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glucose levels

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Q: glucose levels?
I have type II diabietes and the other night my glucose levels were jumping around so much. I had eaten a hot dog, and some mac and cheese. Then I went for a 2 mile walk. About an hour after my walk my levels were low, 45 and then they went really high, 198, then back down to 63, then back up, ect ect….. this continued for about 3 hours and my whole body was numb. Any one have any ideas why?
Right now I am not on any medicine, the medicine that I was on was making me very sick. I have an appt to get on new stuff but that isn’t until next week. When my levels were bouncing around I wasn’t doing anything or taking anything to treat the lows or the high numbers, they did that all on their own.

A: i understand that the liver kicks into high gear and possibly produced more glucose. i would ask your endocrinologist. i had levels that were low right before I go to bed say around 80 something and then when i wake up in the am its 110 or more. i was told that the liver produces glucose while you sleep and possibly i had to adjust my insulin regimen. but i would ask just to make sure you dont have a medication issue.

Q: what is the most commonly used way to test glucose levels and get insulin for diabetics?
I am doing a project and I was wondering if anyone knew the most common way to test glucose levels? Also to get insulin. Statistics and websites would be great. Thanks in advance.

A: we check with a glucometer
take in insulin by injections or and insulin pump
the insulin pump automatically gives insulin around the clock like a pancreas
i find i can control my glucose levels with this better than injections.

Q: What is the normal fluctuation for blood glucose levels?
I checked my glucose levels, which came to be 97. About an hour later, I checked again, and it was 68. I ate my lunch, and checked once more, getting 83, but again, hardly an hour later it had dropped back down to 69. My question is: Is the fluctuation of 20 or so values dangerous or significant? What is a healthy fluctuation bracket?

A: This begs several additional questions:
Is the glucometer properly calibrated? Are the test strips fresh (not expired) and did you correctly place the drop of blood on it by not milking your finger too much?
Also, you don’t mention what you ate for lunch.
A normal blood glucose level in a healthy adult is somewhere between 70-120 mg/dL.
If you are diabetic, then your ranges of good control would be somewhere between 70-180 mg/dL if on insulin therapy or antihyperglycemic medication.
I would be very suspicious about your technique or your insulin dosing if your blood sugar levels dropped an hour after eating (they should continue to rise for at least another hour depending on the meal, and peak somewhere between 3-4 hours after eating, again, depending on the meal).
You don’t mention whether your a diabetic or not, but I would assume this is the case since you are checking your blood sugar levels.
You need only check your levels an hour or 30 min prior to eating, first thing in the morning and at bed time. You should be eating high protein meals, so the glucose levels rise slowly. If your levels are truly this low after a meal (and you need to keep a daily diary of your levels to check this) then I would suggest that your insulin dosage is too high, or you have the wrong combination of long and short acting insullins for your diet and lifestyle.
If this persists (again, keep a diary) then you need to see your endocrinologist to get an adjustment. Or eat smaller more frequent meals to space out your blood sugar levels.

Q: What would cause my daughter’s blood glucose levels to be high?
My husband monitors his glucose and on a whim I tested my 8 yr old daughter’s when she had poked her finger and it bled. She tested at a 488. I tested it an hour later and she was a 142. Is it normal for kids to have such high levels? Is this something that is an immediate concern, or something to make an appointment and get on the Dr’s schedule for 2 weeks from now?

A: The first high reading may have been contaminated because her hand had sugar on it (dirty hands), or made artificially high because the blood had been exposed to air too long.

Test her again 2 hours after eating a meal, with hands that have been washed and dried. If the reading is over 140, it’s time to visit her doctor.

Q: How does chronic pain effect glucose levels?
My orthapaedic specialist says I need a hip replacement. He feels the reduction in pain would reduce my glucose levels. My family doctor says it doesn’t have that much of an effect on it. Who’s right?

A: Stress and hormones, which can both come from pain, can both have a severe effect on blood glucose levels. The severity does tend to vary from person to person though.

Q: What detects a change in glucose levels?
Like a decrease or increase in glucose levels, to stimulate a responce. Is it the Liver? Or some part of the brain?
Or is the pancreas?

