Newbie

[Tommie49]

Hi everyone,
I am finally admitting I’ve got diabetes.long story.
I am on METFORMIN x 3 a day ,I checked my blood last night it was 9.6 but this morning it was 10.4
That’s without any food . ( don’t understand it to be honest slowly learning ) can some kind person tell me why it’s higher .
Thank you x

 

[mashedupmatt]

Hi @Tommie49 and welcome to the forum - unfortunately it is very hard to predict BG levels from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute - there are 42 different things that can afftect BG:

How long have you been taking the Metformin? As far as I'm aware it can take a few days to get fully working - there are many people on this forum who have expereinces of taking Metformin, as as such are more knowledgeable than me, so I hope you get the answers you need - feel free to ask any questions that you may have - there are decades worth of experience on this forum

 

[Tommie49]

Thank you ,
I think it will be caffeine ( drink to much coffee)
Sorry to ask is smoothies good for type 2
Been on 3 METFORMIN since Sunday before that just 1

 

[mashedupmatt]

Smoothies are a tricky one - there is a handy section on the Diabetes UK Website which explains better than I can!

Fruit juices and smoothies

Many of you have contacted us confused about fruit, fruit juices and smoothies and whether they are something you can have if you have diabetes. So we’ve set out to answer your questions and explain the difference between drinking fruit juice and smoothies and eating whole fruit and how this can...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[Leadinglights]

You might want to change your signature to Type 2 rather than 'at risk' as people will wonder why you are are on metformin and seeing levels as high as you reported.
Many find morning levels are higher as the liver releases glucose in the absence of food which is why morning readings can be higher than the rest of the day.
Making some changes to your diet will help you get your levels down, metformin only helps a bit.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for making changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
As mentioned Smoothies are not brilliant as the fibre is broken down making the carbs more available.

 

[pjgtech]

Hi, and welcome.
When it comes to looking at the food you eat, the carbs and cals book is great too, (off amazon) as it shows actual portion sizes, so you can visualise it better, also check out the "sugar free londoner" website for great recipes, etc. A lot of smoothies have banana in the and bananas are not recommended for diabetics as it has a lot of carbs. Best fruits for diabetics seems to be berries, but don't have too many of them!
General advice is to cut down on all carbs, not just sugars.

 

[helli]

Please remember that "diabetes" includes different types of the condition. It is not a shortened way of writing "type 2 diabetes".
For example, bananas are fine for people with Type 1 diabetes and there is no reason they would not be recommended.

 

[Lucyr]

bananas are not recommended for diabetics

That’s not true. I eat bananas daily, either with insulin or before swimming.

Are you trying to say “test your blood sugar before and after a banana or eat them before exercise, as they may make your blood sugar rise, but they may be fine for you as everyone is different”?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Tommie49

It can be confusing to wake at a higher level than you went to bed on, when you know fir sure you’ve had nothing to eat during that time!

But there are more factors in play that can affect your glucose levels than just the food you eat (as the graphic posted by @mashedupmatt suggests!).

Most likely for you it was the Dawn Phenomenon, stored glucose in the liver and muscles being released in the early hours or on rising to help ‘fire up the burners’ for the day ahead.

Not very convenient for those of us with wonky glucose regulation!

 

[Alan44]

Hi @Tommie49 and welcome to the forum.
Diabetes is a weird one, as what works for one may not work for another leading to some conflicting answers, so in short you may have to work out what works for you.
What was your last hba1c result as this will be your starting point and give others here a better idea on what advice is needed.

Things to consider are:

Weight
Diet
Exercise

The above will all affect your hba1c to a greater or lesser degree, but all 3 are in your control and control is the key word

Alan 😉

 

[pjgtech]

That’s not true. I eat bananas daily, either with insulin or before swimming.

Are you trying to say “test your blood sugar before and after a banana or eat them before exercise, as they may make your blood sugar rise, but they may be fine for you as everyone is different”?

My bad, should have said generally not recommended for T2D, (as it sounds like the OP is T2D), sorry, as they are higher in carbs and as other fruits (eg: berries) are generally better for T2D.
Obviously T1D can eat bananas, as I say my mistake.

 

[CliffH]

That’s not true. I eat bananas daily, either with insulin or before swimming.

Are you trying to say “test your blood sugar before and after a banana or eat them before exercise, as they may make your blood sugar rise, but they may be fine for you as everyone is different”?

I eat a banana every day too: healthy carbs and potassium in its own biodegradable packaging! "A banana a day keeps the person with a banana phobia away".

 

[Lucyr]

person with a banana phobia away

Quite topical, though I won’t derail the thread, if you google bananaphobia you’ll find news of a Swedish politician who has conferences etc bananaproofed to ensure no traces.

 

[CliffH]

That’s not true. I eat bananas daily, either with insulin or before swimming.

Are you trying to say “test your blood sugar before and after a banana or eat them before exercise, as they may make your blood sugar rise, but they may be fine for you as everyone is different”?

Quite topical, though I won’t derail the thread, if you google bananaphobia you’ll find news of a Swedish politician who has conferences etc bananaproofed to ensure no traces.

I didn't realise there was such a thing!