Hi there. My mother is a diabetic and recently her BS has been hovering around 256 (avg) in the morning. She is changing insurance plans since the last one didn't really do anything to help her with her diabetes and her first doc appt will be tomorrow with the new one. I am concerned because she ate a few slices of mango's and peaches and last night her BS was 424. She is ONLY on Glipizide 1 1/2 tablets 2x a day. I have added to her regiment cinammon but I heard it takes a while for that to work.

I am guessing she will be put on insulin but in the time being, What can I do to help her bring this down??

I have to question her eating fruit while she already had a high blood sugar. So many behaviors are self destructive and this is one of them. She needs to go in and be completely honest with the Dr about what she is eating and how she is taking care of herself. She might want to cut out any simple sugars until she can learn how to work her diabetes around them. Fruit can have it's benefits with vitamins and nutrients but it still doesn't change the fact that it's a simple sugar containing fructose. Because of this, fruits should be eaten with care and attention to it's effects on blood sugar.
She is most likely producing ketones which will only make her feel worse. For the night, she might want to increase her water intake to flush the ketones. she might also want to start a fast so that nothing will increase her blood sugar. She might also want to fast if she is getting diabetic bloodwork in the morning. Good luck to both of you

Yep, she really needs to watch her carb intake very carefully until she gets this under control...and probably even then, too. But right now she really needs to cut way back on carbs. If she's very hungry, most vegetables are fairly low in carbs and high in bulk, and are okay to snack on.

Also, you should get some ketosticks and test her for ketones. If she doesn't have ketones, exercising will help bring her levels down. However, if her blood sugar is over 250 AND she's producing ketones, she absolutely should NOT exercise, as this is a dangerous situation which will be made worse by exercise.

At this point, she probably will be put on insulin. If she's not already seeing an endocrinologist (this new doctor), then she probably should ask for a referral and see one as soon as possible.

Ruth

I am diabetic (type2) and i am on the same med as your mom. I find that the med doesn't work very well for me. I'm afraid I might have to go on insulin theraphy, but i must wait for my next dr. appt. My mom and grandma are also diabetics and they use apple cider vinegar b4 meals to block the carbs. they also use cinnamon. Both are suppose to be good at stabilizing blood sugars.

It IS NOT advisable to exercise if your blood sugar is over 200.

It IS NOT advisable to exercise if your blood sugar is over 200.

I was not recommending exercise when the blood sugar is in the 300s or over. We were told at the hospital that when it is 240 and less but still out of the normal range of 80-140, exercise will help bring it down to a normal level. I have seen this with my daughter. 1 hr spent on the playground could take her sugar from 200s to 100s. Of course, one need to use common sense at all times. Ask your dr. before starting any exercise program; donot jog or lap swim for 2 hrs if you don't feel well although your sugar is 170, etc...

Wow...GREAT RESULTS TODAY. Mom's BS went down to 156 from 301 yesterday with her new med. She now takes 1 1/2 tabs of glucotrol 2x a day and 2x a day metformin. It's amazing the difference and the diffence in her energy. :bouncing: