Good Morning, This is my first post and hopefully I will find some help.
I have been a Diabetic II since 1991 and currently am on 3 different meds, no insulin. I constantly struggle with keeping my 'numbers' and my weight under control. Lately I have discovered that my morning numbers, usually around 100, have been rising. For example, yesterday at 6:30 AM my fasting BS was 96, but an hour later it was 164. I normally do my exercise ( a 25 min. walk) at 8 AM after I take my meds. After exercise my BS was 197. I had a protein shake for breakfast about 9AM and an hour and a half later my BS was 132. I know this is not right but don't know why it happens or what I can do about it. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Sweetnan

Good Morning, This is my first post and hopefully I will find some help.
I have been a Diabetic II since 1991 and currently am on 3 different meds, no insulin. I constantly struggle with keeping my 'numbers' and my weight under control. Lately I have discovered that my morning numbers, usually around 100, have been rising. For example, yesterday at 6:30 AM my fasting BS was 96, but an hour later it was 164. I normally do my exercise ( a 25 min. walk) at 8 AM after I take my meds. After exercise my BS was 197. I had a protein shake for breakfast about 9AM and an hour and a half later my BS was 132. I know this is not right but don't know why it happens or what I can do about it. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Sweetnan

Sweetnan,

As for the numbers being hard to keep under control, those values alone are dependent upon many factors, with influence levels differently in all of us. Now, add in oral meds, and what happens (generally) is a decrease in the overall average glucose level (through increased insulin production, or increased sensitivity or both); however, one disadvantage is that they can produce much broader ranges in blood glucose levels. That hasn't really answered your question at all...so...let me try again.

Your morning numbers are rising. This could be due to a recent increase in weight, or a decrease in exercise, or if you maintained the same exercise level, a decrease in insulin sensitivity or decrease in insulin production by your beta cells. It could even be some combination of two or more of those.

Your fasting level was fine, even if at the high end of the normal range. However, you state that you had a 164 mg/dL reading 1 hr later. If you ate breakfast, that would make sense. You then mentioned that you exercised and the next reading was 197 mg/dL. In this case, it could have been that without exercise, your level might have been 240 mg/dL? Normally, the exercise will help clear out the glucose and bring those levels back down. I am going to guess that you did not eat, and that the shake was your breakfast and the next time you checked, your sugar was down to 132.

I am going to guess that what you saw initially is what some label the dawn phenomenon. The other effects you are seeing seem to be related to a slow response of your body to the changes in blood glucose. It could mean that the B-cells are failing to keep up, or that the level of insulin resistance is increasing and your hormone levels (insulin and glucagon) can't be released fast enough and in adequate levels to produce the necessary changes to keep the glucose levels in a tight range.

Some things you might try to improve it would be all the things that I am sure you already know: lose weight, increase exercise time and work in different muscle groups, up exercise intensity, and finally, increase dosages. For my personal situation, exercise duration and consistency is much more important than weight, which is more important than my diet; although, they are all related. In other words, I can gain a little weight and exercise 45 min daily and be fine, but if keep my weight the same and exercise every other day, my overnight glucose rises to the 110-120 mg/dL range and all the signs of impaired glucose tolerance/type 2 return (within days).

Thank you for the fast reply. I have gained weight and am now on a weight loss program and have just started an exercise routine. I guess I should give this a little more time and see if this improves. I have some joint problems, knees and hips, and Plantar Fascitis, so my walking has been on hold for some time. I have started on the treadmill with 15 minutes and am now up to 25 min. I certainly will keep trying, so thank you again.
Sweetnan