Normal??

[Doddy]

Is it wrong to feel like not eating because i don't want to feel as ill as I did last night when my BG hit 27? I am hungry, but I am scared to eat because i don't want to push my levels up.
what can I eat that won't have an effect on my BS? Should I just go to bed, and have a good breakfast in the morning...and ignore the hunger.

 

[Steff]

Hi,

Maybe try a light snack do you have any nuts in or crackers something to just fill you up.please don't try and over think things to much I know it's easy for me to say that but I was there and it drove me mad at the start I was worrying my self and making myself worse at the same time .

Definitely have sme breakfast in the morning though it's a good thing if you have kids to do it as well cause if they see you doing it they could start missing it not to sure of there ages but they learn little things like that easily.

 

[Vicsetter]

It's normal to have all sorts of feeling when you are diagnosed with Diabetes and it isn't helped when we all react differently to things. There is nothing much that won't affect your BGs it's just the extent and the speed to which things affect you. So Jam, white bread etc will hit quickly but not last long. To stave off the hunger pains I've previously used dilute lemon juice (PLJ), in fact it forms part of some modern diets. It does have some sugar, but diluted shouldn't be too bad.
It's early days for your metformin to be having an effect, but stick with it and remain positive.

 

[Doddy]

Thankyou for your replies

I have decided to just come to bed and ignore the hunger. I did hav 3 cherry tomatoes and a cup of tea tho!

I think i am just eager to change the way i feel and get levels down but feel totally at a loss of how to do it.
I am presuming the education course that we get sent on will help with all this.

Do crackers not affect BG the way bread does?
I plan on having an egg breakfast tomorrow...see if that does my numbers any harm!
Coming to bed, i just checked my BS And its 23.6! Without having any tea!
Not enjoying this at all!

 

[Steff]

Thankyou for your replies

I have decided to just come to bed and ignore the hunger. I did hav 3 cherry tomatoes and a cup of tea tho!

I think i am just eager to change the way i feel and get levels down but feel totally at a loss of how to do it.
I am presuming the education course that we get sent on will help with all this.

Do crackers not affect BG the way bread does?
I plan on having an egg breakfast tomorrow...see if that does my numbers any harm!
Coming to bed, i just checked my BS And its 23.6! Without having any tea!
Not enjoying this at all!

Ahh doddy you must feel awful I swear if this keeps going get yourself on the phone to NHs direct those type of levels and the Rate your having them is not good at all, if I was 23.6 I would not go to bed till at least I was below 14 but that's just personally to what I would do Hun x

 

[Medusa]

that is very high what meds are you on... i really feel for type two esp when you go high as there is no way (that i know of) to bring your sugars down apart from over time .....

 

[Vicsetter]

that is very high what meds are you on... i really feel for type two esp when you go high as there is no way (that i know of) to bring your sugars down apart from over time .....

Exercise usually does the trick, I find driving/shopping works wonders, nothing like traipsing round the supermarket to get some exercise. I think Doddy has only recently been put on Metformin so isn't even up to full dose yet, but it strikes me the GP will add something else before too long.

 

[Senator]

When I am peckish I have a couple of hard boiled eggs

 

[DeusXM]

what can I eat that won't have an effect on my BS?

Things that are high in fat, low in carbohydrate and moderate to high in protein.

Both carbohydrates and protein will raise your blood sugar. Carbs will raise it quickly and to large extent; protein will raise it but only after several hours and to a much lower magnitude. Fat is the only macronutrient that doesn't raise your blood sugar.

I'd second the point that if you're getting levels like 27 mmol/l you probably need to call NHS Direct. I gather you've just started on Met so it will take time to kick in, but with levels this high I would have thought you will need more support.

I wouldn't ignore the hunger - it'll just make you feel bad. However, it's also worth bearing in mind that high blood sugar can indirectly cause hunger. If your body is not producing enough insulin, your muscles won't get enough energy and so your body will tell you to eat. Think of it like having a broken fuel gauge on a car - you've got plenty of fuel in the tank (ie sugar in the blood) but your body can't see it (because it doesn't have enough insulin) and so the light comes on.

Good snacking choices in this kind of situation would be things that provide satiety - this is directly linked to fat, high-fat food will make you feel far more fuller quickly. You could try things like nuts, ham wrapped in sliced cheese, pork rinds, biltong, jerky, cheese-topped green veg, avocado, omelettes, scrambled/boiled eggs....

