Why test at all?

[Ronman]

I have been diagnosed a a type 2 diabetic and I have tested my blood three times a day for several years. Suddenly I realized, why am I even bothering? If my sugars are high, I can't do anything about them. I probably know how they got that way and really should have avoided that type of eating. If they are low, I realize it by the way I feel and do something about it. My readings are always very high in the morning while fasting and very low in the late afternoon, two hours or so after I have had my customary can of soup for lunch. Then at bedtime they range from 70-140 depending on what I had for supper (usually a large salad.) Am I just getting jaded or discouraged? Can someone tell me what good the testing actually accomplishes?

[JediSkipdogg]

The testing help you determine what you can and can't eat. They also give you and your health care team a guide of how you are doing. If you wake up every morning and are running say 180, then they can change your medication. Also, if you see that pattern for say 2 weeks but your next doctor appointment isn't for say 3 months, you can maybe give them a call and see if you should change something.

If you aren't on meds they may recomend you start. If you are, they may either change the ones you are on or up them. That's why testing fora type 2 is important.

[princesslinda]

Hi Ron:
Sounds like you're discouraged right now....which is okay, we all go through times where we just don't want to fool with this diabetes thing...main thing is not to STAY discouraged.

I have found that it has helped me so much to test 2 hrs after I've eaten. That way, I know what foods I can have without problems and what I need to eat only rarely. It's a pain, but after awhile, you'll know what to eat and how it affects you and you won't have to test quite so much.

I started making of list of what I ate and what my 2 hr levels were. I did this when we went out to eat and when I ate anything new at home. Now, I have lots of things that I KNOW I can eat, at pretty much any restaurant I go to and it's easier than having to make that decision blindly and then feel guilty if I go high.

Hang in there...if you read enough posts here, you'll find ALL of us go through our "I HATE DIABETES" days or weeks, but then we'll pick ourselves up and go on doing what needs to be done to make our lives easier.

[parrotletzoo]

for me, testing shows me patterns and tells me what I need to do in order to try to correct any out of range bs's. Too high every day after lunch, or dinner or any meal means I need to do something different at that meal in order to avoid the highs and better mimic natural pancreatic function. Feeling quilty about what has happened in my past to make my bs out of target range really has no function, I don't look at bs's as bad or good, its just information that helps me alter future behavior.

[Funnygrl]

You can do something about it. You can exercise, or if you are about to eat, maybe cut down on the carbs a bit at the next meal. If your blood sugar becomes quite high, it might also be a good signal to call the doctor. Plus, it's just plain a good habbit to get into.

[Ronman]

OK. I am on medication for my diabetes. Part of the problem is that I test at 9:00 at night and go to bed an hour or so later having not eaten anything further and I wake up with a 9:00AM reading in the 180's. I run/jog four to five miles at least 5 days a week and I really am on a pretty strict diet. I lost 50 pounds over the first 8 months of this routine and dropped my 3-month sugar leve by almost two points. Over the past 1 1/2 years, I have not lost an ounce even though I have worked very hard to stay on this routine with my diet and exercising. My blood profile has slowly risen, but not to an alarming level. I see my doctor every 6 month or so and he compliments me on my efforts, but I feel as though I am slowly losing ground to this diease. My daily readings do have a pattern, i.e. very high in the morning, very low in the late afternoon and medium at night. Why test?

[princesslinda]

You didn't mention what type meds you were on, but maybe you should talk with your doc about some medicine adjustments...or perhaps you should see an endocrinologist...as it seems you are working hard, eating right, yet still not seeing the results you need.

[Ronman]

I take Amaryl (4mg) twice a day -- once when I get up at 5:30AM and one when I get home from work at 5:30PM. I have tried taking it at bedtime but it didn't affect my high morning readings.

