Re: checking your blood glucose levels

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

While 81 is in the normal range, 186 isn't. The proper time to test your blood

glucose

level is about 90 minutes after eating. In a non-diabetic person, your levels

should have

returned to normal within that time frame, and normal can be anything from

80-110.

Lower than that, and you're risking reaching a hypoglycemic affect, and higher

than 110

mens that you've got a problem.

Your fatique is concerning, as is the frequent urination. I said that, too,

" well, I'm having

to urinate a lot, but that's because I'm drinking a lot of water " ......well, it

was the need to

" drink a lot of water " that was the key. I craved water excessively, and that

was one of the

early warning signs of impending diabetes, along with the frequent urination and

fatigue.

I, too, had cramping in my left foot, or would sit with my feet up at night and

feel tingling

in the toes of my left foot, or both.

I've found that none of my many meds, narcotic or otherwise, have any effect on

my blood

sugar levels. What you're taking shouldn't have any effect, either. Are you

having any

other symptoms like blurred or distorted vision, having to get up at night to

urinate,

craving of sweets or generally always hungry? The others (frequent urination,

excessive

thirst, fatigue and cramping) are already enough symptoms to make me suspicious,

unstable blood glucose levels make it worse.

You know me well enough by now to know that I'm an alarmist when it comes to

warning

signs of diabetes. I just don't want what happened to me to suddenly catch

anyone else

off guard like it did me and cause all the damage that my ketoacidosis did.

I'll always be

on the alert and perhaps too quick to make assessments in this regard, but I

can't help it,

and I do it only because I don't want anyone else to go through the anguish that

I did. It is

so much better to be safe than sorry. This is definitely something that IMHO, I

think you

should talk to your doctor about, and INSIST that he test you by ordering an

HBA1c blood

test. The HBA1c is the gold standard, it will show what's happened with your

blood

glucose levels over the last three months and it's such a simple test that I

DON'T

UNDERSTAND WHY doctor's of CP patients don't require it as a standard test at

least once

every 6 months!!! The only requirement is that you have to fast for 12 hours

prior to the

test, so it's easiest to have it done first thing in the morning. You want to

have a score

that is anywhere between 4. - 6.0. Anything higher than that shows that you've

got a

problem, and need to be treated for it.

If you have the right kind of glucometer, there are some that will allow tests

from the

arms. Mine does, (UltraSmart One Touch), but I've never been successful with

using it my

arms. I'm so used to the finger pricks that they don't even bother me at all

anymore,

anyway. I alternate fingers, using both sides of each finger on an alternating

basis, up one

hand on one side, then the other, then flip to the other side and repeat - that

those pricks

just don't hurt anymore at all. I'm sorry you're having such a rough go of it,

but it does

get easier with time. It's also easier if you keep your hands and fingers soft

and well

treated with lotion. I use a lot of lotion on my hands, legs and arms every

day, when they

are soft it doesn't hurt as much. You can also use your knuckles, pricking

between the

knuckles on the backs of your fingers, but I don't find that any less painful

than using the

sides. I prick on the side just where the cushiony part of the finger starts,

anywhere

between the tip back down to about where the first knuckle is. If you look

closely at my

fingers, you can see tiny black dots where all the pricks were made....lol,

fortunately no

one gets down there that close to notice!!

For your peace of mind, please make an appointment with any doctor that you can,

(I know

you currently don't have a GI and so I don't know who's looking after you), and

insist on

being tested. Don't let the doctor shrug it off like mine did. Once you've

done this, please

let me know the results, okay?

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or opinion, and

should not

be substituted for consultation with a medical professional.

[Guest guest]

Hi Sandy,

Sorry to hear you are having your problems. I wonder if some of your symptoms

could be sourced to different problems, it's hard to try to sort everything

out when there can be so many things going on at once.

But, just a couple of comments, lot's of water is fine but yes it can wash

out essential water soluble vitamins, consistency is important and remember that

it can take 2-3 days to reach a good hydration level but you can lose that a

lot faster.

While you didn't mention, are your carbos whole grain carbs, I think they

work better as they are digested slower. Pasts is usually made from " hard wheat "

that's like a whole grain too. Be a little careful in reading labels as some

stuff is advertised as whole grain when it's really not, ya gotta read the fine

print to be sure. A little whole grain stuff may help to take out the

rollercoaster effect on the blood sugar.

Also you can get V-8 juice with extra vitamins, it's low calorie, low carb,

serves as a vegetable and hopefully it will taste good to you.

Hope you get better

Best wishes, Poncho - GA

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi,

What a GREAT response, caring, informative, accurate, a real nice response.

All of us have learned a little something from you today

Best Wishes, Poncho - GA

[Guest guest]

Hey Sandy,

After sleeping on it for a few hours, I thought of something else about the

finger pricking that might make it easier for you. I use the pricker that comes

with my Ultra Smart One Touch meter. It has a small dial at the top that lets

you adjust the strength of the lancet, from low to high. Of course the higher

you set the force of the lancet, the faster and deeper the prick will be. I use

mine on a medium setting, and I change lancet's about once a week. It's not

necessary to use a new lancet each time you test, but you'll find that if you

change the lancet every 5 days or so, that the prick won't hurt as much. The

sharper the lancet is, the less it hurts. It gets dull after frequent use, so

changing it regularly is a priority for me.

It might be your finger pricker itself that's causing the pain. You can by the

One Touch pricker independently from the glucometer, but it is expensive. I

have several and had to buy a new one recently, it cost about $25.

I hope this information helps.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or opinion,

and should not be substituted for consultation with a medical professional.