 

[Doddy]

Thankyou all so so much for replying.
I only started on metformin last tuesday, so still have a couple of days of taking just 1 a day. My GP did say she was going to refer me to the hosp so i could start on Byetta aswell.

I have tried the exercise route, but so far all it has done is raised my levels...maybe I am not exercising enough...it's hard when the knee pain kicks in and I can hardly walk tho!

I am going to write a list of all that has been mentioned...I have noticed that i often feel hungry, especially after a big meal (!?), so I think to myself "I can't be really hungry as I have jsut eaten".

I woke up at 18.8 this morning, and I have just had eggs for breakfast. So my theory of "if the BS are high, don't eat and add to them" is totally wrong? People keep telling me I must still eat...but there doens't seem much point if all it will do is raise the BS!

What can a type 2 do to lower BS apart from exercise? I am sorry if this seems like a dumb question!

 

[pippaandben]

I find sausage,bacon and eggs - no bread does it for me. As others recommend have you tried the burgen soya and linseed bread. One slice should do with this. Remember you MUST have some carbs = don't be tempted to leave them out completely just cut down. I was also in the high and mid 20s to start with and have now had gliclazide added. Over 8 months all have been increased steadily and only now when on 4 gliclazides (the max) and 2g metformin a day am I getting to near normal. It may take time but you will get there. But DO go back to Dr soonest with these levels to get some added advice/meds.

 

[Vicsetter]

I find sausage,bacon and eggs - no bread does it for me. As others recommend have you tried the burgen soya and linseed bread. One slice should do with this. Remember you MUST have some carbs = don't be tempted to leave them out completely just cut down. I was also in the high and mid 20s to start with and have now had gliclazide added. Over 8 months all have been increased steadily and only now when on 4 gliclazides (the max) and 2g metformin a day am I getting to near normal. It may take time but you will get there. But DO go back to Dr soonest with these levels to get some added advice/meds.

Be careful with the sausages some are over half cereal filler, look for 75%+ meat.

 

[Doddy]

Why must we have carbs? If it's carbs that raise things, can't we just leave them out?

I only ever eat tesco Finest Sausages (other brands available!), so I presume these are ok...I don't have them often tho..they cause my grill to catch fire!

I can't wait to have my education course...i am sure will then have more understanding of all of this.
I don't think I am seeing my GP for 10 weeks now...although I don't know what I am meant to do when my metformin runs out! I think I might give the surgery a call and leave the GP a message. Hopefully the referral to the hosp won't take long...do they see it as urgent if you are having high readings? My GP actually told me not to test, so will she get the hump if i tell her I have been!??

 

[Mark T]

Why must we have carbs? If it's carbs that raise things, can't we just leave them out?

From what it was explained to me, the body needs a certain amount of carbs to function correctly. It can't entirely survive by burning fats and proteins for an extended period. It's usually stated that the brain needs the carbs and can use them without insulin being present.

There are lots of arguments about exactly how much carbohydrate should be in your diet (with Atkins I think saying 10g/day and the NHS 250g/day) but I'm not going to bother getting into those arguments 😉

Personally I follow the concept of letting your blood glucose meter tell you what you can get away with! For me that is something around 140g/day but YMMV.

 

[Doddy]

From what it was explained to me, the body needs a certain amount of carbs to function correctly. It can't entirely survive by burning fats and proteins for an extended period. It's usually stated that the brain needs the carbs and can use them without insulin being present.

There are lots of arguments about exactly how much carbohydrate should be in your diet (with Atkins I think saying 10g/day and the NHS 250g/day) but I'm not going to bother getting into those arguments 😉

Personally I follow the concept of letting your blood glucose meter tell you what you can get away with! For me that is something around 140g/day but YMMV.

Thankyou for that explanation 🙂 I am so new to all this, it's hard to know what I should be doing...

Should I wait until on the course, shall i cut the carbs down to say 100g, and go from there, or just wait for the medication to kick in a start working? It does feel like the Dr has jsut given me some meds, and I am left for the time being, to get on with it....

I have had a good healthy (ish I think) tea this evening, so it will be interesting to see what happens when i test shortly! I had a pork loin steak, new potatoes (3) and some spring greens, with a little bit of gravy.

I have been scared again today to eat anything, and i am hoping this isn't the way it's going to be from now on!

 

[Mark T]

Well, if it helps, the tea you had certainly wouldn't cause me problems - but everyone is different.

