Help please anything you can suggest to put me back in my happy x

 

[Callista]

Hi - I'm a newbie too (preD2 for the moment!), and you'll get far more experienced and expert answers from the non-newbies, but I just wanted to suggest if you've tried a keto approach to eating, at least to try and 'shift down' those higher BG levels??

I say this only because when I was DX a couple of months ago pre-DM (HBa1c at 45, so pretty damm close to call!), I started cutting back on calories, and on carbs, and then went pretty much as low cal, low carb as I can bear, and I would say I am fairly close to being keto (ie, minimal/zero carbs).

I have seen a slow but steady reduction in BG levels, nothing drastic, but I'm now more 6 than 7/8, and that is reassuring to me.

Keto sounds scary, but I used to do it, pre-Covid, as a 'way of life' (for a couple of years previously, hitting middle age spread etc etc), simply not eating potatoes/rice/pasta/bread etc (except occasionally, as treats!), but still keeping to my 'sweet treat' (sweet tooth alas!), of a little 'pudding' after dinner.

The key non-scary thing about keto is that IF you keep your protein intake high (it's tough to be a veggie keto I admit that!), and you really pile on the high-fibre veg, you DO feel 'full' even without the potatoes/rice etc.

If weight loss is not necessary for you, then of course you don't need to be low cal keto, so you can eat high fat foods too (within reason). Perhaps, or at least for me, I find the lower fruit intake the toughest, but there are fruits that are more keto than others, so I am now selective. (Strawberries for example, surprisingly so!)

For you, it could be that a few weeks of 'more keto' may do the trick and shift those BG levels back down to where you want them to be?? Then you can go back to your pre-Turkey maintenance routine.

 

[Docb]

Hi @Deand and welcome to the forum. Have you had an HbA1c test since your holiday? If so how did it compare with your previous HbA1c?

A bit like you, I muddled along for years as a T2 taking metformin until things went wonky - my HbA1c suddenly went up into the 60's and finger pricking showed spot readings well up into double figures. I got back into equilibrium by pulling gently on all the levers rather than pulling one hard. This involved adjusting my diet to eat about half the carbs I was eating, losing a little bit of weight, making sure I kept the exercise up without going mad and taking some medication. Within a couple of months or so things were back to normal.

My thought for you is not to panic but to sit back and figure out what approach might suit you. Might be a drastic change in diet, might be losing a lot of weight, might be doing loads of exercise or might be trying every pill on offer. As many on here have probably worked out, I don't do extremes and so did a bit of everything. Others have different ways of doing things.

 

[Leadinglights]

Metformin is only going to help your body use the insulin it produces more effectively and reduce the release of glucose from the liver but it maybe that you need to make some more substantial dietary changes. Over the years things can slide and carb intake can drift upwards.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
I may be worth your while keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the total carbs to see how far away you are from the suggested no more than 130g per day for a low carb approach..
Some find that a low calorie or shakes-based approach can give them a kick start bit whatever way you choose has to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable.
If those changes don't work than you may need additional medication but diet can be very powerful in managing blood glucose levels.
Perhaps you would like to post examples of typical meals and people may spot some problem foods.