Please Help

[ladyknight26]

I have been trying to get my blood sugar down. I changed my diet to oatmeal and 5 strawberries for breakfast, salad for lunch, dry bran cereal for snack, Healthy Choice Meal for dinner, and slice of bread n peanut butter for bedtime snack to take with my janumet. Because Janumet makes me feel nausea.

My blood sugars are running 308 this week and last night it drop to 219 and gave me a headache. My doctors can't really do much about my meds because my insurance won't pay for my diabetic meds. I am using sample packages.

I'm having trouble understanding how to regulate my sugars. I know I'm suppose to take two pills but the meds make my stomach hurt so bad that I only take them at night. Normally I don't eat much so I'm trying to eat during the day to see if it goes down. What are some ways to get blood sugar down quickly, then keep it down? I've tried water. I've gotten rid of sodas and sugary foods. I traded in sugar for natural honey and I'm staying away from dairy products. I was told that it is dangerous to exercise when my blood sugars are high like this. I normally work out 30mins 3 days a week. Does anyone have good advice? I need help?

I can't get to the doctor right now because of my busy schedule. What are some foods that can lower my blood sugar? I heard about apple cider vinegar. Does it really work?

[diabetes86]

This is not rocket science

Carbohydrates raise BG  ALL CARBS raise BG
oatmeal is a carb... carbs raise BG
bran cereal,  have a lot of carbs    CARBS RAISE BG
If your in the USA the side of packages have nutrition labels
Carbohydrates are listed, you are interested in TOTAL Carbohydrates.

get a BG meter and test before you eat, test 1 hour after, test 2 hours after, after a while you will learn when you are the highest after eating, test then.  Now you know how much each meal will raise your BG.  Adjust your food accordingly.  You may also need meds to lower your BG.

[CHESling]

"All the advice from Waverider is excellent." - Agreed! It also sounds to me like your carb intake is still too high. As they suggested, try cutting out the bread and cereal and replacing them with fresh veggies and lean protein. Snack on carrot sticks and low-fat cheese, and consider buying low-carb snack options.

Also, exercise can be essential to blood glucose management, so take it easy for a bit but definitely keep up the good work and regular exercise.

[Super_sally888]

Hello,

Low carb diet is the way to manage diabetes with minimal medications.  If you can get to a library or order the book Diabetes Solutions by Richard Bernstein it explains how.    By low carb, this means about 30 g of carbs/day.  Most of the carbs will come from non-starchy vegetables.  IF you can monitor closely you will also find out which foods make you high and which are ok.

So essentially the diet is high fat (healthy fats), moderate protein, and low carb.

As an example.  

Breakfast may be eggs (enough that you are satisfied), fried in cococnut oil and with a slice of cheese.  YOu could also add a cup of any non-starchy vegetable (these are usually green veges).

Lunch - a good sized serve of meat accompanied by salad with olive oil dressing.

Dinner - another good sized serve of meat or other protein, with steamed veges (any except potato and corn), and with butter and salt.

You will have to avoid all sweet foods, and starchy vegetables, including most fruits.

Exercise is beneficial to reducing blood sugar.  Would recommend brisk walking for at leat 1/2 hour twice a day.

If you are used to having high blood sugars you may feel bad as you bring them down.  But do stick with it.

All the advice from Waverider is excellent.

[WaveRider]

Do you have a home glucose [blood sugar] test kit? If not, get one at Wal-mart for around 10 bucks. Test before a meal for a baseline measurement then 2-3 hours after a meal to see how the foods you ate affected you blood sugar levels. Postprandial, 2-3 hrs after a meal, you want to see <141 mg/dl, optimum <121 mg/dg. Anything higher implies an incorrect nutrition plan, poor food choices.

"My blood sugars are running 308 this week and last night it drop to 219 and gave me a headache."
Happens to people whose blood sugars remain a constant HIGH. The body is so used to being out of whack that when blood sugars lower you sort have withdrawal symptoms, per se. Drink water then move about. Please do not eat a headache away.

Carbs raise blood sugars, simple carbs faster and higher than complex carbs so you want look and follow a low carb diet like Atkins. Use Google to understand the difference between simple and complex carbs. Pay attention to all nutrition labels and read them carefully. Carb sugars are listed in grams under carbohydrates. Every 7 grams equals one heaping tablespoon of table sugar. Use Google to learn about 'hidden sugars in foods'. Look for breads with no carbs and no sodium, usually made with whole grains like wheatberry. Commercial bakeries add lots of sugar to breads for added flavor... avoid them

What made you think honey is safe? Honey does not contain sugar but gets its sweetness from fructose and glucose. Both can jack your blood sugars. Switch to an artificial sweetener like Stevia or Splenda, both diabetic safe. Eat lean meats, fish, poultry w/o skin, more vegies, and whole grains. Eat melons and berries with other foods to slow the absorption of fructose [fruit sugar]. Avoid tropicals like pineapples, oranges, mangoes and guava as they contain high amounts of fructose. Almost all commercial PB's have added sugar for flavor, some up to 7 grams per serving. Get "grind your own" peanut butter available at Whole Foods?

"I heard about apple cider vinegar. Does it really work?"
Research has shown that taking vinegar with food lowers the absorption of glucose from foods by as much as 20%. One reason why you can pig out on ketchup without raising blood sugars. Don't go whole hog by gobbling down a bunch of vinegar as vinegar's main ingredient is acetic acid.

"I was told that it is dangerous to exercise when my blood sugars are high like this. I normally work out 30mins 3 days a week."
Partially true but you didn't tell us about your "exercise" regimen. In your situation strenuous exercise should be done with caution. Strenuous is breaking sweat continuously and really pushing your physical limits. You might try walking for non-stop 30 minutes at a good but not fast pace. Walking does lower blood sugars. Increase the pace & distance when blood sugars lower. Increase your workout from 3 days to daily too, you're stagnant over half the week. If you're carrying excess poundage, lose it. Good luck -

[Dee1956]

Hi I think if you cut out the bread that might help.
When I was diagnosed I was told, no pizza or pasta or cereal, none of the obvious sugars.  You could try keeping track of your carbs as that will raise your sugar.  Everyone is different so everyone will react differently however I know that carbs were my downfall.  I was told to keep my carbs under 40 per meal.  While it sounds like you are doing really well, it could be carbs or the meds might not be working.  I take metformin which is not expensive $4.00 at Walmart.
Good Luck to you