How to stop this pesky 3 hr. spike?

I've been working on reducing my BG for about 3 weeks now, and I think I've made some good inroads.  I got a  meter and have been testing regularly, and creating a spreadsheet to show my doctor in 60 days.  All of my reading with the exception of 7AM are from 75-90.  I always make my fasting stick at 7AM. This is about 2 hours after rising in the morning. I've been getting readings abround 120-130. After reading about the Dawn Phenomonon. I checked at 5:30AM, shortly after getting out of bed this morning. It was 76. Upon arriving at work at 7AM, I checked it again. It was 120. I expect that if I check it again at 9AM, it will be back around 85. Is this short spike significant? This scenario is exactly what happens when I go to the lab for my fasting test. I get up, shower, dress, wait for the wife; it's about 2 hours from rising that I get tested, and it comes back high.  Granted, my A1C hasn't been good, and I'm working on that,  But It seems like the decision to medicate me or not will be in part predicated on a 3 hour spike. I'd appreciate any advice you can offer. Thanks!

[WaveRider]

First, congrats on working at lowering your glucose levels. It does appear you're doing a very good job too. I have ideas but do not want to make speculations at this time. It would help if you could answer each of the following questions.

A. 0530 to 0659 hrs - fasting questions
1. no food of any sort, not a single bite/nibble of anything?
2. no drinking or sipping of colored liquids - milk, tea, coffee, juice, etc [water is OK]?
3. no feelings of stress?
4. no feelings of anxiety?
5. no blood pressure medications?
6. no other medications - eg; for AVRT tachycardia or arrhythmias? If so, name & spell them correctly.
7. are you on basal-bolus [insulin] therapy?
8. no supplements?
9. no exercising?

B. 0700 hrs testing
1. no changes to/in A above?
2. after arriving at work do you wait 5-10 minutes minutes to 'calm down' and let your body settle and relax from your commute?
3. this includes examining/thinking about what lays in your "In Box"?

[tom_h]

A. 0530 to 0659
1) no nibbling of any kind.
2) yes, black tea with Equal
3)Stress? MassPike at 80mph? Nah!
4)See above. (but actually no, none)
5)Yes, Metoprolol, 25mg.at 0530
6) 20mg Simvastatin at 2300 (but I got crucified before at the mere mention of that being a possible triggering mechanism), and  AVRT has been eliminated
7)no
8) Vitamins, 80mg asprin
9) couple miles daily before dinner

B.
1) nothing
2) I wait about 15 minutes before testing
3) at 60, my Give-A-Crap meter is barely moving. Not much tweaks concern anymore, if you know what I mean!  I retired in my mind last year.

Thanks for the help!

[WaveRider]

Thanks, that paints a clearer picture. Here's the scoop:

1. Metropol [Lopressor, Lopressor HCT, Toprol XL] is a beta blocker. Beta-blockers are known to cause hyperglycemia.
2. Equal contains Dextrose, commonly called glucose, d-glucose, or blood sugar. Dextrose is made up of high carbohydrates which is known to raise glucose levels. Equal also contains Maltodextrin, which is made from cornstarch. It is a simple carbohydrate that is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, thus raising your glucose level. You might try switching to Splenda which is made from sugar but does effect nor raise your glucose levels.
4. Black tea has caffeine. Caffeine has properties which elevates glucose levels.

For the time being, I suggest you cutout the tea and take [if possible] your Metropol after your 0700 test. Do this for several days. If your 0700 results are normal, add the tea back in. Continue testing. If your results are normal then you'll know Metopol is the culprit. If not, remove the tea altogether and repeat the process. One step further is to take Metropol after 0700 and test 2.5 hrs later.

"6) 20mg Simvastatin at 2300 (but I got crucified before at the mere mention of that being a possible triggering mechanism),"

I recall another poster [caregiver] mentioning it as a triggering mechanism but the testing was on another statin, not Simvastatin. Simvastatin is not known to raise glucose levels. I followed that with statins not really being needed to lower cholesterol/triglycerides. One can accomplish this with simple lifestyle changes w/o buying into the marketing hype of 'pop this pill and your trouble goes down the drain' [sounds like the Rotor Rooter jingle].

HTH

[tom_h]

Wow, whoda thought that seemingly benign items like black tea with "sugar free" Equal along with medications would have such an effect.  I'll try your suggestions, and see if I can improve my readings.  If I lose some of this weight, I just might be able to drop both of those medications.  The carb urge is gone, but II still miss a bagel with cream cheese, Mickey D's 1/3 pounder, and don't ask me about the Chinese buffet!  Thanks for the help and great suggestions!

[WaveRider]

You're welcome. Glad to help.

[tom_h]

Followup:
I followed your above advice....... 96 this morning.  Thanks!

[WaveRider]

Hey, that's great news. Now tackle and reign in those Mickey D and C-food buffet urges. Try whole wheat bagels w/reduced or low sugar cream cheese. Cows don't make sugar, dairy processors add sugar to milk products to make 'em taste better. There are very low, <1 gram of sugar per serving [2 Tbsp], cream cheese on the mkt. Also, look around for Neufchatel Cheese Spread, the smooth not crumbly kind. Has less fat and sugar than cream cheese and taste just as good, if not better.