Should I be concerned?

[Hammer]

Okay, this might sound backwards and I never thought I'd be asking this question, but I'm wondering if my BG numbers are normal or a bit too low?

Since I went from 5 mcg to 10mcg of Byetta, my numbers have dropped....which made me happy. The thing is, are they normal or are they a bit on the low side?

Yesterday, my numbers never went above 134, which I figured was good. Today, my morning fasting BG was 93. My post breakfast BG was 101. My before lunch BG was 86. My after lunch BG was only 98 and I had some left over pork roast, a helping of mashed potatoes, a handful of potato chips, and several handfuls of shelled walnuts. Oh, and I went food shopping today and picked up a jar of Reese's Peanut butter. I also had two teaspoons of it.(I wanted to see what it tasted like)

Are these numbers a little on the low side? I'm so used to being a lot higher that I don't know what my numbers should be, so for all I know, these numbers are okay.

I was planning on having my normal dinner....a large tossed salad, so maybe that will change something but I doubt it since it hasn't in the past.

[princesslinda]

I think those #s look good! I don't know how it might work with your Lantus at night though, as i'm not on insulin. I'd be sure and check the bedtime # to make sure you don't go low in the night.

[davef]

Hammer,

They sound good to me. I'm managing to keep FBG to arounf 105-109. Premeals 84-93 and 2 hours after first bite typically 125-130 and I'm a happy boy!

[fgummett]

Linda and David make perfect sense... as always :)

I'd be interested in your numbers at 3 and 4 hours after that lunch.

How do you feel?

[Hammer]

I feel fine. Sometimes I feel a little shaky, but I figured that's because I've never been this low before. I'd bet that my numbers will be even lower 4 or 5 hours after lunch, since my numbers before lunch dropped from 101 after breakfast, to 86 before lunch and I ate lunch 6 hours after I had breakfast.

My before bed numbers have been 130, 99, 106, and 134 for last night, although last night I went to bed not long after dinner.

I take a reading before bed.....just to make sure everything is okay. If I see that it's low, which it never has been, I'll eat something like a bite sized candy bar, which I bought just for this purpose.(I rarely eat candy...I don't care for it.)

I'm just accustomed to seeing my numbers spike a lot more than that. Before using the 10mcg of Byetta, they would usually jump 30 or 40 points after a meal. Now they hardly move...as you can see.

[princesslinda]

Hammer, i'd be curious to know what your 3 and 4 hr post meal #s are as well. The Byetta works with the post meal #s as you know, but I think it peaks in a couple hrs after injection. I have seen a rise in #s after 3-4 hrs with the Byetta after a higher carb meal. I'm still on the 5mcg dose though.

It sounds like you're having a good response to the new dose of Byetta. But don't fall in the same trap I did....For awhile I actually ate more carbs with the Byetta, just because I could get away with it blood-sugar wise.

[Hammer]

My lunch numbers of 86 before eating, and 98 after eating don't include Byetta. I take Byetta before breakfast and before dinner, so I didn't take any before lunch. I took Byetta before breakfast and that was around 5:15am. I started eating lunch around 11:50am....6 hours after the Byetta. Then my post lunch numbers of 98 were taken at 2pm....almost 9 hours after the Byetta.

There's no problem with me eating more carbs because of my low readings. I'm a creature of habit and eat pretty much the same thing every day. I don't like straying off of my normal routine.:)

[jerryn]

Those numbers great! Don't be alarmed.. man they are in normal range! Your A1C is going to be awesome!

[Hammer]

Those numbers great! Don't be alarmed.. man they are in normal range! Your A1C is going to be awesome!

I haven't had an A1C in over 6 years now. Whenever my doctor would want me to have one, I refused to go. Now I wished I had gone for the last one so that I could see how much it might differ from a new one. I do know that before the meds, I was getting BG numbers of 375 to over 500, so that indicates that an A1C should be lower. I don't know when I'll go to have a new A1C, since I have no appointments scheduled with my doctor. It'll probably be when my prescriptions run out in 12 months. That's okay, I can wait.;)

[Evermont]

...I don't know when I'll go to have a new A1C, since I have no appointments scheduled with my doctor. It'll probably be when my prescriptions run out in 12 months. That's okay, I can wait.;)

It probably works different for you, but I could just email my doc and she would "order a test" then I call the desk to schedule with a phlebotomist to have blood drawn, then watch for the results in the snail mail. No doctor appointment needed, 1 week elapsed time. Perhaps you could phone your docs office and ask if you could do something like that. Just a thought.

[bkburns]

I haven't had an A1C in over 6 years now. Whenever my doctor would want me to have one, I refused to go.

If I might ask, why not get an A1C test?

[jacobsam622]

I haven't had an A1C in over 6 years now. Whenever my doctor would want me to have one, I refused to go. Now I wished I had gone for the last one so that I could see how much it might differ from a new one. I do know that before the meds, I was getting BG numbers of 375 to over 500, so that indicates that an A1C should be lower. I don't know when I'll go to have a new A1C, since I have no appointments scheduled with my doctor. It'll probably be when my prescriptions run out in 12 months. That's okay, I can wait.;)
Hammer you should have your a1c checked every three months that allows you to abjust your diabetes care before trouble starts or gets really bad.

UKPDS (U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study) proved that tight control lowers the risk of all diabetes complication by a large number. So keep those numbers just the way they are good job.:D

[mortis505]

Those numbers look pretty good to me. If you are worried about going low during the night, wake up every few hours and test. But I must say, nicely done.

[Hammer]

If I might ask, why not get an A1C test?

Well, if you saw my posts when I first came to DF, you'd get a better idea of my mindset. See, when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I couldn't care less. I knew I would get it since it runs in my family, so it was no big surprise when I finally got it. I think I just crossed the 7 mark with an A1C that I had done back then, and that's when my doctor told me I had it.

My doctor prescribed metformin, and that gave me severe diarrhea. He tried various forms of metformin, and they all gave me diarrhea. He tried amaryl, and that gave me diarrhea. It seems that any oral diabetes meds gives me diarrhea, so I got fed up and stopped taking them. I already had IBS and I didn't need to take something that made it worse, so I decided I'd stop taking everything including my blood pressure medicine.(the Hyzaar made me dehydrate too much)

When I'd go to the doctor for some other ailment, he'd always try to send me to have an A1C test done, but I figured, what's the point? I'm not taking anything for the diabetes, so who cares what my A1C is? I'm not going to take anything to treat it, so there's no point in seeing what it is. I told my doctor that, but he kept filling out the hospital form that you need to take to the hospital in order to have the A1C test done.(his office is one block away from the hospital).

I think he finally got the message when I told him not to waste the hospital form since I wouldn't go, but he filled it out anyway, so I threw it in his trash can and left.

Once I stopped working, I decided to try the metformin again, since now I was home 24/7 and I could adjust to the diarrhea. They say that if you take metformin for a while, the side effects will wear off. I tried taking it for 30 straight days, and the diarrhea got so bad that my insides hurt, I was nauseous, and I had pressure in my chest. I barely made it to 30 days. I swore that I'd never take it again.

After talking to the doctor's office, they suggested Lantus and Prandin, so I tried that but the Prandin upset my stomach also, so I switched to Byetta. Now, everything seems okay, so now that I'm taking some meds, an A1C makes sense.

[bkburns]

Wow Hammer, thats awful! I have read about metformin sensitivity, but that puts it in perspective for sure. I am glad you found something that works though!

[Hammer]

Wow Hammer, thats awful! I have read about metformin sensitivity, but that puts it in perspective for sure. I am glad you found something that works though!

Thanks byburns, I'm glad I found something that works also. To be honest, I was ready to die. I know that sounds horrible, but when you live alone, your company closed it's doors and put you out of work, you're up in age and you have numerous other ailments, the thought of dying isn't so bad. It's not that I want to die, it's just that I accept it as a part of life, and when the time comes, I'm ready for it.

The nice folks here have given me hope. I still have this apathic attitude towards life, but I find that there's a bit of....I don't know....hope is the best word I can come up with.....hope that maybe I can still survive for a while. It's as if there is a new energy of sorts that I feel....an energy that helps me get up in the morning....an energy that helps me look forward to tomorrow. That energy wasn't there before I came here, so maybe there's hope for me yet.:)

When I found that taking the oral meds wasn't an option, I figured that my life had run it's course and that it was time for me to go. I wasn't interested in using needles, so there was no option left. I figured I'd die and that would be it....no parades, no fanfare, just quietly go hide under a tree and die. I accepted that and was waiting for it to happen.....then I came here to ask a question about stomach problems and diabetes. The care and concern from everyone was very heartwarming to me.

I have never felt apart of anything in a long time.(15 years I guess). Heck, just talking to another person is rare for me, since I live alone and I have no relatives nearby. The only human contact I have is when I go to the food store and have a chance to talk to the cashier for five minutes....that's five minutes of contact with another person per week.

I did go down and sign up for a job out of my construction union hall today. I should have another job in less than a month, so that will help. I just hope that with all of my ailments, I am still able to do construction work.

As for the oral meds, well, they were the worst. I had a one hour drive to work and I left for work at 4:30am every morning. There isn't any place open that early in the morning, so driving for an hour and having diarrhea aren't a good combination when there isn't any place open that has a restroom.(why do they call it a restroom anyway? I know I sure don't rest there.:D)

Anyway, it's probably obvious that I don't talk to people in real life since my posts are becoming short novels.(sorry about that.)

[davef]

Hammer,

I do remember your early posts and I have to say "well done", I think you have come a long way and it's good to see you using words like "hope". Hang on to that hope.

It's great that you are looking at getting back to work in about a month, the social interaction at work will be great, I know it's work but I bet you'll enjoy being in the company of others.

Oh yeah, I agree why are they restrooms? Or for that matter "bathrooms", haven't seen a bath in a restuarant or bar. I think when people from the US visit Ireland and see that we call them what they are (Toilets) that they are a little taken aback(sp) or even horrified.

Keep well, do try get an A1c it will give a new starting point, try the idea of calling your doctor - that's what I do.

[Kim_in_TN]

Hammer, I am SO HAPPY that Byetta is working for you! Your numbers look GREAT to me!!! I'm so thrilled that you came to DF and have found hope again ...we ALL need each other here! (((((HUGS)))))