Diabetics, please help!

[Muushka]

So, maybe the 26 was a bad test? I know once I tested and it said HI, which from the book said over 600 and to test again. I did and got 78. So I know they can give wrong readings.

Anyway, I think I will go off the low carb when it is time for my visit, so they can get the true values. I have been trying to limit carbs, but maybe it is not the best time until I find out what is really going on.

Marsha

Yup, that is what I am saying. In my thousands of blood sugar results (in the lab) the lowest I ever saw was 19, and he was in a coma.

The strips are not that expensive at Walmart, I (with tons of lab experience) will often re-run my own glucose if it does not read what I thought it would. Never a 26 or a HI though.

 

[torinsmom]

Yup, that is what I am saying. In my thousands of blood sugar results (in the lab) the lowest I ever saw was 19, and he was in a coma.

The strips are not that expensive at Walmart, I (with tons of lab experience) will often re-run my own glucose if it does not read what I thought it would. Never a 26 or a HI though.

Okay, where the heck ARE the strips at Walmart? I looked over by the monitors and lancets and didn't see them at all. The pharmacy wasn't open--are they back there?

Marsha

 

[Muushka]

Okay, where the heck ARE the strips at Walmart? I looked over by the monitors and lancets and didn't see them at all. The pharmacy wasn't open--are they back there?

Marsha

Well at my WalMart they are in a clear glass case in the aisle. I use the Reli On Ultra. The strips only go with the glucometer with that same brand, can't use them on any meter. The strips are (if I remember correctly) $20 for 50 of them and they have a very long expiration date (each are individually wrapped). The meter was pretty cheap too. Good luck!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I have a similar question, so I hope it is okay if I post here.

My fasting blood sugar was 98 in March, but two weeks ago, it was 125. My doctor said it was still fine, probably just an anomaly. I was not convinced and got cheap glucose meter. For 4 days straight it was 125-130 before eating or drinking anything. Then I was feeling weird one day about 2 hours after eating and it was 26, ate something and it went up to 57 after that.

Marsha

27 is quite low, although people can and do go that low and are (barely) able to function. Although normally to get that low you have to be on medication or insulin. The lowest I have gone is 45 and I darn near passed out. Anything below 70 is considered low and should be treated. The rule of thumb is 15 grams of a fast acting glucose, wait 15 minutes, and then test again. Glucose tabs are wonderful. 4 of those is what you need to get out of a low. Eat 4, wait 15, then test again and treat if you are still low.

What kind of meter are you using? I have found that certain brands tend to read lower than others. I got a Contour by Bayer free in the mail. I checked my fasting one morning and was at 60 according to it. I checked my blood with my two meters that are very reliable and they both said 96. That was way too much. Meters are allowed a variation of +/- 20%, and clearly that was out of that range. What scared me is that when I called them they assured htere meter was working right. I refuse to use it as that would have been the difference between correcting a low and not.

I think from what I've seen, a normal person's glucose should stay somewhere between 80 - 120 pretty much all day long, with maybe brief blips after a high carb meal. But very quickly they return to their normal rate, say 90, and stay right around there much of the day.

Low carbing can cause low blood sugar, I think. Eating more carbs = higher blood sugar and vice versa. But yours was so low that it seems frankly abnormal. I just googled and I'm seeing that anything under 30 (and maybe under 40 actually) can lead to fainting or even a stroke!! So not good

The bolded part is absolutely false. Low blood sugar can be caused by medication, insulin, or a reactive low (primarily). Low carbin can actually help prevent lows. In prediabetics and Type 2's the vast majority of the lows are reactive in nature. Now, some may not be. For myself the week before my period I tend to have many more lows than normal. The reason why this is happening is because your body is losing the tight control it has had over blood sugar. By eating lower carb you are keeping your pancreas from working too hard and therefore are less likely to have a low.

There is nothing dangerous about low carbing. Check out the diabetes forums. Many people there have had great success with significant low carbing. They have been able to not only lower their blood sugars (and avoid lows) they have also decreased their cholesterol and lost weight. So don't be afraid to low carb, you will not give yourself a low.

So, maybe the 26 was a bad test? I know once I tested and it said HI, which from the book said over 600 and to test again. I did and got 78. So I know they can give wrong readings.

Anyway, I think I will go off the low carb when it is time for my visit, so they can get the true values. I have been trying to limit carbs, but maybe it is not the best time until I find out what is really going on.

