Question from Gravesent, Kent, United Kingdom:

My 65 year old mum who has had type 2 diabetes for more than 30 years and lives in India, has been controlling her condition with insulin, and unfortunately, since her triple heart bypass 11 months ago, she has found it difficult to stabilise the blood glucose, whereas before the operation it was very stable. Even when she is eating the same meals and injecting the same amount of insulin, the blood glucose can vary from 2-18 mmol/L [36- 324 mg/dl].

The other thing is that her doctor in India has started her on rosiglitazone (which I think is a sulfonylurea drug) which has reduced her amount of insulin intake considerably. My guess is she also might still be taking an odd aspirin, and I remember reading an article long ago, that aspirin might interact with sulfonylurea drugs leading to variations in blood sugar level. Is it true? Has anyone else encountered a similar problem?

Because my mum, dad, and their doctor in India are at loss as to what to do, any pointers that may help the doctor to help mum improve the control, will be very much appreciated.