Sugar levels

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Matt C

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At risk of diabetes
Hi all,

I was diagnosed T2 a week or so ago with a sugar level of 105. I have just started using metformin. Is there any point in carrying out a prick test until the metformin has had chance to make improvements. I just carried out a random test before eating and I was 8.1

Thanks

Matt
 
Although your baseline blood glucose might still be high, you're still going to see an increase post-meals that may help you work out which foods raise your blood sugar more than you're comfortable with at the moment
 
Matt C said:
Hi all,

I was diagnosed T2 a week or so ago with a sugar level of 105. I have just started using metformin. Is there any point in carrying out a prick test until the metformin has had chance to make improvements. I just carried out a random test before eating and I was 8.1

Thanks

Matt
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If your HbA1C is 105mmol/mol then you are definitely diabetic so you may want to change your signature.
dietary changes will have just as much impact as the metformin, people often think that that is all that is needed but diet plays a big part and by testing before you eat and after 2 hours you can see if your meal has been tolerated, you should aim at no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase and as your levels come down, no more than 8 -8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal.
Ideally 4-7mmol/l pre meal or fasting /waking readings.
As you have a monitor make good use of it and have a sensible testing regime which tells you what you can do and enable better food choices.
This link may help you with some ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Thanks for the link. My food habits have changed 1000% since diagnosis. I've adopted a low carb diet and increased my cycling/walking.

I shouldnt expect my bloods to go into the normal range after a week of changing all my habits shall I?
 
Matt C said:
Thanks for the link. My food habits have changed 1000% since diagnosis. I've adopted a low carb diet and increased my cycling/walking.

I shouldnt expect my bloods to go into the normal range after a week of changing all my habits shall I?
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It will take a while for your glucose levels to come down and that is actually better as a rapid drop in blood glucose can cause problems with your eyes and nerves. It is suggested that people reduce their carb intake over a few weeks so reducing by a third for a couple of weeks , then another third until they get to where they want to be.
I reduced my carbs to 70g per day straight away and had problems with my eyes for several months, I only realised by reading on here that that was something that could happen.
My HbA1C went down from 50 to 42 in 3 months by diet only so don't expect instant results.
 
Leadinglights said:
It will take a while for your glucose levels to come down and that is actually better as a rapid drop in blood glucose can cause problems with your eyes and nerves. It is suggested that people reduce their carb intake over a few weeks so reducing by a third for a couple of weeks , then another third until they get to where they want to be.
I reduced my carbs to 70g per day straight away and had problems with my eyes for several months, I only realised by reading on here that that was something that could happen.
My HbA1C went down from 50 to 42 in 3 months by diet only so don't expect instant results.
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Are your eyes OK now?
 
Sounds like you’ve been making some positive changes to try to get your levels back into range - and it looks like you are off to a great start 🙂

Diabetes can be a sluggish beast though… so don’t be disappointed if any fingersticks you take in the near future remain above your target range. In the beginning many members here find it can be more helpful to look at the ‘meal rises’, checking immediately before eating and again 2hrs after the first bite, and aiming for a rise of 2-3mmol/L or less.

To begin with the numbers themselves are arguably less informative than the rises between them, and if you can keep the meal rises down, then your overall levels will come down gradually.

And a slow descent towards your target range gives your body time to adapt, and is gentler on the fine blood vessels in the eyes and nerves.

Let us know how you get on 🙂
 
Metformin alone will make a small change to the hba1c and fasting/post-prandial BG levels. What dose are you on? I imagine for a hba1c of 105 it's the max of 2500/2000? Lifestyle changes will help far more than the medication.
 
I'm on one tablet a day at present as it's my first week taking them, doctor told me to build up week on week.
 
Matt C said:
I'm on one tablet a day at present as it's my first week taking them, doctor told me to build up week on week.
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That is to allow your body to become accustomed to the medication so hopefully it minimises any stomach issues some people get. Taking with food, mid meal helps with that.
 
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