Trying to understand my BG levels

[Dust79]

Hello,

I'm a 33 year old who until 2 weeks ago didn't know he was apparently quite severely type 2 diabetic.

My A1C was 10.1%, and my fasting (20 hours) blood glucose was 12.6 (227 for my US friends).

Long story short, my Dr told me I was pretty screwed, and started me on 2000mg of metformin (to ramp up to over 20 days), and said if there isn't major improvement in a month I go on insulin, and then sent me on my way.

It seemed like a good idea for me to monitor my blood glucose, so I went and bought a meter, and started testing at least 4 times a day (wake, before dinner, after dinner, and before sleep) just to try to learn how my body reacts to everything.

But that's where things start to get weird, because what I'm seeing doesn't seem to match anything that others have said to expect.

Here is a typical day for me
Wake (fasting about 11 hours): 12.6 (227)
Before dinner (fasting 5-6 hours) 10.8 (195)
1 Hour after dinner 10.2 (184)
2 Hours after dinner 10.2 (184)
Before bed 10.2 (184)

It doesn't seem to matter if I eat nothing but leaf lettuce for 2 days, or try a high fiber cereal or a piece of fruit with lunch, my blood sugar gravitates to 10.2 like its trying to maintain that. Eating seems to make my BG drop just slightly, and I never seem to get a post meal spike. The worst thing I can do is stop eating.. the longer I fast, the higher my BG goes. I've seen this patter every day since I started testing 16 days ago.

Is this just a sign that my body went too long with undiagnosed diabetes, my pancreas is dead, and I need insulin? Are these BG levels a patter of an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic that isn't on insulin? If eating doesn't increase my BG, would insulin not be dangerous?

Anyone with any insight, I would really appreciate your comments.

Thanks!

[NT77]

Would you please share what type of foods don't raise your blood sugar?

[Julie20111]

It took me a few months to lower my blood sugar readings after I changed my diet.  So don't give up and stay on your diet and in two months or so re-evaluate.  My A1c was 6.9 - two months after I went on a diet - it was 7.3.  Now it is 6.2 (a year or so later).  I did what you were doing, I kept monitoring my BG to see which foods were bringing my Blood Sugar up.  It actually took me 6 months to get my #s down.  I am not on any medications at this time.  I was 112 pounds and now I am about 95 or so pounds.  What type of foods are you eating?  Are you on medication to control your blood sugar?  Julie

[Super_sally888]

Hello,
your pancreas is still working.  But not so well.

Are these numbers you posted with you already on metformin?

Please keep monitoring your numbers.

Follow the low carb advice and see if your numbers improve.  Low carb can actually include non-starchy and green veges (but no fruits or starchy veges such as corn, potato). Avocado is ok though, it is high fat.

You may well need insulin if your numbers don't come down further.  

[diabetes86]

If your pancreas was dead your BG would be MUCH higher.

For one thing you are elevating your BG by eating cereal or a piece of fruit.

We do know carbohydrates raise BG....   ALL CARBS RAISE BG  cereal has carbs (lots of them) so does fruit... CARBS raise BG..  Try eating bacon eggs and cheese with coffee or tee for breakfast.  NO bread NO juice. NO hashbrowns.... NO carbs.  Then see what your BG is

Your BG rises when you wake up due to Dawn Phenomenon (DP)  your body is getting ready for the day by releasing Blood Sugar so have the energy to get going, unfortunately its releasing MORE than your pancreas can handle with insulin.


Remember carbs will raise BG.

[NT77]

Your pancreas is not dead! Diabetes type 1 is when the immune system destroys part of the pancreas that produces insulin, but leaves the rest perfectly intact. Type 2 is when nothing is destroyed, but for some reason, you're either not producing enough insulin, or the insulin that you produce is not efficient enough. There's a clear distinction between the two, as type 1 is autoimmune 'disease'. In all cases the pancreas is still performing all the other functions correctly.

Insulin is always dangerous, or more correctly: tissue damaging. And most likely that's the exact reason why in type 1 the immune system suddenly 'decides' to destroy the source of it. Why it happens to some people is still a complete mystery.

Onto "no matter what you eat"... The things you listed (leaf lettuce, high fiber cereal, fruit) are all carbohydrates, meaning they all end up in the blood in exactly the same form: glucose. To your pancreas, insulin, or your blood, it really doesn't matter wether you ate a potato, cereals, a cake, pasta, 5 spoons of sugar, 10 apples, spinach, carrots, or drank beer. The only difference is the taste on your tongue, and in the stomach. After that they all get converted to same substance - blood glucose.

We humans utilize three types of 'fuel': carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Insulin is part of the system that processes carbohydrates, meaning it's not needed for other two fuel types. If you don't eat carbohydrates, you don't need insulin. Simple as that.

So when you eat your regular daily meals, the body first takes out all the fat from it and immidiatelly uses it for 'combustion'. After that is spent, it starts running on glucose. In the mean time, it already started to convert all the excess glucose you ate into body fat (yes, it comes from pasta, not from bacon) and store it for times when needed. If you don't eat for a long time, the body will start converting that body fat back into glucose, and that's why your levels are elevated even if you don't eat anything.

Try replacing 70% of your food stuff with these: eggs, cheese, butter, meat, fish, drink nothing but water, for few days and then measure your blood glucose and see the numbers you get.

When you eat fat and protein, your body will shut down the mechanism for converting body fat back into glucose because now it's got new fuel to run on, and since the new fuel doesn't contain glucose, the levels in the blood should drop substantially, or even too low considering that metformin is still in effect.