Hopeless,

Thank you so much for your time and efforts of answering my post. I also made a long and detailed reply to your first reply but for whatever reason, It didnt not get through. I dont do well in front of the screen for a long time, plus my neuropathy is bothering me a lot. So, i just wrote an abbreviated reply which what you read last night.

I am very concerned about the highs and the lows because I already have a neuropathy, a painful and creeping progressively. I am not sure if the elevation is due to my age or my post menopausal or both. Having BS normal and with no family history, the numbers are high for me.

Well, i received a call from the endoc's nurse, my AIC is within normal. It really makes so much sense when you said that AIC is normal when you have swings of highs and lows. I try to walk regularly but with the neuropathy, it restricts me in doing so as often as i should.

is the reason for extreme numbers ONLY insulin resistance? I had a complete thyroidectomy and currently being treated for Mycobacterium Avium with 3 strong antibiotics. I am not sure if this can be a reason. though, my pulmonologist/infectious disease said that my pulmonary infection is stable that it could not be the reason for my elevated sugars. But you know these doctors, with my personal experience with a lot of them, and with lack of awareness of the infection, Im not sure....

I totally agree with you doctors will not take you seriously, unless you are really sick.

Mary

Hopeless,

Can it be considered as pre-diabetes?

thanks.

Mary

I run out of time and get logged out while I am responding if I take too long. I may respond in bits and pieces to avoid losing the post as I did last night. This has happened to me before and I was told that I might try clicking on the Remember Me when I sign in to prevent being timed out.

I did not mean to ramble so much when I tried to re-create my lost post. Sorry about that. I have had peripheral neuropathy for many many years, long before I was diabetic. Now, docs want to blame everything on my diabetes. Yes, the diabetes is creating some of its own problems and exacerbating others but it is not the cause of everything that is wrong with me. I get really annoyed with the constant blame on my diabetes for conditions I had 20 years and more before I was diabetic.

Oops, better stop here and submit. I will continue under a separate response.

If you check the "remember me" box when you log
In... You will not be logged out ( timed out).

Hi Mrs D,

I thought I remembered you telling me about the remember me but I keep forgetting to do it.

Thanks for the reminder. It will help IdiopathicPN, too.

Hi Mary,

I am back. The reason I had previously asked about your age and/or post menopausal was because there is a relationship of PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome and metabolic syndrome including insulin resistance. There are a lot of other contributors to blood sugar changes, including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, stress, arteriosclerosis, fatty liver, PVD, liver disease, certain medications, alcohol, etc. Cushing's and Addison's can alter blood sugar. Possible signs of insulin resistance can be skin tags and acanthoses nigrican, (spelling??) big word for darkened skin.

There is an interesting article about "normal" blood sugars at www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/16422495.php I do not know how to post a link so I hope you can get to it by typing it in. I think you would like reading it. Most blood sugar articles are geared to diabetics.

I did see that hyperthyroidism will cause changes in blood sugar levels and since you said that you had thyroid issues, maybe that is a reason for your swings. I would ask your endocrinologist about it. Maybe that is why he is not concerned about your swings. He surely knows a few thousand tons more than I will ever know.

Hi Mary,

Me again. I am guessing you are on thyroid medication. Maybe your meds are causing your swings.

No matter what the cause, I do think you should seek advice from your doc as to the best method for leveling out your blood sugars. The swings are hard on your body and organs, not to mention adding to your PN.

I have seen some articles claiming post prandials up to 180 OK, but I think that is pushing the envelope. Normal should not go above 140. Normal should not go below 70. I have always been fearful of losing my sight since early childhood. I won't risk my eyesight to what some piece of paper says is OK. I already have cataracts, narrow angle glaucoma, and episodic blurrs, and despise seeing my eye doctor. A lot of people hate going to the dentist but I hate going to the eye doctor.

Hope some of this helps. Oh, I see that the typed link did turn into a hyperlink when I clicked on the submit post.

Hope you can find the link and enjoy reading it.

Keep in touch.

