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What is the proper Blood Sugar 'range' .....

My first endo said it was 80 to 120, with 100 being a perfect mark.

My new endo said that the ADA abandoned that range some time ago, and that 70 to 110 is the range to be in with something in the 80s to be good to shoot for, but the closer to 70 (not below)is optimal.  Higher than 110 should be avoided.  120 is something to worry about.

Then on television last night, the news was running a diabetic segment (since this was diabetes month) and doctors featured there said 60 to 120 was the range.

Which range is it????  And what's the optimal target number????  Soooo many different numbers .... how can you tell which is right and if you are doing the right thing or if you're hurting yourself?  I mean - I drank small amounts of Pepsi to boost me to 100 and now 100 is bad?
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Avatar universal
I'm a type-1 and have had it since I was 16 and will soom be 66, so 50 years. I said this to many doctors, you can't have a number and say that is perfect. Everyones DNA is different and what works for one may not work for any one esle. These new numbers that some person came up with has not lived with this, to think that it is possible to stay below 80 for any period of time without risking a low blood sugar at sometime during a 24 hour period, is a big mistake .The way insulin works with a person diet is different in all of us and the speed in which blood levels can change is also different, depending on type of insulin, diet, exercise, metabolism, stress level, weight and age, As I have gone through life it has also changed as I react to these same changes. It is still a trial and error process, and just when you think you have it down something small can change and blow evrything up. It takes constant monitoring and a partner of equal knowledge that is very close to you. They can even see changes before you might feel something just because they know you so well. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but it is not something that the answer can always be found in a book or a scale that you try to follow. In 50 years I've only been below 20 2 times and had to have medical help. I can also say that the Good Lord has watched over me and gotten be trough some really close calls. I bottomed out in some really tuff situations and almost always thought I was being careful, but it went low faster than a speeding bullit. Hope this helps someone. Will reply to emails
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Avatar universal
..Was diagnose with Type1 last month,Never been on insulin, I feel great now cuz the Good Lord has been soo good to me. Am falling between the normal range 2 hours after meal.I use herbal treatment.I have no complication, I thank God for been soo God to me..Can Give anyone the clue if interested, Just say to yourself...YES YOU CAN BEAT DIABETES.
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Avatar universal
By the way you have posted in the Type 1 diabetes forum and you need to be certain of your type which is another thing to ask your doctor. Many doctors assume all diabetics in your age range are type 2 but that is not the case.
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Avatar universal
I'm only going to address the last post as the rest are old. A blood sugar of 198 or even 150 is not normal and is in the diabetic range. You need to work with your doctor to establish a program of diet (reduction of carbs), exercise, weight loss if needed, and possibly medication. Those numbers are too high and prolonged numbers in that range can cause diabetic complications. You need to test your blood sugar on a regular basis, fasting plus two hours after various meals to see how food affects you. You want to be 100 or under fasting and under 140 two hours after your meal. You need to work with your doctor or a diabetic educator to get a program of treatment to accomplish these goal blood sugars.
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Avatar universal
I am 60 and have never had trouble with my sugar levels until I had a Bad, Bad experince during a simple operaton. I woke up 2 months later and was told I am now a diabetic. Needless to say, I had enough things break down in my body over this without adding diabetic to the list. I was feeling dizzy a couple days ago, so I decided to check with a ***** of my finger on a small gatchet they gave me and the number was 198. Today it is 150 and I thought I was back to normal until I starting reading the comments on this page.
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Avatar universal
Sorry for the repeat post--I tried to go back and fix a couple of typos and reposts, but it didn't work.
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Avatar universal
I am a little concerned about my 4 year old.  I thought that maybe he had a bladder or kidney infection, and still believe that he probably did.  But it triggered my watchful eye.  He has to urinate fairly frequently.  He was my one kid out of 4 that I used to have to fight to get to drink water, and now he requests it.  He always changes his underwear saying that he "peed in them a little".  Recently he has been having accidents at night even though he has been potty trained since he was 2 and he uses the restroom before going to bed.  It is not uncommon for him to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.  So, all of these little flags started going up and I decided to borrow my grandparents glucose meter and test him.  The first time I tested him was at night right before bed.  He had drank some cran-raspberry juice maybe 30 minutes before hand.  He tested 53.  So the next morning I tested him first thing before eating or drinking anything and it was 132.  A few days later, I tested him midafternoon and it was 132 again.  He's always saying he's hungry, but usually doesn't eat a whole lot.  He has also said that he feels like he needs to throw up, but I thought it was an attention ploy.  Diabetes is very prevalent on my father's side of the family.  Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Avatar universal
I am a little concerned about my 4 year old.  I thought that maybe he had a bladder or kidney infection, and still believe that he probably did.  But it triggered my watchful eye.  He has to urinate fairly frequently.  He was my one kids out of 4 that I used to have to fight to get to drink water, and now he requests it.  He always changed his underwear saying that he "peed in them a little".  Recently he has been having accidents at night even though he uses the restroom before going to bed.  It is not uncommon for him to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.  So, all of these little flags started going up and I decided to borrow my grandparents glucose meter and test him.  The first time I tested him was at night right before bed.  He had drank some cran-raspberry juice maybe 30 minutes before hand.  He tested 53.  So the next morning I tested him first thing before eating or drinking anything and it was 132.  A few days later, I tested him midafternoon and it was 132 again.  He's always saying he's hungry, but usually doesn't eat a whole lot.  He has also said that he feels like he needs to throw up, but I thought it was an attention ploy.  Diabetes is very prevalent on my father's side of the family.  Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Avatar universal
i just started exercising regularly,after im done,i get very cold and weak,so today i checked my blood sugar level and it was a 64, after i ate it went back to normal, is that ok or is something wrong

