How much should bs rise?

[lucy123]

I cant believe I am asking this after being on here for so long but I have jsut realised something I dont know.

I think I am right in saying that when we test we should take the reading jsut before we eat and then 2 hrs after we eat. The two readings should then be similar with bs having risen and then returned to what they were before we ate? (in an ideal world?).

However, is there a limit the bs should rise by during that 2 hours - eg if you went from 5 to 12 say and then back to 5 would that be bad if you ended up back where you started.

I am trying to test if food/bs are having an effect on my tiredness issue.
I have had a low fat yogurt this morning and was 5.1 before I ate it. 45 mins later I am 9.2 and am now feeling tired again although not as bad as I was. Its probably just coincidence.

I have tried talking to my nurse about how my bs seem to be going up and down regularly between 3s and 11s but she isn't concerned/interested as my overall hba1c is fine. I did try saying could it be the lows cancelling out the highs but she didn't seem to understand what I meant.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. the yogurt had 18g carbs in it and was 99 cals if that helps.

 

[trophywench]

You are 100% correct about your A1c being helped along by the hypos.

Because most people (whatever Type) if they have Insulin Resistance, have it worse in the morning than any other time of day, it could be that causing the prob.

I wouldn't go for low fat yogurt meself - fat in anything helps slow the carbs in it ,down. So you could have an 18g carb FULL fat yog, and you probably wouldn't see anything near that spike. It would releas eitself more fradually over a longer period, which is actually helpful to most diabetics, as long as with T1 it doesn't release slower than the fast-acting insulin the person uses LOL I mean 45 mins is really quite fast acting carb, isn't it?

What happens with a really low carb or no carb breakfast?

 

[yorksman]

However, is there a limit the bs should rise by during that 2 hours - eg if you went from 5 to 12 say and then back to 5 would that be bad if you ended up back where you started.

I am trying to test if food/bs are having an effect on my tiredness issue.
I have had a low fat yogurt this morning and was 5.1 before I ate it. 45 mins later I am 9.2 and am now feeling tired again although not as bad as I was. Its probably just coincidence.

Low fat yoghurts tend to be high in sugar. Low sugar convenience foods tend to be high fat. Producers invariably put one or the other in and highlight the low value. People think it's healthy that way.

Yes, you are right, you eat a food, and your blood glucose level goes up. After about 2 hours, it should have returned to roughly normal. This is called the glucose response curve. How high it goes depends on the type of food and how much insulin you produce. Typically one or more of three things can mess things up for a diabetic. Firstly, you don't produce much insulin. This causes the glucose levels to rise and not come down quickly. Secondly, its production is delayed somewhat before it enters your system. This allows the glucose to rise but when you do produce enough insulin, it comes down nicely. But, the whole process takes longer. Thirdly, you produce insulin but yu are resistant to it so, your glucose stays in your blood because the insulin has little effect.

Typically you get these sort of curves, although this is somewhat idealised to emphasise the differences:

The area under the graph is greatest for a diabetic. That means, glucose is in the blood longer.

In the real world, different foods have different curves. Here is a plot mde by someone testing 3 different breads with an apple and glucose as upper and lower limits for comparison:

After 120 mins, both Rudi's 14 Grain and the Seed Sourdough are neaer normal but the Rudi's 14 Grain caused a higher spike.

For type 2 diabetes, the recommendation is to be below 8.5 after 2 hours. For non diabetics, it's something like 7.8. However, I eat foods which will result in me being under 7, as I like a generous safety margin.

If the second graph doesn't display properly because of size issues, you can see it here.

 

[Caroline]

Can't offer any advice regards ups and downs but if you like yoghurt and want low fat variety without the sugar, have you tried making your own? Thee are loads of yoghurt makers on the market and you can add things to them to make it a bit more interesting.

 

[lucy123]

Thanks for the responses including the advice on yogurt and the graphs.
I think what I am trying to work out is if my rise after eating the same food has got worse - ie used to rise from 5.6 to 8.6 and back to normal, but now seems to be going much higher but still more or less back to normal. What does this mean? Am really just trying to find an answer to the tiredness and am running out of ideas.

Yesterday i slept all night until 7am - went to work and had to take afternoon off again as holiday and slept 1pm - 9.30pm, then back to bed at 10.30 and just got up. Its a ridiculous amount of sleep for me. The only other thing is my joints get really painful, but the tiredness is the worst.

Thanks for taking time to answer - it is appreciated.

 

[yorksman]

That sort of tiredness could have many causes and diabetes is not something that immediately springs to mind. Firstly, the hot muggy weather doesn't help. You may be deficient in iron, or some vitamins or it may just be a question of getting more exercise and fresh air. It's a bit of a cliche but they do you good.

When I felt like you it was because I had developed sleep apnea. I never fell into a deep sleep and was consequently never fully rested. I got one of those CPAP machines and felt a lot better the very next morning. It was probably the first decent night's sleep that I had in months. By the end of the first week I was, relatively speaking, bouncing with energy.

I'd discuss it with the doctor and my guess is that he will get your blood tested for iron as a first measure. People on some diets are prone to iron deficiency. It's easily sorted with a course of iron tablets.

 

[lucy123]

I have already had all the standard blood tests and they have all come back normal. The GP now thinks I have had one virus on top of another but there is no test for it. It definitely isn't the weather.

I am in a very deep sleep and even the flipping neighbour next door drilling and banging all day doesn't wake me once i have gone to sleep so dont think its sleep apnea but thanks for the suggestion.

I guess I just have to accept its a virus and hope it goes as quickly as it comes. Although its been 5 weeks now!

I was just thinking bs may have been playing a part but maybe I am looing too deeply.

Thanks again for the response though.

 

[Poppie]

Hi Lucy

When you go back to the doctor I would ask to have my thyroid checked too as being underactive thyroid can give you all those symptoms i.e. extreme tiredness/lack of energy and also aches in joints. I was very much like this until I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. I also had a severe vitamin D deficiency which, again, can make you feel all of the above. It may be worth you going back to get a few tests done.

 

[lucy123]

Hi Lucy

When you go back to the doctor I would ask to have my thyroid checked too as being underactive thyroid can give you all those symptoms i.e. extreme tiredness/lack of energy and also aches in joints. I was very much like this until I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. I also had a severe vitamin D deficiency which, again, can make you feel all of the above. It may be worth you going back to get a few tests done.

Yep - thyroid checked as was suspected but all okay. i already take a good dose of vitamin d as my count has been quite low - but okay with tablets.
Thanks again

 

[yorksman]

The GP now thinks I have had one virus on top of another but there is no test for it.

Well your GP knows your medical history. You might be interested in this: Post-viral fatigue syndrome

"The term is not widely used, but the state of prolonged or severe fatigue after illness is not uncommon."

"patients may also present with unrefreshing sleep."

If you've had a virus earlier or maybe as you say, one after another, your GP may well be on the right track.