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Length of time to get blood sugar under control?

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Posted 4/8/2006 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor has recently put me on insulin.

My question is- I have had readings of 300 but I have also had readings of 101 after taking insulin... Should the blood sugar be back under control and the high readings be my fault or would it take time to get the sugar out of my system completely???

I am confused. Its time to get serious serious about this thing. I think I am still a type 2 diabetic... But my numbers were very high my last trip to the doctor... So he just put me on insulin I believe possibly temporarily....

Posted 4/9/2006 3:43 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Greg,

What other meds are you taking?  The fact that you are at 101 after taking the insulin, means that it is doing what it is supposed to, but remember that is NOT a license to eat anything you want to. Insulin is only a temporary effect just like oral meds.  And if you have maxed out on oral medications and have now been put on insulin as a supplement you will probably be on it for life unless you are very overweight, don't watch your diet, and/or never exercise.  Changing these factors could help get you off the insulin. 

In any event, if any of those factors apply, you are better addressing them now before they significantly shorten your life even with the insulin therapy.

scool  Warren

Posted 4/9/2006 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
Glocotrol XL 10 MG and Avandia 8mg right now... The avandia will be a goner and a new prescription of ACTOS will replace... Unless they decide just to go total insulin....

I am really trying my best at all times of the day to keep my numbers low but it seems I only get one low number per day, I just dont understand blood sugar in the blood, when I get that low number does it mean that all of my blood is at the low level at that point? Or does it simply mean the outter parts of the blood stream are good while the inner part of the traveling blood is bad........ I mean im not tapping into a vein, so im not sure how all that works.. 

ANd thanks for the reply Warren...

Greg

 

Posted 4/10/2006 4:43 AM (GMT 0)
Greg,
Your blood sugars will peak and valley all day long as you consume carbs and your meds stimultate your pancreas or help your available insulin. Your sugar in your capillaries (finger tip) is pretty accurate for all the circulating blood in your body. When I swim 1/3 mile at the Y my reading drops by about 15 to 20 points and then within an hour it goes back up again as my body tries to replace the glucose that has been used by the cells.

The object of diabetes treatment is to move blood sugar from the bloodstream (where it is useless and a potential hazzard to our organs) into the individual cells where the glucose can be utilized for energy. Different things affect the body's ability to move sugar into the cells. Exercise appears to enhance the body's natural ability to move sugar and utilize insulin. Lowering our carb intake or eating carbs that have a long 'breakdown' time in the small intestine evens out the amount of carbs available for the blood stream to absorb. Some meds make our insulin more effective and others block carb absorption in the intestines. Others work in other ways to keep the carb numbers in check.

If you are having consistantly high numbers start keeping a food diary and start measuring your portions. Note in the margins which meds were taken when and what your first morning fasting sugar was as well as one two hours after dinner. Once you have a few weeks of information on hand you can consult with a nutrition specialist or diabetic consulting nurse for some tips to get your sugars in line. If you are still having problems after than your doctor will need to adjust your meds.

It's very important that you record everything, not so the doc can check up on you, but so he can see which foods are triggering your high numbers. Eventually you will be able to identify the foods you should avoid and which ones to increase. Using this technique I found out I can't eat corn flakes... It's like eating candy for my body. In fact, a bowl of cornflakes and skim milk for me will raise my sugar higher than a chocolate chip cookie! After a chat with the food expert I learned that the fats in the cookie prevent some of the starches from being absorbed and that chocolate is a lower glycemic sweet than plain sugar, again because of the fats present. The processed corn in the flakes was very readily absorbed as was the lactose in the milk. Plus, there was no fat present to slow down the absorption... After a while it starts to feel like I'm playing a game with myself and low sugar readings are like points toward a goal... Silly maybe but it works for me.
Posted 4/17/2006 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Taking insulin is alot of hit and miss. The rule of thumb is you tkae 1 unit of insulin for every10-15 carbs you eat depending on the person. It's hardly an exact science . Sometimes you take too little, sometimes you take too much, sometimes you get it in the zone where blood sugar should be. Sometimes I'm eating 7 jelly beans, sometimes I'm taking 2-3 more units of Humalog. One of the things that will lower blood sugar for me In 10 minutes if I walk on a treadmil at 3.0 miles per hour for 10 minutes. I can bring down 225 blood sugar down to 140. I know when I combine insulin with exercise. it is very effective and very quick Have to be a little careful of even going to low. It really speeds up regular Humalog which is a fast acting insulin allready. I'm just familiar with what I take. Not sure of regular insulin, or novalog or any other insulin. You have to do alot of experimenting around and get to know how your body reacts to different stimulus. I find exercise with insulin very helpful in lowering blood sugar. The results amaze me.! So glad I have insulin in my tool box
Posted 4/17/2006 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
To Warren, You are so right. Insulin is a supplement that is very fast and very effective. You really do know how to get to the heart of the matter. Insulin is not an excuse to overeat, gain weight and just let food intake run amuck. I think some people have that mindset and get very heavy on it. I myself only use insulin when necessary. I don't use it as an excuse to eat more. Bad mindset. I think you woud call it feeding insulin. A little common sense has to previal. You don't need to be part of the mensa society to handle this disease. You just have to make intelligent choices
Posted 4/17/2006 2:57 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Steven and Greg,

My guess greg, being a type 2, is that your doctor put you on Lantus insulin once a day.  The thing with Lantus, if that is what you are taking is it provides a steady even dose (release) of insulin for 24 hours.  Its a "base" ifyou will, and the other meds you are taking are there to ameliorate what you eat when you eat it all day long.  Carbs are going to spike your blood sugar.  Im not saying carbs are evil, but Im saying watch how many you eat at any one meal.

Steven is on the right track about exercise.  There is one horrible side effect to insulin.  It affects cortisol in your system and can tend to  promote the building of belly fat.  Unfortunately, none of the so called products aimed at "cortisol" on the market work AT ALL, so save your money and your anxiety.  What does work is exercise plain and simple.  It will help your numbers and keep your waistline under control.

scool  Warren

Posted 4/21/2006 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
To Jennie and Warren, Got back from the heart Doctor today, Normal check up . Everything O.K.
We were talking. I told him my biggest problem are 2 hour spikes. He mentioned a prescription called precose. I guess I could google it. he said to mention it to my Endo. Supposedly you take it before a meal Anyone familiar with precose or could detect possitive results before and after using it. Anyone out there.? Always like to hear from people with actual personal experience. Thank You Kindly-Steve
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