question about blood glucose?

[hot-in-texas]

Originally Posted by LoosinItNow

Oh, on a happy note, after two weeks of JUDDD, my fasting BS's are around 140, which is ubheard of for me! Even on UD's, as long as I remember to take insulin. I take very littke insulin on my DD's.

That is wonderful! Thank you for the cinnamon pill info, I never heard of such a thing!

[hot-in-texas]

Originally Posted by calichris

5.2 is good! I hope mine is as good, but I'm not entirely happy with what my glucose monitor is telling me, so I'm continuing to experiment. My doctor wanted to do mine in 3 months (since I had just done the fasting glucose), so I'll have to wait until then. Hope it comes out as well as yours!

I would think our ADF WOE would make our A1c come out good. Every other day, our blood sugar has to be good, right? And the test is a 3 month average. I hope(the pessimistic side of me coming out here) that this doesn't mean our A1c numbers are skewed? Not showing the real picture of how our body is working??

[Yennie]

Cinnamon has been used for years in horses that are insulin resistant (metabolic syndrome) - its amazing stuff for stabilizing BG. We also use chromium. Of course, talk to your health care professional or do your own research before starting either... (My disclaimer...you can pretend its being read to you in the serious, deep TV announcer voice.)

[piratejenny]

Originally Posted by hot-in-texas

I would think our ADF WOE would make our A1c come out good. Every other day, our blood sugar has to be good, right?

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. You'd have to test your BG to make sure. There's this process called "gluconeogenesis", and the liver can "dump" glucose and keep your BG high; that's what always happened to me; even after 2+ years of low-carbing, JUDDD, Fast5, etc, I *still* had high BG in the morning (120-150) and between meals (100-120)...until...(dramatic drumroll)...I stopped eating wheat! Have y'all seen my thread on eliminating wheat? My BG was 85 several times this week!

I just want to interject a warning about my personal experience with cinnamon; it does lower my BG, but it makes me feel terrible. Maybe since you, LoosinIt, have BGs in the 300s, it doesn't have as drastic an effect. If I take cinnamon and it lowers mine from 120 to 80 (which isn't even "hypo"), I feel weak, sick, and shaky.

If I have a little more sugar or carbs than usual, I sometimes add some cinnamon and feel okay. But I can't take it on an empty stomach or with a low-carb meal on a daily basis.

I've had really good results drinking water with fresh lime or lemon ("alkalizing"...I've also used water with "pH drops" or baking soda); it lowers my BG but I don't feel hypo.

Another promising herb is gymnema sylvestre. Of all the natural remedies out there that either mimic insulin, stimulate increased insulin release, and/or improve insulin sensitivity, this is the only one I've heard of that has actually been shown to regenerate pancreatic beta cells!

[piratejenny]

Originally Posted by hot-in-texas

I hope(the pessimistic side of me coming out here) that this doesn't mean our A1c numbers are skewed? Not showing the real picture of how our body is working??

That is the fallacy of the A1c...your BG could be swinging wildly between somewhat high and low numbers...let's say 200 and 50, with a few hours a day spent around a normal level, like 80...and the average would be "good", could even be the same as someone with much more stable blood sugar (mostly between 80-120).

That's why some diabetes experts like Dr Bernstein advocate "tight control"; a diet/lifestyle that helps you avoid spikes and reactive hypoglycemia.

But for a person who doesn't have obvious blood sugar issues...if you don't get sleepy after eating, or hungry shortly after you've had a meal that should keep you full for 4-5 hours...the A1c can be good enough, and can at least serve as an early warning when diabetes or insulin resistance starts to develop.

[hot-in-texas]

PJ, I did notice yesterday, when I ate 1.75 bagels, that I felt horrible, clammy, heart racing, for the rest of the afternoon-several hours.. actually took a nap 1 hour after eating, and woke up feeling bad. Going to give the pulse rate thing a try with wheat first thing in the morning sometime this week.

