Can you provide reference for this?
Great question - I read so much of this stuff it all blends together after awhile. Without re-reading here are a few - I think these are all talking about post prandial glucose excursions and are specific to heart disease.
One other thing I did not mention is just using afrezza to get back to a sub 100 level and then using the ADA SoC meds as prescribed by the GP. Getting a severe hypo with afrezza when not using other meds is hard but just watch for hypos if you are mixing meds. I think in Gingerās article she talks about using afrezza as a rescue tool. While she is āT1ā a similar approach can be taken with the T2. Depending on how much insulin the T2 is making will determine how well this works. Maybe knocking it down once a day after the big meal below 100 will really help. This would stretch a $99 box across several months - just get the 12units.
Bonora E, Muggeo M. Postprandial blood glucose as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in Type II diabetes: the epidemiological evidence. Diabetologia. (2001) 44:2107ā14. doi: 10.1007/s001250100020
Ceriello A, Hanefeld M, Leiter L, Monnier L, Moses A, Owens D, et al. Postprandial glucose regulation and diabetic complications. Arch Intern Med. (2004) 164:2090ā5. doi: 10.1001/archinte.164.19.2090
Kataoka Y, Yasuda S, Morii I, Otsuka Y, Kawamura A, Miyazaki S. Quantitative coronary angiographic studies of patients with angina pectoris and impaired glucose tolerance. Diabetes Care. (2005) 28:2217ā22. doi: 10.2337/diacare.28.9.2217
Saely CH, Drexel H, Sourij H, Aczel S, Jahnel H, Zweiker R, et al. Key role of postchallenge hyperglycemia for the presence and extent of coronary atherosclerosis: an angiographic study. Atherosclerosis. (2008) 199:317ā22. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2007.11.020
Jiang J, Zhao L, Lin L, Gui M, Aleteng Q, Wu B, et al. Postprandial blood glucose outweighs fasting blood glucose and HbA1c in screening coronary heart disease. Sci Rep. (2017) 7:14212. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14152-y
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Before the chain of events that lead me to find out I was diabetic, I had been incredibly active. A walk every day or a hike for the last two years, and CrossFit 3x per week in addition to that since last August. I havenāt been back to CrossFit since April, but I meditate and do yoga in the mornings (now that Iām a morning personā¦ I am one now that Iāve lowered my blood sugar significantly). Also, my fasting blood sugar in the AM is usually 103-120 if things are going normally which seems to change every couple weeks depending on sleep/stress/the way the wind is blowingā¦ Post meal Iām only checking once or twice a day, and when Iām not feeling well which happens almost every day right now. When I test during a false hypo itās usually in the 90s. So, things are improving. I just am getting frustrated with the false hypos now and itās really hard.
Iām used to being really active even though my BMI is high, but a trip to the pool can set me up for a false hypo and a 4 hour nap these days. Heck, I can get a false hypo for seemingly no reason. Iām actually considering taking some FMLA leave because of it.
My doctor says I just have to power through them, but Iām sure most everyone here knows they arenāt fun.
When I first started taking metformin and changed my diet I felt great. Fantastic even. Better than I had in years. Now, Iām wondering when I get to feel better again.
I will say I am incredibly thankful for this community because I have learned so much from reading other peopleās posts and the responses to my post here. I have learned more here than I have learned from my health care providers.
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Heybeth, Hi! I started out with a situation similar to yours, and just want to say that I think you are doing a fantastic job! Believe in yourself and what you can do. Soon you (and your doctor) will see all your efforts pay off, and youāll reach your goals. Youāre well on your way, and I wouldnāt be too concerned about the metformin one way or another. Your daily workouts are probably doing tons more than the metformin. In fact thatās one thing that convinced me and my doctor to let me drop the diabetes meds originally prescribed when I was diagnosed 24 years ago at age 55 with BG of 350. He was planning on increasing the (later pulled from the market due to dangerous side effects) Rezulin pill at the 6 month point when I showed up with my new and improved A1c of 7 (down from about 12 at diagnosis) and showed him my daily workout plan which had gotten me in normal range and started the 6-month melting of all 40 excess pounds off. I also told him that Iād quit taking the originally-prescribed pill and was just using diet and exercise. He saw that I was confident that I could continue doing what I (previous couch potato) was doing, and agreed to let me continue with diet and (mostly) exercise only. His confidence in me paid off, because my next A1c dropped to 6, and my subsequent A1cs for almost all of the next 11 years stayed in the 6s before creeping up to the point where I asked for metformin. But we agreed that I could ramp up the dosage slowly, as tolerated, and worked well for a couple of years until I asked for glipizide to be added to my diet & (mostly) exercise routine, and which Iāve been taking the last 13 years. I always considered the meds supplementary to my main med ā exercise, which worked better than anything to address the insulin resistance. Have confidence in yourself and what you can do. Keep up the good work!
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If anyone is still looking for an update, I finally got my a1c retested at the 3 month mark a couple weeks ago, and itās a 6.9! Down from 11.7 to 6.9 in 3 months. Health care providers have finally stopped pressuring me to take more meds, and they are really proud of me. One of the doctors said that they had never had a patient turn it around so quickly with so little medications. They were really worried about me because initially they wanted to put me on 2-3 more prescriptions plus insulin, but I was so against medications (I seem to have a sensitivity to a lot of medications) they let me do my thing for a bit.
I wanted to thank everyone for the advice Iāve gotten here because it has helped me a lot. Seriously. Without the support of everyone here, I donāt think I would have gotten it this far. This was the place I found the most support and information at a time I felt very much alone, and like I didnāt have any control over what was happening to my body.
