November 2, 2001
Daily Care
Question from San Diego, California, USA:
I’m 52 years old and have type 2 diabetes. I’m fortunate in that my blood glucose numbers now are always under 120mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L], but some mornings I’m 94 mg/dl [5.2 mmol/L], and the next morning I’m 114 mg/dl [6.3 mmol/L]. I get similar variances with the evening numbers from day to day. As long as I’m under 120 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L] and above 80 mg/dl [4.4 mmol/L], should these fluctuations be of concern?
Answer:
The kind of fluctuations you are seeing are common. There are variations in day-to-day blood sugars which occur normally. With diabetes, and especially if it is bad enough to be treated with medications, the variability tends to be somewhat greater. I would not be too concerned, as long as your hemoglobin A1c levels are also on target. Please discuss this with your physician as part of your long-term care and strategy for type 2 diabetes.
JTL
[Editor’s comment: Part of the fluctuations you’re seeing might be related to meter variability.
WWQ]