[piratejenny]

That could have been a reaction to the wheat, not just the carbs. Honestly I can never tell when my blood sugar is elevated; it can be sky-high and I don't feel "bad" in any way til I get the low blood sugar crash. But I've finally figured out that I feel so much worse when I eat wheat than when I eat something like beans, or even sugar.

[Carly]

Originally Posted by piratejenny

I just want to interject a warning about my personal experience with cinnamon; it does lower my BG, but it makes me feel terrible. Maybe since you, LoosinIt, have BGs in the 300s, it doesn't have as drastic an effect. If I take cinnamon and it lowers mine from 120 to 80 (which isn't even "hypo"), I feel weak, sick, and shaky.

If I have a little more sugar or carbs than usual, I sometimes add some cinnamon and feel okay. !

I took the cinnamon pills for a while when my blood glucose was pretty high and didn't notice any ill effects. The last bottle I gave to DW since she still takes meds for diabetes and I haven't heard any complaints from her.

Originally Posted by piratejenny

That is the fallacy of the A1c...your BG could be swinging wildly between somewhat high and low numbers...let's say 200 and 50, with a few hours a day spent around a normal level, like 80...and the average would be "good", could even be the same as someone with much more stable blood sugar (mostly between 80-120).

That's my concern with my next A1C. I think there still are some spikes that are not the best like 150, but most of the time it's in the 90's.

I'll be seeing my MD in a few weeks and will discuss this with him. I may have to get back into the habit of testing more often and I don't look forward to that.

The good thing is I still opt for sugar free when what I want is available that way (think sf syrup in coffee or sf jelly, etc...)

[LoosinItNow]

Originally Posted by Carly

Julia since Juddding I no longer require Byeatta injections 2x a day and no oral meds either. I will be going for a follow up soon, but last time my A1C was 6.5 with no meds. I know it could be better and I'm expecting this one to be no more than 6.0

I am green with envy! my BEST A1C was 9.5 in the past decade. At my worst: 15 +

Since I have seen such quick results so far with JUDDD, I have hope for wonderful long-term results! Any other diabetics out there with better numbers on JUDDD's?

[deedee]

Since I have seen such quick results so far with JUDDD, I have hope for wonderful long-term results! Any other diabetics out there with better numbers on JUDDD's?

I'm afraid JUDDD hasn't had any real effect on my bg (though it's been amazing for letting me lose weight while still eating very high-carb food and sugar). My A1C was never a good indicator for me because I was diagnosed diabetic with an A1C of 5.2. On very low-carb it dropped down to a 4.9.

But I test my bg after eating and like clockwork, if I eat something high in sugar, or anything with wheat in it, the bg goes up. The good news of JUDDD is I'm able to lose weight even when I eat half a bag of caramel popcorn. The bad news is, the bg still goes up afterward. I've never had super high numbers, so an hour after eating something like that I'll get up to 135 or something similar, but still diabetic range unfortunately.

[Carly]

In Feb 2012 my A1C was 9.5 on medication and at about 200lbs. I tested my BG right after my last post on this thread. It was 112, which is good since I ate a carby lunch at 2pm.

[hot-in-texas]

Originally Posted by deedee

I'm afraid JUDDD hasn't had any real effect on my bg (though it's been amazing for letting me lose weight while still eating very high-carb food and sugar). My A1C was never a good indicator for me because I was diagnosed diabetic with an A1C of 5.2. On very low-carb it dropped down to a 4.9.

But I test my bg after eating and like clockwork, if I eat something high in sugar, or anything with wheat in it, the bg goes up. The good news of JUDDD is I'm able to lose weight even when I eat half a bag of caramel popcorn. The bad news is, the bg still goes up afterward. I've never had super high numbers, so an hour after eating something like that I'll get up to 135 or something similar, but still diabetic range unfortunately.

Deedee, this really concerns me because my numbers are the same as yours? But I was told my numbers were good. Now I'm confused.
My A1c is 5.2, and 90 minutes after eating, my BG is 139. And you are saying this is diabetic range.

[deedee]

Deedee, this really concerns me because my numbers are the same as yours? But I was told my numbers were good. Now I'm confused.
My A1c is 5.2, and 90 minutes after eating, my BG is 139. And you are saying this is diabetic range.

