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Chipmunk
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Is there a way to bring down BS quickly besides going to the hospital if it isn't high enough to warrent a trip? For instance, the other day at work I was under a lot of stress. I suddenly felt extremely tired and crabby. This is a sign of high blood sugar to me. I check it. I was at 205. There is always a lot of talk about ways to get low back up, but what about bringing it back down quickly?


Jeanette Stingley - Women's Lit
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absolutely! my Nurse taught me this---drink 1 or 2 glasses of water within 10 minutes(no sipping---just drink it) and then do 5-10 minutes of movement---go for a walk out to the parking lot and back or a trip around the floor or like I do at home, 10 minutes on my recumbent bike. It will drop your BS by about 50 points by the next time you use the bathroom. Do anything to move--even if you have to stand up at your desk and walk or march in place! All you need is 5-10 minutes of movement and it can mean the difference between living and dying! When I was a child my mom would send me out on the swing for 10 minutes.

RavynG


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Finally an answer! LOL My docs answer is to go to the hospital if it goes over 225. Mine rarely gets that high. Sometimes it tetters near 200. I know it is getting high when i feel sleepy suddenly. Thanks for the advice.


Jeanette Stingley - Women's Lit
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Another hint is if you are taking oral diabetic medications other than insulin, ask your doctor about increasing your magnesium. Magnesium makes the meds more available and more efficient. of course do not go overboard--too much and you get diarrhea and you would have to test to make sure your sugar did not go too low. But I take calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D and CO-Q-10, cinnamon and cider vinegar(all the B vitamins). My doctor knows and agrees with these and I have been able to cut back on my glyburide and my A1C is 7 after 6 months of supplementation.

I had my vitamin D levels tested and I was way low--normal is 32-100 and I was 20! Now it is getting back to normal. I do not go crazy with vitamins and supplements--but this combination actually makes me feel better. I can tell the difference right away when I take the CO-Q-10--my eyesight is not as blurry and my hair and skin is more vibrant and I feel like I am getting enough oxygen, I just feel "brighter". Diabetes makes me feel "dull".

The number one best thing you can do for your Diabetes is exercise. Get yourself moving, even if it is only 5 minutes at a time. Stand up and sway and swing your arms and march in place to one song on the radio--about 5 minutes. Do it 3 or 4 times a day. Do anything to increase your activity by just 5 or 10 minutes and it can change your whole life in just a few weeks.

And drink enough water.

RavynG


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RavynG, right on with the advise of a supplement with magnesium. I take a Calcium/Vitamin D supplement with Iron and Magnesium. My BG average dropped almost immediately and stayed there. Physical activity is the only thing I have found to bring down the highs, although I generally don't have problems with highs. I have daily problems with lows.

My question to you is about the rapid drinking of two glasses of water for bringing down the highs. Is this a 'flushing' or a 'diluting', or is there a different reason why this works? Would it work on it's own, or just in conjunction with the activity?


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it is my understanding that the water is essential in this manner to prevent permanent kidney damage from the sudden drop in glucose that is filtered out of the blood thru the kidney and flushed away as urine. This is why diabetics are frequently thirsty--I was told that by the time you feel thirst your body is nearing the critical point! Any kind of activity will dump the glucose into the kidney and it needs immediate fluid volume to flush it safely. This is why sips won't do--it needs volume.

RavynG


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I already feel like I take a ton of pills LOL I take a multivitamin daily. It has 50mg of magnesium, calcium 450, 15 mg zinc, 400IU vitamin d, doesn't look like it has Co Q 10 in it. I have been thinking about getting a membership to the Y. We always get a family pass to the public pool in the summer time. I LOVE swimming. Even though I am as big as I am, I still put on a swimsuit and get in.


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My son has type one diabetes, so he has a shot of fast-acting, short-acting insulin to bring high blood sugar down, but also drinks water. His endrocrinologist warned me against giving him too much water because relatively massive amounts create an imbalance - in electrolytes or some such critters. When he is dehydrated with a low the endo advised giving him gatorade instead of water, or in addition to water, for a similar reason.

Also, when his blood sugar is 'way too high, I believe he said to avoid extreme exertion as you are pumping all that syrupy blood faster through the blood vessels.

