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[helen56]

Hi everyone. I'm Helen, 56 and I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes a week ago. My initial readings were 13.9 first thing in the morning and 18 2 hours after lunch. My doctor put me on Metformin (twice a day) and gave me some advice on what to eat and what to avoid and, so far, I've followed her instructions to a T. Trying to do more exercise, too, as she stressed that walking is essential. This morning I was at 6.8 and I must say I'm pleased with myself 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi everyone. I'm Helen, 56 and I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes a week ago. My initial readings were 13.9 first thing in the morning and 18 2 hours after lunch. My doctor put me on Metformin (twice a day) and gave me some advice on what to eat and what to avoid and, so far, I've followed her instructions to a T. Trying to do more exercise, too, as she stressed that walking is essential. This morning I was at 6.8 and I must say I'm pleased with myself 🙂

Welcome to the forum. The readings you are getting are presumably from a finger prick sample which give you blood glucose at 'that moment in time' and will vary throughout the day depending on many factors, what you have eaten, exercise, how hydrated you are and several other factors so having a strategic testing regime from which you can make decisions about mainly what food and meals your body can tolerate will help long term progress. Your diagnosis would have been made from an HbA1C test which is basically an average of your glucose levels over the previous 3 months and will be somewhere above the diagnostic threshold of 47mmol/mol, how much above that will determine how much work you have to do.
When you are doing testing many find a sensible regime is to test before you eat and after 2 hours when in increase of no more than 3mmol/l or no more than 8-8.5mmol/l after 2 hours indicates the meal is ok, you are aiming at 4-7mmol/l before meals and fasting/ morning level.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet, it is a low carb approach which has been found successful for people in reducing blood glucose and loosing weight if needed. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/ It was developed by a GP surgery who found the standard NHS advice did no help many of their patients.
Low carb is suggested as being no more than 130g carbs not just sugar per day, it is not NO carbs.

 

[helen56]

Thank you. Yes, my readings are from finger pricking. My HbA1C test was at 75mmol/mol and that's how I was diagnosed. My doctor has told me to write down what I eat every day and test when I wake up and again 2 hours after lunch and write those figures down, too. I'm also having a full blood and urine test next week and meeting my doctor again on the 19th.
I do need to lose weight and I've actually lost 2 stones already. I had started a diet and cut down on 'bad carbs' 2.5 months before I was diagnosed, so, the changes in my diet don't bother me at all; the only thing I found difficult was having to drink black coffee but I'm slowly getting used to it 😎
Thank you for the link, too.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Cutting out milk from your coffee is very noble - but in my opinion too harsh. Full fat milk is 4.7 gms of carbs per 100ml (ie 4.7%). The lower the fat content the greater the carb content (surprised?!) and its carbs that metabolise into glucose in your blood. A generous dollop of double cream makes a great coffee even greater and the additional carbs are miniscule.

Setting that aside we'll done @helen56. Terrific weight loss already and you are thoroughly justified in being pleased with yourself. The advice from @Leadinglights is, as always, very sensible. A structured testing regime to allow you to see exactly which foods affect YOU (we are all very different in how we respond to a food type or mix of foods in a meal). Personally I would drop the fp 1st thing if you are already getting a few fps per day and probably only do an initial daily fp if taking no other readings daily. The daily fp simply gives an overall trend over time; but my non-medical view is unimportant - YOU should do what you are happy to do.

 

[Drummer]

Thank you. Yes, my readings are from finger pricking. My HbA1C test was at 75mmol/mol and that's how I was diagnosed. My doctor has told me to write down what I eat every day and test when I wake up and again 2 hours after lunch and write those figures down, too. I'm also having a full blood and urine test next week and meeting my doctor again on the 19th.
I do need to lose weight and I've actually lost 2 stones already. I had started a diet and cut down on 'bad carbs' 2.5 months before I was diagnosed, so, the changes in my diet don't bother me at all; the only thing I found difficult was having to drink black coffee but I'm slowly getting used to it 😎
Thank you for the link, too.

I put cream in my coffee - the sugar in milk is the lactose in the watery part, so cream is fine, though some people do get a bit carried away with the amount to add.
There aren't really good and bad carbs - they all convert to simple sugars in the blood which have to be dealt with - but there are no essential carbs.
I hope that you are not seeing side effects with the Metformin - some people take them with no consequences whilst others like me, really suffer. Luckily just a low carb diet turned things around for me.

