• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.

So confused by the readings

Leadinglights said:
If that is the case I suspect she may not be all that far into the diabetic zone if the first one was 'possible'
Was she told the actual number as that is useful to know.
Losing weight must have improved her blood pressure and helped with blood glucose so well done on her.
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Exactly. No info was provided about what the number was. Her blood pressure is perfect now…well until she gets stressed about this diabetes thing!
 
Leadinglights said:
Would you like to share some examples of typical meals as people may spot some problem foods.
Just to add a suggested starting point is to have no more than 130g carbs per day but as everybody is an individual it may be fine for some but too much for others.
Good explanation in this link so do have a look, https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
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Typical meals are things based on sweet potatoes, leeks with cheese, wholewheat pasta with homemade sauce, tuna etc. We’re not big meat eaters, but we did have a steak pie at lunchtime….very little pastry, as the dog got that
 
Thesootyshow said:
Typical meals are things based on sweet potatoes, leeks with cheese, wholewheat pasta with homemade sauce, tuna etc. We’re not big meat eaters, but we did have a steak pie at lunchtime….very little pastry, as the dog got that
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I hope you don't mind the question but how old is she, as the guidelines for a diabetes diagnosis is a bit more lenient for more mature people so there may not be too much to worry about and certainly the weight loss will have been beneficial.
Pasta is one of the foods that even whole wheat is still high in carbs so a OK substitute is edamame bean or black bean pasta or just reduce the portion to a quarter of what people would usually have. Sweet potatoes are sadly the same carbs as ordinary potatoes but butternut squash is a good alternative.
Eggs, fish are good if you don't eat much meat but maybe look at the vegetarian recipes in the Freshwell Program link I posted.
 
Thesootyshow said:
The nurse advised breakfasts of weetabix with berries, to cut out the potatoes and white bread, replacing it with wholemeal, rye or sourdough and limit to 2 slices per day.
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Honestly weetabix will skyrocket me as would all other cereals including oats. Other types of breads make no difference to my glucose reading - it goes up far too high. Same with sweet v normal potatoes. I’m not unusual. And testing before and after will show if your sister is the lucky unusual one that can eat a little of those things or if they are best avoided.

Sadly the general advice often given is a bit flawed and assumes people can’t or won’t take these things out of their diets I guess. That advice is also assuming we were eating ridiculous amounts beforehand, in which case maybe it’s enough of a change. For those that didn’t have a terrible diet before then it might well not be enough change. More and more medical staff are advising not to have these kind of carbs (eg the freshwell link you’ve already been given) and stick to those from things like non starchy veg, nuts and seeds etc. Whether your sister will is kind of up to her once armed with the knowledge of what they do to her levels.

It can be very overwhelming to begin with so she’s making good progress so far. Just keep going in the right direction one step at a time as she gets used to the previous step and learns more about how foods affect her and she can get this thing under control. Whatever activity she can manage would be good too.
 
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@Thesootyshow welcome to the forum and I think it is fantastic how you are working to help your sister. Like most people on here I am not a medical expert and have only been diagnosed with diabetes since last October. That said, the types of readings you are getting are not dissimilar to mine a little while ago. Can I ask how often your sister is eating? The reason for this is that I noticed a while back that while my readings are under 6.5 most of the day they will peak sometimes in the evening if I don't have a minimum of three hours between meals and fail to go out for a brisk walk at least once. Although I tend to snack on plain nuts (almonds or brazil nuts) if I eat to many (i.e. more than 10 grammes) before a meal then my BG also spikes higher than I would like it.

I concur with all the other suggestions that have been made around testing for BG and also what foods have the highest impact on it.
 
Leadinglights said:
I hope you don't mind the question but how old is she, as the guidelines for a diabetes diagnosis is a bit more lenient for more mature people so there may not be too much to worry about and certainly the weight loss will have been beneficial.
Pasta is one of the foods that even whole wheat is still high in carbs so a OK substitute is edamame bean or black bean pasta or just reduce the portion to a quarter of what people would usually have. Sweet potatoes are sadly the same carbs as ordinary potatoes but butternut squash is a good alternative.
Eggs, fish are good if you don't eat much meat but maybe look at the vegetarian recipes in the Freshwell Program link I posted.
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She’s 72
 
Thesootyshow said:
She’s 72
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So would be in the more mature category (like me) so if she is only just into the diabetes zone then if she has no other risk factors then as long as she is keeping an eye on diet and the Hba1C doesn't creep up then it sounds as if she is doing fine. Did you get to the bottom of those two high readings from the soup and sourdough.
 