I don't consider two glasses of water to be an extreme amount, or walking around to be extreme exertion, but thought I'd post a warning just in case someone reading the suggestions here takes it twice as far - something I tend to do when I figure out something that is a good thing might be twice as good if I do it four times as much. (((blush)))

Check with your endo in case I've got things mixed up ~ and always consult a specialist for a second opinion if someone else or even your regular doc suggests something that doesn't sound right. When my son is hospitalized I meet doctors who think they know something about type one diabetes that I have a feeling is also wrong for people with type two.

Hang in there!

Pam W
SE of Seattle


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Here's another question for you all since we are on the subject of what your doc recommends for different scenarios....the more i talk to people with diabetes (just a refresher, I was diagnosed with Type 2 in September of '07 so I am still new to all of this, so bear with me) the more I realize my doctor isn't doing much for me compared to other people. I go see her every 3 months, get blood drawn, get prescription refills ( she has me on metformin twice a day for a totall of 1000mgs, lisinopril to protect my kidneys, zocor because my cholestrol is a smidge high and she says zocor helps with the inflammation of veins and arteries diabetes can cause, 1 baby asprin a day. I also take Levsin for IBS/Celiac symptoms and i get prescriptions for strips and lancets). She goes over my numbers for the last visit, asks how I am eating and sleeping, she doesn't ask to see my BS log or monitor although i offer them both to her. She has said time and again she is going to get me in touch with a diabetes educator or nutritionist. I have yet to hear from anyone. And that is it. That is all she does for me. Granted my blood sugars aren't astronomically out of control. As I said above I rarely go over 190 my A1C is normall around 7.1 to 7.6.

Am I missing some kind of care? I feel a little lost at times when she gives me vague answers. I just don't know exactly what kind of doctor I should go to. She is a partner at a Family Practice. I would love to find another doctor who is more in tune with me and what I am going through. I just don't know where to start.


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you are totally right Pam. If the blood sugar is too high--go to the hospital, do not exercise. And do not drink too much water or you can get low in sodium and potassium goes high. I was just answering Jeanette regarding her scenario of the BS not being high enough to go to the hospital. And my Nurse was very specific about 1-2 glasses of water quickly within 10 minutes---not more than that! I think we all try to talk ourselves out of how serious things can be when it comes down to having to go to the hospital! We try to treat it at home to avoid the bother. But when it comes to something like diabetes we need to be precise.
RavynG


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Yes Jeanette you should be getting more personal attention I think. Start with your insurance--most have a Diabetes Education Program with a Nurse who can call and set up a home appt. If not, then try the local hospital. Our Church even has a home nurse who visits for diabetes care. My insurance is just Medicaid--and they provide my Nurse. She visits once every 3 months and calls every month for about an hour--goes over everything with me, even all the labs the doctor does. Asks me about skin and foot care. (Incidentally make sure your doctor checks your feet regularly--between the toes should not be lotioned or moist!)And my Nurse is available if I need her by phone. It is all Medicaid provided. If you need to get a Primary Care referral for one of the local programs for this then you will have to call your doctor's office and ask for one. I have even seen flyers on the bulletin boards like at Social Services and some Food Banks where I volunteer for Diabetes information. There might even be something listed in the phone book.

RavynG


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Just FYI---this is what I take:

I add 2 tablespoons cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of honey to 8 oz of water before each meal. (The tablets do not work because they o not contain active ascetic acid.) Sometimes I add it to 4 oz fresh apple juice/4oz water too. I also take cinnamon--Rexall Naturals brand, Cinn-max--1000mg with 100mcg of Chromium added--2 caps a day. I also take 1200 calcium a day, 2000 vitamin D,1200 magnesium, 100 zinc, and 200 CO-Q-10. and I use Emergen-C which is 1000mgs of C with some of the minerals in it too--once or twice a day. and I take fiber (sugar-free) every night.

Right now that is all the supplements I take because it is all I can afford. I prefer to take them all separately, that way if I develope a problem with one of them I can just stop it without affecting the others--but I am sure you can find combinations(especially with calcium/vitamin D/magnesium/zinc.) The vinegar has
B vitamins in it. I can't take iron supplements because of another health problem.