Yes, it could be pre-diabetes but I would not jump to that conclusion. I would monitor daily for several weeks and take the log to your endocrinologist. A BMP blood draw, (basic metabolic panel which includes a blood glucose) is just one point in time. An A1C is an average of your sugars, both highs and lows, over about 2 months time. The BEST diagnostic tool is your daily log combined with the lab tests.

Hopeless,

My case is hypothyroidism. My endocrinologist didnt seem to relate my blood sugar complaint on my thyroid. The thyroid function is relatively stable. I said "relatively" because sometimes its normal and sometimes its high normal, sometimes its way off. But most of the times, its normal.

Among the causes you mentioned, the possible that i can point at : medications, stress and the PCOS and age. When i was younger, I was diagnosed to have endometriosis (not sure if PCOS and endometriosis are the same - i will google it after i submit this post). I am taking combination of strong antibiotics for a lung infection, and yes a lot of stress because of the PN pain and the uncertainty of my lung infection.

I dont know what to believe now. My pulmo said that my lung infection is stable. But I remember this elevated sugar started around the same time that i was doagnosed with the lung infection. Maybe its just a coincidence.

Im not sure if i mentioned it (my memory is so bad because of the gabapentin) but the endoc called me informing me that my recent AIC was normal. I asked that the report be mailed to me. So now, I should be more vigilang with my home test monitoring.

Your link is very helpful and informative. It was written in a way that easy to understand. I read from top to bottom.

thank you so much for your time.

P.s. After my eye check up today, I ate a Whopper (hamburger) and skip the fries. Unfortunately, I could not be home in time for the 2hr mark test. I tested once i home and it was 114 after 3.5 hours.

Hi Mary,

I think if you want to see your peak highest level post prandial, you might want to check about 45 minutes after eating to see just how high it gets, and then a second time to see the direction. If I eat something out of the ordinary, I test about 45 minutes to an hour and then again about a half hour later to see if I am climbing or coming back down. I don't do that often, only when I eat something different which is rare. The problem is the only time I usually eat something different is when I eat at someone else's house or in a restaurant and I have to remember to bring my meter with me. That only happens a very few times per year. The reason I test so quickly is because I may have consumed "fast" carbs, rather than "slow" carbs.

Maybe you could send me PM's to keep me posted on how it is going. I would love to keep in touch. I think you have been very smart to keep track of your blood sugars without being diagnosed with a problem. There are a lot of people walking around with pre-diabetes and diabetes and have no idea. Even when people feel fine, have an annual check-up and routine blood work, they usually do not know their lab results. The doc says everything is within normal range and it ends there.

I was at a meeting a few years ago and sat next to a lady that happened to mention that she was diabetic. We actually have the same endocrinologist. She told me that she tests a few times per week and had no idea what her A1C is on any occasion. I was shocked that she did not keep track of her levels. (She also has VERY serious lung conditon and cardiac issues.) She is not well at all.

You may not be pre-diabetic but you have taken the right steps to stay as healthy as possible and correct a potential problem. I applaud you for taking control and keeping a watchful eye on your levels. Again, I would not worry but I would keep track and discuss it with your endocrinologist at your next visit.

Eye doctor today? Glad it was you and not me. I freak out every time I have to go. I had a great opthomologist from childhood until my forties. We actually crossed paths outside of his practice and I became friends with his family. I even babysat for his kids. I ran into his oldest daughter and learned he had passed away. I haven't found anyone I trust near my eyes ever since then. My newest optho and I did not hit it off on the very first visit. I asked my endo for another reference and he asked why I did not like her. I gave her a second chance thinking maybe she was just having a bad day. NOPE, she was even worse the second time. That is a long story which I won't go into tonight but maybe another time. I am thinking I will see one of the other docs in the practice next time because I never want to see her again.

I am really particular with the people (doctors) that I trust with my life, my eyes, etc.

I worked with too many docs and know that just because they made it through med school does not make them good. Their certificates do not say whether they were at the top or the bottom of the class. I also make sure they are board certified. She may be a good optho but we do not get along at all. And if I don't like her, it affects the trust.

There I go again, rambling. It must be my meds. (Smile) Not really but that sounds better than I am just off my rocker.

Hopeless