Low carbing but blood sugar getting higher!

[ridingsixwhitehorses]

I had gestational diabetes though it went away post birth. So once ds was six months I decided to low carb. Have lost half a stone in three weeks. Enjoying the challenge. Usually skip breakfast as can't find a low carb breakfast I like but then have an early lunch.
Anyway still have blog sugar test strips and needles left from pregnancy so occasionally take my blood sugar out of curiosity. My fasting blood sugar is really high. On pregnancy I was told it should be under 5.5 when you wake up. But it is routinely 6 something. Today I went back to bed after being up for an hour at 6am. Had nothing to eat or drink. But at 9.30am blood sugar was 7.7 which is really really high. Is this normal? Should I worry? Am losing weight and not as hungry on this diet as blood sugar def stabilised without bread and chocolate etc but seems my blood sugar is going crazy.

Just out if curiosity, are you eating a lot of fruit? Some fruits can be very high in sugar, although this is natural, if you are worried limit the amount of fruit you eat.
Do you have a glass or 2 on a night, alcohol is full of hidden sugar and so can increase readings. (Not suggesting anything bad here BTW)
Another useful point may be checking the ingredients or content if foods, some "low fat" food use sugar to replace the fat. Also some "low sugar" replace with chemical alternatives. Natural foods are best.
If you are high when fasting, what are your post food readings like? If you are managing to maintain below 9 I wouldn't worry.
Hope this is helpful x

Do you make sure you wash your finger before doing the pinprick? with water not alcohol gel.

Did you go back for your gtt after 6 weeks? I would ask the diabetes nurse at your gp surgery for a retest to be honest, just to err on the side of caution. They will probably want to do a fasting test but if you've got enough test strips left I'd record your post meal readings as well. I've had GD twice and they have told me I'll need a fasting test every year for life as you have a much higher chance of developing T2 diabetes.

The fasting levels the NHS uses are higher for non-pregnant people

6-7 mmol/l = impaired glucose tolerance

more than 7 mmol/l = diabetes

Sleep can affect your fasting levels too

Finger prick BM can be misleading.

Also women who had gestational diabetes are at higher risk of 'proper' diabetes.

If in doubt, contact your GP and ask for a fasting blood sugar test taken from your vein (and HbA1c which tells you about blood sugar control in the last 10-12 weeks and is a better measure of your overall control).

I had a gtt when ds was three months and it came back fine.

Very rarely drink though did have two glasses of wine at a party yesterday afternoon and my v high morning reading was this morning.

No I don't usually remember to wash my hands pre pricking for test. Does that make a difference?

Not having too much fruit (alas - I love fruit!).

How does sleep affect levels? I have three kids under six and NEVER have a good night's sleep though I go back to bed in the morning for an hour while dh gives them breakfast (and sleep very very deeply for this hour).

There can be a sugar residue on hands from whatever you might have touched and obviously that will get mixed with the blood so can result in an elevated reading. Been caught out by that before

My experience:

• washing hands can make a big difference
• bad night's sleep, stress and illness can make a difference

There is also a thing where if you don't eat for too long your liver can dump loads of glycogen causing a rise in blood sugar (sure alcohol causes a blood sugar rollercoaster). Some people do well with a high fat snack before bed but I did better having an early dinner.

Your fasting BG isn't necessarily too much to be worried about as long as you check during the day and see how you are pre and post meal. Your fasting readings are influenced by lots of things: stress, poor sleep, ill health etc. I have heard of people getting a sudden surge in fasting readings after starting a low carb diet because the liver starts to dump all the glycogen it has stored. It should come down again once you are adapted to low carb.

I would suggest that you look at the web site www.diabetes.co.uk. I was badly pre diabetic and rapidly approaching full blown Type 2. My GP seemed to take the attitude that I should just carry on until I needed medication and then he would put me on tablets or even insulin! With the help of the team on DCUK I have completely turned it round and I'm back in normal ranges. Its well worth a look.

miffy can you outline the key things you did to turn it around? This is definitely on the cards for me genetically unfortunately.

What should it be post meal? For GD it was meant to be 7.5 or below an hour after eating.

NHS website says
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes-type2/Pages/Treatment.aspx

"A normal blood glucose level is 4-6 mmol/l before meals (preprandial) and less than 10 mmol/l two hours after meals (postprandial), although this can vary from person to person. Your diabetes care team can discuss your blood glucose level with you in more detail."

Advice on low carb diet to improve/'reverse' diabetes

Some diabetics find a fat/protein snack at bedtime beings their morning blood glucose levels down. In some people it can make it worse though so do check what works for you.