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how high is too high?

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the_anticarb

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At what point would you start thinking about changing your medication? I know we are supposed to be under 7 mmol/l but sometimes I am 8, 9 and am thinking so long as I am in single figures it is not too bad. Is this right or should I religiously try to get my bg's under 7? I am trying to live a life, and not get obsessed with it, so do you reckon the odd post pran of up to 9 is ok or should I be stricter with myself? any advice much appreciated thx
 
It's a personal decision that you'll have to make - no one can tell you whether to be stricter or not. People can give you the facts, but like everything in life you need to decide what you do with them.

Occasional readings above 7 are still high readings, and still indicate that some damage is being done. The less frequent they are, and the shorter time they last, the less damaging they are. However, I would suggest that even readings of 6.x are not optimal - healthy individuals tend to have a very tight range of blood glucose right around 5, and don't spend much time higher than that.

Any time you spend with high blood glucose increases your risk. That doesn't mean it inevitably leads to a complication later in life; it just means you're at greater risk of those complications. Only you can decide what level of risk you're happy with.

I'm a T1 so in a different situation than you, but if I were T2 I'd do everything I could to drive my blood glucose down to the normal range and keep it there, although I'd look at diet and exercise exhaustively before I added medication. My targets wouldn't be the rather lax guidelines usually handed out, but rather I'd aim for non-diabetic results - glucose around 5 virtually all the time, and an A1C in the low 5's or, ideally, the 4's.

But that's just me - you need to decide what you are happy living with. But if you're looking for validation that running with occasional high numbers is harmless, I'm afraid I can't do that, because they're not.

Hope that helps,
Nick.
 
Sorry, I just realised you're T1.5 not T2 - my apologies. The overall theme is still the same though - the more normalised you can get your blood glucose, the better, and anything above the normal levels increases risk of complications. With insulin injections you have the added complication that you don't want to drive your BG down so aggresively that you have problems with hypos - so it becomes a fine balancing act. But at the same time, if there's a pattern to your high readings (e.g. it's certain types of food that elicit them), you do have the choice of avoiding those triggers.

I know I've given up a lot of foods I used to absolutely LOVE in order to get better control. On the plus side, I genuinely don't miss them at all now and eat a great diet that I really enjoy - but man, it was tough for the first couple of months! It's a price I'm happy I paid though. As I said above, only you can decide where you're happy living.

Also, I understand where you're coming from about living life and not becoming obsessed. For me, I cracked this problem when I changed the way I think about food. I just decided what I'd eat and what I wouldn't, and that's it - I don't obsess about it becuause it doesn't take any thought. I just eat the stuff I've chosen to eat, and don't eat the stuff I've chosen not to. That may sound flippant, but it really is that simple; it takes some willpower for the first few weeks, but it wasn't actaully that hard and hasn't taken over my life or anything like that.

Cheers,
Nick.
 
anti carb,
Are you still (as in your profile) not using bolus insulin?
 
the_anticarb said:
At what point would you start thinking about changing your medication? I know we are supposed to be under 7 mmol/l but sometimes I am 8, 9 and am thinking so long as I am in single figures it is not too bad. Is this right or should I religiously try to get my bg's under 7? I am trying to live a life, and not get obsessed with it, so do you reckon the odd post pran of up to 9 is ok or should I be stricter with myself? any advice much appreciated thx
Click to expand...


Hi AC.

Personal opinion here.

Getting the numbers down to at least the guideline figures which I routinely hand out to all who ask, (apparently lax) has to be a good thing if you can do it. However, it doesn't pay to get obsessive about it, as some do. The odd number above after a break from the usual routine isn't going to kill you. A Bus might, a few too many 'fags' might or even too many drinks ? However, life is for living and enjoying. Getting anally retentive about a 'glitch' in what are normally good numbers isn't worth losing sleep over.
I can't be doing with obsessions. I like to think about enjoying things, like the odd cream cake or slice of non low carb bread once in a while. I regret it after, but, boy does it taste good !! :D

People who are strictly controlling Bg levels, aiming for what some of us find are numbers that only non Diabetic's are getting - great if you can do it. Fair play to them. In practice it isn't that easy for the majority of us. If you are new to this game, well, just do the best you can and it does get better. With more experience under your belt, you too can join the 5% club ! Have we started a 4% one yet ? Think I know who the founder members might be. :)

So, my advice is don't worry too much. I'm not validating anything by the way. Just giving another point of view.

Hope that helps.
 
I'm a T2 on 2 x 500mg Metformin per day, which is pretty minimal.
I eat below 50g carb most days and keep bg in the 5s. I keep trying for the 4s, but my system resists it. I did have my last Hba1c5.3% and I'm trying to go lower, without increasing medicine.
Hana
 
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