[princesslinda]

Why not try eating a handful of almonds or walnuts just before you go to bed (or maybe a tsp of peanut butter or some cheese)...this way you'll have protein in your body which will digest slowly and maybe stabilize your nighttime blood sugar levels. I've found if I eat protein right before bedtime, my morning levels are less than if I go to bed without eating anything. My stepmom is on the same medication you are and has trouble with high fasting levels...but the rest of the levels are okay, so her doc hasn't changed the meds, as her A1C is acceptable.

[MJM]

I have been diagnosed a a type 2 diabetic and I have tested my blood three times a day for several years. Suddenly I realized, why am I even bothering? If my sugars are high, I can't do anything about them. I probably know how they got that way and really should have avoided that type of eating. If they are low, I realize it by the way I feel and do something about it. My readings are always very high in the morning while fasting and very low in the late afternoon, two hours or so after I have had my customary can of soup for lunch. Then at bedtime they range from 70-140 depending on what I had for supper (usually a large salad.) Am I just getting jaded or discouraged? Can someone tell me what good the testing actually accomplishes?

Testing is vital for good health. You need to avoid too many highs and do your utmost to get down to acceptable levels. The reason is that if you continue to register highs you will leave yourself open to all kinds of trouble later on down the road. There are a number of ways that these can be lowered. (1) Exercise should bring down your blood sugars.
(2) Certain foods help alleviate highs or spikes/others create them
(3) The right medication can also help
(4) Test during nighttime and daytime, if necessary, to get the full picture of when you start going high. Do this over a period of time, say, midnight today, 1am tomorrow, 2am the next morning and so on until you have the full story.
There are numerous books, web sites, and even this forum where you can pick up information which will help you make life a lot more bearable and enjoyable. Another reason for testing of course is that your medical team can't do much for you if they have no idea how your current meds are affecting you. Contact your medical team and tell them that you are not happy with all thes highs and you want it sorted. That's what they're there for after all.

[panmat1]

Do you eat a snack at night? Morning number can be your body dumping glucose from your liver. One way to help this is to have a snack before bed litlle protien ( peanutbutter) on a cracker. Try this and see how you do? Or consider a low dose of insulin at night some do NPH, others do Lantus. good luck in figuring this out. My mornings are also up a bit 130's at times,other mornings in teens. Nancy

[CaptDave4499]

I agree, why test?! It doesn't matter what I eat my sugars are in the 300's. Even when I starve all day. So I say F it.

:lollypop:

[mommaterra]

If you starve all day and you still have high BGs, doesn't that mean you probably don't have enough insulin? I'm no expert, but I figured I'd buy the stuff, myself, if I couldn't grow my own. Living in the 300-zone doesn't sound fun at all! --diana

[Cyborg]

Don't give up on testing. It's helps you to determine how foods affect your bg. I suggest seeing an endo and asking for the appropriate tests to confirm your type...

[ladytaz]

If you starve all day, your numbers will be high, because your liver goes into "starvation mode" and pumps out glucose thinking you need energy, and therefore you have highter BGL.

[mommaterra]

OK, that makes sense!

So high BGs don't mean anything except a person is a bit, diabetically speaking, out of control. Trying the usual things, like decreasing/ measuring carbs and exercise (maybe not at 300, though, or nothing more than a mild walk?), and getting a lift from meds that increase insulin sensitivity ... and maybe insulin right off to get the BGs down where life just feels right again ... these things are probably useful.

I do understand that while I think diabetes is a luxury disease (I *can do* something about it), I get dragged down with all the 'doing' sometimes, and frustrated with the complexity of the disease, too. This month I am tired of being a 'professional diabetic' or someone who spends a great deal of time reading/ measuring/ evaluating/ and further reasearching diabetes-diabetes-diabetes. And yet I know I can get BGs down to a very near-normal range (because I've done it before), and that I need to, fast or I will pay with complications.

My doc's tolerable, and he did write out the metformin prescription at my request, thankfully. :) But it's my diabetes, and my life and the consequences hit me first and directly and, often, permanently. So I do test, and measure, and test yet again.

I hope you aren't as disillusioned as you sound, CaptDave4499. Please don't "F it." (Besides, isn't 'F-ing it' supposed to be kinda fun? You don't sound like you're having any fun at all!) Take care, diana

[ladytaz]

OK, that makes sense!

