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Question about numbers

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skylama posted on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:49 PM

i got diagnosed with diabetes on 12/8 my sugar was 314 i do not have an appointment until 12/16 which is tomorrow with a nutritionist my mother checked my sugar on saturday it was 321 and she said it was high. what is considered high? what is normal? what is low?

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Answered (Verified) Debbie Butler replied on Tue, Dec 16 2008 3:17 PM

Diabetes goals are individualized, so it is important to talk with your healthcare team to determine a “target range” of blood sugar levels. Meeting with a nutritionist is an essential part of developing a plan for managing diabetes. I’m glad to hear that you are monitoring your blood sugar and getting support from your mom.  Nutrition education, blood glucose monitoring, and family support are important parts of diabetes management.

Whether the diagnosis is type 1 or type 2 will shape the treatment plan. Both types of diabetes are related to how the body produces and uses insulin, a hormone that enables the cells in your body to use the food that you eat (which is eventually broken down into sugar) as energy.

In type 1 diabetes, due to an autoimmune response, the body loses its ability to produce insulin. Therefore, those with type 1 diabetes must take insulin either by syringe, insulin pen, or pump. In type 2 diabetes, initially it is (generally) an issue of the body not being able to use the insulin that it is making effectively (insulin resistance). One’s risk for type 2 diabetes is related in part to genetics, but also has strong links to lifestyle factors (nutrition and activity level.) Therefore the first line of treatment is often making lifestyle changes – weight loss, improving nutrition, and increasing activity level. If one is unable to sustain these changes or if the changes are not effective in lowering blood sugar levels within the first few months, then medication is often added to the treatment plan.

Blood sugar goals are similar for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, it is important to discuss these goals with your physician as blood sugar targets should be individualized and may vary depending on age. The American Diabetes Association recommends the following goals for children and teens with type 1 diabetes:

Age                       Before Meals               Bedtime/Overnight                 A1C

Toddler

(0-6 years old)         100-180                          110-200                       7.5%-8.5%

School age

(6-12 years old)         90-180                           100-180                       less than 8%

Adolescents

(13-19 years old)       90-130                             90-150                       less than 7.5%

 

And the following for adults with diabetes:

Before Meals               Peak Post-Prandial                                                  A1C

70-130                         less than 180                                                    less than 7%

 

Again it is very important to discuss goals with your healthcare team, since targets should be individualized based on a variety of factors.

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Ron AKA replied on Mon, Dec 15 2008 5:31 PM

Less than 100 fasting is considered normal non-diabetic. From 100 to 126 is considered pre-diabetes. Over 126 is full diabetes. So yes a fasting of 300 is quite high. Has your doctor not put you on medication? If you are type 2 then a normal first medication is metformin.

Ron

Not a med prof. Just diabetic type 2 on Prandin, Levemir, ramipril, indapamide, Crestor, & ASA. Diag. Feb/01.

"I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don't work." - Thomas Edison

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Spirit replied on Mon, Dec 15 2008 6:26 PM

First of all, remember that you are newly diagnosed.  If your numbers were not unusually high, that wouldn't have happened.  You have an appointment with a professional, so that is the intitial step you need to take in managing diabetes.  True, your numbers are high, but they are not in the danger range yet.  You will need to get them down, however.  As for the actual numerical values, well, that gets a little difficult to evaluate at first.  Below 70 is considered a clinical low, so that is pretty clear.  You don't want to go that low or you may experience some unpleasant sypmtoms.  As for the higher mark, ask your doctor what goals you should have and when you should expect to acheive them.  Sometimes bringing your glucose numbers down too quickly can bring on some problems as well, since you may have been running high for some time without being aware of it.  Different people may have different goals, so it is best to check with your medical team to see what is best for you personally.  You might find that the recommendation is to bring your numbers 2 hours after eating down to a certain range (say, 180) for a while and then shoot for a lower number (like 140, for example) before you try to bring them down to an even lower range (such as Ron suggested).  At first, it can be a bit like the tortoise and the hare race.  Slower can be better in the long run (at least that is what I found). 

Ask your doctor as well for a referral to Diabetes Education Classes.  They are offerred at most hospitals and they are a great way to get the basics of diabetes management under your belt.  As tie goes along, you might want to add to and refine what you learn there, but these classes are a quick way off the mark.  Well worth attending.

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Answered (Verified) Debbie Butler replied on Tue, Dec 16 2008 3:17 PM

Diabetes goals are individualized, so it is important to talk with your healthcare team to determine a “target range” of blood sugar levels. Meeting with a nutritionist is an essential part of developing a plan for managing diabetes. I’m glad to hear that you are monitoring your blood sugar and getting support from your mom.  Nutrition education, blood glucose monitoring, and family support are important parts of diabetes management.

Whether the diagnosis is type 1 or type 2 will shape the treatment plan. Both types of diabetes are related to how the body produces and uses insulin, a hormone that enables the cells in your body to use the food that you eat (which is eventually broken down into sugar) as energy.

In type 1 diabetes, due to an autoimmune response, the body loses its ability to produce insulin. Therefore, those with type 1 diabetes must take insulin either by syringe, insulin pen, or pump. In type 2 diabetes, initially it is (generally) an issue of the body not being able to use the insulin that it is making effectively (insulin resistance). One’s risk for type 2 diabetes is related in part to genetics, but also has strong links to lifestyle factors (nutrition and activity level.) Therefore the first line of treatment is often making lifestyle changes – weight loss, improving nutrition, and increasing activity level. If one is unable to sustain these changes or if the changes are not effective in lowering blood sugar levels within the first few months, then medication is often added to the treatment plan.

Blood sugar goals are similar for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, it is important to discuss these goals with your physician as blood sugar targets should be individualized and may vary depending on age. The American Diabetes Association recommends the following goals for children and teens with type 1 diabetes:

Age                       Before Meals               Bedtime/Overnight                 A1C

Toddler

(0-6 years old)         100-180                          110-200                       7.5%-8.5%

School age

(6-12 years old)         90-180                           100-180                       less than 8%

Adolescents

(13-19 years old)       90-130                             90-150                       less than 7.5%

 

And the following for adults with diabetes:

Before Meals               Peak Post-Prandial                                                  A1C

70-130                         less than 180                                                    less than 7%

 

Again it is very important to discuss goals with your healthcare team, since targets should be individualized based on a variety of factors.

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Spirit replied on Tue, Dec 16 2008 5:58 PM

Debbie Butler:  Are you with Joslin?  If so, it would be helpful to identify yourself as such.  Also, just a suggestion, but many diabetics have vision issues.  Your small font may be a problem for some people to read.

Additionally, who is Kathleen Pratt? (If I got the name right?)  Is there a new moderator on the board or is this an internal Joslin message board thing? 

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donw replied on Tue, Dec 16 2008 10:15 PM

Spirit, this appears to be a crossover from the teen discussion boards.

Don

"O Diem Praeclarum!"Big Smile

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