So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
We went into the ER because of his flu... his temperature was 102, his
heartrate was 141... and his blood sugar was 290.
After a few hours they checked his blood sugar again (they had been
rehydrating him with an IV - he was very dehydrated) and it had lowered a
little to 287. They had him drink a glass of orange juice and eat some
graham crackers. (Does that sound strange to anybody else??) Then they
checked his blood sugar an hour or two later and it had gone up more. So
then they shot him with insulin... got it lowered to 270... gave him more
insulin... got it lowered to 257, and they released him (11 hours later from
the time they first started treating him).
Now he's on glucotrol. They said it was very important for him to see his
doctor first thing Monday to receive instruction on diabetes and figure out
how he is going to control it. I'm wondering... since he has the flu (and
that alone can elevate your blood sugar, right?), and since he's taking this
pill to control his blood sugar... how will they know what he needs? What
kind of a baseline will they even have?
The ER doctor told him NO sweets, no sugar, no whitebread, etc. (Obviously,
I've already been doing that). He couldn't stand it today, after eating
well for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, he said had to have a fast food
burger and left to go get one.
He thinks because he's got the flu, and because he doesn't have any of the
symptoms of being diabetic, then he doesn't really have diabetes and he can
eat whatever he wants as long as he eats it "in moderation" (moderation to
him apparently means daily).
I realize that I'll probably know more after his doctor appointment tomorrow
morning, but I'm just worried sick in the meantime. I was wondering if
anyone had any comments/advice/suggestions/been-there-done-that type stuff
to tell me.
Thanks,

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None Given - 14 Feb 2005 00:59 GMT
> little to 287. They had him drink a glass of orange juice and eat some
> graham crackers. (Does that sound strange to anybody else??) Then they
> checked his blood sugar an hour or two later and it had gone up more. So
That may have been their idea of an informal glucose tolerance test, does
sound weird though.
> He thinks because he's got the flu, and because he doesn't have any of the
> symptoms of being diabetic, then he doesn't really have diabetes and he can
> eat whatever he wants as long as he eats it "in moderation" (moderation to
> him apparently means daily).
He is in denial, nothing I know of would make a non-diabetic go that high.
My DH said the same thing because he was sick when he was dx, he made me go
talk to his dr to make sure. Sometimes he eats something he shouldn't and
sees a high number so he doesn't doubt it, anymore. He still hasn't told
his mother, though.
> I realize that I'll probably know more after his doctor appointment tomorrow
> morning, but I'm just worried sick in the meantime. I was wondering if
> anyone had any comments/advice/suggestions/been-there-done-that type stuff
> to tell me.
When he gets a meter and starts using it:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm
Being on glucotrol alone will not control him enough that he still won't
test diabetic at the dr's office. Having numbers that high means he is
probably in glucose toxicity which increases his insulin resistance.

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No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes
tia - 14 Feb 2005 03:41 GMT
> He is in denial, nothing I know of would make a non-diabetic go that high.
> My DH said the same thing because he was sick when he was dx, he made me
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> sees a high number so he doesn't doubt it, anymore. He still hasn't told
> his mother, though.
im not a diabetic and i went that high... i just never crashed below 90,
which is normal. he could be suffering from hyperinsulinism... definately
get him checked out and dont mess with the GTT/GFT (glucose tolerance and
fasting tests)
after awhile on a LC diet he will feel much better.... if hes becoming type
2, just do a search on the complications associated with diabetes...he might
just change his tune.

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None Given - 14 Feb 2005 17:12 GMT
> im not a diabetic and i went that high... i just never crashed below 90,
> which is normal. he could be suffering from hyperinsulinism...
That is NOT normal

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Perdu - 14 Feb 2005 01:04 GMT
> So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
>
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
> Thanks,
Go super easy on him and let the Doctor be the "bad guy" who will tell
him the facts. It is a disgusting, gut wrenching news. And a very bad time.
It takes a year or more for your mind to accept diabetes and then seeing it
for what it is - a controllable, not the end of the world condition.
Much as I hate to say it, it sounds like a classic. It will have to sink
in. Give it time. Let him start talking. Do not pry. Be there and be
supportive. Take some crap if he is upset. (He'd do it for you as well,
given the right circumstance. )
Keep us updated. Lots of people here with experience.
Best Regards,
Steve
Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur
marengo - 14 Feb 2005 01:11 GMT
|| So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
||
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
|| and eat some graham crackers. (Does that sound strange to anybody
|| else??)
Strange? IMO it's downright malpractice! They force sugar and starches
into someone with extremely high blood glucose levels, then shoot them up
with insulin?
The sheer stupidity of some people in the medical profession never ceases to
amaze me!
Many of us who are diabetic control the disease with no medications simply
by NOT eating the crackers and driking the orange juice (avoiding sugar and
starches)!
--
Peter
website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo
tia - 14 Feb 2005 03:44 GMT
actually when i was very shakey, orange juice was one of the easiest ways to
get a simple glucose into my bloodstream. if he was already getting sick
from the sugar in his system it was probably bouncing all over the place.
the juice would have been a way to stabilize him, which is honestly the only
thing the ER does before they send you home. hope that helps. ive had a
blood sugar high end of 290 before. its not pretty when you surge that
high. if i were to have a candy bar right this second (or chili from wendys
OMG) i would hit that easily...then feel worse than the flu afterwards. ill
try to answer any questions i can from personal experience, and good luck to
your dear husband. theyre hell to live with but we sure love them