So high BGs don't mean anything except a person is a bit, diabetically speaking, out of control. Trying the usual things, like decreasing/ measuring carbs and exercise (maybe not at 300, though, or nothing more than a mild walk?), and getting a lift from meds that increase insulin sensitivity ... and maybe insulin right off to get the BGs down where life just feels right again ... these things are probably useful.

I do understand that while I think diabetes is a luxury disease (I *can do* something about it), I get dragged down with all the 'doing' sometimes, and frustrated with the complexity of the disease, too. This month I am tired of being a 'professional diabetic' or someone who spends a great deal of time reading/ measuring/ evaluating/ and further reasearching diabetes-diabetes-diabetes. And yet I know I can get BGs down to a very near-normal range (because I've done it before), and that I need to, fast or I will pay with complications.

My doc's tolerable, and he did write out the metformin prescription at my request, thankfully. :) But it's my diabetes, and my life and the consequences hit me first and directly and, often, permanently. So I do test, and measure, and test yet again.

I hope you aren't as disillusioned as you sound, CaptDave4499. Please don't "F it." (Besides, isn't 'F-ing it' supposed to be kinda fun? You don't sound like you're having any fun at all!) Take care, diana

High BG's do mean something, it's more than a person being out of control! It means that your body isn't working properly and could very well be causing damage. Damage starts to occur at a BG of 140, not a load of damage all at once, but little by little each time you are over 140 and the longer you stay over 140, it eventually causes BIG damage in the end. Your eyes, your heart, your pancreas, your liver, your kidneys, neuropathy ... along with who knows what else! It's like chipping away at your health bit by bit. This is why so many of us don't like to go over 140. I don't "freak" but it makes me VERY uncomfortable, and irritated! I worry what damage is being caused! I am VERY lucky, in that for at LEAST 3 years previous to being diagnosed, I know for a fact that my BLG was running at least 200 - 300+ and I've no complications! If I'd known then what I know now about how much damage that can do, Lord, I would have made SURE I got to the doc straight away and got on to getting this disease in control! But, hind site is always 20/20, ... I didn't know then, what I know now.

Yes it is your disease, and yours to treat however you so desire to. Unfortunately a LOT of people (including medical professionals) are miseducated and misguided about diabetes and what needs to be done to treat it.

We all get "down" about it at one time or another! Especially in the beginning! SO much to learn, so many new things to do!! It's a complete change in habits and life! I'm in that frame of mind these days (tho it's not new to me anymore) as I'm doing all I possibly can, and I'm running high very often! I wouldnt' say I'm "down" but I'm irritated mostly! It's got to be the MOST frustrating disease out there! But ... I've discussed this with my Endo, we're trying something out with my meds, and if it doesn't work, then the next step for me is insulin! But, as has been said many times over on the fourms here, what works for one may not work for another! When it comes down to it, it's all trial and error really! But for those of us who want to live, and live a long and hopefully healthy as we can be life, we'll do whatever it takes!! I know I will! ;)

Good on ya for doing what is needed to get into control and keep it ;) Nobody said it was gonna be fun or easy, but we gotta do what we gotta do! When the down times come, just roll with it, and let it pass. Tomorrow is a new day and a new beginning! ;)

[hannahanne]

Testing tells you if your diet, medicine, and exercise regime are working. If you find out that you blood sugar is unacceptable, you must find a way to get it into an acceptable range by changing your diet, medicine, exercise regime, or doctor. Testing constantly tells you how you are controlling your diabetes on a daily basis. How important is this; your life depends on it.

[mommaterra]

High BG's do mean something, it's more than a person being out of control! It means that your body isn't working properly and could very well be causing damage. Damage starts to occur at a BG of 140, not a load of damage all at once, but little by little each time you are over 140 and the longer you stay over 140, it eventually causes BIG damage in the end. Your eyes, your heart, your pancreas, your liver, your kidneys, neuropathy ... along with who knows what else! It's like chipping away at your health bit by bit. This is why so many of us don't like to go over 140.

