# HELP! CANNOT GET CONTROL OF MY BLOOD SUGAR



## Charmaine57 (Sep 27, 2017)

Hi guys,

I am starting to get really frustrated.  My blood sugar is stubbornly remaining at around 20 every time I measure it.  This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie made from a handful of berries, 1/2 a banana, muller light yogurt and porridge oats.  2 hours after...20.6!  Can anyone offer any advice about what I am doing wrong.  I have drunk 2l of no added sugar squash, no caffeine.
Yesterday I had a similar breakfast and for lunch I had low carb bread, avocado, chicken and a coleslaw mix without the mayo (just the veggies) and again nothing except NAS squash to drink.  For tea I had stirfry and egg noodles with only soy sauce.  My level yesterday was 21.  

I'm starting to panic now.  I am 2 metformin twice a day, 1 gliclazide twice a day and 1.2mg of liraglutide once a day and I am at my wits end.


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## Copepod (Sep 27, 2017)

Welcome to the forum Charmaine57.
You mention drug names, but not doses, so it's impossible to know how high up the medication ladder you are standing. 
Some of the foods you mention, particularly banana and noodles, are relatively high in carbohydrate, but again, without knowing portion size, it's difficult to comment.
Finally, what are your activity levels? Exercise is as vital as diet, body weight control and medication in type 2 diabetes.
If you've only just started on treatement then there may be a case to advocate a bit of patience / wait and see. Adding medication(s) and / or increasing dose is sometimes needed, so please don't regard as a failure.


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## Northerner (Sep 27, 2017)

Charmaine57 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am starting to get really frustrated.  My blood sugar is stubbornly remaining at around 20 every time I measure it.  This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie made from a handful of berries, 1/2 a banana, muller light yogurt and porridge oats.  2 hours after...20.6!  Can anyone offer any advice about what I am doing wrong.  I have drunk 2l of no added sugar squash, no caffeine.
> Yesterday I had a similar breakfast and for lunch I had low carb bread, avocado, chicken and a coleslaw mix without the mayo (just the veggies) and again nothing except NAS squash to drink.  For tea I had stirfry and egg noodles with only soy sauce.  My level yesterday was 21.
> ...


Hi Charmaine, welcome to the forum  Have you been diagnosed long? How long have you been on the liraglutide? Also, did you measure your blood sugar levels before eating your breakfast, so you can tell how much the food raised your levels by?

Sorry for all the questions!


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## Charmaine57 (Sep 27, 2017)

Hi,

Thanks for the advice so far.  Metformin is 2 x 500mg tablets twice a day, 1 x 80mg gliclazide tablets twice a day and 1.2 liraglutide.  I was diagnosed about 3 years ago and was able to control it reasonably well.  About 18 months ago I started to struggle.  I started liraglutide in April this year and at my last review my nurse doubled the metformin and gave me a monitor so I could monitor my levels myself.  This was about 4 weeks ago.  

Is there any foods that I should be avoiding?  I have been told that I need to have carbs in my diet and not to cut them out but how much do poeple typically eat?


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## pav (Sep 27, 2017)

Charmaine57 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am starting to get really frustrated.  My blood sugar is stubbornly remaining at around 20 every time I measure it.  This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie made from a handful of berries, 1/2 a banana, muller light yogurt and porridge oats.  2 hours after...20.6!  Can anyone offer any advice about what I am doing wrong.  I have drunk 2l of no added sugar squash, no caffeine.
> Yesterday I had a similar breakfast and for lunch I had low carb bread, avocado, chicken and a coleslaw mix without the mayo (just the veggies) and again nothing except NAS squash to drink.  For tea I had stirfry and egg noodles with only soy sauce.  My level yesterday was 21.
> ...




Welcome to the forum,

As Northerner mentioned it's worth checking your levels before you eat as that way you can see what the rise on your levels are. It may be an advantage to keep a food diary fir a short while at least, with this and tasting you can plot a trend of what food is doing what to you. Unfortunately there is no hard and fast list of foods to avoid, but generally highly processed food like white bread, pasta and rice tends to be a major problem for a lot of us.

Going off your breakfast list the banana can be a nightmare to some especially if it's a ripe one, I used to be able to eat them just as they were turning from green to yellow, but at the moment even that has caused a problem and hopefully temporarily off the can eat list. Another major hiccup for me would be the porridge oats especially if they are the more highly processed version like the instant oats.  

With the bread have a look at the total carb content, and what type of bread are you eating like white bread can cause a rapid spike in levels where as Whole meal / granary will release the carbs more slowly. Had to look up the carb content in noodles courteously of google as I never eat them a they can be extremely high in carbs from around 25% to 80% carbs, and would cause a high glucose level.

A book worth getting is carbs and cals, which is a good guide to size and carbs in food, also google search ie search for "carbs in noodle" it brings up good results in how many carbs are in them and in the various ways they are cooked.

It's a steep learning curve and we have all been there and I for one can still get caught out or even surprised of what food does to me.