It really depends on which school of thought you subscribe to. I read Dr. Bernstein's book, and I agree with his philosophy, which believes that anything that is outside of the range of a non-diabetic is actually diabetic. A non-diabetic has a bg that has returned to "normal" numbers 1 hour after eating. Essentially, no matter what a non-diabetic eats, her bg should be in the 80's or 90's after eating. I've tested this with my own family, and it's true. My sister ate a pizza and some cookies and I tested her 60 minutes later and her bg was 92. That's a non-diabetic.

Now the American Diabetes Association and most doctors have different ranges than Dr. Bernstein. Many doctors don't look at bg numbers after eating, they only look at fasting. If you haven't had high bg numbers for very long (let's say just a few months) your A1C might not be that high. Or it might be that you're in the very early stages of diabetes (which I was, and that's a good thing, to catch it early, because it means you haven't killed off all your beta cells).

I don't want to give you faulty advice, and I'm not a doctor. I've just tried to research this as much as possible for myself. I had a Glucose Tolerance Test done with an A1C of 5.2 and I "failed" it, meaning my bg went above 200 during the hours afterward. Losing weight has helped, but nothing has helped as much as cutting down on carbs and especially figuring out WHICH foods in particular raise my bg levels to numbers I'm not comfortable with. So a meter (and there are cheap ones out there) is a great weapon.

Have you had a glucose tolerance test done? If you're interested in more information, I can't recommend blood sugar 101 enough. There's a ton of information here: Use This Page To Read the Pages in this Site in Sequence

[hot-in-texas]

Originally Posted by deedee

It really depends on which school of thought you subscribe to. I read Dr. Bernstein's book, and I agree with his philosophy, which believes that anything that is outside of the range of a non-diabetic is actually diabetic. A non-diabetic has a bg that has returned to "normal" numbers 1 hour after eating. Essentially, no matter what a non-diabetic eats, her bg should be in the 80's or 90's after eating. I've tested this with my own family, and it's true. My sister ate a pizza and some cookies and I tested her 60 minutes later and her bg was 92. That's a non-diabetic.

Now the American Diabetes Association and most doctors have different ranges than Dr. Bernstein. Many doctors don't look at bg numbers after eating, they only look at fasting. If you haven't had high bg numbers for very long (let's say just a few months) your A1C might not be that high. Or it might be that you're in the very early stages of diabetes (which I was, and that's a good thing, to catch it early, because it means you haven't killed off all your beta cells).

I don't want to give you faulty advice, and I'm not a doctor. I've just tried to research this as much as possible for myself. I had a Glucose Tolerance Test done with an A1C of 5.2 and I "failed" it, meaning my bg went above 200 during the hours afterward. Losing weight has helped, but nothing has helped as much as cutting down on carbs and especially figuring out WHICH foods in particular raise my bg levels to numbers I'm not comfortable with. So a meter (and there are cheap ones out there) is a great weapon.

Have you had a glucose tolerance test done? If you're interested in more information, I can't recommend blood sugar 101 enough. There's a ton of information here: Use This Page To Read the Pages in this Site in Sequence

Thanks, so what do I do? My doctor already thinks I'm a hypochondriac lol. Is metaformin prescription? I did a fasting blood sugar in December, it was 101. The year before that it was in the 90s. I guess my first step will be to buy a meter. Also, I wonder if drinking coffee increases blood sugar? I just started being a regular coffee drinker about a year ago...

[piratejenny]

Originally Posted by hot-in-texas

Deedee, this really concerns me because my numbers are the same as yours? But I was told my numbers were good. Now I'm confused.
My A1c is 5.2, and 90 minutes after eating, my BG is 139. And you are saying this is diabetic range.

Deedee beat me to it--I was going to ask if you have a meter, and recommend Blood Sugar 101 for more info about "normal" BG readings!