Agreed, completely!

I think what I was trying to say is this: It's logical and honest to maximize the effects, to talk about the very real consequences of high BGs, and we ALL need to know what they are to make informed decisions.

And yet, if someone has pretty much given up on testing, all the railing and stories of ****ation aren't likely to persuade said someone to again begin testing. If testing is the goal, then I'm thinking that backing off from the harshest wording, and replacing ****ation scenarios with something that sounds at least plausibly hopeful, might have a little better effect. I really don't know.

I do know that this can be a very scary disease, and that useful information is awfully hard to find. You're preaching to a longstanding choir member when you speak of tight control. My best success has been with Bernstein-low-carbing and frequently-intensive exercise. Does everybody want or need to do that? No. At times in my history I could do more than 30g CHO a day, and be fine with it; this isn't 'at times,' now, and I'm working it quite happily.

And always, my heart goes out to anyone who can't find their way through the barriers between BGs of 300 and comfort within diabetes. Some say you have to self-starve (and there's a discomforting amount of weight-loss emphasis in the B-Way); not fun and no one who's ever done so is going to gleefully run back to the deep ache of cellular hunger (yech). Some say you have to follow the 'experts' at the ADA, even though they advocate a ridiculously high-carb way of eating, and they seem quite accepting of DM complications, as if DMers really don't matter. I have found a way where I can eat to very comfortable satiety, and keep my BGs low enough to likely ward off many complications, if perhaps not all.

'F it' is an option, but it's not the only one, and it's not the comfiest one, either, IME. This is what I posted to -- this and concern that one of my brothers in DM had pretty much given up.

As members of a caring community, it's important to be honest, but sometimes I think there might be ways for us to share that honesty and still nurture others back in. (And if only you knew me, you'd know that's an amazing stretch for me, as I am known neither for delicacy nor diplomacy! :)) --diana

[ladytaz]

And yet, if someone has pretty much given up on testing, all the railing and stories of ****ation aren't likely to persuade said someone to again begin testing. If testing is the goal, then I'm thinking that backing off from the harshest wording, and replacing ****ation scenarios with something that sounds at least plausibly hopeful, might have a little better effect. I really don't know.

--diana

Indeed! The whole "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" thing! All we can really do is give our advice, it's up to the individual asking for advice to actually use it!

Not knowing what makes individual people tick, one can never know exactly how to go about giving advice ... nuturing, kind, gentle, hopeful, ****, ****ation or a even a swift kick in the a$$. Again, what works for one, doesn't for another in this situation as well! ;)

I try to, and usually do, go the nuturing, kind, gentle route, but I've been known to state it how it is, and give a swift kick in the a$$ as well! ;)

[MYDEAR]

I Hear You Ronman. You See Your Pattern And No Matter What You Do You Can't Change It. So Why Test???,

Because....... It's All We Have At This Time To Tell Us Where We Are With This Disease. I'm Thankful That I Can Test At Home..... All Day If I Want, And Don't Have To Run To The Dr. Office Several Times A Week For Test.

I Remember My Girl Friends Grand-father Had Diabetes And No One In Her Family Would Use His Plate, Or Fork Or Drinking Glass And They Would Boil Water And Pour It Over All The Dishes After Washing Them. No One Touched Him And He Ate In His Room By His Self. I Don't Know How Esle He Was Isolated, But I Thank God For The Knowledge And Technics We Have Now,

Mydear

[CaptDave4499]

Exercise!?!?

How the F do I exercise?!?

Maybe if I wasn't paralyzed I could go back to the martial arts, but I can't. Food is all I have to make me happy. I'm gonna die soon so might as well live for now, right?

:toilet:

[gettingby]

I'm gonna die soon so might as well live for now, right?

