Diabetes Community

Completely understand your not understanding.

Those saltine crackers and peanut butter ARE going to raise your blood sugar. Crackers - probably simple carbs there. Simple carbs raise your blood sugar more dramatically than complex carbs.

Exactly what do you mean by "low carb diet?" How low is low or what do YOU consider low?

Your numbers look exactly what mine used to look like, except for higher, much higher after meals. 435 post-prandial readings.

You probably can't eat any carbs without your sugar going up. Have you talked with a dietician regarding nutrition?

Seeing that we are not doctors here, no one can really say if you should start insulin. No idea, either, why your meds aren't working.

I do use insulin, two of them to keep my blood sugars in control. It works for me. My last A1C was 5.7. The thing is that you also have to watch your carbs diligently, keep a normal weight and be physically active. It all goes hand in hand. You do all the same things you are doing now (maybe better choices of carbs.)

If you haven't spoken with a dietician, maybe you can ask for a referral.

Show your doctor your blood sugar readings, too. Tell him/her what's going on and you can't get your blood sugar down.

All of our foods have carbs except for proteins and fats. Choose lots of vegetables, preferably greens or those less in carbs than others. Stay away from simple carbs. Add more fiber to your diet. Saltine crackers really are nutritionally deficient and are absolutely not going to stay with you. I would be starving, too.

Auriga1:

Thank you so much for responding. I just saw your response today. I have had Type 2 for about 9 years and always had it under control. I don't know what has happened.

Breakfast has usually been 1/4 cup of cereal and 1% milk, small piece of fruit, teaspoon of nuts/Lunch - 1 boiled egg, 1 tablespoon cottage cheese, 3/4 cup spinach, small piece of fruit/1/2 cup, water to drink. Dinner usually a few pieces of grilled or baked meat, 1/2 cup of yellow and a green veg and a small piece of fruit.

No soft drinks but a diet one every now and then. I eat oatmeal 1/4 cup sometimes - no sugar and 1% milk.

I previously had fasting sugars of around 90 and before lunch and dinner blood sugars were around 84. I had a really stressful job begining last January -August and really got out of control.

I have been feeling bad the last 1.5 weeks and just realized today that it was when I stated taking the new med Actoplus MET XR 15-1.

I'm thinking of going back on the Janumet until my next appt in a couple of weeks and continue watching what I eat and exercising.

auriga1 - Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!

dsdandi - Welcome and (((hugs))) to you for being your mother's caregiver. I know from first hand experience how stressful that is.

I hope you continue to stick around here! Please do check back in and let us know how it's going.

Haylen

PS - stating the obvious: Please don't stop, start or change the dose of any medication without consulting a health care professional.

Ds, you have more "experience" than I do. I was diagnosed six years ago. I can see that you know what you are doing.

If you can, keep on walking or doing any sort of physical activity. It doesn't have to be exercise.

Stress raises blood sugar. For some, it can go way up.

Take your numbers to your doctor and be sure to tell him that you are not feeling good.

So sorry to hear about your mom. That would make anyone full of stress. Hope you can work things out.

Call your doctor and ask first if you can switch your meds. He should know what's going on before you do anything yourself.

I am a type 2 diabetic. I started out with metformin and it worked fine for a year or more. Then I broke out in rashes which were quite dibilitating. My doctor and a demotologist could not figure out what was causing this condition. Finally my doctor decided it likely was the metformin. After 2 years, we switched to a variety of different alternative drugs and the rash went away - but the BS was not being controlled. Finally, the decision was made to go on insulin. I had not been keen on the idea beacuse injections are not my favorite thing. However, with the Lantos Solarstar it has been very successful. But I do have to excercise as well. My BS is under control. Geoff Allen

I sense a level of frustration in your post. I remember well those early days when I was doing all I knew to do--count carbs, exercise, eat healthy, taking my meds and still my numbers were going up and UP--such a difficult time for me. My husband and I had already talked about going to an Endo, made an appointment, he did a test and said I was misdiagnosed, not Type 2, but Type 1. I started on Insulin, 4 injections a day--BEST decision I could have made! It helped me get my numbers under control and boy I am one 'happy camper.' You may say "oh no, not me, no shots", I said that too early on but realize that my body was changing and I need to help my body do what it no longer could do on its own. At some point in time my oral meds would not do the job so I now use Insulin and no meds and it works great, don't be afraid of trying Insulin, you will be so glad you did.

I feel the same frustration. I have been diabetic for close to 8 years. Currenly I am taking Metformin, but my morning numbers have gone up. My normal reading are ranging from 160 to 185 and some time 200 . I am at a lost. I thought about talking to my doctor about insulin, but I am nervous about going on this and dealing with highs and lowes, shots, and finally admitting I am diabetic with no return. I have been depressed ever since i have been diagnosed with this. Currently my diabetes is managed with primary care doctor. My A1c is around 7.6. Should i be seeing an Endo? How do you make the decision to move from Metformin to Insulin? Pros and cons?

Hello.

I am currently on 2,000 mg of Metformin plus 10 mg Glyburide per day. Your A1c is not too bad, but certainly could be better. You would be wise to discuss all this with your primary doctor first and see what he/she recommends. Perhaps an change in dosage and/or the addition of another prescription medication for Diabetes Type 2 would be best.

Along with the medicine, control is best achieved by also following a healthy diet that is usually lower in carbohydrates and higher in vegetables and lean proteins and dairy products. I have the best success when I eat fewer than 150 grabs of carboydrates and around 100 grams of protein per day. I enter everything I eat in Fitday.com and it tracks my daily totals. Many people have given up any type of white starch such as past, rice, noodles and potatoes. Many times it is a matter of trial and error - eat a certain food and see what your blood glucose reading is 2 hours later and how your fasting readings run. One additions step would be to get some type of activity for at least 30 minutes as often as possible. Walking is excellent exercise and can be very affective in helping to control the numbers.

It takes an effort to control Type 2 Diabetes, but it can be done.

Dave is right, bitu44. You may have to lower your intake of carbs to see what happens. You should talk to your doctor ASAP regarding your numbers. He/she should know about that. A little higher than they should be.

If you feel you are doing all you can in order to control your diabetes, have a talk with your doctor. Is your diet successful in keeping your numbes in line? Do you exercise? Are you at a normal weight for your height?

The questions you ask are certainly a personal decision. I've seen an endo since diagnosed. My regular physician made that decision for me.

There are more oral diabetic meds out there than just metformin.

I cannot answer your query regarding switching from oral drugs to insulin. That involves a good long talk with your physician.

I've been on two insulins since diagnosis in 2006. My first A1C was 13.2. Obviously running around with very high numbers for a long time. That's why my diabetic team thought insulin would be best to get my diabetes under control. Using insulin also requires that you watch your diet and exercise. It all works together just like the oral meds.

The pros of insulin: keeps your numbers in check (for most people.) My A1C is now 5.7. With your numbers being under control, you feel better physically. When you feel better physically, you feel better mentally, too. It's a great thing.

The cons (speaking for me): there are sometimes lows. That comes from being too physically active (for me - it's my job). When you use the right insulin along with the correct dosage, there are no highs, again, at least for me.

These are questions for your doctor. What works for one diabetic does not work for the other. I am pro insulin because it works for me.