And, just echoing what others have said earlier...if you *are* diagnosed with diabetes, OR if you suspect that you are developing diabetes, even if you don't fall within the medical establishment's parameters, please please please don't panic, or "wait & see" til it's definitely diabetes...catching it early is GOOD!!! There's so much you can do to take care of yourself! And we are all here to support you & share our experiences.

[deedee]

Thanks, so what do I do? My doctor already thinks I'm a hypochondriac lol. Is metaformin prescription? I did a fasting blood sugar in December, it was 101. The year before that it was in the 90s. I guess my first step will be to buy a meter. Also, I wonder if drinking coffee increases blood sugar? I just started being a regular coffee drinker about a year ago...

Have you had a Glucose Tolerance Test? It would be good to know if that 139 you got 90 minutes after eating was a fluke. For me, my numbers are consistent depending on what I eat.

I think a meter is a great tool for anyone with impaired blood sugar issues. With a fasting bg of 101 I think you fall into the pre-diabetes category even by conventional medical standards, so I'm not sure why your doctor thinks you're a hypochondriac.

It depends on what route you want to pursue here. A GTT is a diagnosis test, it doesn't help you control blood sugar, but if it would help you to understand what you're dealing with better you can look into taking it (if your doctor won't prescribe it, find an endocrinologist who will). But buying a meter is giving yourself the option of finding out how everything you eat effects your body. Wal-Mart sells the Relion Prime for something like 15 dollars, and strips are very affordable. That's the meter I use and I find it very reliable.

You could start out by eating normally and testing your blood sugar. At first, test after 60 minutes, 75 minutes, and 90 minutes. Of those three, figure out when your bg peaks, and test at that time limit from there on out. Decide what range is acceptable for you, if you're comfortable with a bg of up to 140 after 60 minutes. Or you might want to have stricter standards for yourself and aim for lower numbers. The more you can educate yourself the better!

I don't see what would be in coffee alone that would spike blood sugar, but if you take it with sugar or a creamer that might do it. But more than likely, it wasn't one thing you started eating, it was a matter of time. I have PCOS and I know that's what caused my insulin resistance and my diabetes, but a few years ago, even at a very heavy weight, I never had increased bg. For me it was only a matter of time for that first phase insulin release to start suffering.

I hope I haven't freaked you out, there's just so much you can do to keep your blood sugar issues from getting out of control when you start to get a handle on them early.

[deedee]

And, just echoing what others have said earlier...if you *are* diagnosed with diabetes, OR if you suspect that you are developing diabetes, even if you don't fall within the medical establishment's parameters, please please please don't panic, or "wait & see" til it's definitely diabetes...catching it early is GOOD!!! There's so much you can do to take care of yourself! And we are all here to support you & share our experiences

[piratejenny]

Originally Posted by hot-in-texas

Thanks, so what do I do? My doctor already thinks I'm a hypochondriac lol. Is metaformin prescription? I did a fasting blood sugar in December, it was 101. The year before that it was in the 90s. I guess my first step will be to buy a meter. Also, I wonder if drinking coffee increases blood sugar? I just started being a regular coffee drinker about a year ago...

Yes, metformin is a prescription.
If you are intimidated by asking your doctor for it...well...maybe try to get another doctor!
Also, there is a "natural" form of metformin called d-chiro-inositol (I read up on this a lot, even Dr Bernstein recommends it in his book, many women with PCOS were able to conceive after taking it). It's an extract of carob (popularly known as a chocolate substitute)....so, not a weird/toxic/endangered plant.

Doctors often have free meters to give out. Most meters are cheap (under $20) but the testing strips can get expensive. So, look into the price of strips before deciding on a meter (just in case your insurance [if you have it] doesn't cover it, or even if they do, they often only cover 50 per month). My favorite is WalMart's Relion brand, the Prime model; only $9 for 50 strips. Mine has been pretty reliable. They also have a model called Ultima; it's $18 for 50 strips, and before the Prime came out, *that* was about the cheapest in all the known universe, including ebay!!!

PS--deedee, you're so much faster than me!

