[cheriw1]

I was recently diagnosed in May as being pre-diabetic and have just started using a blood glucose monitor to help manage my symptoms better. I take kickboxing twice a week and I have been noticing that I get this fruity taste in my mouth and then today I actually became very confused, starting sweating profusely and shaking right during class. So, I tested my blood and it was a 5.0 which is not that bad. Anyways my instructor gave me a fruit box to drink and I immediately starting feeling better. I and very puzzled as to what is going on in my body. I was told to monitor my sugar levels because they are too high but then get episodes where it feels like my sugar is too low!???? Is this possible? I also get a tingling feeling in my fingers sometimes. Is this related? I am very confused. Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Shanny]

Hello Cheri, and welcome. If you've been running high for quite awhile, being at 5 may cause you to "feel" low even though it's a safe level, just because your body is so accustomed to running high. What is your A1c and how have your fasting readings been?

It's good to test frequently during exercise, especially something as strenuous as kickboxing. You'd be wise to carry glucose tabs with you since they are a measured dose of carbohydrate and allow you to treat a low without causing another high.

 

[cheriw1]

Thanks for your response. My last fasting glucose was 5.1 and my 2 hour test was 8.3. So not all that bad. They may be much higher but that is what my doctor told me they were when he tested them. I just started testing myself this week.

 

[momtohail]

Are you taking insulin or any medications?

 

[cheriw1]

I take meds but not for diabetes. I takes dexedrine (20mg), prozac(40mg) and birth control

 

[cheriw1]

just took glucose reading before bed and it was 8.2

 

[Shanny]

I hope your fasting this morning is lower . . . these numbers above 7 are looking more and more like diabetes.

Tell us what your diet is like, Cheri. You might be able to get your numbers down just by adjusting your carb intake, that is, reducing the amount of bread/pasta/rice/potatoes you eat.

 

[cheriw1]

Hi, my fasting this mornin was 4.8. So, that is good right? The other day it was 6.6 though. I can't figure out why the difference. I admit my diet is horrible. I am seeing a dietician to work on it but she seems to just lecture me and I hate bringing in my food journal for her because I know what she is going to say. I know what to change I just don't know how. Does that make sense?

 

[Shanny]

Boy, do we ever know the feeling! Besides which, your dietitian won't be happy with what we're going to tell you either, but we're here to tell you, this WORKS!

Jenny Ruhl at Blood Sugar 101 puts it in very succinct language here - How to Lower Your Blood Sugar. Then she gives us some bona fide examples here - What Can You Eat When You are Cutting Carbs? She is one of the wisest diabetes advocates on the planet, and there are tons of excellent information on her site.

Don't give up & don't give in, Cheri . . . we can be the masters of our diabetes and we can enjoy our lives while we do it!

 

[breezeonby]

Hi, my fasting this mornin was 4.8. So, that is good right? The other day it was 6.6 though. I can't figure out why the difference. I admit my diet is horrible. I am seeing a dietician to work on it but she seems to just lecture me and I hate bringing in my food journal for her because I know what she is going to say. I know what to change I just don't know how. Does that make sense?

It makes a lot of sense. Why we do things that aren't good for us is probably beyond the best psychiatrist. You can start by making small changes and build on them. There are many people who are able to change their diet overnight, if the word "diabetes" scares them enough and many of them have a good reason to be scared to death. Diabetes never scared me until it started to affect my vision and then I knew I better start to take the disease serious because it can affect so many parts of our body if we don't get it under control.