A: There are two metabolites, or chemicals, in the blood whose levels need to be controlled within a narrow range and don’t need any fancy adjustments, so they are controlled by hormones that are regulated independant of the brain and nervous system in general. Blood sugar is one of these. Blood sugar (glucose) needs to be kept between about 3.8 and 5.8 millimoles per litre – that’s about 1 teaspoon (5 grams) dissolved in the 5 litres (the average persons blood volume). Too little (below 3.8) and nerve cells start running out of energy – they can’t use anything but glucose to make their energy, and they have high demands for energy. (If this starts to happen the person feels the lack as a condition known as a “hypo” – hypoglycemia – the prefix hypo meaning below normal). To much glucose in the blood and it starts to create osmotic imbalances, pulling water out of cells and collapsing them (cellular dehydration) and spontaneously binding to proteins and damaging them (glycosylation). All we need to do is try and keep blood glucose between 3.8 and 5.8 mmol/L and everything is fine. To do this there are two special cell types in the pancreas, that are found in little clusters of cells called Islets of Langerhans. One is a beta cell, and if blood sugar starts to rise, that cell directly senses the rise and secretes the hormone insulin. This stimulates body cells to absorb glucose from the blood, and use it for energy – or in the case of the liver and muscle tissue, absorb the glucose and store it in chains (glycogen) for future use. This brings the blood sugar down again to where it should be. If the blood sugar starts to fall another cell type called a alpha cell also in the pancreas islets senses that and secretes another hormone called glucagon, and this stimulates the liver in particular to release it’s stored glucose back into the blood, raising the blood glucose levels again.

A similar control system operates for blood calcium ion regulation using special cells in the thyroid and parathyroid glands that sense calcium ion levels in blood and secrete hormones to keep the calcium ion concentration around 2.5 mmol/L. Just about everything else in the body is regulated through the Central Nervous System (Brain and Spinal Cord) where the levels can be modulated or adjusted (tweaked if you like) as conditions or requirements change for different reasons. Not so for glucose and calcium ion levels – we just want to keep them stable under all conditions, so hence the control system independant of the CNS.

Q: Does stress and anxiety effect the glucose levels of an insulin dependent diabetic?
I wear an insulin pump that normally manages my glucose levels well. I’ve recently been thrown into a divorce action after 40 years of marriage. I’m very upset. My glucose levels have been runnung very high in the 280 range and I can’t lower them with additional insulin (bolus) from my pump. Because I’m upset, I’ve eaten very little in the past 3 days.

A: Sounds like me, too D:
Stress tends to make my glucose levels higher than usual. I’m on an insulin pump, as well. Right now I’m studying for exams and yes, I’m stressed out so my glucose levels have been higher than normal.
Check out this website:
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/stress.html
Hope this helped! Just wanted to let you know you’re not alone here ;)

Q: why is the glucose levels higher or lower in different meningitis?
exapmle bacterial and viral meningitis levels of glucose are different one is high and one is low. how come?

A: Different Meningitis have different glucose levels because of the type of pathogen. Viruses don’t affect glucose levels in Cerebrospinal fluid because that’s not their source of energy. Virion tend to invade a cell therefore getting their energy from the cell itself. While Bacteria and Fungi use glucose for energy, that’s why they are decreased in meningitis. They convert that glucose (sugar) into energy to grow and multiply. I hope this helps you.

Q: when and how often should a person test their glucose levels when diagnosed with stage 2 diabetes?
my mother in law has been diagnosed with stage 2 diabetes. she is on medication in pill form. my question is how often and when should she be testing her glucose levels and why does she say she cannot eat when the number reaches a certain level?

A: You should work with your health care provider to decide how often to test, the type of test to use, and how often to report the test results. You should also talk to your health care provider about getting the supplies you need to self-test.

Eating to control blood sugar and blood fat levels, taking prescribed diabetes medicine, getting regular physical activity, and getting regular foot and eye exams are all important for good health and to help control diabetes.

Also, read the attached file it will help you understand diabetes type 2
www1.va.gov/diabetes/docs/DiabetesPrinciples.doc

Q: when and how often does a person test blood glucose levels?
my mother in law has been diagnosed with stage 2 diabetes. she is on medication in pill form. my question is how often and when should she be testing her glucose levels and why does she say she cannot eat when the number reaches a certain level?