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## Northerner (Sep 27, 2017)

You might find Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S helpful in understanding how to test effectively and efficiently  Also, I'd recommend reading Maggie Davey's letter which gives a good overview and how to make good food choices 

How did your diagnosis come about?


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## Vicsetter (Sep 27, 2017)

I would assume that 2 metformin twice a day is the maximum of 4x500g, we don't know what gliclizde is, but assume 80mg and 1.2 of liraglutide (Victoza) is also the maximum dose.
What you are eating is no doubt more than partially to blame, try a day or two without the low carb bread (whatever that is), no bananas and no porridge and no egg noodles.
I see you have posted since I started replying, so to answer your question, you can cut out as much carbs as you can.  Carbohydrates are directly processed into glucose in the blood.  I am glad to see I predicted your meds correctly.  I find that the Victoza (or is it Byetta?) brings a high reading down in the evening, but doesn't have that much effect on lower readings, I assume you inject close to your evening meal.

I assume you are testing on a freshly washed and dried finger.  What exercise are you doing?

P.S. I find the Sparkpeople website quite good for carb content, like your muller light:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/calories-in.asp?food=muller+light


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## Kentoldlady (Sep 27, 2017)

Hi there. I see that your diet is very carb heavy. I think that I would try and record as accurately as possible the amount of carbs in each serving of food that I was eating, and test, test test. 
That way you will have a picture of just what is doing this to your levels. Do you keep a food diary? 
But atfirst glance I would say that you are eating too many carbs.

I do not inject, so hesitate to give advice as to how you should lower your levels but do think your diet needs to change. Have you looked at the jason fung website? And dietdoctor has great ideas about food.

Good luck with it all.


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## Bubbsie (Sep 27, 2017)

Charmaine57 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am starting to get really frustrated.  My blood sugar is stubbornly remaining at around 20 every time I measure it.  This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie made from a handful of berries, 1/2 a banana, muller light yogurt and porridge oats.  2 hours after...20.6!  Can anyone offer any advice about what I am doing wrong.  I have drunk 2l of no added sugar squash, no caffeine.
> Yesterday I had a similar breakfast and for lunch I had low carb bread, avocado, chicken and a coleslaw mix without the mayo (just the veggies) and again nothing except NAS squash to drink.  For tea I had stirfry and egg noodles with only soy sauce.  My level yesterday was 21.
> ...


Charmaine it is important for you not to panic...I have looked at what you have been eating...believe the carb content of the food you have listed is likely responsible for the increase in your blood sugars...of course there may be other factors too...stress/anxiety or if we are feeling unwell can also cause our levels to spike...you have a meter & testing strips...why not try test yourself before & after meals as other members have suggested...just a couple of thoughts...NAS cordials can mean just that...no additional sugar has been added...however...the cordial may contain a high fruit sugar content...the banana again can be carb heavy...as are noodles...vegetables...not all of them are low carb/suitable for type 2s...any starchy vegetables will have a higher carb content...some oils...why not as advised have another look at your diet...test to see what effect the food you are eating has on your diabetes...light yoghurts can have a lot of sugar in them to make them more palatable...I appreciate the advice given to us by our health care teams is not always the best...conflicting advice is often given about the daily carb content of our meals...as others have said...there is no hard & fast rule...diet & diabetes is very much an individual matter...of course you should follow your doctors advice on what medication you need...try to refocus...try the suggestions made here...see if that makes a difference...there are many many diet ideas on the forum...recipe threads...tips and suggestions for lowering our blood sugars...have a look at those...start off again...good luck...don't panic...I'm sure you can address this with the right support & guidance...keep us updated.


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## Ditto (Sep 27, 2017)

Hello Charmaine and welcome to the forum  Don't panic, with a bit of work you'll soon get your blood sugars under control I'm sure. It's all about measuring and the carbs.


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## Ljc (Sep 27, 2017)

Charmaine57 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am starting to get really frustrated.  My blood sugar is stubbornly remaining at around 20 every time I measure it.  This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie made from a handful of berries, 1/2 a banana, muller light yogurt and porridge oats.  2 hours after...20.6!  Can anyone offer any advice about what I am doing wrong.  I have drunk 2l of no added sugar squash, no caffeine.
> Yesterday I had a similar breakfast and for lunch I had low carb bread, avocado, chicken and a coleslaw mix without the mayo (just the veggies) and again nothing except NAS squash to drink.  For tea I had stirfry and egg noodles with only soy sauce.  My level yesterday was 21.
> ...



Hi Charmaine.  The thing with carbohydrates is that we don’t need as. many  of them as we are led to believe.  That darned eatwell plate/guide is not good for us, it may be fine (but I have serious doubts about that) for non Diabetics .

Also Our bodies are quite capable of turning protein and fats into glucose , which is the fuel our bodies need, it just takes longer to convert them, which for us T2s is a good thing.
The worst carbohydrates for us T2s are the fast acting carbohydrates
Potatoes esp mash, rice, pasta bread esp white and things made with flour.
We often have to be careful with fruit, berries (not grapes) are often tolerated better, many people have problems with porridge.