Leadinglights said:
So would be in the more mature category (like me) so if she is only just into the diabetes zone then if she has no other risk factors then as long as she is keeping an eye on diet and the Hba1C doesn't creep up then it sounds as if she is doing fine. Did you get to the bottom of those two high readings from the soup and sourdough.
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We checked out the sourdough bread and it was okay, the soup wasn’t particularly high neither. Maybe it was because she’d been inactive most of the day, who knows. She does have a bit of a cold and has a compromised immune system due to having had Guillain-Barre a few years back (which has left her unable to do much exercise)
 
Thesootyshow said:
Thank you for your support, we haven’t been told anything about the reading, no idea what it was The pre-breakfast readings were originally around 6.8 and they’re down to 5.1 average ( none below that) She’s keeping a food diary and we hope that by recording everything we can try to make sense of it all
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Sounds like you are making great progress @Thesootyshow

Frustrating to hear how little information you’ve been given in terms of her results at diagnosis, but sometimes I think nurses try not to overwhelm people with a bunch of numbers and unfamiliar terms.

Great to hear you are keeping track of food intake, and logging numbers. These can be so helpful to look back on.

Oh and, in case you haven’t come across this little snippet of info yet, of a reading seems out of the ordinary or unexpected - it can be worth rechecking with a fresh strip. BG meters have a margin of error they are supposed to meet 95% of the time, but occasionally there can be duff strips in a pot, or traces of things on fingers, or the strip doesn’t ‘slurp’ fully. It can also mean it’s helpful to check any particular source of carbs at lease a few times to see if there’s a repeating pattern of significant rises, or whether it might have been ‘just one of those days’ :D
 
Pollyanna said:
And do you know those readings?
They are usually 90 days worth, occasionally 60 days.
It's measured in mmol/mol ...so my last one was 48 with finger prick tests averaging around 4.7 ish

The finger prick test is only as is at the time...it's a guide to the glucose rise at that moment in time.
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The first one was 59, the last one was down to 47
 
Leadinglights said:
So would be in the more mature category (like me) so if she is only just into the diabetes zone then if she has no other risk factors then as long as she is keeping an eye on diet and the Hba1C doesn't creep up then it sounds as if she is doing fine. Did you get to the bottom of those two high readings from the soup and sourdough.
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Me too 😎
 
What do you think your sister is missing the most?
We might have good alternatives.
You mentioned tatties ....so average portion of carbs is around 22gm by comparison average portion of celeriac mash is around 5
I do half and half and have maybe once a week...taste is good it adds a sort of mild nutty taste and is filling.
I also roast it with leeks and parsnips.
 
Pollyanna said:
What do you think your sister is missing the most?
We might have good alternatives.
You mentioned tatties ....so average portion of carbs is around 22gm by comparison average portion of celeriac mash is around 5
I do half and half and have maybe once a week...taste is good it adds a sort of mild nutty taste and is filling.
I also roast it with leeks and parsnips.
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Given the chance she would (and did, hence the problem!) live happily on white bread and potatoes! I think she is just frustrated with the intrusion this is currently having on her life 24/7. All the planning, checking, cooking! She had a bit of an emotional meltdown this morning but pulled her socks up, took the puppy out for a good walk, and then found a good recipe in the diabetic cook books…todays readings have been very good and the meal didn’t cause any major spike (before eating it was 6.7 and 2 hours after it was 8.4) The motivation to exercise is difficult but I think it made a big difference
 
Thesootyshow said:
Given the chance she would (and did, hence the problem!) live happily on white bread and potatoes! I think she is just frustrated with the intrusion this is currently having on her life 24/7. All the planning, checking, cooking! She had a bit of an emotional meltdown this morning but pulled her socks up, took the puppy out for a good walk, and then found a good recipe in the diabetic cook books…todays readings have been very good and the meal didn’t cause any major spike (before eating it was 6.7 and 2 hours after it was 8.4) The motivation to exercise is difficult but I think it made a big difference
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As time passes and she finds a repertoire of 'safe' meals then the frequency of testing will be less and what she is having will just be a new normal and therefore will need not so much thought. It will be easier to just eyeball what is a suitable portion and it will become the natural choice.
It will be no more effort to cook or prepare a low carb meal than one that had too many carbs for the new regime.
As the weather gets better it will be easier to go for that walk with the puppy.
 