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

if others haven't already told you, you really should be discussing this

with your doctor because they sound like the beginning signs of

diabetes. The fatigue, the excessive thirst and urination, all sound

like what I went through when I became diabetic.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kimber,

Yes I know to talk to my FNP. I am calling tomorrow for an appointment.

Thanks,

Sandy in California

Kimber wrote:

>Sandy,

>if others haven't already told you, you really should be discussing this

>with your doctor because they sound like the beginning signs of

>diabetes. The fatigue, the excessive thirst and urination, all sound

>like what I went through when I became diabetic.

>Kimber

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

good. I know you've got both me and Heidi worried. I also have diabetes,

though I've had mine for over 20 years. I was diagnosed with it when i

was 11.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Kimber,

How sweet that you and Heid are worried, but with your own health

problems do not give me a second thought. I have read on here for what

seems like forever now and I remember all the problems you and Heidi

have been through. You certainly don't need another worry in your

lives. I said I would make the appointment with my FNP and I surely

will. I don't know if this is good or not but here are my numbers for

the day, testing before breakfast and 1 1/2 hours after eating.

waking up 96

breakfast 154

lunch forgot oooops but didn't eat lunch anyway

dinner 107

bedtime 143

I think I see 2 goodtimes in there don't I?

Sandy in Ca

Kimber wrote:

>Sandy,

>good. I know you've got both me and Heidi worried. I also have diabetes,

>though I've had mine for over 20 years. I was diagnosed with it when i

>was 11.

>Kimber

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

yes, the 96 and 107 are good levels, but I am glad you are seeing your

FNP. As for worrying. I consider you part of my second family, so I

can't help but worry. It's the way I am. Hope you are having a pain free

day.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kimber....

Since my neighbor is taking my son flying tomorrow, I am going to the

lab and do all the testing that needs to get done. The doctors office

was afraid that the enzyme pills were affecting the blood in someway but

I told them I haven't been on them for 1 year and that shot that notion

down. The only pills I have taken lately are Zanax at night and

Darvocet daily.

I still won't have the test results back for 2 weeks as my FNP is doing

her stint for the Army reserve. I will let everyone know what the

results are. Last night I checked just because and it was pretty high

when I went to bed. This afternoon around 3:00 pm I couldn't keep my

eyes open and was SOOOO famished I ate a PB & J with baked lays and

water. I fell asleep at my computer right after eating and woke up when

the phone rang. It had only been 45 minutes since I ate and I was still

so tired. I tested again and was only 100. I would have thought after

PB & J it would be high, but I guess not. My FNP told me to put away

the tester but I don't know if I want to do that completely yet until I

see her and get the results from the blood work. What do you think?

Can my blood be doing all this funny readings and stuff and still turn

out to be all right?

Sandy in Ca

Kimber wrote:

>Sandy,

>yes, the 96 and 107 are good levels, but I am glad you are seeing your

>FNP. As for worrying. I consider you part of my second family, so I

>can't help but worry. It's the way I am. Hope you are having a pain free

>day.

>Kimber

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

if you are getting hi and lows, it's unlikely that your bloodsugar is

okay. The episode with the PB & J sounds like a hypoglycemia episode

(low bloodsugar) and that's why your sugar was only 100 after eating.

The fatigue is something that happens wihen you have a low bloodsugar

episode. I usually get a headache afterwards too.

It's really up to you if you want to put the tester away, but I'd

certainly test my sugar anytime you have that sleepy, but famished

feeling like you did the other day. Low bloodsugars can be dangerous if

not treated, usually by eating something to help bring your sugar up.

Actually, the thing I've found that deals best with low bloodsugar is

what you ate. A PB & J sandwich gives you sugar in the jelly and the

carbos from the bread to bring up the bloodsugar and protein in the

peanut butter to keep the bloodsugar from dropping again once the sugar

runs out. That's why it's better to eat something with both sugar and

protein than just a candybar or some other quick sugar. If you eat just

sugar, the blood drops down again quickly a short time later, while

protein will level the bloodsugar at a safe level. Hope you understood

that, kind of complicated sounding, I know.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

yes, meters and strips can have problems. That's why the manufactures

include that vial of fluid to test the meters and most manufactures also

make another fluid to test the strips. If you don't know what these

fluids are, they should be mentioned in the manual for the meter. Follow

the instructions they give for calibrating the meter and testing the strips.

As for your son's reading, yes, a 13 year old can have high readings if

he/she is also developing diabetes. I was diagnosed a diabetic at age 11

and my bloodsugar was VERY high when I was diagnosed. It was somewhere

in the 800's if I remember. They said I was lucky I wasn't in a coma

with such a high bloodsugar reading.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

that can happen to people who are just starting to have diabetes. It's

called a honeymoon period because the person's bloodsugar can waver

between high and normal bloodsugars with no treatment. During this

period, the pancreas is sometimes producing insulin and other times not

producing at all. I had that happen for about a year after I was first

diagnosed. The length of time of the honeymoon period varies per person.

For some people it's only a couple months and for some, like me, it

lasts longer. That's one reason why testing is so vital to the care of

diabetics.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Sandy,

yeah, the honeymoon period can be pretty frustrating at times because

you never really know if your pancreas is working or not and since the

length of time it happens varies per person, you can't even tell when it

will stop. Why they called it the honeymoon period beats me. Maybe

because it's a time of adjustment. Who knows. If you have any questions

regarding diabetes, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to

answer. I've been diabetic for over 20 years, so I have some

understanding of things that can happen.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.