b_young

If they did not treat you or your sugar levels are still high keep reading. If you have any of the following: blurred vision, chest pain like heartburn, you have been craving water like crazy, or you have to urinate all the time then get to a doctor because your ketones are high.

Running high sugar levels (lack of insulin) without being treated will put your ketones extremely high and can cause ketoacidosis

sstorkel

They could be, but I doubt it. More likely, someone with a blood sugar of 400+ is on their way to DKA or a diabetic coma. Normal people never get that high... unless something is wrong.

I agree completely. If you actually read my post, you'll see that I didn't suggest this anywhere! If you believe otherwise, then please: quote me word-for-word to prove it.

The point I was making, which apparently was completely lost on you, is that no (competent) doctor should wait days for an A1c test result before attempting to treat someone with a blood sugar of 518. That would be like waiting for a cholesterol test to come back before treating someone having a heart attack! While a blood sugar of 518 isn't as immediately threatening as a heart attack, it is a serious health problem that warrants immediate attention regardless of the underlying cause.

b_young

If it has been sustained for a while, then the ketones could be at a level that makes it as threatening as a heart attack.

Wogster

A normal A1C or more properly HbA1c, on someone who is diagnosed diabetic and regulated with medication, doesn't mean they are not diabetic, it means that their medication is working correctly, a low A1C means that the doctor can probably lower the medication, a high A1C means that it's not working and needs to be increased, or that they need more then medication can provide.

A normal A1C on someone who is an insulin dependant diabetic means that they are on the correct regimen, a low or high A1C means they aren't monitoring it properly or taking it properly.

A normal A1C on someone who is not diabetic generally confirms they are not diabetic, a low A1C means they may be pre-diabetic a high A1C means they are diabetic.






is a diagnosis tool for someone who has not been diagnosed, because it calculates where their normal blood sugar is, if the high reading is an outlier then they probably should monitor it. One of the issues with high fructose corn syrup is that it causes a sugar spike, the body releases lots of insulin to deal with it, causing a sugar crash and that's in a normal person. I think the WHO should declare HFCS as toxic to humans because of this, but then half the US food industry would need to shut down because they use such vast amounts of it.

engstrom

I know what you're saying, and as a general rule I agree, but as a Type 1 diabetic I can tell you that even with a normal A1C you could still be screwed up with respect to basal rate, insulin to carb ratios and correction factors. A1C, or as you correctly point out HbA1c, is a slightly weighted average blood sugar average over the past ~90 days. It's still possible to have daily highs and lows with a good A1C. These highs and lows will be dangerous and cause damage to the body. So a combination of A1C tests AND lots of BG tests are needed to make sure the regiment is correct for a Type 1 diabetic.

RichardGlover

This is why I'm riding the TdC this year.

I'm not convinced they'll ever 'cure' diabetes, but even raising awareness of warning signs to the levels of the warning signs of , say, heart attack, would save lives. And feet. And eyesight. And quality of life.

It's such a manageable illness, if you know you have it, and you have proper medical care, and you do what you're supposed to do. It's a crying shame that so many people still suffer the worst effects of it.

puppypilgrim

This might be helpful: https://fitafter40vancouver.blogspot....e-and-why.html

2Klose

Excellent point! People always tell me how horrible it must be to live with diabetes, after they learn of my Type 1 condition. My response - "thank God I have diabetes and not cancer" It really is in the way you look at it.

BTW 500+ is an extremely high BS reading no matter what. The fact that it was fasting should be of even more concern.

ecovelo

True. There is a difference between the personal, hand-held glucose meters for individual testing and the POC meters used excessively at hospital bedsides - although the technology is the same. In the normal ranges to slightly higher than normal ranges (up to about 180) the accuracy (of the bedside POC meters) as compared to Chem analyzers is pretty great. As you get up into the extreme ranges, the reproducibility between the two methods can be "spot on" ... or off as much as 60-80 points. Typically, that's in less than 10% of the cases, but it does still occur.

1+ on the fact that this is a medical emergency; especially since it was on an empty stomach. The A1c measurement, while necessary for the diagnosis of diabetes, is not typically considered a STAT test (meaning results provide imminent information that could be life-threatening) - glucose, most certainly is.

thcri

I know very little about Type 2 which I am. And I know even less about Type 1. But knowing what I know I would say Type 1 would be rougher to handle than 2?

I am type 2 and the reason I don't know much is because I am not any medications what so ever. I test but that is about it as my diet and exercise corrected things. Not all are lucky as I am but I know some day I am sure I will be on some medication of some kind. That is why I am riding for a Cure.

engstrom

I've been a Type 1 diabetic for 40 years (ever since I was 2). Rougher to handle? Maybe. But Type 1 and Type 2 really are different diseases with different causes and different treatments that just so happen to share the same name. It's more like comparing apples and oranges...and some people like apples better and some like oranges better.

I have a couple coworkers that are Type 2. One of them has great control and the other not so much. I have good control of my Type 1. Is it rougher for me because I'm testing my BG 8 times a day? Or rougher for the Type 2 I know that, at 40 years old, is already suffering from the beginnings of diabetic neuropathy?

sstorkel

Being a Type 1 diabetic isn't as bad as it used to be. Between insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS), and hand-held glucose meters it's really not that difficult to achieve pretty decent control. I've been a Type 1 diabetic for 29 years and don't feel like it's really hampered my life in any significant way. I've climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, ridden my bike from SF to LA, raced motorcycles, and done pretty much anything else I wanted to do...

thcri

It is great to hear that you both have been able to manage it and live for the most part a normal life style. An encouragement to others for sure. Right now I am doing pretty good. But with the history in my family and as I age I am sure it will get tougher to control just by dieting and exercising.

2Klose

Sometimes I think it would be tougher to be Type 2. If I cheat and eat some cake or other sweet, I have this handy dandy insulin pump thing with a continuous glucose monitor to help me correct quickly. If I was on an oral medication once a day, my BS would be messed up for much longer. Is it weird being tethered to a computer all the time, yes. However, that machine has give me a quality of life I did not have before. Additionally, my diabetes was a major reason I have continued to exercise over the years. It is what got me back on the bike. That stands for something!

sstorkel

I tend to agree. Therapy for Type 2 diabetics seems to be pretty primitive compared to what's available for Type 1 diabetics. I'm surprised that everyone who is a diagnosed diabetic isn't walking around with at least a glucose meter and a syringe of fast-acting insulin... and the knowledge to use them appropriately, of course.

thcri

My meter is fairly close to me at all times. I also have Novolog fast acting insulin fairly close or at home. Eight miles from work. Because of my A1C my doctor has told me the I really only need to test one day a week early in the morning and just before dinner time. I am not to do anything unless I hit 140. Now I have taken it upon myself to test more often as I am trying to make a log of food that messes with me the most. You would be surprised of what raises my blood sugar and what doesn't. Each person is different.

2Klose

I think taking it upon yourself to go above and beyond is admirable. Knowledge is power. The power to know what foods spike your BS is a wonderful thing. My A1C numbers got so much better after I was able to monitor myself with the Continuous Glucose Monitor. I have since stopped eating store bought bread and bake my own. What a difference. I am unwilling to give up bread and now I don't have to.

DieselDan

Did you get the DOT card?

sstorkel

I think post #21 in this thread indicates that he didn't. Since the OP was due for a follow-up on Monday and we haven't heard anything from him, I have to wonder if he's currently being treated for his excessively high blood sugar...

Fletch521

Six Weeks Later...

After six weeks of dieting and 4 weeks of riding I have lost 16 pounds and today my blood sugar is 153.