Marsha

Low carbing may temporarily bring down your numbers, but starting now if your visit is within a week or two will not have a significant impact on your A1C (which is basically a 3 month average of blood sugar, although the first month is weighted more.) It may bring down your fastings, but it will nto change your response to a glucose tolerance test.

Make sure when you test that you wash your hands and dry them. Try not to use alcohol pads unless you have to (they will cause scarring). If you do use them make sure that you let your hands dry. Lotions can cause false readings, so can anything on your hands. If you get a high number wash and retest. Since lows are dangerous they tell you to go ahead and treat and then retest. The other thing you can do is try a different meter.

Seriously, research the meters and choose the one you want. Then call the company and ask them to send you one. Any company will send you a free emter because they want you to buy the strips. They will send you 10 test strips free with the meter so that you can try it out. The most accurate for me are Freestyle and One Touch.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Marquis: I just saw your statement about strokes, etc.

Please don't scare yourself. Lows are wretched, but they are not overly dangerous (unless you are driving.) To get a truly dangerous low you need to be on insulin or medication. Your body has a natural system for counteracting lows affectionately referred to as a "liver dump." When your blood sugar gets low your liver will dump glucagon into your bloodstream to bring you out of it. If you have too severe of a low or too many too quickly then your liver may not be able to perform this duty efficiently which is why they can be dangerous to those on insulin. Certain medicines work by inhibiting the liver's ability to produce glucagon (as does alcohol) so these can also make lows more dangerous.

But for a person on no medication or just on Met, lows will not be dangerous, just pesky. I know many people from the diabetes forums who have been down in the teens and have suffered zero permanent damage from it. Dying from a low is actually very rare unless you happen to crash your car.

 

[torinsmom]

What kind of meter are you using? I have found that certain brands tend to read lower than others. I got a Contour by Bayer free in the mail. I checked my fasting one morning and was at 60 according to it. I checked my blood with my two meters that are very reliable and they both said 96. That was way too much. Meters are allowed a variation of +/- 20%, and clearly that was out of that range. What scared me is that when I called them they assured htere meter was working right. I refuse to use it as that would have been the difference between correcting a low and not.

This was an Ascensia Breeze 2 meter by Bayer. I also have a One Touch Ultra Mini, but it came without strips.

Marsha

 

[lsyorke]

Just an FYI

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g7MCJhpzPfUsLbMOZ1-7LsrIbChwD9A2TUAG3

 

[themarquis]

Marquis: I just saw your statement about strokes, etc.

Please don't scare yourself. Lows are wretched, but they are not overly dangerous (unless you are driving.) To get a truly dangerous low you need to be on insulin or medication. Your body has a natural system for counteracting lows affectionately referred to as a "liver dump." When your blood sugar gets low your liver will dump glucagon into your bloodstream to bring you out of it. If you have too severe of a low or too many too quickly then your liver may not be able to perform this duty efficiently which is why they can be dangerous to those on insulin. Certain medicines work by inhibiting the liver's ability to produce glucagon (as does alcohol) so these can also make lows more dangerous.

But for a person on no medication or just on Met, lows will not be dangerous, just pesky. I know many people from the diabetes forums who have been down in the teens and have suffered zero permanent damage from it. Dying from a low is actually very rare unless you happen to crash your car.

EB, I was referring to the person who said her bg was 27 because that didn't sound safe to me. There is definietly a boundary for low bg where strokes, fainting, etc. are possible. I'm sure there are people who have rebounded from lows in the teens, but it's not advisable to get that low. Plus, you can feel like crap

I'm sure you are right that low carb eating can't cause a low like that, though!! She could have just gotten a bad reading, anyway.

I think that's a great point you've made though, about lows not really being as dangerous as highs. They might cause some annoying symptoms, but they're not causing major damage to your body

 

[Muushka]

I think that's a great point you've made though, about lows not really being as dangerous as highs

As long as this statement is about people not on insulin or any other blood sugar lowering meds. If on any of these meds, low blood sugar is much more dangerous than high blood sugar.

A lot of people could read that statement and misinterpret it. And we all know that what is said on the internet is gospel!

 

[themarquis]

Big update!!!

I tracked blood sugar all weekend and figured out a lot! Basically, what I was eating before that I thought was "good" (AFTER the big diet changes I made a year and a half ago) is sending me into the 150s/160s. A really bad meal (what I ate all the time before a year and a half ago) sends me up over 200. (and not down below 150 for like four hours). Eating a meal with 40-50 carbs puts me up to 150/160. Eating a meal with no more than 30 carbs puts me up to about 140 at 1 hour and then 110/120 after 2 hours. Much, much better - not totally normal but okay

I also talked to my regular doctor (er, NP). She's the NP who is fairly knowledgeable, but more importantly, interested and attentive and passionate about improving my health.