 

[helen56]

Cutting out milk from your coffee is very noble - but in my opinion too harsh. Full fat milk is 4.7 gms of carbs per 100ml (ie 4.7%). The lower the fat content the greater the carb content (surprised?!) and its carbs that metabolise into glucose in your blood. A generous dollop of double cream makes a great coffee even greater and the additional carbs are miniscule.

Oh, I didn't cut out milk. I've never liked milk much, anyway, and especially not in coffee. I meant black as in without sugar or any sweeteners. My doctor told me I could use stevia or a teaspoon of honey but that was even harder for me (I hated the taste), so, I just drink it black.

As for the finger pricking, I just do what the doctor told me. Twice a day (morning and 2 hours after lunch) and write it down. I imagine she wants to see something in those readings when I visit her again.

 

[Drummer]

Honey eh - there's someone who was messing around at the back in Biology.

 

[helen56]

I hope that you are not seeing side effects with the Metformin - some people take them with no consequences whilst others like me, really suffer. Luckily just a low carb diet turned things around for me.

Well, it's only been a week but I can't say I've had any serious side effects. Some headaches here and there and a little diarrhea but apart from that I feel fine.
What side effects do you have?

 

[Leadinglights]

There is nothing to stop you doing the extra readings for YOUR benefit rather than the GP, at least you have been prescribed a monitor which many who are Type 2 are not so take advantage of it to work out which foods YOU can tolerate. Pairs of readings are much more informative and you are less likely to reject foods which are absolutely fine by looking for the increase in blood glucose from a particular meal.
Make sure you say well hydrated as dehydration can cause headaches.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

As for the finger pricking, I just do what the doctor told me. Twice a day (morning and 2 hours after lunch) and write it down. I imagine she wants to see something in those readings when I visit her again.

I understand that principle of doing what the GP says. But my own sense says what on earth does a Dr imagine anyone will get from what is in effect random testing? Certainly neither you nor the Dr will be able to conclude anything other than that you are obedient and the Dr can see that you are obedient.


Sorry if this seems pretty robust and blunt, but given that many GPs don't prescribe test meters and strips under any circumstance for T2s on oral meds, it seems strange that your GP has prescribed the kit but for no discernible purpose.

 

[helen56]

Sorry if this seems pretty robust and blunt, but given that many GPs don't prescribe test meters and strips under any circumstance for T2s on oral meds, it seems strange that your GP has prescribed the kit but for no discernible purpose.

So, out of curiosity, what do other T2s on oral meds do?

By the way, just before, 2 hours after lunch, my reading said 6.4, the lowest so far.

 

[Leadinglights]

So, out of curiosity, what do other T2s on oral meds do?

By the way, just before, 2 hours after lunch, my reading said 6.4, the lowest so far.

GPs are only obliged to prescribe monitors and strips if people are on certain medication which could cause low blood glucose (hypos) which metformin is not one so they self fund as for many being able to make good decisions about what meals and food they can tolerate gives them control over managing the condition.
That is a good result for 2 hours post lunch, what did you have out of interest.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

So, out of curiosity, what do other T2s on oral meds do?

By the way, just before, 2 hours after lunch, my reading said 6.4, the lowest so far.

Fair question. I'm not T2, but have a reasonable start on this; my late brother was T2.

Ideally test immediately before the first mouthful of a meal and test as close to 2 hrs later. You are looking to finish at 8-8.5 mmol/L or under 3 mmol/L increase. But this is your end game; so if you start the meal higher, then the target is to NOT have more than 3 mmol/L increase. This will tell you that your meals was managed acceptably by your body. Otherwise you need to mix and match with: reduced portion sizes; avoid the high carb hitters, such as potatoes, pasta and rice (and more obviously desserts with full on sugar); make substitutions such as loads more green veg for potatoes, grated cauliflower instead of rice and pasta made from Edale beans rather than traditional wheat. The 2 hour wait is important for consistency and this is also a sort of loosely accepted standard for confirming your body is managing that meal. Those mix and match suggestions are just that: mix and match and one doesn't have to do all of them.

Your HbA1c at 75 is clearly in the D zone, but it's not so alarming; we see people posting from a start point in 3 figures. And you don't need to respond excessively dramatically, it's far better to try and find choices you can enjoy and routinely select as part of a new but naturally acceptable lifestyle. Your choices need to be sustainable by YOU or the effort will probably fall by the wayside.

