August 21, 2004
Type 2
Question from Miramar, Florida, USA:
My grandfather is having a big problem keeping his blood sugar steady. He can check it in the morning and it will be around 165 mg/dl [19.2 mmol/L] and then at night it can be 230 mg/dl [12.8 mmol/L]. We don’t know what is causing this because he avoids sugar and takes his medications. We are all worried. What is going on?
Answer:
Please realize you have not provided me with much information. It is impossible not to eat some carbohydrate (sugar) with meals. With almost any meal, the blood sugar goes up. What medications is he using? Blood sugars are dependant upon medications, activity, and diet. It would be my experience that something can be done to improve the blood sugars for your grandfather. He needs to talk with his physician about improving his control or find another physician who he can work with to get this done.
JTL