The upshot of our conversation was that she completely agrees with my assessment and that I am definitely diabetic (or maybe "prediabetic" just if you go by the somewhat arbitrary numbers that are officially used -- not that "prediabetes" really exists outside of a convenient diagnostic entity).

We could do more testing like a glucose tolerance test if I want (may be in my future no matter what), but she suspects it would simply demonstrate what I have already demonstrated with my meter, and doing the GTT won't change the way this is managed, anyway, which is that I need to be treated medically and dietarily as a type II. Therefore, she's going ahead to diagnose me me as type II and that will help me get testing supplies and a nutritionist consult and maybe diabetes education classes.

She also said something interesting, which is that she thinks that I am a "diet controlled type II diabetic" -- i.e., without a diagnosis, completely on my own, I changed my diet and that ended up controling the blood sugar and making my numbers go down. So now, surprise, surprise, i sort of no longer "look" like a diabetic when they do labs. But I basically am.

Whew ... long post ... hope that makes sense.

I'm going to get a bunch of supplies in the mail and the insurance will probably cover 100 strips per month mad: wish I could get more) and a meter. She wants me to call her next week and tell her what my numbers look like and also try to restart the Met if possible ... maybe at a lower dose and just 500 mg at lunch or dinner and see how that goes. Then I will see my endo in less than a month and also get a nutritionist consult.

It's all very overwhelming ... disappointing ... upsetting ... but also a relief, because it makes so many other health stuff that I've dealt with make more sense as being part of this ... and now (hopefully) I'll know exactly what to do and how to get healthy and how to get the right medical care.

 

[PatsMom]

Actually your post meal numbers look pretty good. Two hours post meal the ideal is less that 140 - the OK range is less than 180. Looks like a 30 carb meal really keeps you in good control, although your readings with the 40 to 50 carb meal are also within the target ranges. I was able to control with diet for several years. Exercise helps too. If you don't exercise regularly, you might want to think about walking or something.

If you've now been diagnosed officially, you will probably find that they want to keep your cholesterol within tight ranges as well. Diabetes is a cardiac risk factor so they want to minimize as many other risk factors as possible. They will also monitor your blood pressure closely as high blood pressure is a cardiac issue and also stresses the kidneys. Since kidney failure is another potential complication of diabetes, blood pressure control is important. They will also probably recommended that you have a dilated retinal eye exam yearly.

My insurance plan covers 100 test strips a month. Years ago I actually was prescribed a meter and got it through my insurance plan (One Touch). As I've gotten smarter I've figured out that you can get free meters without paying the insurance co-pay. My diabetes educator hands them out liberally! I've destroyed a few over the years and I just stop by her office and she gives me a new one.

I've accumulated a stockpile of test strips. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes I don't test as frequently as I should. But I refill my strips when it is time. So I always have extra on hand when I am ill or something else causes me to test more than usual. I am insulin dependent so lows can be an issue for me. I've never heard of a non-insulin dependent diabetic who has as many issues with lows as some mentioned here. I guess I was fortunate because I don't recall ever having a low prior to beginning the insulin. Metformin is not known for causing lows.

If you go back on the met, make sure you are prescribed the extended release version. I find it causes fewer digestive system problems than the regular pills. I take 2000 mg a day now.

Sounds like you are doing a good job of controlling the disease - it will actually get easier once you've found a good educator and had a session or two with them. My first educator years ago told me that I could control the disease or I could let it control me. I've chosen to control the disease - sounds like you have too. It is upsetting to receive the official diagnosis but it gets easier as you learn more about the disease.

If I had done a better job of control in the early years, perhaps I wouldn't have as many complications as I do now so I do encourage you to continue to be vigilant. I can tell you from experience that having neuropathy in your feet is not fun!

Best of luck to you.

 

[believe]

I am what some dr's call, prediabetic. Others may say I'm borderline diabetes, some say I'm diabetic and some say I'm not diabetic. It took 7-8yrs for them to figure out why I was losing my sight at times, sweating, shaking, etc. The best thing I ever did was see a nutritionist. I found out that it is more about when you eat, how much you eat and being consistant than the type of food you eat. I have no foods of limits, just need to watch portions and whatelse I have with it.

I am glad you are working this out and taking control of your situation.