:toilet:
Who says you are gonna die soon? DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME YET !!!!!!!!:motz:

[pinkytricia]

Ronman.....
Hi there Honey...Yes.. I know where you are coming from.... I was just there ... Truly this Forum has saved my life ...(and the people in it) I was in total denial...
Yeah take the pill take the pill morning in the evening you'll be all right.... Check... what for ...to much of a hassle... and then everyone is looking at you while you check yourself... you want to say back off... I'm going to eat that pint of ice cream anyway... I don't feel bad .. I can eat it... it won't hurt me ...I'm young... "WonderWoman".....
Then something clicks ... someone says something to that makes it click... Or you read something or see someone dying a slow diabetic death... Something will happen Honey...
I hope to God it happens to you soon.. The quicker you change the better....
Trust me I have been there....
An every day... thing too.....Because we have to eat to LIVE....

[CaptDave4499]

I don't want to die a slow diabetic death. I hope to go away quick and smiling. That's why I leave some of my poems here. So ya'all remember me.

:goodnight

[gettingby]

I don't want to die a slow diabetic death. I hope to go away quick and smiling. That's why I leave some of my poems here. So ya'all remember me.

:goodnight
I don't need poems to remember you by. I want you to stick around.

[June]

I think you're doing what you need to be doing but I think you need help with the correct meds for your particular issues. I think the forum has alot of insight about the "in the trenches" daily stuff we can do in specific situations (so read up on it all) but I think when we're doing pretty much what we're supposed to be doing--its up to correcting our medication--and everyone is different with what works.
I was having fasting highs and my numbers were generally high. I was eating right, exercising etc.--I couldn't control BS with what I was doing--I had to have more meds help. Made an appt with endo and this is what I found out. A combination of meds was needed. Apparently my first problem (and sounds like it might be your issue too???) is that my pancreas needs meds to encourage it to make insulin. My second problem is that insulin is in my system but the cells don't recognize the insulin so the brain tells the liver to make (don't know what the name for it is) the equivalent of insulin so it "dumps" into my system and the cells STILL don't recognize the insulin which causes the fasting high). So, the 2nd med is to tell the liver not to dump (usually this happens at nite or when I haven't eaten) and also tells the cells to recognize the insulin.
So, the combination that I'm on is metformin and amaryl. From the forum, a glass of wine at nite has helped with fasting BS. I have had trouble for several years and have found that I'm having to relook at what I'm eating. I have found out that I can no longer eat any kind of cereal carb for breakfast etc etc. The endo will reevaluate the new meds with 2 weeks of BS readings.
Taking BS readings is a measuring of what is working and what isn't and where we need to adjust. If we're really trying to "live right" and still have high readings, more than likely we need help with our medications. Good luck!

[mommaterra]

Exercise!?!?

How the F do I exercise?!?

Maybe if I wasn't paralyzed I could go back to the martial arts, but I can't. Food is all I have to make me happy. I'm gonna die soon so might as well live for now, right?

:toilet:

Do you have use of your arms, or no? Being stubborn, and seeing how well it works for me, I'm not giving up on the exercise biz until I know I have to. OTOH, if I didn't have use of arms or legs, then the ways to exercise would be limited. Out? Not necessarily, because there was some evidence, back when I paid attention, to visualizing exercise actually having some physical effect ... but I haven't looked for that info for years. FWIW, and mebbe nada.

And if you cannot walk, then my suggestion of a stroll was kinda stoopid, but live and learn, I will.

As to the idea that "Food is all I have to make me happy" -- are you sure? I mean, it sounds like you have a great and agile mind, an ability with words that flows into poetry, computer skills enough to create an awesome fire truck, and probably a whole lot more that I've missed completely. (You also have some lovely anger, and if that could be sent outward, it might help create amazing change; but then, I appreciate anger greatly.)

Your life sucks: You aren't having fun, finding joy, relishing any of the moments, and on top of that when you do test your BGs, they're in a range meant for baseball batting averages. I'm just hoping that there's some way to turn the current suckiness into a temporary condition, and to find better health, more fun and joy and relishment of your remaining moments (given that we all have only our 'remaining moments').

