blood sugar out of control this week - possible reasons why?

[mike635]

i recently had oral surgery to get my wisdom teeth out (on tuesday and it is now monday). since tuesday i have been taking antibiotics to prevent any infections in my mouth. for this past week my blood sugars have been very high...i was in the 300s for much of the time during these days. this is very odd...because i take good care of myself and usually am never this high (my A1C's are always about 6). i was just wondering if anyone here knew the causes for these highs? i have a feeling it is the antibiotics and the fact that my body is fighting hard to stop infection. it could also be that i have been on a different schedule than usual, because i have been on vacation for the holidays.

i am also a bit concerned about keytones. i know that if you have high blood sugar for long periods of time, keytones can form in your bloodstream. i havent checked for keytones in ages. i was just wondering what the effects of having keytones were? once they are in the body, do they make it impossible to lower your blood sugar effectively? how does one get rid of them?

thanks in advance to anyone that can relate to this story or can provide any helpful feedback.

[tumtum]

I am just a diabetic whose diabetes was, to some extent, produced by hidden, constant dental infection that went undiagnosed for years and suddenly erupted in diabetes then horrible infection - oseteomyelitis and overt infection, tearing of ligaments in mouth and cranium due to swelling, etc.  During this time my blood sugars varied between so low that I had to go off of insulin to so high that no dose of insulin would lower it below 300's.  This was due to the immune response.  I saw an eminent specialist in Seattle who told me that I had to cure the infection before we could even talk about diabetes control.  I am extremely sensitive to inflammation in my teeth - even gum inflammation will drive me up to the 300's to 400's easily.  I am also very sensitive to fat (resistance, inaccuracy in dosing) and have to strike a balance between trying to compensate for unreasonably high sugars through insulin increases and the as-bad effects of putting on a lot of weight.  It is difficult.  Colds themselves and the contents of medications drive up the BG as well -- anything generating an immune response tends to drive up BG.  I got very used to unacceptable BG's.  Now that I have successfully treated most infections and inflammatory problems, it is nice to have BG actually correspond logically to exercise and food.  One thing to remember is that when sick or fighting pain, people tend not to exercise and that is only way I have to fight my highly resistance-oriented juv. diabetes.  Hope this anecdote was helpful - good luck!  
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[mike635]

thank you for the help. i called my doctor and he actually repeated  exactly what you wrote to me (checking for keytones over 240, antibiotics having carbs, etc.) i appreciate the response. luckily now my blood sugars are back to normal, for it has been a week and i have finished taking the antibiotics.

[JDRF-Team-wak]

I am not a physician, but a volunteer and the mom of a type 1 diabetic.   I can tell you that yes antibiotics and most medications will raise your blood sugars.   You can call the manufacturer of the medication to find out how many carbohydrates are in the dosage.

We found this out when our daughter who is diabetic, was ill and taking cough medicine and antibiotics and we had the same problem that you are having.  We called the manufacturer of the different medications. (Most of the companies do know how many carbohydrates are in a dosage) and figured out that her medications were adding an extra 25 carbohydrates to her system every time she took her medication. This amount of extra carbs will defiantly raise your blood sugar.

Even over the counter medications are high in carbohydrates, (i.e. Tylenol, Cough medicines) some liquids are higher in carbs that their tablet form so be careful.

Ketones appear when a person has hyperglycemia, Having Ketones can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, a very serious situation that requires emergency medical treatment. Hyperglycemia can also be caused by eating too much food, which requires treatment to lower blood sugar levels but which does not lead to DKA. The only way to determine between the two situations is through ketones testing.

Causes of Hyperglycemia
Eating too much food relative to the amount of insulin injected
Missing an insulin injection
Blockage in insulin pump tubing
Disconnected insulin pump infusion set
Illness or stress
   Symptoms of Hyperglycemia
Frequent urination
Frequent thirst
Blurry vision
Dry mouth
Fatigue

If the blood sugar is > 240 mg/dl (13.3 mmol/l), many diabetes teams recommend testing for ketones

Drink lots of water
Keep drinking until urine is clear of ketones
Take extra short-acting insulin as advised by your diabetes team
Continue to check blood sugar and ketones
Drink lots of water

I would suggest that if you do have Ketones to contact your diabetic team  or doctor as  ketones indicates a serious health condition.
   BY the way  you can ask you pharmasist for the manufacturer and phone number.

I hope this information hepls and that you do not hve ketones. Please do stop back again.