Met. and Glucometer

MartyOSU · 08-19-2003, 12:25 PM

My doctor has increased my dosage of Met. to 1500mg. He wants me to buy a glucometer in order to keep track of my blood sugar. He is afraid it might get too low and I could become hypoglycemic. I do sometimes feel very tired and shaky and lightheaded. I tested my blood sugar yesterday at his office and it was 82 but this was after I had eaten breakfast. He didn't seemed worried about it. He does want me to keep track of the blood sugar though. Has anyone else had to do this? What is the best thing to eat if I do have low blood sugar? I am on a low carb diet so I don't want to blow my carb count but I don't want to feel tired and sluggish either? Please help!
Thanks
Marty

Lizzywic · 08-19-2003, 02:27 PM

Marty,
Don't really have an answer for you..the only thing that gets rid of the low sugar count is either lots of protein...or some kind of carb/sugar. I am hypoglycemic...and I carry glucose tabs in my purse. I've tried Atkins and can't maintain it because my bloodsugar drops too low. It's not worth you possibly passing out an injuring yourself. Eat a bit of sugar/carbs when you need to. Just my 2 cents!

christyz · 08-19-2003, 03:32 PM

My Dr did the same thing a few years ago. I borrowed a glucometer from a friend who is a nurse and did a few days of BG readings. Then my Dr was satisfied that my sugars were good and I continued with my regular drill.

I agree that dropping too low is never something we should allow on ANY diet. Hypo is a serious signal from the body that we have to learn to listen to. There are some people who dip just low enough that a piece of beef jerky or another protien will bring it back up. But if you struggle with frequent bouts of hypo, sometimes sugar is the only help...such as some sips of juice or a piece of fruit or bread. Those sugars should help with the hypo, while still giving your body something it needs..vit c or grains. You will also avoid the insulin spike from a super high sugar product (like chocolate bar or something) and avoid creating another hypo episode from that spike a few hours later....it can be a nasty cycle. Grains and fruit sugars are better for your body.

Hope it helps.

nobimbo · 08-19-2003, 08:28 PM

I have read that milk can help to prevent hypoglycemic episodes because it contains a simple sugar (lactose) and protein.

Linda

SheriKCMO · 08-20-2003, 02:50 AM

Milk is a very restorative food/beverage for me, especially when I feel like my sugar is a bit low. It "sinks in" pretty fast and settles the stomach at the same time. Good call on that one.

Having a meal immediately is obviously the best option. A handfull of nuts will have quite a bit of useful carbs and some protein. A few whole grain crackers, like trisquits, would probably bring you back to normal.

Best wishes,
Sheri

JLHoogland · 08-25-2003, 07:12 PM

I'm very new here so take my 2 cents with a grain of salt.

I was diagnosed with IR three days ago but have been playing with the IR diet for a few weeks. I definately notice I feel way better when I link protein/carbs and have found milk is the best thing in the world!

When I start feeling whoozy I usually drink a glass of milk, therfore, balancing my carbs/protein. The funny thing is since I've started drinking more milk (in the past week...skim of course) I've been feeling way better and having less and less whoozy hot flash spells...

I start glucophage xr today and also just got a glucometer last week. I'll try and let you know how my blood sugar is now that I will be taking the xr.

Jennye

xmelinda · 08-26-2003, 12:19 PM

I'm the same say, when I start to feel nauseated from low blood sugar, I have milk and it does help. This makes me wonder, though, because I know the IR Diet says we don't have to count lactose as carbs, though it does seem to stave off a full-blown hypoglycemic event.

When I do have a hypo event, with the shakes and cold sweats and headaches and all that, I have tried to fix it with just protein, and it doesn't help me, I have to have sugar. Mind you, I don't have to have *much* -- about a half-can of Coke does the trick, and then once I'm okay, I follow that up with some protein to level it off.

Even before I knew that my migraines were triggered by hypoglycemia, I figured out by instinct or trial and error or something that if I had some milk or some cereal at the start of the attack, the headache and nausea would be not as bad. (BTW I don't have migraines anymore since I've been aware of the blood sugar connection)

Melinda

kimmikat · 08-26-2003, 01:04 PM

Just adding my two cents....
My Dad is type I diabetic and is now considered brittle, meaning he has a very difficult time controlling his highs and lows. (He's actually #2 on the list for a pancreas transplant at Cleveland Clinic.) The absolute best thing for him when he starts going low is to take a glass of milk. Because he is on the insulin pump, he has to measure the milk and figure out the carbs to bring the sugar levels where they need to be without going high. (math!) But, you ladies are absolutely correct in taking milk when you feel your sugar is going low. I shudder when I think of the days when doctors told Dad to have a piece of chocolate or drink orange juice. Those options always gave him the rebound effect where the low would be corrected, but then he would become to high. Very bad for a diabetic to have those swings.

xmelinda · 08-26-2003, 01:44 PM

Well, I know that milk is somewhat controversial among low-carbers. If the IR Diet says to count it as a protein and not to count the carbs, it makes me wonder if that's a good idea, if milk does seem to raise blood sugar. Anyone have thoughts on that?

Melinda

christyz · 08-26-2003, 05:23 PM

Quote:

If the IR Diet says to count it as a protein and not to count the carbs, it makes me wonder if that's a good idea, if milk does seem to raise blood sugar. Anyone have thoughts on that?

The IR diet doesn't say not to count the carbs...it says milk is balanced. Milk contains 12 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein so they are naturally balanced and will not SPIKE your blood sugar like a straight sugar or an unbalanced food will.

xmelinda · 08-26-2003, 06:06 PM

*sigh* I guess I'm going to have to read that book a 4th time, since clearly I misunderstood even more of it. I had in my mind that milk and other dairy foods can be used as a protein food when linking and balancing because the lactose carb does not affect the insulin response the same way. The book seemed very simple when I read it...and read it again...and read it (mostly) again, yet I keep running into things that I guess I got wrong. I thought that, for example, 8 oz of milk + 15g of carb in the form of, say, cereal or something is a properly linked meal/snack, but you're saying that there would have to be another 7g of protein with that because the milk already contains a serving of carb, yes?

Melinda

christyz · 08-26-2003, 06:12 PM

The book does consider them protein, but I don't dismiss the carbs in the milk...i consider it when I make my servings. Maybe I'm the one who is out to lunch!

PaintedDaisy · 08-26-2003, 06:56 PM

The book, it seems, makes it easy to misinterpret the rules about milk. When I read the section on dairy, several times I might add, I came to the same conclusion xmelinda did.

But, I follow it like christyz does. For me, I find that milk + carbs is too much carbs and it affects my insulin a little too much. What I usually do when I want a bowl of cereal, is to eat a hard-boiled egg along with it. The extra protein in the egg seems to really help with the insulin spike.

I think, as always, listen to your body. Some might find the protein in milk adequate for the cereal/carbs, but some may not.

xmelinda · 08-26-2003, 07:02 PM

hm, well, that's different. How do you know it made your insulin too high, just by how you felt? I do that a lot, just see how things make me feel. For example, I do not have a reaction to Splenda like she suggests. Maybe I should start noticing my reactions to milk, although it has been a mainstay of my diet plan. It's so hard to find proteins, and milk or cheese are easy to add.

Melinda

PaintedDaisy · 08-26-2003, 07:06 PM

Melinda, yeah I just went by how I felt

When my insulin levels get high I start yawning like crazy and just want to sleep. Since doing the IR diet, I feel energized after I eat. So if I start feeling yucky after a meal, then I know not to eat that again