BG levels after meals

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/13/01 4:01:11 PM Eastern Standard Time,

lists@... writes:

<< My wife beats them every time by keeping all the carbohydrates back

in her bedside cabinet until they have been around taking the " 2-

hour " readings and then she eats them off, if she eats anything at

all. I warn the nurses about it every time but they tell me (3

different German hospitals so far): " We are told to measure at 2 pm

and that's it. It has nothing to do with what your wife eats or

doesn't eat - that is the time on the work schedule. " >>

Hmmm and why on earth does she do this?

[Guest guest]

Boy, this is a weird disease! I don't feel any different at any time, I've

been as high as 250 (only very occasionally when I ate out and miscalculated

in a Major way) and as low as 45 and felt the same, which is generally pretty

energetic. (Of course I rarely have numbers like this any more) This is

another reason why I test 8-10 x a day. Just another example of YMMV!

Vicki

In a message dated 01-01-13 10:54:27 EST, you write:

<< I was astonished

and asked how is that possible since I feel crummy in the 70's. He said it

was because I was a " little bit diabetic " grinning at me all the time.

I personally get a headache any time I approach 200 and get " cravings " as

the

sugar comes plummeting down. The headache can last for a couple of hour and

has at times been severe. I don't like to see spikes in me over 160 but >>

[Guest guest]

Vicki,

You are absolutely right. My husband has definite symptoms under 75 and

over 180. Our son can guess Dad's bg level correctly most of the time!

I saw you test both 38 and over 200 over the course of a few hours and you

seemed asymptomatic. You seemed fine. That hypo unawareness scares me.

Carol T

In a message dated 1/13/01 3:30:47 PM Pacific Standard Time, whimsy2@...

writes:

> Boy, this is a weird disease! I don't feel any different at any time, I've

> been as high as 250 (only very occasionally when I ate out and

miscalculated

>

> in a Major way) and as low as 45 and felt the same, which is generally

> pretty

> energetic. (Of course I rarely have numbers like this any more) This is

> another reason why I test 8-10 x a day. Just another example of YMMV!

> Vicki

[Guest guest]

That's why I test 8-10 times a day! :-) and if my insurance company ever

gives me problems about the number of strips I need, I can just show them my

records. Vicki

<<

Vicki,

I saw you test both 38 and over 200 over the course of a few hours and you

seemed asymptomatic. You seemed fine. That hypo unawareness scares me.

Carol T

>>

[Guest guest]

> My husband has definite symptoms under 75 and

> over 180.

I have vague symptoms also at 75 and 180, Carol, but they don't

bother me much if I am at home, but 60 or below would. However, if I

am out and have to drive, I won't set myself behind the wheel unless

I see at least 95 again or less than 140 and feel no symptoms.

For 75 and below I always travel with a few apples. For 180, all I

could do would be to walk about for 30 minutes or so as fast as I

could go, I suppose, or up and down a flight of stairs but it hasn't

happened yet while I am out, as far as I know.

I see below 75 fairly frequently when I am away from home if I have

been doing anything strenuous and have missed a meal. The symptoms at

180 or more are very hard to detect because they can be masked by

other things going on.

No diabetic can drive a vehicle weighing more than 3 tons empty here

nor any public service vehicle, ever; it is illegal, license or not.

I have been wondering whether I should notify my vehicle insurance

and pay a risk surcharge. I suppose they would refuse to pay up if I

have an accident with BG outside the " normal " range! They certainly

would if I was caught driving despite symptoms.

I presume that any diabetic should assume that he/she is at increased

risk of high or low BGs and is obliged to take reasonable precautions

before driving off. That must include taking a reading and recording

it in a log book.

To be credible, this would mean taking a reading before every trip

and recording the mileage reading at start and finish in the log book

and the times of meals and what was eaten. And recording all symptom

events and what was done about them and when.

No sensible judge is going to believe a log-book without a continuous

record. It would be too easy to crawl out of the wreckage and fake an

entry after the fact, the only such entry in the book!

In my opinion, a diabetic who does NOT get symptoms is automatically

obliged to take a reading before driving off - always.

[Guest guest]

Thornton wrote:

> I would really like to hear about a continuous direct reading monitor!

>

> ,

You're making a great argument for the development of a continuous

monitor that gives a read-out on the spot, that is relatively easy to use

and reasonably priced! I remember when I thought Dick 's wrist

radio/ TV was really neat science fiction. Let's hope your dream gizmo

makes it into the real world soon.

>

>

[Guest guest]

wrote: <No diabetic can drive a vehicle weighing more than 3 tons

empty here

nor any public service vehicle, ever; it is illegal, license or not. >

My brother was a pilot with United Airlines. As a diabetic, he was

allowed to keep flying as long as he did not take insulin. The moment

he started on insulin, his license was taken away.

Judith

[Guest guest]

> My brother was a pilot with United Airlines.

> As a diabetic, he was allowed to keep flying

> as long as he did not take insulin. The moment

> he started on insulin, his license was taken away.

That doesn't quite match up with the airline PR talk, though, Judith!

I have often heard airlines claim that only the 100% fit are allowed

to fly their airplanes and that the pilots are regularly given very

thorough medical examinations to make sure that none slip through.

I really don't see how any airline, not even United (!), could

consider a diabetic pilot (even one not on insulin) as being 100%

fit. Somebody might have turned a blind eye while nobody saw him

injecting but after that started the cat was out of the bag, I

suppose, and they had to take him off.

Could that be the explanation?

[Guest guest]

Heller wrote:

<< I just went to an endo for the first time and he wants me to take

my BG's two hours after meals. Previously, my general doctor had me

take my BG's only in the am and before dinner. >>

You can experiment on yourself, . It depends on your body and

on the composition of your meals. If your meal contains both

carbohydrates and fat, the peak will likely be later than if you ate

a meal that was primarily carbohydrates. Protein also impacts your

bg's - but only about half as much - and half as slowly. On pure

glucose, such as with a glucose tolerance test, many can peak in an

hour or less, whereas with a greasy, carby meal such as pizza,

elevated bg's have been reported as long as 14 hours after eating.

But your endo is right ... your postprandial readings are the most

important.

Susie

[Guest guest]

Hellerasked:

<< Doesn't a spike even happen to a normal person without diabetes? >>

I no longer regard type 2 as a disease, but more like a food

intolerance. A recent report said 85 percent of us are born with

a " gene variant " that made it difficult for us to handle our modern

diet that is heavy on highly-processed grains and other

carbohydrates. So our reaction to our meals is, as Bob would

say, " spread all along the continuum. " The closer people are to

the " non-diabetic " end of the range, the less they spike - and the

more quickly they recover.

Susie