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Newb here - Slowly coming out of Denial

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LeoT2

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all and thanks for taking the time to read this.
I was diagnosed in Dec 2016 whilst also discovering a triple blockage of arteries to my heart, this latter diagnosis was more concerning at the the time but after a CABG procedure my heart condition is fine. Anyway I guess I haven't taken my Diabetes seriously as not an imminent threat to my demise and believed my meds would sort it, I am on 2000 mg of Metaformin 1000 twice daily Linaglyptin and glicazide not sure of doses but one lina glyptin in the morning and one glicazide in the morning and one in the evening . I used to take my bloods relatively regularly but hadn't in probably over a year until yesterday. I registered a 26.7 at about 2100 last night and thought oops thats not good. I repeated the test when i awoke at about 0700 this morning and 10.7 I then ate 1 slice of wholemeal bread with olive spread and two poached eggs waited an hour or so and was back at 22.6 which has kind of surprised me, I do have a consultation with the Dr later today and expect my meds to be changed as my latest Blood test showed i was very high. I have been ignoring my diabetes for a while now and know if i dont change and get my BS under control I will suffer. I have the added incentive of being due to become a father again in the next month or so . Please be constructive in any advice you have Thanks for listening
 
Hi Leo T2.

Your readings certainly are up in the red zone so hope your talk with the Dr goes well and he can suggest a way forward.

Looks like you are heading towards maxing max out on the medication so there are a couple of other bits of info which might help members to give you some thoughts. Are you putting any focus on your diet as a means of controlling your BG and could you do with losing a pound or two?
 
Hi @LeoT2 🙂

Yes, those readings are high but I’m sure they can be improved. That’s the positive thing. As said above, if you can give us a little more information about your diet and weight, etc, you’ll get more tailored suggestions.

When I see a Type 2 with high readings like yours, the possibility of them maybe not being Type 2 occurs to me. Some people are automatically assumed to be Type 2 when they’re diagnosed in adulthood, but are actually a slow-onset Type 1. If you think that could apply to you, do mention it to your doctor if only so it can be ruled out.
 
Hey and welcome to the forum. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them.
 
Hi Docb and Inka and thanks for your responses

My diet is usually pretty awful, high in carbs and processed meats etc, I am looking to get better on that but its time and preference for convenience food due to being lazy and making excuses or putting off the start of a healthier eating regime. My weight is not great a BMI of 27 ish so overweight but not massively, I could use doing more exercise, one positive although may also have an effect is i stopped smoking 4 weeks ago, and thats not one puff in the last 4 weeks. I am getting a mixture of dizziness and fatigue at points during the day or a jitteriness caused by caffeine ? I do drink tea three to four cups a day with a sweetner that feeling has been dealt with by eating more but I am now wary to do that with such elevated levels - So today since my breakfast i have had some grilled chicken with some salad and light mayo, about 2 hours ago now and i just tested and got 14.7 and feel a bit lightheaded and jittery.
 
Why light mayonnaise? Low fat is not the way to go, as although there might not be many more carbs in a light version, you do need the fat.
Has no one ever explained that the problem is sugar and starch?
 
Hi LeoT2. Looks like one way forward is to get your diet sorted. In very simple terms (and nothing is ever that simple) carbohydrate turns into glucose in the gut and that turns up in the blood. If your system can't handle glucose efficiently for some reason or other than you finish up with high blood glucose levels, and that can lead to complications you can do without. Limiting your carb intake is therefore one way of controlling your blood glucose. If you read around the forum you will see that many (me included) have used this to get from your levels down to something near normal, often with a bit of weight loss and a reduction in medication. Bit of a win all round.

Suggest you start looking around the forum for ideas on heading for a low carb way of eating and you will find that convenience food doesn't figure anywhere. Take it slowly, work your way through posts and suggestions and try and work out a plan that suits your way of thinking and lifestyle. Be wary of anything which offers a magic cure. One thing this forum has taught me is that we are all different and need to sort out our own solution. Going to low carb eating was easy for me because I like food and am a decent cook so I could easily get rid of high carb components of my diet and had some fun working out alternatives. I appreciate that it might not be quite so easy for others.

Start looking and thinking and come back with questions!
 
Welcome to the forum @LeoT2

Hope we can help you make positive changes in your diabetes management. It’s great you are wanting to turn things around - and congratulations on your impending parenthood. Running high (ore erratic) BGs can make you feel grim, so if you can begin to get your levels moving towards your target range you should get renewed energy, less tiredness and generally feel more alive.

As you are on medication, you should make changes to your menu gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable, but also because if you suddenly ditch all your carbs at once you may walk straight into some problematic hypos. But is sounds like your balance of meds and food is quite far off at the moment, so perhaps start by keeping a brutally honest food diary, so that you can see what lies behind those 20s, and then begin reducing carb content of meals by a proportion (reduce carbs by a quarter maybe? Or a half?) until you begin to see some lower post-meal numbers.

Take it carefully, and keep checking - even if the numbers aren’t what you want to see to start with. It’s just information to help you know what to do next, it’s not a measure of how much effort you are putting in, or a pony kind of judgement on you.
 
Again @LeoT2 looking positively, you can do a lot to improve your diet and that in turn will help your blood sugar and general health. You’ve already made a great step forward by stopping smoking.

I second the idea of a food diary. It’s good to have an accurate record of exactly what you eat. It will also help you have something to look at and make adjustments to. Change things slowly and see how things go. It would be sensible to tell your doctor too, and keep in touch with them in case your meds need adjusting.
 
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