When your blood sugar goes too high, how long will the effects stay with you? Fatigue? Does fatigue continue? Headache? Et cetera? Putting aside the obvious long term problems, what are the short term?

For me, it totally depends on how the blood sugar went. A moderate high in the 200's is something I usually don't feel at all. In the 300's I feel it and the effects last usually 2-3 hours. Anything over 500 can make me feel bad for 6-12 hours. It totally depends on the person and the blood sugar level. Good luck

When my blood sugar goes over 300 I have to frequently urinate, about every 10 to 15 minutes, and also I feel bloated. My vision can become impaired; blurred, and I might even feel faint. Hyperglycemia can also cause dehydration. I have noticed that the pain in my feet and lower legs increases with high blood sugar levels, and all of these symptoms are usually relieved when my blood sugar is normalized.

I have been a type 2 for about 10 years; had a sudden onset of adult diabetes right before my 50th birthday. I was getting up every 10 to 15 minutes to go to the bathroom, all night long, and allot of the other symptoms described above. On my way to work I stopped at a hospital emergency room and told them that I didn’t feel good. They ran some tests on me and told me that my blood sugar level was 900. I was admitted to the hospital. Since then my blood sugar has seldom gone over 400. There has been a few times where I have been 300 or better, but my most recent A1c was 6.8, and I’m trying to bring it down even lower. In my opinion some of the most damaging effects of short term high blood sugar levels are that they add to the damaging long term effects, but I do agree that it is a very individual thing. When I first was diagnosed with diabetes the doctor told me that I was very fortunate because some people die, go into a diabetic coma, or experience severe diabetic ketoacidosis, with a blood sugar level of 700; so my blood sugar being at 900 was very critical.

he is full of b.s. 900 and he would be dead,thats like saying i drained all my blood ,waited awhile then put it back in..why they let postings like this go out,is amazing :bouncing:

Sorry DickTracy but it is quite possible to have a blood sugar that high. If this person had undiagnosed diabetes for a while it would even be possible to be conscious and walking around. When I was about 15 (and not taking good care of myself) I was clocked at 1017. You would certainly be dead if it stayed that high, but it is possible to have a sugar that high and be alive.

Cora

he is full of b.s. 900 and he would be dead,thats like saying i drained all my blood ,waited awhile then put it back in..why they let postings like this go out,is amazing :bouncing:
When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes my blood sugar was 930! It took 3 days in the hospital to get my blood sugar under 300! :eek:

So with respect to a "high" of 200, are fatigue and headaches common side effects? And can they last to the next day even if your level is down?

So with respect to a "high" of 200, are fatigue and headaches common side effects? And can they last to the next day even if your level is down?
Yes;unless your blood sugar is under 130 you will have these problems,along with excessive urination.

Can i just ask what a blood sugar of 900 would be in european terms? Is that over 30??

he is full of b.s. 900 and he would be dead,thats like saying i drained all my blood ,waited awhile then put it back in..why they let postings like this go out,is amazing :bouncing:

Hi I'v been a diabetic for a year know but was told I most likely walked around with high sugar for years because they were surprised that I was still walking when the took my level I was at 541 After a 2hr gtt I passed out after drinking the glucose and The nurse thought I was taking a nap. If I was at 541 after 2hrs I can imagen how high I was right after it hit my blood. I left the lab and went home only to get a phone call telling me to get to emerg. When your levels run high for a long time you'd be surprised what the body can handle. My fasting blood sugar before the gtt was 324 I had no idea that there was anyting wrong.

Can i just ask what a blood sugar of 900 would be in european terms? Is that over 30??

The answer is 50

he is full of b.s. 900 and he would be dead,thats like saying i drained all my blood ,waited awhile then put it back in..why they let postings like this go out,is amazing :bouncing:
My son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was six. I took him to a doctor to see what was wrong as he was having all sorts of problems. His initial blood test revealed that his blood sugar was over 1000. It does happen. You are misinformed.

It really greatly depends on your own body, too. My bg is pretty well under control and yes, when I go over 200 I "feel" it. I will get crabby and irritable, have eye problems, etc, and the effect will last for a couple of days.

