Battling Glucose Type II


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
So I don't think I am the only one on the boards battling Type 2 Diabetes. So I am posing this as I am going a little "nuts" with it. My specialist told me yesterday not to really worry about it. But frankly I do.
Recently (the last 4 to 6 weeks I have been noticing my "fasting" numbers trending up. At first not a lot. Maybe just a few points here or there, but they fluctuated enough that I felt it could be "explained" away with "oh my meal was late, or higher than usual carbs, or insert reason here" type things. But, my during day and after meal readings were fine..............great even.
But now lately it's not just a little "trend" they're HIGH (at least for my liking).
Oddly this phenomena seems to run cyclical. IOW I have had this happen before and then without any real changes it seems to subside. Seems to get worse right around this time of year (end of daylight time). As though my body is responding badly to the time and seasonal change. Activity does not seem to change it either.
But it seems every year I go through this "change".
Just wondering if anyone else fighting this same battle sees this type of thing happening as well. Did your Dr simply say "nothing to worry about"? Did they give you a reason behind it?
It's just kinda freaking me out how this happens.
I know it's kind of a "rambling" thought but just looking for some shared experiences.
The odd thing is it also seems to coincide with the fact (and again I don't know why) when we get into this time of year (mid October through December) I sleep less and end up awake far earlier than "normal". So getting up as early as 04:30 when normally I seem to have settled on 06:30 - 07:30. And once this "period" is over with I begin drifting back to the more "normal" times and the glucose issues seem to also begin going back to the "normal" ranges.
Anyway if anyone else is seeing this type of thing or "cycle" chime in. I am all ears.
Basically whenever it happens my Dr simply says "you're ok" but maybe try to get in more activity or less carb loads. Which is kind of weird as my diet and activity does not seem to change much if at all during this "cycle".
Sorry for the ramble
 
I keep flirting with pre-diabetes and I get it check every year. HIghest mine got was maybe 106, but after eating crappier than ever during covid it somehow went down to 95 on my last visit. My A1C has always been good. I worry about it and I'm not even really diabetic.
 
Yeah back when I was diagnosed, they were telling me "oh you're pre-diabetic" than on one checkup "boom" full blown. I was like WHAT? I was watching it, walking, exercising and so on but something "tripped" the trigger. IDK what. I recall a number of years ago. Same thing with my mom. The they stopped treating it and it suddenly went away.
I honestly wish I knew the magic chemistry of what is going on. But, you're right to be worried. Because I went from "just be careful" to full blown seemingly overnight.
I know it would help if somehow 60lbs could somehow magically disappear from my mildly overweight bod. But, seems like when I turned 65 that check engine light turned on. But now recently turned 70 a couple weeks ago and now that check engine light is "flashing" and I think the computer is about to go into "limp mode".
 
Battling the pre-diabetic world myself, I took a big step back into remission by watching/following Dr. Sten Ekberg and Dr. Eric Berg on YouTube, and reading the books and following Dr. Jason Fung too.


I grew up pretty well living exclusively on a low fat, high carb diet (which of course was *healthy* at the time) as my mother was actually in the medical industry and the medical wisdom of the time was NO FAT....so we ate lots of food high in sugar, flour, high carb vegetables etc... End result is that parents both ended up with diabetes as do all my siblings. No known family history prior to that...

Dropping the carbs drastically, fasting etc. almost immediately put me back into normal glucose levels and the weight started falling off. That said, with Covid, less activity, too much time at home nibbling and a fridge too readily accessible, I've been creeping back and gained weight steadily. Combined with my love of ALL foods (unfortunately, most heavily carb laden!) and wine and spirits, really makes it a battle.

I am getting pretty close to (early) retirement and I've committed to myself that getting off the glucose roller coaster will be a post retirement goal - eating better, more time to exercise, less alcohol etc.

Unfortunately, eating low carb is no easy thing for all...it CAN be expensive, awkward etc. There are lots of tricks/hacks, but eating a CLEAN low carb diet with no snacking, longer periods of fasting etc, is now well proven to work if you can stay the path.

A part of me is really waiting for that medical breakthrough which will eliminate insulin resistance etc. It can be a depressing feeling being in this fight!

Bottom line as per your question...."Anyway if anyone else is seeing this type of thing or "cycle" chime in. I am all ears."

