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Glucose level of 31.4

J

Jo mo

Newbie
On looking at my 24 year old type 1 stepsons glucose monitor. I see his levels yo-yo all over the place from in the threes to 31.4 that level sounds pretty scary to me how dangerous is that.
often there at 21-22 as a high .but 31.4 is the highest I've ever seen it.
Is it as bad as I think.hes been chaotic for years and trying to improve.hes upped it from one test a day to two .I think that's not enough .but am I wrong?
Greatfull for any info
 
Hello,

You're right to be concerned.

His levels are massively elevated
He should be aiming between 4-8

He needs to speak to a health care professional as I believe dropping your numbers too quickly can actually do some damage but I'm not 100% sure so I'd definitely suggest he gets booked in with his consultant ASAP

As he is still young he can hopefully turn it around and not do any long term damage.
 
dani96xx said:
He should be testing at least 4 times a day ideally
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He needs to visit his diabetic clinic and get help. Maybe they'd fund a continuous glucose monitor so that he doesn't have to test so much? Diabetic burnout is common at his age but can be overcome. The trick is for him to want to improve things, and before he has too much lasting damage. (eg eyes, feet, and possibly the most scary for a male, erectile disfunction?) But he needs to want to change....

Heartbreaking to watch though. Maybe you could encourage him to join the forums.

Good luck.
 

Jo mo, whilst I wholeheartedly agree your step son's numbers could be quite a bit better, I would add that changing things around very quickly can sometimes lead to unwanted outcomes, so ideally he should take things steadily for a glide down, not a plummet.

How old is your stepson? It would be worthwhile for him to engage with his healthcare team, but whatever he decides upon, if he doesn't want to do it, it isn't likely to be sustained.
 
Be careful how you approach this please. If at age 25 my dad and stepmum had sat me down for a talk, told me they were worried about my diabetes, and thought I needed to test more often and ask for extra help? I'd have smiled and nodded and gone away and quit testing altogether, and randomly guessed at insulin doses, that's IF I injected at all. Hopefully you don't have the rocky relationship we had, but even so...

Diabetes can do seriously weird things to your mental health as well as your physical health. At some level your stepson knows he is intentionally damaging himself. Even if he's covering it up with 'It won't happen to me, see, I'm fine' the doctors will have told him what his blood glucose is doing to him.

It's nice that you care enough to ask. Thank you from the really mixed-up 25yr old I was, and, probably, eventually, thanks from your stepson will come your way.
 
Jo mo said:
... 31.4 that level sounds pretty scary to me how dangerous is that....
Click to expand...
High blood glucose is not dangerous if it has been caused only by eating lots of carbohydrate. It becomes dangerous if it is caused by lack of insulin, as this can lead to ketoacidosis. As long as your son keeps the insulin supply going, he should be ok in the short term. Improving his control is something he will have to start focusing on at some stage. He will figure out that it is important sooner or later. Not much you can do to make it happen. Nagging, seldom helps. Just ensure he never skips his insulin.
 
That is do so bad those levels are ridiculously high. I test probably 6 to 8 times a day and correct several times a day with my insulin if they are too high. With keveks like that your son is going to end up very poorly indeed.
 

No. Totally disagree.

Ketoacidosis is a more immediate threat, as if it's not fixed it can kill within days. High blood glucose, whether or not there is insulin present, does slow and often irreversible permanent damage.

In the ten years after I was diagnosed I struggled to keep my bg down. There was always a supply of insulin (basal bolus), and probably some indogenous production. I have damage to my eyes, my eye muscles, my throat muscles, my digestive system and my feet. All caused by high bg levels - with insulin present.
 
How is it not dangerous?
I agree and nearly said very simar but I feel perhaps the point was high bloods, shorter term are not as dangerous

But the way it was written is written by I agree, too low is immediate problem but too high certainly longer term is very very bad.

My father certainly ran too high for very long and I wouldn't have wished what happened to him on anyone
 
I agree with @MarkMunday , in so much we are now focused on time in target. If the glucose is going high after eating normally for a 5 hour period, then it's caused by the carbohydrate. As long as the blood sugar is returning to where it was before eating, then DAFNE says to ignore the spike. If the BS is not returning then there is a dosing issue that the DN needs to help with. Is the glucose monitor an FGM like a Libre? If so, you should be able to see time in target. The high or low readings need to be calibrated with a finger prink.

@Seacrow it's blood sugars over 13 mmol/l for an extended period of time and being unwell, and not following sick day rules or taking your insulin, that can put you in danger of not clearing your ketones.
 
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Hi there - I am Type 2 so not a type 1 expert but if I had seen those readings as high I would be concerned - like you obviously are to get in touch here - and I would be seeking medical advice - you obviously care a lot - lift the phone if not only to put your mind at ease but you could possibly save them from complications etc. Take care. Keep in touch and let us know how you get on but in your shoes I would definitely seek medical advice.
 

I agree it's concerning and needs to come down but it's not that rare for a type 1. If you sought medical advice they would simply say take more insulin (for a one off reading).Of course if over the long term your levels were always high like this (as possibly in the Stepsons case) then your diabetes team would work with you for solutions. I'm not so sure any medical team would discuss another adult's situation either.
 
Reactions: ert

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.. One or maybe two random tests a day misses a lot. Though, the readings saved to the meter don't sound ideal.
I feel your stepson is old enough to take the reigns by himself.

"Intervention" doesn't always work regarding a wayward condition the person never asked for, diabetes is a little more "personal" than finding a kilo of "crack cocaine" in his laundry...

I would urge him to see his diabetes specialists. But also try to engage with other T1s. Either a support group (difficult in the current climate of C19.) or.. Join up online.
There are a fair few of us on here have been "there.."

Whatever you do.. Don't tell him you perused his meter.
 
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