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I have a three year old type 1 and his bs are all over the place so normal to me is high to most.  His A1C is a 7.1 so he is doing as well as we can.  However, I tested my one year old this evening b/c I thought I was being paranoid and he was 135...being one is that still normal for a non-diabetic one year old???
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Avatar universal
I was told that I had a reading of 117, non fasting test, and that I was diabetic!
Whoa.
I am not diabetic, and my numbers have always been 100-110 or so.
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Avatar universal
As a type 1 diabetic for 34 years, I can tell you that different doctors will give different ranges as perfect levels to aim for. Most don't consider you too low until the glucose drops below 70. I personally can feel slightly "off" when glucose is below 75, but don't feel truly bad until it drops below 70, so I would not worry about a glucose of 94 being too low. The range I have been given as "normal" is anything between 70 and 126, which is a pretty broad range. Something in the middle probably feels the best as far as your energy levels go, although current research is causing many endocrinologists to want their patients to aim for something between 70 and 100 for before meal glucose readings. I personally wouldn't worry if you fall anywhere between that 70-126 range before a meal.

I am afraid that I cannot comment on the foam or the stinging sensation. I have never experienced either of these, nor have I read about these being symptoms of either high or low blood sugar. I don't believe that your reading of 94 caused the painful finger stick, for sometimes we bruise and sometimes we don't. It just depends on where you hit a blood vessel. A reading of 94 would be considered very normal and should not cause any bruising. An extreme low of something like 40 can cause blood to be a little thinner than usual and therefore result in bruising, but not at 94. Maybe someone else can comment on the stinging sensation.
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Avatar universal
I have some literature I was given by my doc as a type2 and it says range is 90-130. He also hand wrote 104-140 on a records form. I normally test in the mornings before coffee. I get 114-126 most of the time. Sometimes depending on late night snack
I get a reading of 136. My last A1C showed a 6.1 which is good
but, I too am trying to find the correct range.

I do have foamy urine most of the time but it is clear in color. I also have stinging pain from time to time primarily in my thighs.

My literature also says the stinging may be due to low suger but also due to high. Does anyone know which is more likely?

I tested
a few days ago after seeing the foam and feeling the stinging
and also knowing that I had not over eaten during the day. I had
a pear cut and un peeled about 2 hours before this test. I got
a 94 and it was the first time my finger stick was painful and it
also bruised the area until sometime the next day. I was worried about the 94 being to low so I ate a salad but did not re test.
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Avatar universal
I have been a type 1 diabetic for 34 years, with a 9-month pregnancy during which my doctors overdosed me deliberately on insulin as a research project. I believe that any numbers between the fairly wide range of 70 to 120 are healthy numbers. None of those numbers are going to cause damage to your body. However, you must realize that if your goal is a blood sugar at 70 at mealtime, your lows if you miscalculate activity or food or if something speeds up your metabolism may get dangerously low. It is very difficult to keep blood sugar from dipping below 70 if the goal is 70, for sometimes we are going to slip below our goals, no matter how careful we are. I personally aim for a mealtime number of close to 100, so that if I miscalculate I won't be at risk of severe hypoglycemia. I had one experience while overdosed on insulin whereby I almost died during a severe hypoglycemic episode. I don't recommend putting yourself at risk of hypoglycemia.

I had one endo who had lost a patient in a car crash due to hypoglycemia, and this endo had been shook up and alerted to the dangers of frequent lows by this situation. She actually recommended a goal of 130 for type 1 diabetics. Now, I personally feel this is too high, and am happier at 100. I can tell that I start to function poorly if blood sugar even drops below 80, and I feel that a diabetic's emergency responses while driving may be damaged by driving with a blood sugar of 70 or lower would be compromised.

For me, the 100 goal is correct. Hemoglobin a1c numbers are good, and I feel energetic. Perhaps you can function better than I do with lower numbers, but let me warn you that if you dip low (under 60) too often, your warning symptoms of hypoglycemia will begin to vanish. This happened to me during the nine months that I was overdosed, and it got so bad that I could be feeling fine one moment and then simply keel over completely unconscious without ever feeling any kind  of warning at all. Recent studies, according to my readings, tell that this is a normal response of the brain to frequent hypoglycemia. The same studies have shown that if the diabetic can go for a period of TWO WEEKS without having any hypoglycemia at all, those warnings re-appear. So obviously, you don't want to start having frequent, even if mild, hypoglycemic episodes.

You will have to figure out at what level you actually feel the best and at what level you begin to notice hypoglycemic symptoms. Then bump your normal blood sugar up some from the hypoglycemic number in order to protect yourself.

A final note is that my average of about 100 seems to work for me -- after 34 years of living with diabetes, there is absolutely no neuropathy, no eye damage, no kidney damage at all. I would vote for the 70-120 range being healthy, while 90-110 would be the best range for mealtime glucose numbers.

You must also realize that we type 1 folks are going to have wide variation at times in blood sugar numbers. The hemoglobin a1c is actually the best overall number to look at, for the average of all the daily glucose tests gives a better picture of whether you are damaging your body or not. An occasional high number is not going to harm you, nor is an occasional low number.

If you look at the 70-110 range and compare it to the 60-120 range, you will notice that the middle number is the same in both ranges -- 90. If you can keep your numbers hovering around that average, you will be fine. My personal scare with hypoglycemia makes me more content with an average of 100, but you may be able to live safely with an average of 90. Neither 90 or 100 is enough of a difference to affect your overall health.
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