A Question about Blood Glucose Levels

[Linda_Clark]

I recently got diagnosed (three weeks ago). My doctor and my health care nurse both want me to test my blood sugar. So I do and it fluctuates so far anywhere from 6.9 to 14.5. But my question is this:

I used to not care about what I ate at all - and just ate what I wanted. So I'm wondering - now that I am following what my blood sugar is - I notice it seems awfully high most times and not falling in guidelines. But is it possible that a person's body can get used to having a higher than normal blood sugar count to the point that if they start monitoring it they have to adjust to having lower than normal blood sugar? If so, will this pass? Sometimes I feel like I am experiencing hypoglycemia but my blood sugar is high already. It leaves me not really knowing what to do. Regardless of what I eat the sugar level is going to go up and if it is at say 12 then wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?

I honestly am at a loss here. I am not on medication or insulin as my doctor just wants to try diet modification first. My diabetic nurse was very encouraging when she heard about the steps I have already taken in managing this. It is just discouraging to think you are doing well only to have a higher number than I want to see. I want to say I shouldn't get caught up about numbers but those numbers are really important.

 

[catapillar]

Yes, false hypos happen when your body is used to running at high levels so wrongly thinks a normal level, or even a still hyper level, is too low. If you're not on any medication then the advice would be not to treat these false hypos - you just need to teach your body what a normal blood sugar range is, let it get accustomed to the normal levels (that it currently thinks are too low) and it will reacclimitise.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi,

Yes, it does take the body a while to get used to lower levels, and you may experience discomfort. However, you need to ride it out and it will pass. It doesn't take long.

It is asking for trouble when your levels are higher than the guidelines. These need to be brought down, and a correct and suitable diet is the key to this. Your meter should be helping you, along with a detailed food diary (including portion sizes)

If you test before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite you will see at a glance what that meal has done to your levels. If the levels go up by more than 2mmol/l there are too many carbs in the meal, which need reducing in portion size or eliminating. It is preferable to keep any rise well below the 2mmol/l mark. You can record your before and after levels alongside the food, and look for patterns. The worst foods for raising levels are bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and breakfast cereals (including wholemeal varieties and also most fruits).