What I suggest is try cutting down on the amount of carbs for each meal , till you find substitutes you like fill up on veg that grows above ground eating a bit more protein. Then test just before eating then two hours after starting to eat , I think you will find it helps you a lot.

We have some innovative cooks who put their recipes here
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/recipes.21/

We have a thread on here called, What did you eat yesterday, that should give you some ideas.
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/
For future reference you’ll find both on the, Food/carb queries and recipe thread.

Please let us know how you get on and feel free to ask questions, we will do our best to help.


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## Mark Parrott (Sep 27, 2017)

I have nothing else to add as everyone else has done a good job.  Welcome to the forum, anyway.


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## Wirrallass (Sep 27, 2017)

Hi Charmaine & a warm welcome to our forum.  I echo what the others have wisely advised.

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling to lower your bgls.(Blood glucose levels) Consumption of too many Carborhydrates will lead to elevate our bgls.

I can highly recommend the book CARB & CALORIE COUNTER. Photo attached. It is the perfect tool for carb counting ~ weight management ~ portion control and healthy eating. I obtained a copy from Amazon for £10.99. It contains over 1700 coloured photos of a wide range of popular food and drink items.

*●*The carborhydrates ~ calorie ~protein ~ fat ~ saturated fat ~ and fibre values are clearly displayed in colour~coded circles below each photo. A little advice ~ portion size is also paramount in maintaining healthy bgls too.

There is a section at the rear of the book that gives ideas of what to eat when dining out and their ●carb content etc as above. Also there is a handy pocket size version for quick reference when out & about that can easily be placed in a handbag or jacket pocket ~ Amazon £6.99.

I would urge you to buy a copy of the CARB & CALORIE COUNTER if you can ~ as the book contains so much helpful information ~ and I'm sure then that if you follow the suggestions within it you're bgls will gradually begin to lower.

Hope this is helpful. Take care, good luck & do please stay in touch as to your *CARB journey & levels of glucose!


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## Flossypops (Sep 28, 2017)

Hi Charmaine, one last thing that might help. The Muller light yoghurt. "Yogurt (*Milk*), Water, *Fructose*, Modified *Maize Starch*, Flavourings, Gelatine, *Caramel Syrup*, Salt, Sweeteners: Aspartame, Acesulfame K" they hide sugar everywhere. The book that has been advised by wirralass really helps and an eye opener. Good luck.


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## Maz2 (Sep 29, 2017)

I would watch the fruit yoghurts too. I used to eat a lot of them and also loads of fresh fruit, was diagnosed pre-diabetic and advised to cut it down. I did along with breakfast cereal, potatoes, pasta, rice, noodles, and bread.  I can get away with porridge but only have it a couple of times a week. I use natural yoghurt now and put nuts and seeds in it.  I use either Skyr, onken or Greek with about 3.8/4grams per 100g.  I find at the moment I can get away with it but it is important to test as what one person can tolerate, another cannot.

I have glanced at a book I bought recently, but have not yet read, by Michael Moseley "The Clever Guts Diet."  It is talking about emulsifiers, additives, etc and that they may be implicated in diabetes and weight gain, obesity etc.


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## PURPLESALLY (Oct 20, 2017)

Charmaine57 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am starting to get really frustrated.  My blood sugar is stubbornly remaining at around 20 every time I measure it.  This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie made from a handful of berries, 1/2 a banana, muller light yogurt and porridge oats.  2 hours after...20.6!  Can anyone offer any advice about what I am doing wrong.  I have drunk 2l of no added sugar squash, no caffeine.
> Yesterday I had a similar breakfast and for lunch I had low carb bread, avocado, chicken and a coleslaw mix without the mayo (just the veggies) and again nothing except NAS squash to drink.  For tea I had stirfry and egg noodles with only soy sauce.  My level yesterday was 21.
> ...


Hi, I'm new to this too and totally get your frustration. I keep a BG level diary alongside a food diary and with the help of the diabetic nurse got my bloods down from 20's to 7's in a month. She was able to suggest insulin adjustments. So far I know I have to steer away from oats, banana's noodles, pasta and rice even brown and the most surprisingly apples. If I  get up and have a really high reading I tend to have a Nature's Valley protein bar for breakfast and it settles me down for the rest of the day. 
I am learning from this forum that everyone is different but really found the nurse's advice helpful as she was analysing my data and I know for some Type 2's the diabetic nurse is not always available
Keep trying you will get there   -  eventually!


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## Friarygirl74 (Oct 22, 2017)

Hi Charmaine
it is really hard knowing what to eat, and what to replace carbs with.  I recently signed up for the online Michael Moseley Blood Sugar Diet.  it is £99 for the early bird discount but has given me a great menu of low carb weight loss meals.  I have lost 8 lbs in 4 weeks and my blood sugar levels have come down really well, they are nearly always in the target range.  it is expensive but has been well worth it in my book.  He also sells a book (same name).  Meals based around leafy veg, eggs, fish and meat, all simple to prepare.more importantly if has give  me a sustainable way of eating going forward.
good luck


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