Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
1536914 tn?1302701594

newly diabetic and confused

I am 25 year old female, weighing 240 lbs. I went to the hospital last week with my asthma and they said ended taking my blood sugar because the sugar strip for my pregancy test turned brown. My blood sugar was 541. They kept me for both my asthma and the blood sugar, and ran some tests. my a1c was 7.7 which i am told is very high. They diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes. They think if i loose weight i might not need medication in the end. They sent me home on metformin and glypuride.

Question 1:
we splurged and had chinese food the other night at a buffet (but i still watched what I ate) I took my medication like i was supposed to and then went to walmart. We were at the buffet for at least an hour, so it was about an hour after i ate when we were walking around walmart i became very pale, felt really light headed, and very sick to my stomach. I thought maybe i ate to much, I took my blood sugar and it had dropped to 60. It was 126 before dinner. So what happened? I am so confused.

Question 2:
I feel kinda lost about the ranges I should be at. They said when I get up in the morning it should be between 70 and 120. Pre-meal (which is when I am supposed to test) should be 130 and under and if i ever test after a meal (2 hours) it should be 180 and under. Then they said to be careful it doesn't get to low. what is considered low. I know 60 is.

Question 3:
This kinda go with the last question. last night i took the wrong bus and ended up acouple a towns up from where I live. I ended waiting at the police department waiting for a ride home. I started feeling really light headed, and i had a fast heart beat. I thought maybe my blood sugar was getting low again since the last time i ate was at 2 and at this point it was 9 pm. When I checked my blood sugar it read 102, which i didn't think was low... any ideas on what was going on?

Question 4:
Last question, I promise. I just want to make sure my numbers are looking okay cause like I said, Im confused.all numbers are pre-meal unless stated otherwise.
Friday 10- @7:41 am: 60  @6:34 pm: 166  (2 days after the hospital last day on stariods for asthma)
Sat. 11- @7:58 am: 56  @9:35 pm: 136
Sun 12- @7:05 am: 72  @10 pm: 113
Mon 13- @7:45 am: 49  @4:09 pm: 105  @9:47 pm: 80
Tues 14- @7:22 am 87  @5:55 pm: 126 (this was the night it dropped to 60 around 7 pm)
Wed 15- @7:24 am 81  @7:23 pm: 129 (stopped taking glypuride thought it could be the cause of drops)
Thurs 16- @7:45 am: 86  @9 pm: 102
This morning at 7:50: 104

I appreciate any help and I am sorry for asking so many questions. I was gave as many details as possible cause I saw thats what someone suggested. Thanks again.
Best Answer
Avatar universal
Question 1:
You did a great job of recognizing you had a low blood sugar. Chinese can be tricky - lots of sugar in the sauces. Plus, the rice can really shoot your blood sugars up. I would guess it acted like dumping syndrome - your blood sugar shot up and your body responded with extra insulin then your sugars dropped. Until you get a handle on it, you might want to stick with foods with less of a carbohydrate load.  Plus, did you happen to have any alcohol with the meal? This can cause problems.


Question 2:
The 70 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl range is correct for fasting. Anything under 70 mg/dl would be considered low. But, keep in mind you have been running a high blood sugar for a while. The A1c of 7.7 means you were averaging around 200 mg/dl. Your brain will need time to reset its thermostat and get used to a "normal" blood sugar. Judge by your own response what is low for you. Generally, around 110-120 mg/dl should be okay and you may have symptoms of low blood sugar even with your sugars in normal range. If you keep good levels, after about 3 months you should start to feel better with normal sugar levels.


Question 3:
102 is within normal but probably feels low to your brain since you have been running a higher level for a while. And, this blood sugar may have been why you ended up at the wrong stop - though the level was normal, it was just too low for you right now.

Question 4:
You need to talk with your healthcare provider about stopping the glyburide but I suspect you are correct - it probably did need to be stopped or at least the dosage adjusted. The metformin probably won't drop your blood sugar - but can if you are doing a tight job of controlling your carbs. The morning blood sugars of 60, 56, 49 - all of these are too low and especially since you are newly lowering your levels. Some people eat at bedtime to prevent a drop in sugar at night but this is not a good idea when you really want to lose weight. Instead, your medication needs adjusting. Call you healthcare provider.  

