Hubby was taken to the ER, and we discovered in addition to his having a slight heart attack, his blood sugar was also 347, this was taken around 10 pm after having eaten 3 hotdogs, and 2 piecses of cherry cheese pie. He ate around 6pm. This was on Memorial Day. In the last week and a half, the highest his blood sugar has been is 187. That was tonight about 1.5 hours after eating a toasted cheese sandwich and some tomato soup. The lowest it has been was 134 the other night after eating some veggies, a grilled pork chop and a salad. He has been really trying to watch what he eats, and has also given up smoking. Are these numbers that bad? I know that normal is between 70-110-120, depending on who you talk to. The good news is that his heart attack was only slight, and the rest of his heart looks good. He is 45. I am just wandering about the numbers.

Sounds like your husband would benefit from seeing a Certified Diabetes Educator to help with a food plan.

I personally find that eating normal portions of lean meat and 2 or 3 green veggies keeps my BS down in the normal range. For some reason "my" body does not handle starches. Bread is high glycemic, that is it absorbs fast and that is probably why he had 187 after a sandwich and soup.

There are some breads out with only 7 or 9 or 11 carbs pers slice. Check out Nature's Own brand. Mrs. Bairds has a low carb bread and so does OrraWheat.

Avoid pastas, bread, rice, juices, potatoes, etc. and eat a limited amount of fruit and see if his BS drops down closer to normal.

Read labels, many things contain starch or sugar which will add up.

It is the total number of carbs at any one time rather than a certain food.

You can expect the BS to elevate 2-3 points per gram starch carb. Non starch carbs will only elevate it 1 point per gram.

You can estimate how high the BS will go before eating a meal. For each gram carb multiply it times 1 or 2 or 3 depending on type food. Add this to the BS number before the meal.

Remember that high fat in meals will hinder the body's insulin from doing the work it is intended to do.

While these numbers are not immediately dangerous, they are all above the normal range and need to be adjusted in order for your husband's diabetes to be successfully managed and brought under control. This may NOT be possible through diet alone. Many type 2 diabetics require strict dietary control, a regular program of intense exercise, and weight loss to control their diabetes. Others require oral glucose control medications, and still others require insulin injections. Don't hesitate to demand that the medical team--which should include an endocrinologist, dietician and diatetes educator at the minimum--work with your husband until his blood glucose levels ARE within an acceptable range most of the time. Failure to do so will mean he is courting further vascular problems, and other diabetes complications in the future, including amputations, kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, impotence, the list is long and gruesome. And almost totally aviodable, with 100% serious compliance and a medical team willing to work hard WITH you.

Demand it. And remember, knowledge is power--the more you know and understand about diabetes, the better armed you will be to take control. Go to the library and read the books, research on-line, join a support group. The doctors may downplay this disease, but you shouldn't--it's very serious and needs to be taken very seriously.

Michael
type 1 since 1965

[This message has been edited by MikelBear (edited 06-09-2003).]