My sugar was too high tonight

[24thantherest]

Hello. I'm new to this group, but I'm glad I found it because I believe that this could be the missing link in helping me stay on track with my diabetes.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in March, 2009 after seeing the Dr because I had become very ill. I'm sure most of you know the routine.
😱
I won't get into all the drama now, but I decided to take it head on, changed my eating habits, joined Activity for Life 12 week Gym programme (through NHS) and continue to work out every weekend in addition to walking my dog every day. I lost 3.5 stone and I love being active, looking and feeling good.

I didn't start meds right away. It might have been matbe a year later. I take metformin, glicozide, sitagliptin and lipitor. Perhaps I should take it twice a day, but I tend to take it at tea tme or before bed. For the most part, my sugar hasn't been below 7 or at 7 on a regular basis. It's been about 9 or 10, same with my HB1C so I am due to see the nurse this month.

I've been eating chocolate on a daily basis. Don't ask me why. There are reports that just a little bit of choccy a day helps keep your cravings down and prevents weight gain. I LOVE CHOCOLATE. I seem to justify eating it because I love to eat healthy food too, so I eat loads of nutrition and top it off with choccy. My Boss buys us Friday treat at work and she got these delicious little cake bites from M&S. I was working hard and didn't eat lunch until 3pm so I ended up have several bites of cake and then came home and found my hubby had picked up some cadbury mini rolls from ASDA. Cadbury is my fave! So I had one with a cappacino. Stupid, but truthful. I have been eating cadbury chocolate raisins at work, and mini eggs at home. When I visited my family in LA i brought home a box of See's candies and ate the whole box over a 2 week period. I also brought back Hersheys hot fudge sauce and have had it over vanilla ice cream a few times. God, I even bought a box of chocolate wheetos at Morrison's the other day because it was on offer. I recognised the fact I have been over doing it over the last few weeks but didn't change the behaviour.

This is embarassing, but my bladder control hasn't been good thsi week. Yesterday I lost control of my bladder for the first time, and weed without relaising it before making it to the toilet. (Only a few drops thankfully) and then today, I had a fall after accidentally stepping into a hole in the pavement and I weed after a hard fall. Thanksfully I wasnt hurt just a bit sore.

We ordered a curry tonight & I had a half of lager. I later decided to take a jaccuzi bath to relax. I was feeling a bit sore from the fall. The bath was very hot. When I got out, I felt a bit faint and so I drank loads of water from the sink and then had to lie down for a few minutes. I knew my sugar was too high. I could feel it. I hadn't taen my medicine yet. It was 18! This has happned to me a couple times when I was on holiday in LA but it was temporary and I then stabilised. I took my meds immediately and checked again soon after only to find out I was 20! I told my husband and I said maybe the hot jaccuzi bath made it even worse. The lack of meds and chocolate were obviously a problem.

I cried tonight because I feel I have lost control or made too many allowances over the last few weeks. (The kids had birthdays this week on top of it)

I guess what I can use is feedback and advice and support from you all. I will continue going to the gym, walking the dog and eating healthy. I am due to see my Nurse again this month. We have an excellent relationship and she is proud of my weight loss and healthy choices but she is concerned that my sugar levels arent going down so she recently changed my glicizide to slow release and added the sitagliptin. Here I am supposed to be coming back to see if the change has helps and I'm stuffing my face with chocolate.

Please don't beat me up. I will get back on track. I'm also doing the Great Manchester Race 10K on May 20th so looking forward to that. It's my first time!

Any feedback/advice appreciated. Thanks, Ramona

 

[Northerner]

Hi 24thantherest, welcome to the forum 🙂 Don't worry, we won;t beat you up! And you shouldn't either, because you've taken the step to realise what you are doing wrong and have made a start to rectify things by joining up here 🙂

It does sound like chocolate is one of your principle vices, and a big contributor to your problems in keeping your levels under control. I would suggest you start a food diary from today, and record absolutely everything you eat and drink, making sure to record the carbohydrate content of everything - this will give you a true idea of what you are consuming each day and will give you a good idea of where you can make adjustments. If you want chocolate, buy some very high cocoa-content chocolate - 70or 80%. You can allow yourself a couple of squares with a meal, but no more, and this should stop you from feeling deprived without having much impact on your blood sugar levels,

You clearly have the ability to test your levels, but do you follow a structured method, or just test when you wonder what your levels are? Have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and it would also be worth getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - although you have been diagnosed a couple of years it will help you start thinking anew about your diabetes and how to manage it well, sometimes taking a fresh look at things can be a big motivation! 🙂

You should speak to your doctor about the problems with your bladder. Although there is the possibility they might be diabetes-related, they may be entirely unconnected.

Please ask any questions you may have - nothing is considered 'silly', and there will always be someone here to offer you help and support 🙂 Good luck in the Great Manchester Run!