If you can picture a graph with the line going much higher than usual, then think of the line coming down lower than normal. Mine "swings" up and down like that for a while until it normalizes, so it is usually the downswing that makes me feel bad and not necessarily the high number. That also explains why, when I check it, the numbers are sometimes "normal' (they are in the process of coming down). If I check it every few minutes I can see what is really going on, though.

Blessings
ramona

Dick Tracy,
It is very possible to have blood sugar that high.
My brother drove himself to VA hospital about 8-10 miles from his home as he was not feeling well. He was over 900 when he got there. He was put in the hospital of course. He did not know that he was diabetic.
I was diagnosed just about a year before him, we were the first in our family to be diagnosed with it, as far as we could find out from older relatives.
I tell you once you are diagnosed your whole life goes out of control......
Good Luck !

Dick Tracy,
I tell you once you are diagnosed your whole life goes out of control......
Good Luck !

:confused: Once you are diagnosed is when 'YOU" gain "CONTROL" of your life.

I for one have gain total control over my life and health since being diagnosed. I haven't felt this great in many years! Now I know what my illness is and how to combate it.

My headaches worsen severely with elevated bgl. Also 900 doesn't mean dead, I was in a coma for 3 days with bgl around 900 and I survived.

Yes, Dick Tracy you can be alive and have a blood sugar of 900...I know someone who was Dx'd at 930....When I was Dx'd with Type 1 Diabetes at 25 yrs old, (I am now 33)....my blood sugar was 552 when I came into the E.R. practically blind. Although I do my best to control this disease it still creeps back up to over 500 and I have seen one reading of 600, what scares me is what the reading is when is doesn't give reading and it just says HI....
To the post above, I also have pain in my legs, like constant leg aches, and it is usually when my sugar is out of control. Diabetes sucks but we have to deal with it unfortunately. I know I never want to ever get a reading of 900...that is just too scary. But, I know that it has happened to my friend's dad.

Oh, my gosh! You all are really freaking me out. 200, 300,500,900???? I can't even imagine! Mine was caught very very early and I am glad. I have real control. My last a1c was 5.1. No highs no lows. If I go over 113 I feel such guilt. I cannot imagine doing that to myself when I have control over what I put in my mouth. I am going to keep every blessed beta cell I have so they can keep on producing insulin. I hope to never go on insulin. And I want to keep my feet, eyes, and heart, and kidneys- thank you very much. Please- all of you gain better control. I firmly believe we have control over this disease! Not like cancer or Alzheimers! :blob_fire

The only problem, lowcarber, is the fact that your ability to "keep" your beta cells may be out of your hands, even with tight BG control.

Well, let's put it this way, if I eat the way most docs want a diabetic to, I will burn out my remaining cells way earlier than I ever need to. So rather than put a strain on them to produce more and more insulin, I am giving them a break by eating low carb.

I certainly don't believe that levels above 200 are ok. I've never seen these levels since I started testing and eating low carb and that was in early December. I am feeling great and to top it all off have lost 60 pounds. My doctor is just thrilled with my progress and uses me and another diabetic she has to let others know it can be done.

I guess what I am saying is that I am very alarmed that diabetics would accept high numbers as their lot in life. That losing limbs and sight is what always happens. That going to the restroom several times a night is normal. That trigger finger and frozen shoulders are our fates. I can't even fathom that.

Lowcarber,

Its wonderful you're so much in control and YES you should be looked upon as a role model but reality is that very few diabetics will ever gain the same tight control you have. You said yourself...
Posted by lowcarber
My doctor is just thrilled with my progress and uses me and another diabetic she has to let others know it can be done
Your doctor only has 2 patients in her whole practice that has reached such control. That makes you and the other diabetic the exception.

We live different lifestyles, some with other medical and/or physical issues and we all want to "keep our feet, eyes, heart and kidneys" that’s why we are all here on this forum! ;) We agree readings of 200,300,500,900 are not OK and we don't "accept high numbers as our lot in life". But instead of denouncing people that have not gotten a grip on their control "YET" we should give them credit for coming onto this forum in the first place. For some (believe it or not) that is not an easy task.

When a diabetic reaches a 200 reading from 900 - that's a great accomplishment and a great indication of better health - just the same as your accomplished levels. I applaud every person on this forum and also you for going over and beyond gaining control:bouncing:

Be Well!

