[type2]

last night before bed my sugar was 93 so i didn't take any glimepiride because it would cause me to wake up with low sugar

this was around midnight last night (93 reading)

now 7 hours later it's 147

what happens over-night to make it go up like that ?

i was active all day yesterday and stuck to a very strict atkins diet. i actually only ate twice yesterday. eggs and sausage for one meal, italian sausage for another. my last meal was around 6pm

this is nothing new. one time i went without eating for 24 hours. my sugar when going to bed was 90 and when i woke up it was 110 and this was without eating for 36 plus hours

other times i'll go to bed and it's around 100 and wake up to a fasting sugar in the 160s and that's with the glimepiride

for background, i take metformin 850mg 3 times a day, glimepiride 8mg daily, i'm supposed to take actos 45mg but can't afford it

i started atkins 2 weeks ago because my fasting sugar was getting up over 200

 

[nerrad33]

I'm noticing the same thing type2. I go to bed between 90 and 120 and wake between 140 and 160. I am injecting 10 units of lantus at 8:30pm.

nerrad33

 

[Shalynne]

Oooooohh, yeah. Frustration City!

You might want to look up "Dawn Phenomenon," either on this Forum, or by Googling around.

"Liver dump" is another term worth exploring. When you don't eat for several hours, the liver may assume you're starving to death and panics accordingly. It then starts dumping glucose into your system. It does not know when to stop.

If my levels are under 90 at bedtime, I munch on some string cheese or deli meat or something protein-y that digests slowly and keeps my liver calm(er). I also try not to oversleep, 'cause that wears out the effects of the snack.

As with all things diabetic, this does not work for everybody. Dawn Phenomenon is a complex beastie. Hope it helps, however!

 

[type2]

thanks!

that's weird because i almost ate some cheese and deli meat before going to bed but decided against it

 

[type2]

by the way, does anyone happen to know how high (and how long) your sugar levels have to be to get eye problems ?

i get checked every year by a really good eye surgeon and so far he said "looking at my eyes, he'd never guess i was diabetic" which makes me feel really good because i'm very paranoid about my eyes and diabetes

 

[type2]

on another note, i brought my meter with me the last time i went to the doctors for blood work. i was shocked to find out that my meter reading was identical to the lab results

 

[jwags]

Our bodies are designed to keep our bgs from going too low. This means if your body starts to go low, your pancreas may produce glucagon which siganals liver to convert stored glycogen into available glucose. So when we don't eat enough we get what we call "liver dumps". In the very early morning hours another thing happens. Our body produces normal stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. If you have been exercising you produce growth hormone. All these hormones signal liver to add glucose. In a normal non D then your pancreas would put out a small burst of insulin. When we are insulin insufficient like a lot of us our pancreas is kind of sluggish in the morning and doesn't put out sufficient insulin so our bgs go up. This is why many Type 2's take a long acting basal insulin. I have found low carb helps, as does adding fat to each meal.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

by the way, does anyone happen to know how high (and how long) your sugar levels have to be to get eye problems ?

i get checked every year by a really good eye surgeon and so far he said "looking at my eyes, he'd never guess i was diabetic" which makes me feel really good because i'm very paranoid about my eyes and diabetes

Every second over 140 for us is doing damage to our insides

 

[type2]

Every second over 140 for us is doing damage to our insides

oh my

you have really good numbers in your sig

what is your diet and exercise plan like ?

 

[Guest]

it's the liver dump that keeps us alive... thank goodness for having functional livers as apparently it can malfunction according to my doc and that's when you're in real trouble. One thing I'd suggest (which is what I was asked to do) is to wake up at 3 am and test your BGLs and see where you're sitting. Try testing anywhere between midnight and 4 am as that is the timeframe where most of us get the "liver dump". But 3 am is supposed to be the most common time. I find with myself it can be anytime after midnight. This morning I reckon I would have been way too low at 3 am.... as I was 4.8 at 2 am. I had some milk and went back to bed.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

oh my

you have really good numbers in your sig

what is your diet and exercise plan like ?

Tight control

Strict diet - I eat three times each day, 12 noon, 6:30pm and 1am.
I aim for as close to zero man made carbs as humanly possible with strict portion control. Food is a tool for survival, not enjoyment.

Exercise - this time of year I walk at least five miles a day. Inthe wintertime, I aim for at least three miles a day.

 

[type2]

thanks

what do you eat usually ?

 

[type2]

oh by the way, fasting sugar was 118 this morning yahoooooo

 

[ThoseBackPages]

thanks

what do you eat usually ?

Meal #1

one serving of: beef or pork or chicken or turkey or steak.
one serving of: cooked pepper & onion mix
one serving of: natural cheese
heated up

Meal #2

one serving of: beef or pork or chicken or turkey or steak.
one raw onion, cut into small pieces.
one serving of: natural cheese
heated up

Meal #3

one serving of: beef or pork or chicken or turkey or steak.
one serving of: natural cheese
one serving of mayo with onion and garlic powder mixed in.
eaten cold

 

[type2]

thanks. that looks good

i've been on atkins for 12 days now, down a pants size already and more importantly my sugar is getting under control

had hamburger onion mushroom cheese and some broccoli last night (no buns no chips no other sides, no ketchup or other sauces)

so far today had 2 hotdogs and 2 pickle spears (same thing no buns etc.)

i think for my 2nd meal later i'll do some eggs & sausage

i've been putting my energy into cleaning the house and trying to stay busy that way which is good for both my house and my sugar levels

before bed i'll probably have a couple pieces of lunch meat chicken breast and a couple pieces of cheese

i would like to look into replacing some meals here and there with all natural low carb veggie drinks

 

[type2]

well it's been almost 7 months

started Atkins on June 1st, 2010

lost 100 pounds and my A1C just came back with 5.5


i also noticed if i stay really strict to a low carb/low sugar diet, i don't run into the "live dump" problem

totally off actos

almost totally off glimepiride. i used to take 8mg a day. now i barely take 1mg "as needed" which isn't often

only taking metformin 850 x 3

 

[moon]

Congratulations, type2 - you're doing awesome! 100 lbs - wow. Great A1C - great meds reduction - great everydanged thing.

Thanks for the report!

 

[Donella]

Wow that's GREAT!! Since hubby Dx on Nov 30th I sure hope his numbers are as GREAT as yours in the next 6 months

Sent from my iPad using Diabetes

 

[Miss_Blue]

Congratulations! I can't believe how much weight you losr in such a short period of time! Wow. Your A1c is fantastic.

I've noticed that I don't have a liver dump if I go very low carb, too. A few years ago, my FBGs were always higher than my daytime numbers. Now they're often lower. Took some really strict dieting to get there.

 

[skb]

Reminds me of - "where there is a will, there is a way". Great work type2. Keep it up.

When you are low carbing over a period of time, your liver/muscle reserve of glycogen gets depleted and therefore you are able to get some control over the dumps.