with other diabetics and their families helped the diabetic team to assist me to control my blood sugar and to understand personality changes and mood swings that impact my husband and children and inspire them to be more patient and tolerant.
Controlling Fluctuations of Diabetes Blood Glucose, Healing and Preventing Nerve Damage with Baby’s Milk
more patient and tolerant.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR KETONE TESTING
Persons with Type 2 Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes should call their doctor when:
1. blood sugar is greater than 240 mg/dl and ketones are positive in the urine
2. the blood sugar has increased over the past 12 hours and tests show the presence of ketones.
Two kidneys in the back of our spine above the waistline filter blood flow through tiny capillaries. High levels of ketones in urine warn of possible kidney problems. Kidney complications include fatigue, lower back pain and light burning sensation while urinating.
To determine whether my diabetes is affecting my kidneys, my physician recommends microalbumin laboratory tests at least once a year.
When I experience light burning sensations while voiding, I usually drink cranberry cocktail juice for 2-3 days. When the painful sensation does not go away, doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat possible infections in the urinary tract. Cranbury juice is now my regular beverage. I take a half glass at least once daily.
Oral medication was prescribed twice daily which, in recent years, was reduced to one tablet twice daily. I take my prescription to this day.
In the beginning, I was instructed to monitor my blood sugar every four hours, six times a day. Even at night I had to prick my fingers twice – I had to – even though I had difficulty getting back to sleep.
Pricking my fingers – forefinger; middle finger; ring finger – so many times produced ugly calluses. Sometimes no blood came out, since the skin had hardened. With the needle so small I feared it would break and embed the tip under my skin, so I often had to prick myself twice, sometimes thrice. I abhor pricking myself, even though the needle is small and the pain is bearable. Nonetheless, I cannot stand the sight of blood, especially my own.
Each month Dr. Levy-Kern smiled when she read my logbook showing a much lower blood sugar level than the previous month; or frowned when the glucose level rose.
In addition to daily pricking my fingertips, Dr. Levy-Kern ordered a hospital glycated hemoglobin blood test, or HbAIC, which gave a three to four month average blood sugar reading.
She explained that HbAIC tests measure how much sugar is attached to protein in the red blood cells, which have a life-span of three months – hence the three-month averaging of sugar level in the blood as determined in the laboratory.
I discovered that pricking a few times daily is truly meaningful. In the morning before breakfast my reading is mostly low; after lunch my blood sugar surges higher than expected. Before dinner the sugar level can be normal but after dinner, the glucose also surges within two hours.
Controlling Fluctuations of Diabetes Blood Glucose, Healing and Preventing Nerve Damage with Baby’s Milk
In the beginning it annoyed me no end to prick my fingers. I realized, however, doing so made me aware of the fluctuating glucose level which I had to avoid and control to prevent complications that could damage my body organs. The fluctuations of my glucose levels in different hours of the day made me realize that pricking my fingers just once daily was a grave risk. I began to appreciate the value, even though it depressed me immensely.
By this time I had a new family physician, Dr. Thomas Scuderi, who also treats diabetics. I explained my feelings to him. After examining me and reading my logbook which reflected stable glucose levels, he finally reduced the finger pricking to three times a day; then twice a day. However, even pricking myself once a day became exasperating for me. I simply couldn’t do it any more.
He finally agreed for me to prick my fingers three times a week – once every other day – on condition that on those days, my glucose level remain stable and that I strictly observe my Food Exchange Plan. I gratefully agreed.
As ordered, I strictly observed my food intake, dutifully took my prescribed medications and exercised moderately as required.
When I detected low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), I immediately pricked my finger. When the meter showed low blood sugar, confirming my suspicion, I took two glucose tablets which I keep with me everywhere I go during the day and on my side of the bed at night. Their melting in my mouth reduces my weakness and stops my profuse cold sweats and makes me feel warm again. Low glucose (hypoglycemic) makes me hungry and thirsty but the glucose tablets reduce my weakness and recharge my energy. As a result, I could easily go to the kitchen for toast, unsalted crackers and a half glass of orange juice.
During hypoglycemia attacks which happen often in my sleep, I can hardly get out of bed to walk to the kitchen for those unsalted crackers and orange juice.
How do I detect hypoglycemia when I am deeply asleep? Cold perspiration soaks my pajamas and wakes me up.
When I continue feeling cold all over even after taking glucose tablets and wearing extra clothing, I call Dr. Scuderi who usually asks me to report to his clinic for observation.
When I detect high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) by heavy-labored breathing when I am not doing anything; nausea; body aches, I immediately prick my fingertips to see if my blood sugar rose very high. When it does, I immediately take water preferably, followed by a couple of hours of rest and sleep. When I wake up feeling my blood sugar is still high, I prick my fingertips to see how high. I always make a doctor’s appointment when the blood sugar remains high. On a few occasions while under observation at Dr. Scuderi’s clinic when my blood sugar remains high (over 250 mg/dl), I was given insulin injection which lowered my blood glucose in one to two hours, after which I felt fine again.
Controlling Fluctuations of Diabetes Blood Glucose, Healing and Preventing Nerve Damage with Baby’s Milk
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) happens over hours and days. It gives you time to observe symptoms and call for help.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) happens fast, leaving minutes to an hour to attend to it. Unattended low blood glucose causes coma or death but it is preventable. Low blood sugar is more dangerous than high blood sugar. The danger of low blood sugar is the main reason I refuse to take the mildest sleeping pills during nights when sleep eludes me. What if my blood sugar went dangerously low? I might not wake up at all.
Hyperglycemia happens over hours and days, giving me 24 hours to observe my symptoms and to call my physician or rush to the emergency room when my blood sugar does not go down to an acceptable level after all the precautions detailed in this book have been observed.
Both high and low blood sugar are dangerous when neglected. My response to both is eternal vigilance. My body warns me. Testing my glucose level confirms those warnings mentioned in this book and I heed them.
During a monthly consultation in the earlier years, my diabetic specialist assumed, correctly, that I had been diabetic before I was medically diagnosed. Therefore, very high blood sugar for years, which led to the phone call from Dr. Klepacki, possibly caused nerve damage or diabetic neuropathies