The point of my earlier post is that some of us are the result of genetics. I have been a serious runner my whole life, ate very, very well, was never overweight and was in a constant state of training for road races. Then, without explanation, in my early 50's it hit without warning. Curiously linked to this is the fact my sister has also come down with an even more serious autoimmune disease and about the same age. Yes, tight control of BG is the most vital thing in slowing its progress but sometimes halting it is a dream.

There are other factors that aggravate high levels of BG such as stress, other diseases (with their accompanying medications), or even a liver that overcompensates by putting sugar back into the bloodstream. Not everyone is blessed by simply eating low carb and voila, the numbers magically fall into line. For some it is a serious struggle with serious consequences. My best friend has been a T1 for his entire lifetime. When he was a child and even into young adulthood, the science of diabetes control was much more guesswork than it is today. No test strips in those days, just innacurate urine test strips that you matched the color on a chart. Because of the earlier days of scientific ignorance, he is fighting a daily battle most of us couldn't even imagine.

So, point is, for some of us it is not that easy. For those who find it easy, count your blessings!

..... So, point is, for some of us it is not that easy. For those who find it easy, count your blessings!
The issue here is that most of the diabetics who are frustrated and dismayed by their inability to achieve good BG control are on the traditional high-carb way of eating. We all grew up eating like this, which explains why T2 diabete has become such a big problem. Lowcarber isn't denouncing anyone. She is reacting to the unrealistic expectation that good control can be achieved at the same time as a high-carb way of eating is maintained.

Whether you are T1 or T2, the same priniple applies. The more carb you eat the bigger your control problem gets. And just treating the numbers doesn't go far enough. For T2s, the focus needs to be on minimising the supply of glucose into the blood stream. Because this is what causes insulin resistance and the eventual rise in blood sugar levels.

Achieving good control isn't easy for anyone. And minimising carbs of all types should be the first step in making BG control a lot easier. This applies to everybody. We all turn carbs into glucose. So when I read about someone having control problems, the first question in my mind is : I wonder how they are eating?

Cheers,

Mark ;)

Thanks Mark!
Control is not easy, I fight every day to keep control. Like everyone some days are easier than others.

My doc did say I was one of 2 she could point to. The question is what am I doing different than the others. I can tell you I am not eating the standard high carb diet recommended by some organizations. Never thought that eating high carb and then trying to deal with the resulting bg spikes made any sense.

I cannot eat everything that I like. In fact there is a lot I just cannot eat. Sometimes that is depressing. On the other hand, I keep thinking that I would be very depressed if I lost my sight and couldn't read or lost my leg and had to deal with that. This helps keep my thoughts in perspective.

I am certainly not implying that others just aren't trying. I am implying that whatever they are doing is just not working. As Mark says, I then ask myself what are these good people eating? I suspect way too many carbs.

All diabetics got here via a different route, but we battle the same disease. If a certain way is not bringing you success than you should investigate another way. I am following in the footsteps of others who have found good control and hope to continue my path to old old woman hood.

Thanks Mark!

I am certainly not implying that others just aren't trying. I am implying that whatever they are doing is just not working. As Mark says, I then ask myself what are these good people eating? I suspect way too many carbs.

All diabetics got here via a different route, but we battle the same disease. If a certain way is not bringing you success than you should investigate another way. I am following in the footsteps of others who have found good control and hope to continue my path to old old woman hood.

While technically it is the same disease, it is not really the same disease for everyone. There are a huge number of factors which can affect your blood sugar and in some cases, what you eat may not have anything to do with high sugar. Temperature can affect your glucose. Even though I live in airconditioning, sometimes, with no change in my low carb diet, my blood sugar shoots up to 400 if the weather is hot and humid. At Christmas, birthdays and special events, because I am excited, my sugar can drop like a rock. Stress, allergies, other illnesses, injuries, other emotions, temperature, amount of sunlight, etc. These are all things that can affect a persons body, and that can affect blood sugar. Not everyone's liver is the same either and in some cases it can go over the top and dump huge amounts of sugar into the system.

It really isn't fair to say that if people have high blood sugars, it's something they did. That is not always the case. As the other poster said, if you are fortunate enough to be able to keep yourself so stable with a low carb diet and do not get unexplained fluctuations, then you should count your blessings.

Cora