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Most who have developed type 2 Diabetes still have the ability to produce insulin. So the body still regulates sugar, but since the body has had so much sugar pushed into it, it now “thinks” that a higher unhealthy sugar level should be maintained. So, doctors are usually not worried about the sugar level every hour like a type 1 diabetic. They are more worried about the a1c level - long term damage caused by high sugar levels.

 

THe A1c figure approximates to an average of finger tip measurements - but an average may range from very high to very low or be fairly level.

In my case when I was at my worst, the A1c did not indicate a serious problem. And when I changed my diet & became well, the change in A1c was small. It was the high readings that were causing the problem, & the A1c does show those.

 

Yes, like so many worthwhile endeavors in life, it's definitely a process.

 

If not, you can always purchase a different glucometer and test strips from places like Walmart or CVS Pharmacy at a fairly inexpensive price.

After all, the important thing is to monitor your blood sugar level, not which brand of glucometer you use.

And I'm looking forward to keeping up on your continuing journey on this "brave, new frontier," so to speak.

 

That's strange.

So you had an a1c of about 5.0, but your fasting blood sugar level was above 180? That doesn't make sense to me.

 

I'm glad to hear you have an understanding boss. That seems to be a rare commodity these days, unfortunately.

 

The cause of your blood sugar possibly going too low is due to the medications they are likely to eventually put you on. If you are ever placed on Insulin injections, that is a very real problem. One has to match the carbohydrates they consume to the amount of insulin they take, and there are times when it just doesn't work correctly.

If you are controlling your diabetes with diet and exercise there should only be a small risk for lows unless you are being very active for an extended period of time. Also, the go to medication of most doctors for new diabetics is metformin. It is also unlikely to cause lows.

Three correct sized meals with two or three snacks a day is wise to keep your glucose levels as constant as possible. Skipping meals and snacks and eating a large meal causes spikes. So it is wise to eat snacks on a schedule, but don't worry too much about doing it to avoid lows unless you are taking a medication that can cause lows.

 

Great idea! It's nice to see you're taking your diabetes seriously.

And, worst case scenario, if you should ever lose consciousness unexpectedly, and an ambulance is called, the EMTs will know about your diabetes, when you're unable to tell them yourself.

 

No. What I said was -

My A1c was in the diabetic range - about 140 (7) which does not indicate uncontrolled blood glucose, yet I was crippled with muscle pain. When I check the after meal BG it was up to about 300 (15) which was the cause of the problem. Readings went down to about 80 (4).

The after meal spikes were the significant BGs, NOT the A1c.

An A1c of 140, ranging from 80 to 300 (7, 4-15) is much worse than the same value A1c of 140 ranging from 100-200. (7, 5-10.)

TBH I didn't do a lot of 1 hour post meal measurements after eating carbs. It's not an experiment to repeat once I knew the effect!

 

In over 20 years T2 I have never gone below 80 (4) and never blacked out. My driving problems before I cut the carbs were chronic tiredness & leg numbness. I stopped at every motorway service station & occasionally stopped on the hard shoulder. The numbness meant I could not be sure of stopping safely. My last motorway journey home was courtesy of the AA.

Those conditions ended within 3 months of cutting out carbs. 12 years on I'm OK.

I have reported my diabetes to the car insurance company & the department of transport. Control by diet &/or metformin has no special consideration. Occurrence of sudden fainting obviously has to be declared. In the UK, after 70, the driving licence last 3 years, & one has to answer a health questionaire before it is issued. Check any points of doubt with the doctor.

I'm very thankful to God for guiding me to advice that has restored my health & kept me well.

 

I'm thinking you can use the same Lancet several times, as long as you're the only one using it (and it's still sharp enough).

 

I use the same one about 50 times - change it when I start a new pack of test strips.