[gbhunter]

I am a t2 D. My dr has me on 500 mg of metformin a day.
Today I noticed something strange that has been happening for a little bit. I got up and my bs was 85. Ate cereal and it shot up to 189 stayed there for about 1.5 hour and then went down to 138. after one hour it crashed to 59. I got some candy and it popped back up to 125 1 hour after that it crashed to 65. I ate my lunch and the BSL sat at 141 for 3 hours then dropped to 125. Lest then 1 hour after it was 125 it crashed to 70. What the heck is going on. I only take the one pill with lunch and thats it. Any suggestions.
my A1c last time was 5.6 the time before that it was 4.7, I have had t2 D for 1 year.

[shutterbug]

Hunter,

Your BS level depends on how much carbs you eat. For many of us here, BS shoots up when we eat cereals. It looks like your BS level is behaving based on what you eat. You must have had a high carb meal for lunch and that’s why BS was at 141 for 3 hrs.

DO you count carbs? Have you been to a nutritionist/ dietician?

[xMenace]

Welcome.

Exasperating isn't it?

[fgummett]

Hi gbh, Welcome to DF! How long ago were you diagnosed and started on medication? In case you have only recently started, Metformin can take a few weeks before it "kicks-in". Or have you recently started exercise that you were doing before? Keep asking questions but please tell us more as well

[BrianSCohen]

gbhunter,

You are describing reactive hypoglycemia. Eat some carbs, blood sugar rises, your body releases insulin, blood sugar falls, too much insulin, too low blood sugar. Normally, your body responds smoothly, falling blood sugar, dropping insulin, rising glucagon, liver dumps enough blood sugar to keep you just right. In a diabetic, the control mechanism is all out of whack. Too much insulin, too little glucagon, low blood sugar, but no signal to liver to bring it back up.

If you just started metformin, you may have responded well and it just takes your body some time to adjust to your new insulin sensitivity. To keep things from seesawing as much, reduce your carb intake. With an HbA1c of 5.6 at diagnosis, you are pre-diabetic at best. Also 500mg of metformin is not even really a theraputic dose. If you were diagnosed as a diabetic with a HbA1c of 4.7, I might just have to have a little chat with your dr.

[gbhunter]

I have been on 500mg of metformin for 1.5 years.
At diagnosis my AC was at 7.5 or something like that. After diagnosis I lost weight and started going to the gym. Then my a1c dropped to 4.6. 5 months ago I went back to get a check up and my a1c climed up to 5.6. The Dr only did one test to diagnose me. 5 months before that he did the same test and it came fine(he did not tell me the results). Also the 5.6 might be a tad high since i had wine less then 72 hour before the test(and to say i had a little wine would be a gross under statement, you could have measured it in bottles) I dont normally drink but that was the first time in 10 years.
Also I ate a ton of carbs a few days agoa and measuered my sugar 1 hour after it was 110, 2 hours after it was 156 3 hours after it was 112. I have not seen a a dietishan(sorry for the poor spelling).

[gbhunter]

Ok so last night we went to Red Lobster. I had Lobster Bisque,mashed potatoes,huge hunk of blackened salmon and 2 of the biscuits. In total its like 60-100G of carbs. After 2 hours my BSL was 90. How is it 90 for that but when I eat cereal in the morning with 20G of carb my bSL is 140.

[matingara]

not necessarily so weird.

i find that my BGL goes up more at lunchtime and breakfast-time even with small amounts of carbs.

at supper-time it often goes down 2 hours after supper (it did tonight!!!)



-- joel.

[fgummett]

Joel has it right... our need for insulin and sugar is not "flat" throughout the day. Insulin Resistance is often higher in the morning plus the Dawn Phenomenon can cause the liver to dump out extra sugar around the time we wake.

Basal insulin is the background insulin requirement just for our bodies to tick along without any extra insulin (Bolus) for food. I use a pump and most of not all of these allow you to set multiple basal rates through the day... I use three rates but others use more:
Midnight to 09:30 I use 3.5 units/hour,
09:30 to 6PM I use 1.75 units/hour,
and
6PM to midnight I use 2.5 units/hour
... by skipping my usual meal times and testing to see if my BS remained within normal limits, I have established that most days this fits my basal requirement. Also when I hit the gym I cut my current basal rate in half for an hour or so before and after.

[BrianSCohen]

gbhunter,

Overall what you describe is great news. You did all the right things. You have made great progress, and for the most part your diabetes is mostly in remission. You probably can safely eat measured carbs without excessive blood sugar swings. Now, the bad news. You still have diabetes. However if you keep an eye on things, your honeymoon may well last a very long time. I would recommend you still follow a carb restricted diet, continue to exercise regularly and keep your weight in check. You probably can stop and stay off medications for some time if you are continue to be diligent.

Your few? glasses of wine would not have affected your HbA1c. It may have affected your fasting blood sugar test. It certainly would have affected your blood sugar control. Keep in mind what I said above, blood sugar goes low, liver gets signal to dump blood sugar, blood sugar stays normal. Now imagine what happens when you drink, liver is busy processing alcohol, get signal to dump blood sugar, liver ignores signal to dump blood sugar, blood sugar goes low. You will need to be careful when drinking it does cause many type 2's to be susceptible to lows. You can also use it to good affect, a glass or two or red wine before bed can be used therapeutically to address morning highs (dawn phenomenon).