February 23, 2002
Daily Care, Type 2
Question from Washington, North Carolina, USA:
My 48 year old husband, who has had type 2 diabetes for a year and half and is on Actos [pioglitazone], has done so well, the doctor cancelled his last appointment. However, for the last week it seems his sugar is flip-flopping. I have told him not to back off from eating entirely just because his sugar goes up. Isn’t fasting as bad? I watch what I cook, he carries a salad for his lunch, and he exercises some every day. What could be going wrong?
Answer:
One of the things about type 2 diabetes is that the story line changes over time. This should not surprise you, as it is well documented in many clinical studies. I try to tell my patients that they need to keep monitoring, and if their sugars go outside the target range their physician has set for them, the patient is to call and consideration given to additional therapy to get sugars back in target range. I would also recommend a hemoglobin A1c every three months as the best way to see how your husband’s control is doing.
JTL
