me and my grandma need info about type 2 please!!!! she's newly diagnosed

[inkedmommy44]

my grandma was just diagnosed with type 2 and she's 69 years old. she now has to check her blood every morning and take a new medication twice a day. her doctor never told her what her readings on her machine should be, i mean we know that her numbers are high but what does the number actually mean? her reading is usually around 200 or more. the highest has been 269. any information i can give to her? thanks

[inkedmommy44]

thank you so much for your help. this information has helped a lot. i will have my grandma check out the website. thanks again!!!

[bapetnut]

Go to this site and you will get all the answers you need about Diabetes. Any blood sugar over 200+ daily is not good.. Normal is 80-120 and a Diabetic should always be around 140 2 hrs after a meal. The site is
www.diabetes.org   I hope this helps and feel free to write anytime.It will take a while for her sugars to come to normal if she was just newly diagnosed..Stay away from sugar, white bread, white pasta, high carbs etc..Try whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, string cheese for snacks, lowfat yougart..Let me no!!
Bettyann

[WaveRider]

Hope this helps you and your grandmother understand test results. The following are times to test glucose levels:

Fasting - 8 to 10 hours having consumed no food or colored liquids. This is called prandial. Best time to test is first thing in morning before breakfast. No late night snacking.
   * Normal Test levels should be between 60 to 99 mg/dl.
   * Prediabetes levels are 100 to 126 mg/dl
   * Diabetes is >126 mg/dl (> means greater than)

Postprandial (after meals) - Test 2 hours but no more than 3 hours after eating a meal. This test will tell you how the foods she ate affected her blood glucose.
   * Normal is <140 mg/dl (< means less than)
   * Optimal level is <121 mg/dl
   * Don't be misled by Internet sites that say 180 mg/dl is OK. That is high and
     outdated information.

Her prandial morning readings of "200 or more" and "269" are getting to the danger point. Attention to the types of foods she eats helps a lot. Avoid eating white foods; rice, potatoes, white bread or anything made with white flour as these turn into sugar once digested. Avoid high carbohydrate and starchy foods and sugary drinks.

Google the make and model of the glucose test meter for instructions. Some meters require calibration to test strips while others do not. Also, she needs to go to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) web site and educate herself on diabetes control and management. Lastly, your grandmother, not you, should read through the posts and replies on this forum as lots of good information has been passed to other patients that will help her now and in the future.