Good Morning, I have been a Diabetic 2 since 1991 and am on oral meds. I am 69 and have been in a great exercise program for 5 weeks at Curves. When I check my readings about 1/2 hour after exercise (1 1/2 hr. after breakfast) they seem to be way too high, between 250 and 275. By the time I check at lunch time it is down to 120-130 and I have no trouble the rest of the day. I also experience the Dawn Phenom, usually about 140 to 160. I really want to continue with my exercise (I need it) but am concerned. My Dr. suggested Byetta but it is so expensive. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Exercise usually works in the exact reverse, that is, to lower your blood sugar levels.

The levels you are quoting with an average of 150 on arising and 125 baseline are typical of dawn phenomenon. I am not very concerned about this..... although your baseline is a little too high. If this is your average, your A1c is below 7, though.

The extremely high readings after your exercise tends to make me think that you have either eaten a large carbohydrate-rich breakfast or that there is some sort of measurement error.

Do you actually eat this meal so that it would cause this effect? I have concern about this. If this repeats on a day-after-day basis, it will cause your average blood sugar to rise into the organ-damaging regimes. Try spacing your carb intake more over the day if this is the case. You state that at no other time of day do you have a high sugar.

Many glucometers are quite sensitive to contamination on the fingers, I wonder if you are not picking up something off the exercise equipment which dissipates away due to perspiration over the time between your readings.

My doctor once mentioned to me that most people's blood sugar goes down after exercising, but some people's goes up. Perhaps if you could exercise at a different time of the day or a longer time after breadfast, you'd have better results. Each of us is different. I would guess that if you're persistent that you could find a way to do it without Byetta, but if nothing else works the medicine is much better than blood sugar readings that are too high.

It is quite possible for you blood sugar to go up when you exercise. I find for myself that if my glucose is above 170 or so when I start, then my sugar will rise when I exercise. I believe that what can happen is that your body (mistakenly) releases glucose just like the dawn phenomenon to help your body with the exercise. This doesn't happen for everyone, but I know that it can happen. You will have to keep an eye on it and see what happens. It may depend (like me) on what your sugar is when you start.

Cora

I actually have tried a breakfast of eggs and turkey bacon (no carbs)one morning and then a Slim-fast Optima drink the next morning and my readings are high either way after exercise. On the days that I don't exercise, 2 hours after breakfast I'm at 130 or below and then before lunch its 100 or below.
My A1c is usually between 7 and 7.5 and my Dr. is o.k. with that. I also have high blood pressure which is under control with meds and I have A Fib and I take Warfarin for that. Could any of this be causing my exercise problem?
Thanks for your help!!!