[hot-in-texas]

Thanks, my problem is finances at this point..I just can't be paying for doctor after doctor and test after test(I have other medical issues going on right now too). I mean I seriously have to skip the electric bill at this point, it is so frustrating. I know my health is the most important, so I will do what I have to, but I don't know how right now. I am going to have to start selling my furniture lol.
It would be nice to have ONE physician who would actually remember stuff from visit to visit, etc. Also, it would be nice if my employer wouldn't switch medical plans 3 times in 4 years, as well as once on the MIDDLE of the year, causing me to have to meet 2 deductibles in one year. I have to have PET scans every so often, which ends up being $5000 out of pocket for me, (which i never even come close to paying, one of these days they're going to stop treating me lol)and I'm a single income family just on the border of poverty.
That was a rant, sorry
ETA-thank you guys for all of the information, I appreciate you so much.

[deedee]

Thanks, my problem is finances at this point..I just can't be paying for doctor after doctor and test after test(I have other medical issues going on right now too). I mean I seriously have to skip the electric bill at this point, it is so frustrating. I know my health is the most important, so I will do what I have to, but I don't know how right now. I am going to have to start selling my furniture lol.

I'm so sorry about all your financial problems. I know what that's like. But you can absolutely get a meter and strips and have it be affordable. I don't have insurance, and the Relion Prime is a lifesaver. It's just so important to get a handle on this stuff early on, if you can, and there's no easier way than "eating to your meter."

Good luck and like PJ said, we are all here to help in any way you can. There's about a billion old threads on diabetes I read through when I first joined this site. Everything you could need to know is online, if you know where to look, and educating yourself is so helpful.

[Carly]

If you trust your doctor speak with him about your concerns. Does your health plan have a nurse hotline phone number on the back of your card? That phone number can be a good place to start. The nurses on those health plan help desks are usually helpful and can point you in the right direction.

[piratejenny]

btw--I have found that coffee affects my blood sugar. My doctor says that it "shouldn't", and drinking black coffee when I'm fasting before blood tests is fine, but I know that if I drink caffeinated coffee, it makes me feel hypo (shaky, weak, etc) AND that it sets off intense carb cravings. In fact, I will feel sort of sick and not in control of my body until I stuff myself with bread. I can drink decaf with no problem, though.

So, while supposedly no one food can cause diabetes, perhaps coffee (or just caffeine) can aggravate it by causing spikes and crashes, and/or carb cravings. It does for me, anyway. I'm *super* sensitive to caffeine. And cinnamon.

You could start out by eating normally and testing your blood sugar. At first, test after 60 minutes, 75 minutes, and 90 minutes. Of those three, figure out when your bg peaks, and test at that time limit from there on out.

This is very good advice, but I want to mention that the first couple times you test, you may want to test at 30 & 45 minutes, too. (Not forever...that would get expensive, and put a lot of holes in your fingers!)
I found my BG peaks around 45 minutes, and by 60 it's going down.

Here's a thread where we discussed testing after meals:
Blood sugar questions

Also, a good way to see if you're "really" diabetic (or at risk of developing it) is to take your BG right before you go to sleep, on an empty stomach (at least 3 hours after eating). Don't eat anything at all during the night (if you're a midnight snacker ). Test again in the morning. If your BG is significantly higher (I'll try to find exact numbers, but say 30 or more points), it means your body is having difficulty regulating your BG. Our livers "feed" us with stored glycogen overnight, but diabetics tend to overproduce an enzyme (glucose 6-phosphatase) that signals the liver to do this.

[hot-in-texas]

Deedee, Carly and PJ,

I am going to Walmart.

[Yennie]

Sher,
This is all spot on and very accurate advice. The only thing I would add to the above plan is to WRITE DOWN AND CHART EVERYTHING! Write down what you ate, what your BGs were and at what time interval after eating. Its called a glucose curve and will be something tangible you can take with you to your doctor and say - listen bonehead - here are my home results, now do you think I'm a hypochondriac?

(Not that I'm advocating calling your physician a bonehead, but one of my most gigantic pet peeves is members of the medical establishment who refuse to hear what their patients/clients are saying...and I'm not just referring to MDs.)