Hell, yes....off on, up down! My thoughts (and I have researched extensively the topic for the last 4-5 years), is that it took many years for us to get to this point...and it takes many years to get out of it too. There is no quick fix (yet....magic pill would be nice), but a couple key things I found that really help the down side...

1) Alcohol. None. When I stop drinking completely, it greatly helps. Your body cannot metabolize alcohol and burn fat at the same time. While may alcohols are low in carbs, your body BURNS alcohol as a fuel very easily, and prioritizes it over other energy sources.

2) Sugar. None...and this includes flour, rice, potatoes etc.

3) Snacks. None. Go as long as possible without eating. Get used to the "feeling" of being hungry and kill it with black coffee, tea etc, but soon you won't even notice it. Drop to two meals a day, then even 1 meal.

When I follow the above, I see instant improvement, and the longer I go...the better it gets.

My biggest improvement....I did a 96 hour fast...nothing but black coffee, tea, water (with electrolytes)....I dropped 10 pounds, and for days and days afterwards my glucose levels were low and static. With a wife that also loves to eat though...this is almost impossible to repeat often. She is going away next weekend so I will do a 48 hour fast though.
 
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<scratches head> Adult onset, insulin dependent, deficient as opposed to resistant.

Larry, while your instant read numbers are good indicators, don't get too hung up on them. Your better bet is to keep an eye on them, but your real indicator should be your A1c values. Diet & exercise also play a big role.

A big problem is that what's called "diabetes" is really 2 separate conditions, i.e. deficient vs. resistant, that happen to have somewhat similar treatments.
 
JKalchik said:
Larry, while your instant read numbers are good indicators, don't get too hung up on them. Your better bet is to keep an eye on them, but your real indicator should be your A1c values. Diet & exercise also play a big role.
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I am finally beginning to understand this A1C thing. But, the only "tool" I have to gauge things is my regular poke yourself glucose meter. Is there a way to find out A1c easily without having to constantly go to a lab and tap a vein? That would make life so much easier and maybe a little less stressful as well.
Grant
I already do much of what you recommend (though not nearly as drastic). I.E. alcohol. For some reason I no longer crave or desire a cocktail, or a beer or wine. Even when I did sweet things were not my thing. Typically straight up bourbon, scotch, or such no mixers. Beer occasionally and dry wine mostly red when I did drink more. Now, in 2 months I might only consume what I used to consume in a week. Most nights I always had a cocktail after work (maybe even a little more than one), a glass or 2 of wine. Now I might go 2 or 3 weeks and only have a tiny shot of scotch. I gave up on sweet drinks (soft drinks, and such) many years ago when I discovered how harmful the high fructose corn syrup was and even more so the chemical crap storm in diet drinks and foods.
The doc also put me on a different treatment with this new drug Ozempic (one injection per week). He explained it was developed originally to help with weight loss. Something about controlling a hormone that makes you feel hungry or full. Since being on it I have noticed my appetite is only about half what it used to be. While weight is not "falling off", I know some is coming off. (I don't have a working scale) so I judge it by how my inside the waistband holsters fit (or as earlier don't fit). I can now actually wear them. So I think I am making some progress. Just that this battle is making me nuts
 
I try to eat south beach diet phase 1 or phase 2 foods as much as possible and avoid the phase 3.

I have several SB cookbooks and try new ways of some things.

My kryptonite is bread. I can avoid beer, pasta, potatoes, and much of the other high glycemic foods, but if there is good bread in the house...

I don't have any real good suggestions, just sharing that for me, the south beach approach makes sense and it's easy enough for me to follow.

An occasional thin crust pizza or some Sourdough toast are my treats.
 
LMichaels said:
I am finally beginning to understand this A1C thing. But, the only "tool" I have to gauge things is my regular poke yourself glucose meter. Is there a way to find out A1c easily without having to constantly go to a lab and tap a vein? That would make life so much easier and maybe a little less stressful as well.
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There are home A1C test kits if you prefer to do it yourself. Remember, A1C gives you an average level over 2-3 months so you are not going to test like your blood glucose level. A1C is usually done every 6 months to 1 year. Going to a lab should not be a big problem.
 
