[BeachDreams]

Hi all,

My spouse was dx'd with type 2 about week and half ago. Fasting glucose was 377, A1C was 13.7. Doctor put him on Metformin 500 mg BID, told him to switch to whole grains, eat more veggies and fruits etc. She told him he didn't need to be checking his blood sugars. I'm an RN and that just didn't sit right with me so after a week or so of this I convinced him to let me start checking his numbers and he agreed to go on a low carb diet of less than 20 grams a day, no grains, no fruits, no high carb veggies or dairy. He has been on it two days and his numbers have certainly dropped from the 300's to the 177-146 range with a fasting AM running 213. Obviously I want to get him much lower but can't seem to find any info on how long it takes after really restricting carbohydrates for BG's to normalize if they are going too?

My plan is to help him learn what he can and can't eat by tightly monitoring what he eats and testing very often. I figure I'd rather cut out mostly all the potentially fast BG raising carbs and then over time try and add them in small portions if he can tolerate them at a later date. It seems to me that it is easier to add than to figure out what to subtract.
He is walking 30-45 minutes a day right now too so hopefully that will help. I really want to be supportive and helpful and I know this carb restriction is tough for him but I simply am not comfortable with his doctors advice, it seems like far too many carbohydrates a day, especially with his being BGs so high. Right now I'm checking his blood glucose fasting in AM, before meals and 2 hours PP.

Anyway I'm happy I found this place and thanks for any advice .

Sue

[mason330]

Originally Posted by BeachDreams

Hi all,

My spouse was dx'd with type 2 about week and half ago. Fasting glucose was 377, A1C was 13.7. Doctor put him on Metformin 500 mg BID, told him to switch to whole grains, eat more veggies and fruits etc. She told him he didn't need to be checking his blood sugars. I'm an RN and that just didn't sit right with me so after a week or so of this I convinced him to let me start checking his numbers and he agreed to go on a low carb diet of less than 20 grams a day, no grains, no fruits, no high carb veggies or dairy. He has been on it two days and his numbers have certainly dropped from the 300's to the 177-146 range with a fasting AM running 213. Obviously I want to get him much lower but can't seem to find any info on how long it takes after really restricting carbohydrates for BG's to normalize if they are going too?

My plan is to help him learn what he can and can't eat by tightly monitoring what he eats and testing very often. I figure I'd rather cut out mostly all the potentially fast BG raising carbs and then over time try and add them in small portions if he can tolerate them at a later date. It seems to me that it is easier to add than to figure out what to subtract.
He is walking 30-45 minutes a day right now too so hopefully that will help. I really want to be supportive and helpful and I know this carb restriction is tough for him but I simply am not comfortable with his doctors advice, it seems like far too many carbohydrates a day, especially with his being BGs so high. Right now I'm checking his blood glucose fasting in AM, before meals and 2 hours PP.

Anyway I'm happy I found this place and thanks for any advice .

Sue

Hi Sue!

You will get alot of help here!
I would advise you to keep in mind that lowering his numbers to rapidly can have some very unwanted side effects. I was diagnosed in july with an a1c of 14.3 and my november 19 a1c was 6.4 which sounds great except that I have experienced alot of neuropathy which has been less than pleasant. Think moderation for everything and you should be on the right track!
Dave

[jtausch]

It does take about a week or two for the metformain to totally kick in. It can take awhile for the numbers to drop. 20 grams is plenty low I eat more than that but I am on insulin.what the drs say is always to high so eat to your meter and test test before and 1.5 to 2 hrs after to see what the food he eats does.Keep a good l;og of his numbers.

If I read you right is that 500 mg met once a day or twice a day for a total of 1000 mg. If his numbers don't go down you might want to let his dr know so your met can be raised. I was up to a 1000mg a day untill i went on insulin.

My wife who also is a newly diagnosed typ2 2 is taking 1000 a day. Her dr whom is a government type(militaty hospital) said she did not have to test either becqause if she was high after or before you could not adjust your meds like insulin aand he felt that by not testing if an when you went on insulin or had to start testing you would not be burnt out from doing it.

