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1192309 tn?1264801232

rate of blood sugar drop

Just diagnosed 17 days ago (type II).  Female, light-moderate activity level, over 40

My question: How fast should blood sugar levels come down with strict adherence to low-sugar, low-carb foods?  

My situation:  I am greatly encouraged; my level has gone from 402 a little over two weeks ago to 105 this afternoon.    Numbers are mid 120's and 115 or so prior to suppertime.  Was very, very sick when diagnosed - that's why I went to see the doc in the first place: a week later for follow up I had just finished a medrol pack for an inflamed skin condition on ankles and hands, had shingles on shoulder so was also given something called valtrex, and was trying to kick a cold and horrendous cough that had been with me for six weeks. They tested my blood at that time and discovered the elevated blood sugar.  Although I felt better in days (from the meds), I had gone back for the follow up due to rapid weight loss in one week (7 lbs) and frequent urination and thirst.  Was Dx'd type II, so immediately began monitoring my carb and sugar in take.  Is this about the right time frame for sugar drop, or is it too slow?  Should I have had lower numbers faster?  My doc put me on something called Janumet 50, which I have been taking twice a day for the past 17 days (have missed a dose or two).  I am still getting high numbers in the morning though, around 145-ish.  One other question, I have never been Dx'd with this before and have been reading that type II can sometimes be predisone induced when you are/have been very sick.  Is this correct?  Thanks for your help.  Still reading and learning all I can.
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1192309 tn?1264801232
Thanks everyone.  I have a follow up appointment soon.  In the mean time I am feeling better each day.  Keeping my sugar and carbs lower is actually giving me more energy, but I am having a couple of headaches.  I attribute that to sugar/carb withdrawal.  Nothing too bad.  Thanks for your input.
Helpful - 0
1068689 tn?1325827206
Something I found out about other non-diabetic medicines, colds, and other medications is that they can help increase blood glucose levels. When i was diagnosed and got my initial readings down to around 120-130 I got a severe cold/flu for about 6-8 weeks. All the while I was taking my normal over the counter meds and a few prescribed ones. What my doctor didn't tell me was that these meds can increase the readings quite a bit depending upon the medicine and the person. So my readings went from what I quoted above to over 200 during those 8 weeks. It wasn't until after the cold went away until they came back down. Not sure if that is normal with other people or not.

I agree with the other poster above to have yourself checked once you are off meds. I also have Thyroid problem so that really slows down the weight loss issue. But once I initially got my BG's down I started losing about 10 lbs per month. I've lost 36 lbs. so far since Aug 09.
Helpful - 0
141598 tn?1355671763
"predisone induced"
Prednisone and Prednisolone are classified as corticosteroids, both are known to increase glucose levels. Prednisone is usually given to animals and Prednisolone to humans. Medrol Tablets contain methylprednisolone which is a glucocorticoid. Glucocorticoids cause profound and varied metabolic effects. In addition, they modify the body's immune responses to diverse stimuli. Finally, Prednisolone when taken over a period of time can induce non-reversible diabetes. I can attest to that fact.

It's best to wait until you have fully recovered from your illness, stopped taking drugs then go and re-test your glucose levels.
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Avatar universal
The one thing you quickly learn about diabetes is that though we all have certain experiences in common, we all have fairly different versions of things, there is no "right amount of time" for numbers to come down. Plus it sounds like you have had some complicating factors. The bottom line is you are doing great!! You have come down from severely high blood sugars and are moving towards target range. Now you want to fine tune it with your doctor. The morning numbers might be from something called Dawn Phenomena or DP which you can read about. That will take some work to get down. I understand your weight loss might be from other illness but if you are average weight (and losing), if you were very sick at diagnosis and especially if you have another autoimmune disease such as thyroid, you might want to get your antibodies checked to make sure you are in fact type 2. Many of us were misdiagnosed type 2 purely by age and are in fact LADA/Type 1.5 which is a form of Type 1 with a slower onset. Worth getting tested for so you know how to treat correctly. Keep up the good work!
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