High blood sugars

[kaycyn]

I have been on insulin for about 15 years. I can't get my blood sugars under control. I take 86 units of Lantus twice a day; 50 units of novolog at each meal; 1000mg metformin twice a day and 30mg actos once a day. My sugars run 280-500. The new dietician I just saw put me on 90 grams of carb at EACH meal (I think this is really high!). All the doctors say is "take more insulin". I could eat 24/7. I am 54 years old, female, 5'10", 275 pounds. I was over 200 pounds at age nine. My arms and legs are very thin. The majority of my weight is around my waistline. Ideas?

[BigDaddy_59]

Hmmm, I don't see the e word mentioned at all here.
e for Exercise
My blood sugars were extremely hard to control until I started exercising.
I don't particularly like to but the alternative is not pretty: kidney disease, blindness, and amputation. It may sound harsh but diabetes can be and only YOU have control over it. Learn to manage it as a whole not in parts.
If you don't do so well sometimes, don't be hard on yourself and give up.
As one of God's perfect beings, you ARE worth it!!!!!
Peace Out, Chris

[Randy0812]

I noticed that you were taking Actos; PLEASE get checked for bladder cancer which has been related to taking this drug. Stop taking it, get checked out and if necessary get yourself a lawyer.

[diabetes86]

I keep my carbs  under 20/meal  but even with that I need insulin.

for carbs under 10 I dont need insulin

[asok475]

90 carbs per  meal does seem high. My dietician advises no more than 60 per meal. That sure worked for me

[itsmybirthday]

Super_Sally has great advice. I would add that you can ask your doctor about an insulin pump and maybe a continuous glucose monitoring system. It's a system that tests your blood sugar every 5 minutes and alerts you when it goes outside of the perimeters you set. Then the you can have the insulin pump deliver enough insulin to bring it back down to what you need. A friend of mine has one. She has type 1 and her sugars were out of control, getting up to the 400's daily. Now, she has reversed some of the complications she was developing and her blood sugar almost never goes over 150.

[Super_sally888]

Hi Kay,

good that you are looking for answers.

The more carbs you eat, the more insulin you will need and the more your blood sugars will fluctuate.

Unfortunatley many dieticians still recommend high carb diets for diabetics.  This is not the most up-to-date approach.

To get your blood sugars under control I would recommend that you cut down your carbs dramatically.  However, you will need to do this very carefully as when you cut your carbs your insulin requirements will also drop.  

Many diabetics successfully get much better management when they reduce their carbs to somewhere between 60 - 100 g /day total.

What this means is no grains, very little fruit, no starchy vegetables.  You can eat full fat dairy, meats, and plenty of non-starchy vegetables.  (This is completely opposite to the traditional approach with recommends high carb, low fat diet for diabetics).

Please look up Dr. Richard Bernstein.  He has a book also.  He is nearly 70 and a type 1 diabetic since childhood.  He reversed many serious complications with his diet and is now very healthy.  He has pioneered and promotes a very low carb diet for diabetics (he targets about 35 g of carbs a day).

I am following his diet.  I swear it really works, and with it I can get away with far less insulin and have decent blood sugars than on a traditional diet.

If you send me a private message, I can also refer you to an online support community (we are not allowed to provide links here), which can give you great input and support on getting your sugars under control.

Best wishes

[diabetes86]

Ya,  STOP eating carbs.

your body does NOT need carbs, you make all the energy you need from fat and protein.

carbs raise Blood Glucose (BG)  ALL carbs raise BG,  

It may get deleted but try diabetesforum *******

lots of us there are low carbers.