It will all settle down...honestly.
Getting stressed (or as my son puts it with me ('being a drama queen') won't help though.
But a better balanced diet?? Will she eat chicken or fish?

At the start, I was running out of fingers that were not sore...I was testing before, after, waking, bedtime, in the night, in the car, at the blood clinic (how daft can you get) then I found this forum.
Now I only do if it's a new dietary item, after grand and great-grandchildren have been and know I've over done it.
The food diary really helps when I need a revisit.
Sometimes I sit here and think...when did I last test myself?

Your sister has entered the almost pre diabetes stage. Tbh a reward or treat has been earned imho. A couple of slices of bread won't hurt as long as the next day is 100gm of carbs instead of 120gm or whatever your top line is. You'll learn how to lose carbs to average things out
You can buy some nice small white rolls ...just check the pkt.
If you like baking you can try flour alternative breads.
If you go onto the keto sites there's some excellent low carb products...a bit pricey but nice for a reward day.
It really is just learning the balancing out.
You'll get there ...it's a learning curve. Actually I think you're both doing great. My youngest sister told me "for heavens sake, stop being a pain in the a*S3 and go and find something suitable to eat" lol.
 
theketoshop.co.uk

Linea6 Penne Low Carb Pasta 250g

Low carb, keto-friendly pasta. Just 2.5g carbs per 100g. This innovative Italian pasta is crafted with tapioca starch, wheat protein and vegetable fibre instead of traditional flour. The result is a delicate, low-carb pasta perfect for keto diets, with 58g fibre per 100g. The lowest carb pasta...
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There's an example ....keto pasta 🙂
 
Pollyanna said:
It will all settle down...honestly.
Getting stressed (or as my son puts it with me ('being a drama queen') won't help though.
But a better balanced diet?? Will she eat chicken or fish?

At the start, I was running out of fingers that were not sore...I was testing before, after, waking, bedtime, in the night, in the car, at the blood clinic (how daft can you get) then I found this forum.
Now I only do if it's a new dietary item, after grand and great-grandchildren have been and know I've over done it.
The food diary really helps when I need a revisit.
Sometimes I sit here and think...when did I last test myself?

Your sister has entered the almost pre diabetes stage. Tbh a reward or treat has been earned imho. A couple of slices of bread won't hurt as long as the next day is 100gm of carbs instead of 120gm or whatever your top line is. You'll learn how to lose carbs to average things out
You can buy some nice small white rolls ...just check the pkt.
If you like baking you can try flour alternative breads.
If you go onto the keto sites there's some excellent low carb products...a bit pricey but nice for a reward day.
It really is just learning the balancing out.
You'll get there ...it's a learning curve. Actually I think you're both doing great. My youngest sister told me "for heavens sake, stop being a pain in the a*S3 and go and find something suitable to eat" lol.
Click to expand...
Pollyanna said:
It will all settle down...honestly.
Getting stressed (or as my son puts it with me ('being a drama queen') won't help though.
But a better balanced diet?? Will she eat chicken or fish?

At the start, I was running out of fingers that were not sore...I was testing before, after, waking, bedtime, in the night, in the car, at the blood clinic (how daft can you get) then I found this forum.
Now I only do if it's a new dietary item, after grand and great-grandchildren have been and know I've over done it.
The food diary really helps when I need a revisit.
Sometimes I sit here and think...when did I last test myself?

Your sister has entered the almost pre diabetes stage. Tbh a reward or treat has been earned imho. A couple of slices of bread won't hurt as long as the next day is 100gm of carbs instead of 120gm or whatever your top line is. You'll learn how to lose carbs to average things out
You can buy some nice small white rolls ...just check the pkt.
If you like baking you can try flour alternative breads.
If you go onto the keto sites there's some excellent low carb products...a bit pricey but nice for a reward day.
It really is just learning the balancing out.
You'll get there ...it's a learning curve. Actually I think you're both doing great. My youngest sister told me "for heavens sake, stop being a pain in the a*S3 and go and find something suitable to eat" lol.
Click to expand...
Well today I did buy some Almond flour and some lupin flour! I checked the carbs and chose these as they were the lowest…God knows what I am going to do with them but maybe some cheese scones might be okay. £10 for 2 little bags of flour, I’d better not burn them!
 
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