If your start point for a pre meal test is higher than you really want then some initial "tough love" with carb control would be needed. But from what you've said your 6.2 and weight loss so far is great already.

All this testing might seem excessive and a potential burden. So the basic structured testing could readily be adjusted. Perhaps (just one suggestion) test for all meals once in the week to have some bench marks for comparison. Then systematically just sort out one meal at a time. Many people start with their breakfasts, partly because it's the 1st meal of the day, partly because most people have their highest degree of insulin resistance at the start of their day and partly because most people choose to have a very repeatable breakfast daily. Get breakfast sorted, reduce or stop testing for breakfasts and repeat for lunches. Then dinners. There are endless permutations to fit into your normal routines.

If having snacks is part of that lifestyle and too challenging to just stop snacking, then try to find snacks which are extremely low in carbs; I don't need to do that since I am I sulun dependent but if I'm being lazy and want to duck a small insulin dose for a snack I'll make something like a breadless sandwich from a couple of cheese slices and a ham filling. In practice there are many options, just needs some creativity with carbless foods that I like.

As you increasingly become carb aware, you will quickly learn which individual food items work for you in isolation and in combination with other foods. Items on their own might be ideal but combined with something else could produce a very different outcome.

 

[Drummer]

Well, it's only been a week but I can't say I've had any serious side effects. Some headaches here and there and a little diarrhea but apart from that I feel fine.
What side effects do you have?

The one that kept me at home was explosive faecal incontinence, though generating gas which could have solved a midwinter energy crisis came a close second.
The usual test regime is just before eating and then two hours later - not two hours after finishing the meal. With the information from the paired readings I could see that I was going o have to stay pretty low carb, and settled on 50gm a day maximum.
I stopped needing to eat lunch fairly quickly on a low carb diet.

 

[helen56]

That is a good result for 2 hours post lunch, what did you have out of interest.

I had roasted radishes and a slice of whole grain bread.

 

[Leadinglights]

I had roasted radishes and a slice of whole grain bread.

That is a good result, never heard of roasting radishes. You might want to add some protein for a more balanced meal, cooked meat, cheese, boiled eggs, avocados are all good options.
Some people find bread a problem but it was obviously OK for you.

 

[helen56]

Some people find bread a problem but it was obviously OK for you.

Well, my doctor said no bread with pulses, rice, pasta, potatoes and that I can have one slice of bread with the rest. She said it doesn't make a difference if it's whole grain or not but I prefer it whole grain anyway.

 

[Leadinglights]

Well, my doctor said no bread with pulses, rice, pasta, potatoes and that I can have one slice of bread with the rest. She said it doesn't make a difference if it's whole grain or not but I prefer it whole grain anyway.

Brown versions of the high carb foods like bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals are not much different in carbs than the white variety but the convert to glucose more slowly but really all those foods should be had with caution unless you test them out to see how you tolerate them.
I certainly tend not to have 2 carby foods together in one meal, and don't have normal pasta, rice, occasionally have potatoes but I do have bread but only a small slice. I put beans in a chilli or chickpeas in a curry but they would only be a small part of the whole meal.

 

[helen56]

Brown versions of the high carb foods like bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals are not much different in carbs than the white variety but the convert to glucose more slowly but really all those foods should be had with caution unless you test them out to see how you tolerate them.
I certainly tend not to have 2 carby foods together in one meal, and don't have normal pasta, rice, occasionally have potatoes but I do have bread but only a small slice. I put beans in a chilli or chickpeas in a curry but they would only be a small part of the whole meal.

I do eat whole grain when I can, like bread or pasta. Thankfully, I don't like rice (I'm a picky eater, I would say). As for potatoes, tomorrow will be the first time I'll have some (with chicken and salad) since I was diagnosed and I'm curious to see if/how much it will affect my after lunch reading.

 

[Leadinglights]

I do eat whole grain when I can, like bread or pasta. Thankfully, I don't like rice (I'm a picky eater, I would say). As for potatoes, tomorrow will be the first time I'll have some (with chicken and salad) since I was diagnosed and I'm curious to see if/how much it will affect my after lunch reading.

There are a couple of non wheat pastas which I find OK and are low carb, they are made from edamame beans or black beans usually found in the Free From section as they are also gluten free.