A: I test when I get up in the mornings, before each meal, and 2 hours after each meal, and before bedtime. Most doctors want their patients that have just been diagnosed with diabetes to test often. This tells you how your meals are affecting your blood sugars and how your medications are affecting the blood sugar. Then he will know if your meds may need adjusted and if you need to watch your diet more closely. Make sure she knows that it may take several months for her medications to bring her blood sugars down to continued normal readings, and during this time it is very common for the doctor to adjust the dosage, or even try different medications. If she is having high readings, it can mean that she ate too many carbs with her last meal. A 30 minute walk or some kind of exercise can help bring her readings down. Exercise is a very important part of controlling blood sugars. She can eat pretty much anything, as long as her meals do not contain more than 45 grams of carbs each meal. She can also have 2 daily in between meal snacks that are around 15 grams of carbs each. She needs to learn to count carbs, (easy) and make an appointment with a dietitian or a nutritionist to help her with her meal plans. She will learn a lot from her. She should also sign up for a few diabetes educational classes. Learning all she can about her disease will make control much easier. If she has a high reading, no she does not want to eat more until she gets the level down because more food makes the reading higher. This an area that educational classes and nutritionist will really help.

Q: If you are diabetic, how long does it take food to affect your glucose levels?
Im diabetic and i was wondering: once i eat something, how long will it take before my glucose levels start to rise?

A: It really depends on the type(s) of food that you’re consuming, sir.

Some have a ready source of simple sugars added, such as glucose, fructose, cane sugar, etc. This will start working almost immediately.

Foods that contain fiber/roughage take longer to breakdown into their individual components, which means that it would take longer for the glucose present to be absorbed into your bloodstream.

As I’m sure you’re already aware, things such as orange juice, soft drinks (such as cola, etc.) have a ready supply of added sugar, which is easily broken down into glucose, which is the simple sugar that your body needs to thrive.

Q: How does sex affect your glucose levels?
Should I eat more carbs before to avoid low blood glucose levels?

A: Well, glucose is a simple sugar, which your body will need for any type of energy.

So, simply treat it as if you were going to exercise, sex isn’t special, it is just vigorous and need energy to do so.

Q: Is there a link between glucose levels and dissociation?
I have type 2 diabetes and dissociative identity disorder. In March, I got sick and my glucose levels went up. I became depressed and my control with the dissociation weakened. I’ve noticed that whenever my levels were high for a while, the DID got worse.

I dont have anyone to talk with about this since I dont have a therapist anymore.
Simba, up to 16 mmol/L

A: Well I haven’t much info about diabetes and DID symptoms. I do know that people are tested for low blood sugar before mental illness is considered because it can present with similar symptoms as some mental disorders.
I have chronic schizophrenia and I have noticed that when I am physically very ill I do not care as much about trying to compensate for my mental symptoms. So I agree with you there. It is like there are just too many other issues to have the wherewithal left to deal with the mental stuff.
I find the mental health section pretty well informed as far as having a good knowledge of symptoms and sincere people offering encouragement, so maybe you won’t miss your therapist too badly.

Q: What are normal blood glucose levels?
What are normal glucose levels for a non diabetic teenage girl?
How often should I test my levels?
The doctors think that I may have diabetes.
I live in Australia so please answer in mmol please.

A: Visit my blog site and print off the Blood Glucose Level chart. The chart relates the HbA1C and daily finger prick tests. The chart covers the full range of results and converts USA and Canadian measurements. Study the chart and discuss it with your doctor so the expected range for you condition can be explained to you.

You should test at least daily. I test twice a day, morning and evening. This allows me to adjust my diet during the day to control my glucose level.

Best Wishes.

Q: does boost really help control blood glucose levels?
I have been a type 1 diabetic for three years now and I haven’t yet been able to get my blood glucose levels under control. I was just wondering if boost really does help to control.

A: If you are having trouble with getting your levels under control after 3 years, you need to voice your concerns to your doctor. It could be a problem with your medication or how you are figuring out your carbs and such. It could also be that you need to change some more of what you are eating around.

However, boost probably wouldnt hurt, but I would definitely talk to my doctor first.

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