I test 4 to five times a day but I could not convince him to prescribe a meter for her, but she follows my low carb diet also so She is eating right the same stuff I eat (she does the cooking)

[ramon]

Jumping on a 20 gram carb diet right off the bat my be a hard pill to swallow for me. I am currently doing a 100 and plan to taper down some until I learn more. You can help him by cooking some of Chef Barrae's recipes available on this forum. Being a nurse you probably work 12hr shifts and must be exhausted by the time you make it home. There are many quick fast snakes that both of you would love.

[BeachDreams]

Thank you very much for the support and advice. I'm lucky we both work from home, We both teach at online Universities, so I am here all day to cook for him and stuff. I have been an avid low carber for about 6 years. I'm in maintenance and I average 50-60 mg a day, occasionally 80 mg a day. He feels better already, he isn't getting up 5 times a night to go to the bathroom, he isn't constantly thirsty anymore, so there has been some almost immediate feedback for him. I will look into those recipes! Thank you again.

Sue

[BeachDreams]

Originally Posted by mason330

Hi Sue!

You will get alot of help here!
I would advise you to keep in mind that lowering his numbers to rapidly can have some very unwanted side effects. I was diagnosed in july with an a1c of 14.3 and my november 19 a1c was 6.4 which sounds great except that I have experienced alot of neuropathy which has been less than pleasant. Think moderation for everything and you should be on the right track!
Dave

Dave,

Thank you. I will certainly take that into consideration and make some adjustments if needed, I don't want to make him feel worse trying to make him feel better .

Sue

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by mason330

Hi Sue!

You will get alot of help here!
I would advise you to keep in mind that lowering his numbers to rapidly can have some very unwanted side effects. I was diagnosed in july with an a1c of 14.3 and my november 19 a1c was 6.4 which sounds great except that I have experienced alot of neuropathy which has been less than pleasant. Think moderation for everything and you should be on the right track!
Dave

Hi Dave,

I am confused! One of the things that led me to the doctor in the first place was tingling in my feet, and pain, or discomfort in my legs. 11.5 fasting BG and 14.7 A1C. I was started (slowly) on Metformin 500 mg morning and night, for a few months, then it was doubled after a second A1C, and the prescription was written for Lantus and Humalog. I would have to say, that upon starting to shoot the insulin, my discomfort level has gone down perhaps 70 - 80% in the legs and feet. I also went from 2 liters of Coke a day to 1 can of Coke Zero during the beginning.

My weekly averages from my meter have been going down from 9.2, 9.0, 8.3, 8.2 (mmol/L) so I am slowly coming into control. I want to go faster so I have been upping my insulin 20u a night of Lantus and perhaps 6u of Humalog for my not quite too low carb meals.

Are you saying that rapid change down in BG worsens Neuropathy (or it's symptoms)? Or were you still having spikes that may have caused the pain?

[owlyn]

One thing no one has mentioned yet: That doctor is dangerous. You need a new doctor ASAP.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Dougster

Are you saying that rapid change down in BG worsens Neuropathy (or it's symptoms)? Or were you still having spikes that may have caused the pain?

Can't speak for Dave, but yes, I found my own version of this. With worse control, my peripheries were becoming numb and I was getting some unpleasant sensations. Early stage neuropathy, I guess would be the best likely name for it. On reducing and keeping BGs down to a much more normalised level, the pain in my extremities magnified significantly, really quite strong and harsh when exercising especially. It took probably 4 or 5 months of generally better sugars, to fade to the point I wasn't disturbed by it.

It wasn't painful to the point I needed/wanted to seek meds, especially as I had heard of the phenomenon and realised it was a sign of blood vessel and nerve regeneration. Sure was unpleasant until it subsided.

[xMenace]

I don't see wight/obesity mentioned. If they have a lot of excess weight to lose, bring this down will really help with the BGs too. If he's normalish weight, I'd start suspecting other types of diabetes. You haven't mentioned age either. Same logic applies here. The older they are the more likely it's type 2.