When I was pregnant, I was freaked out about gestational diabetes. No reason to be other than then I might have to stop eating entire boxes of Girl Scout cookies with 1/2 containers of frosting in one sitting (gee, wonder why I need to lose weight). So I did my own test a few days before having my test in the Drs office to be sure I'd pass it. And I did. Not that I'm advocating doing an at-home GTT, just sharing a story...

[calichris]

Hi Sher, we can be glucose testing buddies!

I think you and I, based on our fasting glucose levels, are technically considered pre-diabetic, although your A1C was a good result, so I think right now you are doing OK ... I wouldn't want you to be overly worried or stressed out.

On the other hand, I don't know about you, but I feel like while I'm in the potential-for-diabetes phase but not there yet, it would be good to do what I can to try to avoid getting it or put it off as long as possible. Exercise is supposed to be one of the best things ... I've been trying to do much more consistent exercise than I was to help with insulin resistance, blood sugar, etc. And then, monitoring what foods make our blood sugar go up will give us the info we need to keep it lower after meals.

Also, losing weight will help, so we're on the right track there, too.

I really liked the bloodsugar101 site too. They suggest trying to get your readings to under 140 one hour after a meal and under 120 two hours after, and lower is great if you can. I'm hoping that the exercise, supplements, modified diet, weight loss, etc. will all add together to help bring levels down over time.

[Carly]

I've been told both times that weight loss was critical for me. I lost 110lbs the first time and put the diabetes into remission and this time I lost 72lbs and have seeminly put it into remission again. Everyone is different, but my MD always harped on weightloss more than any other factor. I have PCOS so that increases my insulin resistance.

[hot-in-texas]

I appreciate all of your input more than you can know. It is so frustrating that doctors don't consider pre-diabetic range treatment, or at least do some patient education, or something! Help the patient to begin taking preventative measures. What is the use of health screenings at work, and appointments for specialized blood tests, if nothing is going to come from it? All I was told for both a fasting measure of 101, combined w/the 5.2 result, and the 139 reading after 90 minutes of no food is that I'm fine. Well with that info, I'm not going to make any changes, and possibly suffer through diabetes, all because of no patient education. Thank God for my JUDDD Budds. I will take preventative steps.

[hot-in-texas]

Went to Walmart, found the Relion(also saw they have paternity DNA tests there), but there weren't any strips on the shelf. Went to ask an employee if they might have some in the back, she was kinda wishy washy and just said 'no' without looking(to be fair, they may be kept behind then pharmacy counter which was closed), so I was rude and just turned away and walked away without saying thanks or anything. I need to take a chill pill.
So I went to Walgreens, no luck there either, but, I saw some large Patriot Candles candles called Sea Grass
On sale for $3.99, and a medium one called French Vanilla, which smells EXACTLY like krispy kreme donuts, for $2.99, so I took some shopping therapy and bought 3 candles and now I feel much better. Tonight I will have some aroma therapy

[piratejenny]

Yeah, I was told that my labs were "fine" when in fact my fasting blood glucose, over a couple of years, had gone from 78 to 99. If it had been 100, it would have been in the "abnormal" range. My doctor ended up not "catching" it until it was about 140.
///

Lesson learned: ALWAYS ask the lab to send you a copy of your results!!! Then *you* can see how close to the top or bottom of the normal range your numbers are. It also makes it easier to go over the results over the phone if you have questions, or to go to a new doctor if necessary!

[hot-in-texas]

That really stinks Jenny! What is up with that? It's 2013 for heaven's sake, don't doctors realize this by now? If it's creeping up, then figure out what's going on!
I am glad your numbers have been so good and you are figuring it out.
I still can't believe that we had a health screening, and no one bothered to tell me 101 was reason for at least some further research, or monitoring. I even later asked the 'health coach' and she said it isn't anything to be concerned about, but If i am worried about it, I can stop eating white stuff.
Sorry to everyone who is reading my posts(if anyone lol) that I sound like a broken record. I will get this out of my system right now, I am done ranting.