Newbie here I need help!

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Hello all. I am 38 years old and was told in May by my physician I was pre-diabetic with a fasting blood sugar of 208 and he was given me the Sugar busters diet plan and 6 months to see what I could do to improve it.

Thursday I was feeling horrible, and after I ate I felt better so I decided to go out and buy a glucometer and start seeing what is going on with my sugar. 2 after after I ate it was 284.

I have monitored throughout the day on Friday never going under 118 for the day. This morning fasting it was 150 and I am a runner... I met my friends for our ran and we did 8 miles... I didn't eat breakfast because I don't normally do so before a morning run. I did mid run have a GU for fuel. But no sugary sports drinks or anything. I got home from my run about 30 minutes after stopping and took the blood sugar again it was 227. I have no idea what I am doing.

I plan on calling my doctor on Tuesday but in the mean time do I eat or not eat when my blood sugar is this high? Any advise is appreciated until I can get with my doctor. I am so new to this.

Replies

  • cathylopez1975
    cathylopez1975 Posts: 191 Member
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    I don't know I've ever heard the term "Sugar Buster diet" so don't know what you are eating. I'm surprised he said pre-diabetic with the numbers you are talking about. They seem to be in the diabetic range.

    I'm not a doctor or dietitian, but I'll share how I eat. I take metformin extended release and Bydureon for my type 2 diabetes. And I eat carefully. I eat 3 meals a day and maybe a snack if I need one. For the meals, I always include a serving of fat, carb, and protein as well as a veggie and maybe a fruit. I stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Also I try to stay away from desserts most of the time. And I don't drink my calories (no juice, alcohol, sports drinks) It's just healthier for me. If I'm doing moderately intense exercise, I make sure to have an extra carb serving before or during the exercise so I don't have a big blood sugar drop. After exercise I usually see my sugars go up. In fact, a couple of weeks ago I walked/jogged for 40 minutes then after a snack I mowed my lawn. I had a huge low (I could feel it) then spiked and my BG stayed really high for me the rest of the day.

    I hope some others on this site will chime in for you. They always have good ideas to try. My best advice would be - eat to fuel your body. Make sure it's quality food. Watch the carbs. My dietitian would say to be sure that you do fat or protein with carbs - ie. an apple with peanut butter, nuts with a carb (I do a few almonds). The fat and protein are supposed to help slow down the carb spike.
  • mrron2u
    mrron2u Posts: 919 Member
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    You are on the right track having bought a meter. I'd start testing and tracking your fasting blood sugar levels daily and then you could also check 1 and 2 hours after starting a meal. Ideally you need to be tracking your food so you can then see how your readings react to different carbs. If you do log your food opening your diary might help those of us who've been doing this a while so we can make better suggestions.

    No matter what though calling the doctor is the best idea. Those numbers do seem awful high for pre-diabetes.

    There are a lot of us on this forum that will be glad to lend support. I think you caught us all off on the holiday weekend!
  • cwrig
    cwrig Posts: 190 Member
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    First; Welcome!

    Every person is different so its not possible to do cookie cutter answers that work the same for everyone. You are very wise to start testing and recording your BG. Knowing how your body reacts to food and lifestyle is important for your ongoing management of Diabetes.

    Higher BG in the morning or after exercise is pretty common. If you havnt eaten for a while your body wants to make sure your brain and muscles have energy so your BG reserve tank (the liver) will dump glucose into your blood. This is why we often have higher BG reading in the morning after not eating for several hours.

    Best first step is to ask your DR to recommend a diabetes education class. This is THE single best thing I did after being diagnosed. Education and knowledge of how your body works with diabetes is very important to you managing it well. They will discuss nutrition, food, exercise, testing....

    Read a lot; and ask a lot of questions. Even though your numbers seem high, they are lower than they were and you are taking the right steps. Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do; so you are doing great there.
  • tonya0504
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    Thank you all for your kind responses. I didn't take it as serious as I should because I have been very active and trying to lose weight for two years now... so I thought pre-diabetes and the fact he was giving me a chance to control with diet first was a great idea. Sugarbusters was a book he recommended which basically explained the things I should avoid and things I should instead to avoid high sugar/carb foods. I had been doing this but honestly probably not as closely as I should have, so I do think the glucometer will help me figure things out. Glad to hear that it is not totally uncommon for blood sugar to spike after exercise because that is what worried me the most today. I thought it would drop after the exercise and for it to be higher after than when I started just blew my mind. I am going to get better educated and will be discussing with the doctor on Tuesday. I may have a lot more questions for you folks because I just don't know what I am doing and really just caught off guard by this disease and have way too much to learn at once. I am sure you all have been where I am. I am glad there are others so readily available to help a person out. I do endurance exercise, have done half marathons, duathlons and triathlons have a triathlon just next week. I am very active but in the past have had a carb addiction so to speak so I guess that caught up with me. Blah! Anyway thank you all again! I will gain control of this and hopefully begin to feel better. :)
  • dcunn48
    dcunn48 Posts: 6 Member
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    One thing I learned in my DEC (among many!) was the need to have clean fingertips when testing! I've double-tested many times when I forget to wash my hands well, and the difference in reading was significant!
    I also had great results by going gluten free, eating whole foods, nothing processed, and I read two very interesting books that helped me stay focused. The Grain Brain and Wheat Belly. Blood Sugar Solution was another book I read early on which helped me to focus...regardless, keep an open mind when it comes to managing your own food plan.
  • GlucernaBrand
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    Getting a glucometer, testing your blood sugar and keeping track of what you're eating as well as exercise are great steps toward learning how to best manage diabetes. Since you're an endurance athlete, check out Sheri Colberg's book "The Diabetic Athlete's Handbook" which has excellent information. I also highly recommend joining the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org and reading their monthly magazine Forecast which is a really good way to stay up-to-date on the latest research in diabetes plus read inspiring stories about PWD and how they manage blood sugar. There is also a section on the ADA website that is designed specifically for people with pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes with lots of information. ~Lynn /Glucerna
  • tonya0504
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    Thank you all! I went to the doctor today and he has started me on Metformin for now. I will continue to eat healthy and exercise and hopefully get control of this glucose. I will read "The Diabetics Athlete Handbook" because I am so interested in how I need to be fueling for my endurance. I am doing a triathlon on Saturday!!! ACK! I hope to have some things a little better controlled and have the best race yet!!! :) Thank you all for being so kind. :smile:
  • mrron2u
    mrron2u Posts: 919 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestion about the diabtic athlete book Lynn! I'm going to get that one. I would have never ever considered myself an athlete before, but with cycling I can see a real need to understand how to fuel properly for endurance exercising.
  • GlucernaBrand
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    I'm glad my suggestion for the Diabetic Athlete Handbook resonates with folks. mrron2u you ARE an athlete! Tonya, have fun at the tri this weekend. What distance is it? ~Lynn /Glucerna
  • Melaniel25
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    numbers seem high! i am aware of the sugar busters eating plan some of my family members have been on it with great success! my brother lost almost 100 lbs and a friend 80 lbs.the weight came off by eliminating sugar.i have type 2 and have had several doctors recommend sb throughout the years.it has only been a week and i have cut out sugar except for fruit.the fruit i do eat is comparable to sb's fruit recommendations. i really would make an appt with your doctor and get a definitive answer to a diabetic diagnosis.DONT PANIC! great information out there and support!