While what you are doing is what he and most diabetics should be doing, I must caution against being too much of a control freak. You'll eventually need to sell the logic. Without buy-in, there's no hope for continued control.

[mason330]

Originally Posted by Dougster

Hi Dave,

I am confused! One of the things that led me to the doctor in the first place was tingling in my feet, and pain, or discomfort in my legs. 11.5 fasting BG and 14.7 A1C. I was started (slowly) on Metformin 500 mg morning and night, for a few months, then it was doubled after a second A1C, and the prescription was written for Lantus and Humalog. I would have to say, that upon starting to shoot the insulin, my discomfort level has gone down perhaps 70 - 80% in the legs and feet. I also went from 2 liters of Coke a day to 1 can of Coke Zero during the beginning.

My weekly averages from my meter have been going down from 9.2, 9.0, 8.3, 8.2 (mmol/L) so I am slowly coming into control. I want to go faster so I have been upping my insulin 20u a night of Lantus and perhaps 6u of Humalog for my not quite too low carb meals.

Are you saying that rapid change down in BG worsens Neuropathy (or it's symptoms)? Or were you still having spikes that may have caused the pain?

Hi dougster!

Pretty much exactly what subby said! I had no signs of neuropathy prior to my diagnosis I was running about 470 and lovin life, lost a ton of weight was workin hard all was well until I almost took a header at a festival, no alcohol that night but it scared me. I went to the regular doc and got the diagnosis and about a month into it I was in excruciating pain from my a**hole to my feet and when I realized I was a guinea pig I pulled some strings to get in to see an endo (when I called they said it was a ten month wait) What she told me was that the rapid reduction in BG was causing my symptoms and that once we get them normalized "hopefully" the pain will subside. I am glad to hear that yours is going away. I wouldnt wish it on anyone!

[jenb]

Hi Sue. Kudos to you for ignoring the ridiculous advice you got from the doctor that testing isn't necessary. NONSENSE! No wonder so many people have blood sugar run amok...how can they control anything if they have no data?!? This drives me absolutely NUTS!

As I am a T1 and use MDI I can't give you any feedback on the use of Metformin. Just wanted to support you and your hubby on the dietary changes that you're making. You'll get a great payoff! Do allow for those times when he will fall off the wagon...virtually everyone here has done that periodically. But I love your plan to eliminate the most egregious actors, then add them back slowly to test the effect.

Would your husband consider participating on DF himself? Ultimately he'll have to run with the ball on his own. And no one is more willing to offer support for that the the wonderful people here on the forums...they've surely been a lifesaver for me!

Jen

[sumi]

Hi, Sue. Good for you!!! Having gone through a similar thing myself, my advice to anyone near and dear would pretty much be what you are doing. It is always dismaying and astonishing to hear such terrible advice from doctors when, as you know, DH's numbers are so bad. Personally, as in my signature, I started out at <50 g's carbs (none in the morning), and found this to be sustainable for many months. I experienced a faster drop in BG's,which makes me think you may need the help of an endo or good doctor. It is possible that insulin is needed, at least temporarily. As you probably know, if this is the case, the sooner the better.

[GeishaGirl]

I'm on 2000g of Metformin a day (1000 morning and night) and it has been TREMENDOUSLY helpful in getting my morning numbers down and keeping myself well.

Other than that, I have no advice -- just wanted to give you a *hugs* and tell you that things can and do get better.

[Dougster]

I really appreciate your insights! The doctor did say that treating would help make the pain go away, so maybe it's a good thing I am not flying too rapidly down to a steady 5 or 6.

I can handle the shots, the diet changes, the lack of Coke (Classic) and the pills, it's the pain in the legs that was the most "depressing" think of this entire experience.

Knowing that things should keep getting better really gives me something to look forward to. The overall health benefits of these lifestyle changes are a bonus to the lack of Neuropathy caused pain! (I tend to live in the "immediate", I am sure you have realized.)

I am thankful that weight loss (to any degree) was not needed (or mentioned) in my checkup I am 6' and 185 lbs. Now, I suppose if I just turn it all into muscle, I wont have anywhere to shoot my insulin LOL except in the fat in my head!