Diabetics get written off too easily, especially T2s but also T1s. There are too many ways we are told we don't matter, that we caused it all, or at least exacerbated it, that we deserve no more than the worst of our experiences. Too often we have an hellacious time getting testing supplies, and useful info is more apt to come from a forum like this than our physicians and DM educators. A cure is increasingly less likely as greater and greater profits pour in from diabetic meds.... There is a great deal of f-ing and suckiness going on all around us, over us, right through us.

So when someone who is a brother in this all looks like he's given up, I may stick my neck out a little, risk sounding really stoopid -- and with apologies in advance -- even offending or being too nosy, just because it's important to me that you know you matter. What you do is up to you. I just want to reinforce the idea that I care, we care, and you are important -- you're one of us -- and we ALL matter. But you're struggling most right now, so you get to matter most at the moment. :) --diana

[cheryl]

Hi Ronman,

It is so fustrating sounds like your liver is dumping glucose which is causing the high in the morning and the rest of your day is fine. Good advice from princess linda to eat something before you go to bed like peanuts or some sort of fat so you can get a good reading in the morning. It does get fustrating and I used to think that but then I lost the sense of the hypo not so much that I couldn't tell anymore but more so I confused it with a high, so it is still very wise to test as I thought this and was eating something when i was already high to begin with.....I gave up on testing a while back dumbest thing I ever did, I know I am a type 1 but I think I would test like a mad woman with type 2 cause your right it is hard to fix it and it would drive me looney of an unknown

Cheryl

[mommaterra]

So when someone who is a brother in this all looks like he's given up, it's important to me that you know you matter. What you do is up to you. I just want to reinforce the idea that I care, we care, and you are important -- you're one of us -- and we ALL matter. But you're struggling most right now, so you get to matter most at the moment. :) --diana

Actually there are two discouraged souls in this: Ronman and CapDave4499. My apologies for not making sure I addressed my posts to both of you. Point still is, we matter, and if we don't fight for us, I'm not so sure enough others will. Take care (really good care), diana

[CaptDave4499]

Thanks again for kind words. I am just REALLY down and tired of being a quad. I miss life sooooooo much (firefighting,making love,playing with children,practicing karate,drinking a few beers with friends,etc) I only live in my dreams now and thats partly why I want to move on. Being crippled sux. Being crippled with diabetes sux squared.
:goodnight

[gettingby]

Dave, we all care about you. I know life sucks for you. You gotta talk to your friends here (I know you have them) and let us help you however we can. You know we care and love ya !!! Don't resist. Resistance is futile.

[mommaterra]

I still think you have an incredible mind, and write deeply touching poetry, CaptDave4499. Take care, please. --diana

[slipperyelm]

Ronman, of course tesing is only helpful if you and/or your doctor do something with the infomation. It must be used for future action. The future can be in the next minute, or it can be in a couple of months when you finally somehow get the spark to carry through on a major change that you need to make.

For me, testing keeps me on the right track once I'm on it. Any time I have let up on testing I haven fallen into most unhelpful actions like overeating, underexcercising.

CaptDave, do you really get to live in your dreams? I mean do you really have good dreams of being healthy, uninjured, and enjoying life? I hope that you do. When I was an older child I was in a situation of abandonment. Sometimes I had dreams of the people I had been most happy with but would never see again. Those dreams were so good. It really was as if I'd been with them again. Those dreams were like FOOD to me! I hope that YOU living in your dreams is just as good. I could do nothing for myself in that childhood situation and it was a blessing to have the dreams.

Also CaptDave, I'd like you to know that I hardly ever feel like I can understand poetry. But yours I feel like I understand. The thing is, I always suspected that sometimes poets use poetry so that if it becomes too uncomfortable having the other understand, then the poet can believe that the other wasn't really quite capable of understanding. So it lets the poet off the hook. They can put their feelings out there hoping that someone will understand yet being able to keep the door to their deepest self closed as long as they want....Anyway, I think your poetry is excpetionally good.

