I have been diabetic for 22 years. Diagnosed type 2 when I was VERY overweight. I started out on oral meds, and when I joined Cornell, I began to use Lantus. Started with 46 units and 2000 metformin each day.

Well, that was almost 5 years ago. Lost A LOT OF WEIGHT. Stopped the metformin almost 4 years ago and just took Lantus. My daily dose (in the a.m) was about 20 till last year, and I was down to 18 till last week.

I have discovered that if I eat every few hours, my sugar reading is about 100 to 120. No kidding.

IF I FORGET TO EAT, MY SUGAR GOES UP!!!! During the Day!!! So I gather this is NOT DAWN PHENOMENON??

Doesn't matter if I eat something before bed, or I don't eat something, my sugar is high in the morning. Sometimes it's 167, but sometimes it's 180.

As soon as I take the Lantus, go to breakfast, and go about my day, if I forget to each lunch at 1 p.m. or so, and I take my sugar, it's could be 190 or even higher. The I say "Oh, you forgot to eat". So I eat a nice salad with some protein for lunch, take my sugar one to two hours later and it's 100.

I always thought that if a diabetic didn't eat, they would have hypoglycemia. And the they would get the shakes and have to take those glucose pills.

So question number 1. How come my sugar reading goes UP if I don't eat, and comes right back down one hour later. I also eat the Bitter Melon, and that sucks the sugar right out of me. But even if I don't eat the Bitter Melon, as long as I eat a nice lunch (I never eat any refined carbs), just salad with tuna or grilled chicken, or some fish. It's ALWAYS a healthy lunch.

Then my sugar goes almost to normal. I do not understand this.

I am now on 14 units of Lantus. To me, it doesn't make a whole bit if difference if I am on 20 or 14. As long as I eat every few hours, my sugar is fine.

It's the nighttime thing I would like to correct. I understand that during the night, the sugar goes down, then the liver dumps glucagon (I have no idea what this is), and that's why my sugar is high in the a.m.

I am continuing to lose weight. It's getting easier as I go down on the Lantus. My goal was to go off Lantus completely. The people at Cornell told me: 'Mel, you are on practically NOTHING". And that was when I was on 20 units of Lantus.

The reason I'm so bewildered about this diabetes thing, is that my friend just had to go on 3 shots a day of humulog and she also take Levimir. She's on 80 units of Levimir, plus humulog, (her doctor just took her off of januvia and another oral med.

So earlier this week she was on Januvia, Glyburide, Levimir, and 3 shots of Humulog. She got dizzy and her doctor took her off of Januvia and glyburide.

So now she takes 4 shots a day of insulin (one of which is a basal insulin like I take).

I went on a diabetic message board and everybody there was on either 50 or 80 units of Lantus, and Humulog also.

I said to myself "I'm on 14 units of Lantus, once a day, and if I don't eat my sugar goes UP??? but if I remember to eat every few hours, it goes to normal??

I am confused. I really am.

I'll lose more weight because I'm walking more, and my diet is good. I have about 25 more lbs to lose. I lost over 100 and that took years. I am not like those people on the Biggest Loser, where they lose 80 lbs in 5 months.

This took YEARS of lifestyle change. I eat my sprouts, I eat some chicken, some fish, no refined carbs, except for maybe half a muffin after dinner with a cup of coffee. Honestly, that is my only indulgence, and that is not very often. I make my own sugar free pies, and I'll have a piece of that with my evening coffee and that's it.

No bed time snacks, no cake, no chips (not for years). I drink my water, I don't drink any kind of soda, I hate carbonation.

So what is up with this "if I don't eat, my sugar goes up during the daytime, but if I DO eat, it goes almost to normal"

Is there a dawn phenonemon going on during the day?

I mean, I watched Dr. Oz and he had a lady who lost 100 lbs and he was asking her about "what do you eat?" and she said: "I graze all day"

And he said "Oh, to keep your blood sugar stable?" And she said "yes". She was also off all meds also.

If anyone can give me some tips on how to get the morning sugar reading down a bit, and if you can explain why, when I don't eat, my sugar goes up during the day, I would be very appreciative.

I honestly thought that when any diabetic doesn't eat, we get hypoglycemic. I've had that happen a few times during my 22 year journey with diabetes, (you can count the number of times my sugar has gone to 60 if I forgot to eat). Maybe 4 times in 22 years. I don't have the hypo thing going on.

So is this HYPER glycemia, (when I don't eat and it goes UP)?? Is this what is going on with my body? I mean, it's amazing that I can get a reading of 197 at 2 p.m. because I didn't eat since 9:30 a.m. and then have lunch and an hour or two later, I'm at 120 or lower. Usually I do remember to eat lunch but I can't graze all day. Who grazes all day?

I know the function of my pancreas is to put out insulin when I eat carbs. but my lunch is salad, grilled fish or chicken, so any carbs are not refined carbs. So do I have a working pancreas? I mean, during the day I've been getting 100's 110, the other day I got 90.

Holy Cow.

And that was on 15 units of Lantus.

Should I go back to 18 or 19. I did that for years and well, I can't explain it but for 2 days (on the 14 units), my daytime readings (when I remembered to eat) were really good.

I would like to understand my body. I really don't want to go on oral meds again (My body did NOT like metformin). I would like to be off everything but if that won't be the case, I'll stick with what I'm doing.

In my head I say to myself "Melody, if you lose 20 more lbs, you'll sugar reading will be good in the morning". Is this an achievable goal??

Anyone??

Thanks much if someone could just say "Melody, this is what is happening to your body when you forget to eat lunch.........etc"

Melody