New to the site and to Diabetes

[Poppyqueen]

Hi everyone, hoping you can give me some good advice please. I’ve just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and have started on Metformin. I thought I was doing really well, and have so far lost a stone through dieting, and cutting out cakes, biscuits and chocolate. However, the other day I went for a walk, and didn’t have my lunch at the usual time. My the time I got home 2 hours later, I felt faint and shaky, and this has now put me off going out for a long walk again. For some reason I had it in my head that because my blood sugar is so high it won’t suddenly drop. Any advice would be helpful, as I was quite upset when it happened, which is stupid as I have a professional job in a hospital. How did I stop feeling faint again?

 

[Deleted member 21371]

As your BG falls, which it will as you lose weight, it's common for your body to take time to adjust.
Give it a couple of weeks, and you shouldn't notice it anymore.
Stay hydrated when you are walking, and the effects will be minimised that way as well.

 

[EmmaL76]

This is very common. They call it false hypo. Your body has been so used to running on high sugars that the drops feel drastic. Even though on metformin you should ever go low low… the tablets are helping your resistance to insulin so that coupled with the better diet is probably going to take a while to adjust to. The good news is that although you may feel like utter c**p, your not really in any danger. It can be unsettling but try not to let it put you off exercise as it’s a brilliant aid for mind and body

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

I would suggest that if you want to go out for a long walk again you take something to eat with you - a small piece of fruit or an oatcake or something like that, which is carby without being too high carb, and eat it if you start to feel faint again (but not otherwise!). You don't need to treat it like a real hypo, but eating something which will level your blood sugar off and stop it plummeting should help you feel better.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you had a bit of a wobble on your walk @Poppyqueen

I can completely understand how upsetting and off-putting this must have been. Especially as you were trying so hard to do the right thing.

But yes, this isn’t at all uncommon in the early weeks and months. If your body is used to running high BG levels, it can give unpleasant hypo-warning symptoms as your levels drop into a healthy range.

As your levels gradually reduce your glucose ‘thermostat’ will gradually reset and these false hypos won’t happen any more.

And as @TheClockworkDodo suggests, having a small snack 5-10g of carbs can help to reduce the symptoms

 

[Kopiert]

I remember that feeling! Your body will adjust - then all of a sudden you will have more energy. The very positive side of T2 diabetes...at least for me

 

[Poppyqueen]

As your BG falls, which it will as you lose weight, it's common for your body to take time to adjust.
Give it a couple of weeks, and you shouldn't notice it anymore.
Stay hydrated when you are walking, and the effects will be minimised that way as well.

Thank you so much for your advice, it’s really helped

 

[Poppyqueen]

I remember that feeling! Your body will adjust - then all of a sudden you will have more energy. The very positive side of T2 diabetes...at least for me

Thanks so much for your advice, I hope it happens soon!

 

[Poppyqueen]

This is very common. They call it false hypo. Your body has been so used to running on high sugars that the drops feel drastic. Even though on metformin you should ever go low low… the tablets are helping your resistance to insulin so that coupled with the better diet is probably going to take a while to adjust to. The good news is that although you may feel like utter c**p, your not really in any danger. It can be unsettling but try not to let it put you off exercise as it’s a brilliant aid for mind and body

Thanks so much, none of this was explained to me, so it was a shock when it happened

 

[Poppyqueen]

I would suggest that if you want to go out for a long walk again you take something to eat with you - a small piece of fruit or an oatcake or something like that, which is carby without being too high carb, and eat it if you start to feel faint again (but not otherwise!). You don't need to treat it like a real hypo, but eating something which will level your blood sugar off and stop it plummeting should help you feel better.

Thanks Juliet, I went out today, and took some fruit with me, I think having that reassurance helped

 

[Poppyqueen]

Sorry to hear you had a bit of a wobble on your walk @Poppyqueen

I can completely understand how upsetting and off-putting this must have been. Especially as you were trying so hard to do the right thing.

But yes, this isn’t at all uncommon in the early weeks and months. If your body is used to running high BG levels, it can give unpleasant hypo-warning symptoms as your levels drop into a healthy range.

As your levels gradually reduce your glucose ‘thermostat’ will gradually reset and these false hypos won’t happen any more.

And as @TheClockworkDodo suggests, having a small snack 5-10g of carbs can help to reduce the symptoms

Thanks Mike, no one had explained to me about false hypos when I was diagnosed, so it was making me scared to go out this week in case it happened again. I’ve been out this morning, and took some fruit with me, and going out for another walk in a bit. This support group is great