For diet – think Mediterranean. This is probably the best diet for diabetics, especially women. AARP had a good article on losing weight (and yes, I realize you are only 25) that you might still find useful. http://www.aarp.org/food/diet-nutrition/info-11-2010/lose_weight_without_really_trying.html

Take care and hope all is going better for you.
5 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
You are right about the book - that is exactly why I picked my name. :)

Funny about the headache - I was just talking with someone who has newly started on metformin and that is what he was complaining about - a headache.  I read up on it and it does seem to be one of the side effects and that it will go away after you adjust to the medication. Some suggested it may happen when your blood sugar is a bit low and to try a small snack - around 100 calories - and see if that helps.

A throbbing headache lasting more than 4 hours sounds like a migraine. Does acetaminophen help? Have you cut back on your caffeine intake? Caffeine is an ingredient in almost all soda pops - you have to read the labels - so could you have stopped/decreased your caffeine intake? That can cause a big time headache/migraine. I've started waking at night with a headache so I went back taking a magnesium supplement and that seemed to do the trick for me.

Congratulations on your weight loss! You are doing great. I know you are right about the yoga too. I started doing some on my Wii and really enjoying it but for some reason I stopped. I have to get back to it. :) Please do add me as a friend. I look forward to hearing how you are doing. And I plan to do better too for the new year. :)
Helpful - 0
1536914 tn?1302701594
First off, i want to say, I love your name on here! :D it reminds me of a childhood book I use to get from the library. Its called Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! "A told B and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree!" Sorry, I loved that book! :D

Question 1:
I actually havn't had any alchoal for a while now. :D well except the other night I had a glass of wine, but I personally think I'm doing better with my blood sugar. I have that diabetic tracker on here, so you can always look at mine and tell me what you think. There was a couple of highs but that was from the steriods. :/

Question 2:
So are headaches a symptom of high blood sugar or low blood sugar? Cause my head is like ALWAYS throbbing! Or do you think it could be a symptom of the metformin?

Question 4:
When I went into the hospital I told them about the drops with my blood sugar and after talking with my doctors there, they decided to take me off of glypuride. And since then I haven't had any drops. The lowest it gets is 85. The only thing the doc's said was that since i was stopping the glypuride I now have to check my sugar 4x a day. They also said I wasn't eating enough so my diet has been increased to like 1800 calories. I have been watching my carbs. I only have 3 or 4 carb servings per meal. I was at my aunts house and decided that since she had a scale that I would see if I lost any weight. I could see it a little in my pants but wasn't sure if it would show on the scale, and it did! I have officially lost my first 10 lbs! I have been doing alot of walking and yoga. I have been really stressed lately, and the yoga helps to calm my nerves.

Diet-
I will definatly look into that. I really appreciate your advice. And I did find that article very useful. Thank you! I will also add you as a friend, if you don't mind. Hope to get to know you better soon. Thanks again.

Krysie
Helpful - 0
1536914 tn?1302701594
thanks for the advice and encouragment. I am trying to find the right diet, its not easy. I took my bs last night and it was 102, my asthma flared up and went tot he hospital by ambulance. they took it in there and it had dropped to 85. then they pumped me full of steriods and now my bs is sitting at 231. i hate the hospital and i definatly hate my asthma
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My blood sugar was getting unsually low as a result of sticking to my reformed diet until the medication became more than I needed. I was acutually injecting lantus every day.

This all takes time and a doctors advice.Getting on the right diel made me lose about 50 lbs.  I do cheat occassionally but only now that I have stablized.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Diabetes - Type 2 Community

Top Diabetes Answerers
231441 tn?1333892766
Manila, Philippines
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Here are three summertime recipes that will satisfy your hunger without wreaking havoc on your blood sugar.
If you have prediabetes, type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable. Find out how you can stop diabetes before it starts.
Diabetes-friendly recipes and tips for your game day party.
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Simple ways to keep your blood sugar in check.
8 blood sugar-safe eats.