[princesslinda]

Capt. Dave:
Your posts always make me realize how blessed I am, even with diabetes. You have a right to be angry/depressed...life has dealt you a hard blow...yet you are still helping others by helping us keep things in perspective.

I always read your poetry and it speaks to me...your life has changed and now you are helping change the lives of others who read your posts.

You be strong and hang in there. I see by the other posts that you have MANY here who are your friends. You are not alone!

[Ronman]

Ladytaz, if I am doing damage to my body everytime my blood sugar goes over 140 then I am in real trouble. I can't even eat a banana without my blood sugar going into the 170's. I am not questioning your knowledge or intentions and perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but if that is the case, I am damaging my body every day and especially as I sleep at night because my blood sugar is always over 140 when I first test it in the morning.

[princesslinda]

Hey Ron:
When I was first diagnosed, the doc told me that my goal should be to keep my levels as close to "non-diabetic/normal" as possible, which makes sense if you think of it -- if non-diabetics do not suffer the same complications as diabetics, then keeping our levels at a non-diabetic level would lessen our chances of complications.

Sounds good, but isn't always easy to achieve. I think bottom line, the lower you can go (whether you're in the "non-diabetic range or not), the better you're going to be long-term. If your numbers NEVER get into a good range, even after lifestyle adjustments, you may need a medicine adjustment.

The main thing to remember is just because your numbers are high doesn't mean YOU'VE failed...it just means your treatment may not be working as it should and it's time for an adjustment. What works well for some may not give the same results in others. Just keep trying to watch your diet, exercise and keep testing regularly and follow-up with your doctor. Eventually, you'll find what you need.

[linda53]

You are right. If you don't eat all day we do go into starvation mode. I have been on Symlin for 2 weeks along with Humalog 75/25 which I have cut way back in just 2 weeks due to the Symlin. I have great 2 hour after eating numbers which I am so happy with...My bedtime runs between 110 and 120 but its my morning that is high in the 160,s. I am going to start on 1 tbsp of peanut butter at bedtime like my friend started and see if that helps.

Capt Dave you are wonderful. We are all with you in this life with our diabetes. We will get through this. I never thought my numbers would get so good. But swimming and water aerobics have helped me a lot! I always bring a fruit as I found I was nearly passing out since Symlin.

[ladytaz]

Ladytaz, if I am doing damage to my body everytime my blood sugar goes over 140 then I am in real trouble. I can't even eat a banana without my blood sugar going into the 170's. I am not questioning your knowledge or intentions and perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but if that is the case, I am damaging my body every day and especially as I sleep at night because my blood sugar is always over 140 when I first test it in the morning.

Hi Ronman ...

Remember it's not damage all at once ... it's bit by bit, slowly chipping away at your health. Any spike above 140 isn't good, but the bigger problem is that the longer you stay above 140, more/worse damage occurs.

No, because you run higher most of the time, doesn't mean you're going to keel over dead in an instant, it's still bit by bit (bigger bits?) increasing your chances for complications.

Our goal, as a diabetic, is to strive to always be below 140. That, of course, is easier said than done! I know!

I can't eat a banana (nor much of ANY fruit) without going thru the roof either, which is why I rarely eat any fruit! When I do, it's usually just a couple/few bites. I too, currently am rarely below 140 in the mornings - it's more like between 160 and 180 (sometimes even higher :(), which is why I've gone to the doctor and we are working on a solution to the problem! ;)

So, if what you are doing currently isn't getting the job done, then it's time to find another way to try and achieve that "goal". ;)

[CaptDave4499]

Capt. Dave:
Your posts always make me realize how blessed I am, even with diabetes. You have a right to be angry/depressed...life has dealt you a hard blow...yet you are still helping others by helping us keep things in perspective.

I always read your poetry and it speaks to me...your life has changed and now you are helping change the lives of others who read your posts.

You be strong and hang in there. I see by the other posts that you have MANY here who are your friends. You are not alone!


Thanks for kind words :)