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> || So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
> ||
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> Peter
> website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo
Marsha - 14 Feb 2005 23:53 GMT
> || So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
> ||
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Peter
> website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo
Not necessarily. A lot of illnesses will elevate blood
sugar, without a person being diabetic. This may very well
have been a quick test. Once they saw that his sugar rose
after the OJ and crackers, they gave him the proper treatment.
Marsha/Ohio
Jennifer - 15 Feb 2005 04:07 GMT
> Not necessarily. A lot of illnesses will elevate blood sugar, without a
> person being diabetic. This may very well have been a quick test. Once
> they saw that his sugar rose after the OJ and crackers, they gave him
> the proper treatment.
>
> Marsha/Ohio
Not to almost 300.
That is diabetes.
Jennifer
Jennifer - 14 Feb 2005 01:12 GMT
Well... Spring... you've got an uphill battle... or should I say HE does.
Remember you can't change someone else.
But here's some info for hubby...
A non-diabetic would never reach ito the high 200's ever. With or
without the flu.
A diagnosis of diabetes can be made with any two tests over 200 at any
time after eating anything. 290 is a lock.
He should be very very glad his diabetes was caught before symptoms.
Symptoms = damage. He has a golden opportunity to start controlling his
disease and live a LONG HEALTHY diabetic life.
To send him home with Glucotrol and no information is terrible. (I won't
even go into the OJ and graham crackers!!! Shocking!!!) Glucotrol can
cause hypos. You do need to call you doctor, get an appointment and get
a meter. As for knowing what his "baseline" is... almost doesn't
matter, but your doctor surely will do a Glycosylated Hemoglobin test...
an A1c for short. It will tell hubby what his glucose has been over the
past few months. Eating low carb for a few days won't disrupt that test.
Here's the advice I always give to newbie diabetics:
There is so much to absorb... you don't have to rush into anything. Begin
by using your best weapon in this war, your meter. You won't keel over
today, you have time to experiment, test, learn, test and figure out just
how your body and this disease are getting along. The most important
thing you can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test test.
More than most anything, what you eat will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.
And more than anything you eat, carbs will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.
So, the most important information you can begin to compile about
yourself, is how your body handles carbs.
This sounds like you would need a low carb food plan right?
You don't... what you need to uncover is YOUR Personalized Carb Number.
Which actually works better for most everyone. Because low to one
person is wildly high to another, but waaaaay too low for someone
else.
Is low carb less than 30g a day? Is it anything less than the
Pyramid reccomendations?
Finding your Personalized Carb Number is easy.
Here's how you can figure out your own Personalized Carb Number.
The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is:
What do I eat?
Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing.
What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great
results on wildly different food plans. Some of us here achieve
great blood glucose control eating a high complex carbohydrate diet.
Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too
much. Still others are somewhere in between.
At the beginning all of us felt frustrated. We wanted to be handed
THE way to eat, to ensure our continued health. But we all
learned that there is no one way. Each of us had to find our own path,
using the experience of those that went before, but still having
to discover for ourselves how OUR bodies and this disease were coexisting.
Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best
for us. You can use our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually
you'll work up a successful plan that is yours alone.
What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you. As I'm
sure you've read, carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice... the things our
Grandmas called "starches") raise blood sugars the most rapidly. Protein
and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly... so if you're
a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise.
You might want to try some experiments.
First: Eat whatever you've been
currently eating... but write it all down.
Test yourself at the following times:
Upon waking (fasting)
1 hour after each meal
2 hours after each meal
At bedtime
That means 8 x each day. What you will discover by this is how long
after a meal your highest reading comes... and how fast you return to
"normal". Also, you may see that a meal that included bread, fruit or
other carbs gives you a higher reading.
Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs. Eliminate breads,
cereals, rices, beans, any wheat products, potato, corn, fruit... get all
your carbs from veggies. Test at the same schedule above.
If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good
readings. It's worth a few days to discover.
Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your
meter.
The thing about this disease... though we share much in common and we
need to
follow certain guidelines... in the end, each of our bodies dictate our
treatment and our success.
The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of
avoiding horrible complications. The key here is AIM... I know that
everyone is at a different point in their disease... and it is progressive.
But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give ourselves the
best shot at heath we've got.
That's all we can do.
Here's my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers.
FBG under 100
One hour after meals under 140
Two hours after meals under 120
or for those in the mmol parts of the world:
Fasting Under 6
One hour after meals Under 8
Two hours after meals Under 6.5
Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your
"after meal" numbers. They may be the most indicative of future
complications, especially heart problems.
Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic
care team. While his /her advice is learned, it is not absolute. You
will end up knowing much more about your body and how it's handling
diabetes than your doctor will. Your meter is your best weapon.
Just remember, we're not in a race or a competition with anyone but
ourselves... Play around with your food plan... TEST TEST TEST. Learn what
foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings... Use your body as a science
experiment.
You'll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their
diabetes... Many are diametrically opposed. After awhile you'll learn that
there is no one size fits all around here. Take some time to experiment
and you'll soon discover the plan that works for you.
Best of luck!
Jennifer
> So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
>
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
> Thanks,
Julie - 14 Feb 2005 03:52 GMT
> So... last night we found out that hubby is most likely diabetic.
>
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
> Thanks,
Aren't you and your hubby in your mid-twenties? I thought we were about the
same age... Wow, that's scary. I'm sorry to hear about that, I would be
freaked out.
Julie
Sprgtime - 14 Feb 2005 12:02 GMT
> Aren't you and your hubby in your mid-twenties? I thought we were about
> the same age... Wow, that's scary. I'm sorry to hear about that, I would
> be freaked out.
Yeah, I am a little freaked out. That's why I posted here. Thanks
everybody that responded. I feel better just knowing we have this support
group here.
I'm 25. Hubby is 34.

Signature
Spring
LC since 1/1/04
260/200/170
"Before" & "current" pics at link below:
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