I wasn't offered a course and just got blank faces when i asked about one - so what I have done is all my own achievement with very little input from the DSN, the GP or anyone else. So my answer to if you should wait till the course or get on with it yourself is possibly a bit biased 😉

It comes down to how comfortable you feel with doing it yourself. I've got a science training so getting my calculator out and performing a few experiments didn't particularly worry me. I'm not saying that you have to have science training to figure things out yourself, but you can understand possibly why it held no fears for me.

If you are scared to eat is definitely the wrong situation. Unfortunately if your GP is anti-self-testing (and willing to leave you are levels of 20+) then they are a bit of a chocolate fireguard and not really going to be much help in the long run. Hopefully it won't take more then a few weeks for your referral.

 

[DeusXM]

From what it was explained to me, the body needs a certain amount of carbs to function correctly. It can't entirely survive by burning fats and proteins for an extended period. It's usually stated that the brain needs the carbs and can use them without insulin being present.

I agree that you don't have to cut out carbs if you don't want to, but there aren't any medically adverse effects if you choose to do so. Your brain does not need carbs. Ketones produced in the liver can pass through the blood brain barrier and provide a perfectly acceptable energy source. Meanwhile, eliminating carbs doesn't mean you have no source of glucose. Protein is slowly metabolised to glucose via gluconeogenesis. That means even if you eliminated carbs from your diet, you would still have glucose available to power your brain (even though you don't actually need that glucose).

There is a significant difference between ketosis and diabetic ketoacedosis. As for whether the body can survive by burning fat and protein for an extended period, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest this is harmful. If it was, why are people who are overweight told they need to burn their fat? What is different about their body fat in relation to dietary fat?

Once again, there is no reason to eliminate carbs entirely and I would suggest it's a bad idea to do for psychological reasons - carbs are a widespread macronutrient and I like being able to go out socially and not be the difficult one at the table who can't eat anything. But there are no good medical reasons to eat carbs and I'd suggest someone with a BG in the 20s should drastically cut down on carbs (to less than 30g a day) and then reintroduce them according to their meter.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Very interesting thread with lots to think about for the original poster.

One other factor to add in to the 'Where to go from here' decision making process I guess is this:

Living with diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint. There is research (backed up by experience from the forum) that rapidly changing your BG levels places extra strain in the fine blood vessels, and can damage them.

Living with high BGs feels awful, but it seems it can be prudent to attempt to 'normalize' them over weeks/months not days.

But I would agree that reducing carbs in your diet is a very important part of managing your diabetes. Metformin (or byetta or Victoza or Gliclazide or insulin or any of the other meds) will not be able to control your diabetes on their own. You will have to manage your relationship with food, carbs in particular, on an ongoing basis.

That's what life with D is, I'm afraid.

 

[Doddy]

Very interesting thread with lots to think about for the original poster.

One other factor to add in to the 'Where to go from here' decision making process I guess is this:

Living with diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint. There is research (backed up by experience from the forum) that rapidly changing your BG levels places extra strain in the fine blood vessels, and can damage them.

Living with high BGs feels awful, but it seems it can be prudent to attempt to 'normalize' them over weeks/months not days.

But I would agree that reducing carbs in your diet is a very important part of managing your diabetes. Metformin (or byetta or Victoza or Gliclazide or insulin or any of the other meds) will not be able to control your diabetes on their own. You will have to manage your relationship with food, carbs in particular, on an ongoing basis.

That's what life with D is, I'm afraid.

Thankyou all so much for all your input, and you are right...I have got lots to think about. I am used to feeling the way I am, so can deal with the tiredness, the thirst etc. But I am really keen to avoid the way i felt the other night when I was at 27.7, I really did feel dreadful.
I like your "marathon not a sprint" comment...I guess I will learn this is a long path to walk, and as long as i get there in the end. Im just scared of the damage that is going on meanwhile.

I have noticed that my eyesight has got blurry lately, I have only recently (2 months ago) had my eyes tested, so this blurriness is worrying me slightly, but again, I guess I need to wait until my retinopathy appointment.

You all really have given me so many pointers...and I am really grateful for that 🙂

 

[DeusXM]

I have noticed that my eyesight has got blurry lately, I have only recently (2 months ago) had my eyes tested, so this blurriness is worrying me slightly, but again, I guess I need to wait until my retinopathy appointment.

I would cautiously suggest to not worry too much about this at present. High blood sugar causes blurry vision anyway, in a way unrelated to retinopathy. It seems very possible that as your blood sugar control improves, so will your vision.