Newly diagnosed....and not sure whats happening!

Hi Vickie,

It's a shock to the system when first diagnosed. I too am a Metformin user and like you, initially researched everything. My advice would be to follow what your doctor has suggested until you feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about the condition. Do the obvious things like cutting out/down on carbs and especially sugars in all forms such as cakes, biscuits etc., Just don't panic and get used to the changed diet. I'm a stable 38 to 41 mmol for the last 5 years and eat most of what I want - trial and error I'm afraid and not everything affects people the same way. I can't take Weetabix even though it's 100% wheat. 

Be wary of medical advice offered on forums and always use it as guidance rather than fact - the medical profession are the goto guys really. 

Exercise when possible and alcohol in moderation - plenty of fresh foods and limit take away or fast foods. 

Give it a few weeks/months and you will come to terms with the condition and hopefully get on top of managing

it. 

Good luck.

Hi Vicky.  Yes it's very confusing at first, but just give it some time.  Most people say that even the metformin takes a few weeks to have full effect.  A medium banana might be about 30 carbs, so with an egg and some jerky that comes to about … 30 carbs in total!  That by itself does not explain a high morning reading. 

What should your carb guideline be?  Well, there are many opinions on that.  I was first put on a higher carb version, 60-75 per meal.  Seems high to me, and I've since reduced it to more like 50-70.  And a nice cobb salad lunch is under 30 … if I can skip the bread!  The big thing about diet is to avoid the 100 carb or 200 carb meals, and avoid the 100 carb sugary snacks!  It does take the body days and weeks to adjust.  So I'd suggest giving it some time on a moderate diet and see how that goes.

And then there's exercise!  Doctors always under-emphasize this.  For type2 diabetics exercise is very nearly as critical as diet or drugs!  If you go out and walk a mile or so twice today, your numbers are likely to be at least 10 points lower *today*.  Maybe even better.  It's not something that pays off six months downstream, it pays off TODAY!  And with more exercise you can consume more carbs and calories, too.  What is required, btw, is MILD exercise, walking may be better than jogging or running.  Also some brief resistance or weight exercise is good in addition.  Too much or too vigorous exercise and your liver wakes up and floods the body with more BG and we don't want that, at least not every day.

Try to get some more veggies into your diet, even some green salad and a simple dressing has almost no carbs but helps with nutrients, fiber, slowing digestion of whatever you eat with it, keeping your BG numbers down.

169 isn't so bad, believe me!  But getting it down where it really belongs requires a little learning and continued dietary guidelines - and exercise!  With any luck in another week you'll get that down below 110, maybe below 100.  And if not, there are more pills you can add to the metformin, without going all the way to insulin.

i also had trouble with high morning glucose.  I take1 Metformin at lunch and 1 after dinner.  By moving one to after dinner lowered my morning glucose by about 20 points.

Some supplements that can help also are:

Multi B vitamins

Multi mineral capsule with a separate ultramag magnesium of 500 mg

1 ginseng

1 turmeric

1 kyolic garlic

1 cinnamon capsule

1 chromium tab

1 D vitamin

I believe that nutritional deficiencies caused many of us to flip from normal to type 2 .  But also, some medications have the side effect of "high blood sugar".  So be careful.