LMichaels said:
I am finally beginning to understand this A1C thing. ......
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I am insulin dependent, a former chiropractor wh has taught Health Science in the California Community College system..There are different types of hemoglobin and A1C is a measure of sugar levels over the past 90 days. There's myoglobin and regular hemoglobin. A google search will educate you! Exercise + steamed vegetables + foods quickly digested leads to lower A1C.

I am a hypocrite. I love both Mexican and Indian foods, foods that "stick to the ribs" for the longest time and therefore elevate my blood sugar for the longest time. In those cases extra insulin is needed.
 
JSaus said:
There are home A1C test kits if you prefer to do it yourself. Remember, A1C gives you an average level over 2-3 months so you are not going to test like your blood glucose level. A1C is usually done every 6 months to 1 year. Going to a lab should not be a big problem.
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Insulin dependent here and my A1C is tested every 90 days, quarterly.
 
Something to keep in mind....to keep your overall A1C down is to never let your glucose rise...even temporarily. That's where the finger pricking comes in handy....keep on testing to find what your triggers are, and then avoid them. Never let them rise and your A1C will take care of itself.
 
As far as blood glucose testing. If you are on non-insulin treatment, you probably do not need to test multiple times per day or, if controlled, even daily. I would recommend being consistent with your testing. Test in the morning before a meal and aim to be under 125. Test 2 hours after a meal and aim for under 180. If your numbers are consistently higher than those, you need a medication and/or lifestyle change.
 
JSaus said:
As far as blood glucose testing. If you are on non-insulin treatment, you probably do not need to test multiple times per day or, if controlled, even daily. I would recommend being consistent with your testing. Test in the morning before a meal and aim to be under 125. Test 2 hours after a meal and aim for under 180. If your numbers are consistently higher than those, you need a medication and/or lifestyle change.
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Everything I read says even 10 is too high if you are trying to avoid further degradation (though many T 2s would be happy to stay under 10). Preventatively, 7.7 seems to be the upper level before cellular damage starts. Additionally, trying to eat so that your glucose never rises more than 2 over your current level as well. The conflict I see often is between "modern" medicine, which seems to tell people to keep eating somewhat as normal, take your pills, take your shots, and manage your A1C (mostly through modern medicine).

More progressive doctors seem to be much more active in using diet/exercise/fasting etc. for reducing (or eliminating) medications, reducing glucose levels, testing often to gather more information about your triggers.

In the end, our society makes it a challenge for sure....we have so much available to us that really is just a recipe for defeat. Being a foody, cocktail loving person, giving up everything that would be helpful makes we wish for that magical cure for sure!! Dieting is HARD!!
 
LMichaels said:
It's just kinda freaking me out how this happens.
Click to expand...

One question...WHEN are you testing (if you are finger pricking)? Are you familiar with dawn phenomenon? My morning numbers are always high, indicating diabetic levels almost, but yet if I wait until afternoon (the same number of overall hours after eating last), my numbers will be very low. One symptom of insulin resistance for sure in my case...
 
Yes I am familiar with the AM phenomenon. Case in point. My am at 05:30 today was 186! But, than my after breakfast was 160. Which my endocrinologist says is perfectly normal.
It's just so frustrating...............................and oddly it seems the earlier in the AM I test myself the worse it is. But recently and for no actual reasoning I could see I had a couple scary high readings from after meals that should not have caused them. The doc says not to worry too much about those anomalies but, it's hard when you feel like you're fighting uphill and against the wind.
Maybe when my circadian rhythm comes back to more "normal" it will be more "steady" and I can get to feeling more "normal" about things.
 
Fellow Type 2 here. I notice my testing numbers generally go up this time of year too. My MD described it as part of the circadian rhythm, and our bodies are naturally trying to store more energy this time of year. My A1C has been consistently good, so the overall trend is just fine. My issue lately has been low glucose numbers, like in the low 70s, which is a new thing for me. I keep a few hard candies around in case it gets out of hand.

I think if your A1C stays reasonable, you are doing okay.

Like someone else said, good bread is my weak point. I try VERY hard to keep that to a reasonable roar. But d*** is it hard to do.
 
Yep good bread. However I have found if one uses organic (or at least European) flour the glucose spike is little to non existent. Due to not having glyphosate. I read a story on the relationship of glyphosate (agent orange) in our foods to effects (negative) on diabetes and blood chemistry. So I typically buy flour from Italy or a local (WI) miller that is organic. Pasta like this causes no issues at all
 
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