I had to go to the doctor once a month for a while, but Iām down to once every 3 months now. If I can get my a1c down into the 5s for 6 months, theyāll let me back off my Metformin dosage. I know itās not hurting me, but Iād like to get to that at some point if I can. While I have been losing weight, I still have almost 100lbs to go, and they said that will affect my a1c, so obviously working on that, but not with a focus on pounds really. Just to feel good and strong plus eating the way I have been to support my blood sugar.
I picked Crossfit back up last week, and itās amazing how much better my body works. I didnāt realize how hard I had to fight before to get to the gym and just move until now. Prior to this, I had been going 3 times a week, but it was a struggle every time. Now, I could go almost every day I think except I hate partner workout days because I donāt want to hold other people back.
Iām a software engineer, so my work is mostly mental, and I feel like I have so much more focus. Probably a lot of this is knowing that my a1c is in a good place, and certainly on the right track.
I have learned so much about how my blood sugar affects me mentally and physically. I feel like even people without diabetes should know this information!
Dare I say it, butā¦ I just feel really good, and really capable.
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Congratulations Heybeth!!
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Great job! The mental and physical sluggishness were almost certainly due to your BG being so high. Headaches, thirst, and exhaustion are all part and parcel of high BG. Keep up the good work and listen to your body. Exercise everyday, even just a walk is incredibly beneficial for BG control and weight loss.
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Keep it up. Every time you get more control you encourage yourself.
I worry about the years of high blood sugars I had when I was younger and we all thought an a1c of 7.0 was really good.
I donāt know how after 34 years Iām mostly unscathed.
A lot of heathy people start having issues in their 50s. Itās hard to separate things like heart disease from diabetes induced heart disease.
I stay as close to normal as I can and I donāt beat myself up too much when things go off the rails.
I can still get up and exercise and do a lot of fun things. I can see I can think clearly, I can work. I want to keep doing things like this as long as I can.
I bought 2 kayaks this week and I canāt wait to get them out this weekend.
As it gets colder up here in PNW, I need to find some indoor options. Gyms are good for weights but I generally donāt do cardio inside. I might find something new.
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One of the symptoms of any type of diabetes either from a lack of insulin (types 1 and 3c) or insulin resistance (type 2) is fatigue.
Exercise is good for all type diabetics but is a requirement for type 2, because it is the best tool for increasing cellular insulin sensitivity that we have. This is why all type 2 drugs will have the following text, āā¦ (enter drug name here) is a prescription medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes used along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar (glucose).ā
Keep on what you are doing as long as it works. The only failure in my book is giving up, or getting complacent because you think you have it licked. The truth is, type 2 D. Mellitus is a progressive disease. It does not progress the same in different people.
My rules is to do what works, to be constantly vigilant in any changes and to make adjustments to stay on track. āPast performance is not necessarily indicative of future resultsā
As to your doctorās amazement at your progress, I have a cycling friend who is a PCP type doctor with a lot of type 2 patients. She can express her anger at her patients to me, because we are friends. The majority of T2DM patients do not take it seriously about diet and exercise. āJust give me a pill, doc, so I can eat what I want.ā
Celebrate every improvement, including decreasing dosage or being able to eliminate a medication. If after a while, despite your continued best efforts you notice your BG rising again, DO NOT think you are a failure.
I spent my whole working life as an electronic technician, doing product development, maintenance and trouble shooting. I think of diabetes management in the same ways. I like new technology, I stay on top of the numbers and exercise daily, if BG is unexpectedly high or low I think about how that can be addressed. Every day is a new day with diabetes.
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Thatās actually a point that one of my doctors made. He said 7.0 was a good goal, but that in Europe the guidelines are much lower, and I should consider that too if the goal is to get off of my medications.
Nice! Enjoy! One of my goals is to get my weight to a point where I can go rent a kayak for the weekend or go on a float trip without having to worry about the weight limit on the kayak.
This is something I have learned, and you are so right. Hormonal fluctuations, catching a cold, being stressed, exercise, and probably many other things affect it positively and negatively. I feel like I get in a good groove for a little while, and then suddenly an unexpected higher than normal reading, and then I have to figure out what happened.
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My kayaks have 300 lb limit. I have a foldable kind to make it easier to store. I can put a 80 lb dog and a cooler in it with no issues. Iām 220 now but trying to drop it a bit. My target
Is 190 because thatās what I weighed when I was running.
I think they weight rating gives room.
Simple reply. I am age 78, diabetic over 4 decades. Eat low carb, count carbs, try not eat over 3 or 4 carbs per meal. Try to minimize insulin, its not really great in large quantities . I also use one 500 ER metformin per meal. I eat too many desserts, but i cut back a great deal from younger years. 
jim
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What desserts are you eating that only accounts for 3-4 carbs cause I want some.
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Hello everyone! Iām also newly diagnosed. Feeling frustrated as well. Thanks for your contributions here.
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Welcome 
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@SotoGu welcome. Iāve been there and I am there. Retesting a1c this month, and Iām not sure how itāll go, but my energy is in a really good place now. You can do it, and this is a great place to get support.
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I am really interested in how your HbA1c is after stopping the prednisone. Iāve never taken it, but a cortisone shot in the knee caused elevated BG even though the doc assured me it would be contained in the capsule.
I finished taking the prednisone towards the end of April. I was diagnosed in May with an a1c of 11.7. We retested in August, and I got a 6.9 a1c.
My next test is this month, and Iām kinda nervous about it. The -ber months are hard for me with seasonal depression, the general busy-ness and obligations the holidays bring. My diet has definitely slipped a little, but my exercise regime is intense. Crossfit 4-5 times per week, walks at lunch (as often as I can), and light yoga at bedtime for mobility.
But it will be whatever it is, and then I can adjust for the next 3 months.
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Thanks for your reply! I appreciate your support!