RavynG


Originally Posted By: Jeanette - Editor
I already feel like I take a ton of pills LOL I take a multivitamin daily. It has 50mg of magnesium, calcium 450, 15 mg zinc, 400IU vitamin d, doesn't look like it has Co Q 10 in it. I have been thinking about getting a membership to the Y. We always get a family pass to the public pool in the summer time. I LOVE swimming. Even though I am as big as I am, I still put on a swimsuit and get in.


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Yes, Jeanette, you should be getting more guidance. With BlueCrossBlueShield I get an starter course of 4 - 2 hours sessions (8 hours total) and additional classes as my condition changes. Also, the educators are available for phone consulations whenever needed.

But I also think the numbers you have been given may not be right. A BG reading of 190 is way too high. A pre-meal reading should be 90-110. A reading 2 hours after a meal should return to what it was before the meal. Most of us wake up with a higher reading - my average morning reading is about 125. If you didn't have diabetes, you A1C would be about 4.5. That's where you would like yours to be. It won't be - but the recommendation was to keep it lower than 6.5. Just lately mine has climbed to 6.5 and my doctor said that the range has recently been changed. I actually feel better when it is 6.2.

Good Luck to you and keep us informed of your progress. GrannyH

Last edited by GrannyH; 04/16/09 05:32 PM.

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Maybe I should get a different doctor. She has never checked my feet. I can check them myself, no big deal but still. My BS is around 130 in the mornings. ANd that is about where it stays all day unless i exercise a lot. Today it got to 169 after lunch. I think the dressing that was on the Taco Salad I had may have had sugars in it. I drank the 2 glasses of water as suggested here and checked it an hour later and it was down to 137. I was impressed LOL


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To get a daily amount of vinegar without feeling like it might be a medication or supplement issue, find a really good recipe for an oil and vinegar salad dressing. Make it with all the healthiest choices - sugar subs, cholestrol free oils, etc. Then have a good-greens tossed salad once each day. You'll get the vinegar and you'll be eating better at the same time. You can even take a small container of this dressing with you when you go out to eat. Ask for a salad without dressing, then use your own.


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Jeanette: I was rereading this thread today and realized you had a concern we did not answer. It was about your doctor not looking at your BG log or your meter.

The meter is for you: Those daily readings are the way you know, at any given time, the condition of your body. If you take a reading before a meal and it's a little too high, you will know not to overeat. Your after-meal readings give you a handle on which foods and which amounts you body can manage. You'll learn which you'll have to eat less of. (I, for instance, know that I'll have to take a walk after having mac and cheese cause I just can't cut back.) So, your meter readings are the way you develop control over your diabetes, and are for your use.

The blood test is for your doctor: The A1c tells your doctor how well you are controlling your disease in general. If it's too high, he/she'll ask you for greater control and might ask you to take more meter readings per day.

I really hope I have been of some help to you will all this. GrannyH wink


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I really do appreciate all the advice you have given. I FINALLY got a call from the hospital to visit a diabetic educator on May 4th then again on June 4th. I am really looking forward to meeting with them.

I started cutting meat out of my diet. Not completely, just less red meats although steak is my downfall. We eat steak about once a week. But we have been eating less hamburger and I have been eating little to none for breakfast and lunch. I eat chicken a few times a week for lunch. i really wish my husand would eat more chicken breast, He doesn't really like white meat, loves the dark meat but it is so fatty and some days i really don't feel like cooking 2 types of meat for dinner although I think it is going to have to come to that. i have been feeling a lot better since doing this. I have even lost a few pounds since dropping the meat, eating more vegies or meat substitutes.


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So Jeanette, how did your time with the educator go? Did you find that you got good or bad advice here?

I'm not going to comment very much about the meat. I will say there are new studies that say diabetics should have a low carb/high protein diet. I have added cottage cheese to my breakfast. A protein at each meal should be fine, just no more than 4 ounces of a meat. The amount of cholestrol difference in white or dark meat chicken is next to nothing as compared to chicken verus some other kinds of meat so I don't think it's worth the discussion.

However, there are no carbohydrates in meat, so it should not be affecting your glucose. What will are the things you do to meat. Breading has carbs, as does the things you add to meat loaf, so those do count. And don't forget that condiments like Barbeque sauce and catsup add a lot.

If you have high cholestrol and diabetes, there are day when you wonder just exactly you are allowed to eat. Good luck. GrannyH


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