Blood Sugar

[KatAstrophe]

I'm new to the forum and to being diagnosed with OSA, awaiting on the arrival of my CPAP equipment. This topic too, interests me greatly, I don't have diabetes, but do have hypoglycemia.... extremely low blood sugar counts especially upon awakening. Im wondering now how my already low morning sugar levels might be affected once I start on my CPAP therapy.

[Goofproof]

I'm new to the forum and to being diagnosed with OSA, awaiting on the arrival of my CPAP equipment. This topic too, interests me greatly, I don't have diabetes, but do have hypoglycemia.... extremely low blood sugar counts especially upon awakening. Im wondering now how my already low morning sugar levels might be affected once I start on my CPAP therapy.

You are truly blessed, I'd trade in a heartbeat. You don't take any med's that control your blood sugar, what is your fasting A.M. reading? If it is under 90, I'd eat some carbs before bed and shoot for 100 in A.M.

Like I said want to trade illnesses, I'm up for it... Jim

[KatAstrophe]

Jim,...the fasting morning levels have been generally anywhere from 77-95. Even my 2 hour after dinner counts, am lucky if I hit the 150 range. They get so screwed up at times, where I can eat a decent meal, and within a half hour after eating, will bottom out sometimes even into the high 60s range, where my heart feels like its beating outside my chest, will get dizzy, and whole body starts to shake. I do appreciate and know you go through extremes with high blood sugar levels, but trust me, lows can be quite scary too especially when they happen at times like when you're outside walking a dog alone and feeling like your gonna pass out right there on the street.
Wishing you wellness!

[Goofproof]

Jim,...the fasting morning levels have been generally anywhere from 77-95. Even my 2 hour after dinner counts, am lucky if I hit the 150 range. They get so screwed up at times, where I can eat a decent meal, and within a half hour after eating, will bottom out sometimes even into the high 60s range, where my heart feels like its beating outside my chest, will get dizzy, and whole body starts to shake. I do appreciate and know you go through extremes with high blood sugar levels, but trust me, lows can be quite scary too especially when they happen at times like when you're outside walking a dog alone and feeling like your gonna pass out right there on the street.
Wishing you wellness!

I use 200 to 215 unit of fast acting and normal insulin, mixed by guessing the need. I too sometimes get it wrong, and go too low, at 85 I feel the effects, then I panic and over load, then off to the rolley-coaster rides.
Most of the time I am over 150 before eating. My problem comes from my other ailments, I can't move and burn off the fuel, using insulin is kin to throwing a match on the fire to try to burn the fuel. When I was able to work, I could burn off 5,000 cal a day at work, now I am at 1800 cal a day and having to use 200 units of insulin to stay level. In your case, eating more often might help, with smaller meals. It's hard to match food intake to the amount of energy burned, but it's key. The problem the body doesn't always react the same way. when we were young and the bodies automatic controls worked it didn't require thinking about what was going on, now as we age, it becomes a full time job. I carry stuff to drive the sugar level up in the truck and when I go out, I don't like that low feeling either, it's scarey, when it goes low, and slow to react from, I take in too much and go higher than ever. Jim

[KatAstrophe]

Jim,
I know exactly what you mean with the feeling of the roller coaster rides from it all...have been in that seat as well, and usually never get the chance to buckle in for the ride..truly becomes a fight to the finish in attempting to get that balance back. I try to always carry something along with me as well wherever I go, whether it be granola bars, candy bits, glucose tabs, etc.., but on occasion doing the same exact thing,, going into a distressed panic when it drops too low and sometimes overcompensate, making it skyrocket, at those rare times around the 250 mark. Thanx for your advice about the eating smaller meals more often, I think that will be a great help and really should be in the habit of that more right now, from having the gastric bypass a few years back. Have been making attempts to help control things by working with my PCP...hoping to be able to work with a dietician to get things under better control...initially insurance co says hypoglycemia is not classified under having diabetes, which, in that aspect, okay I can understand, but...to me, a person having to live with low sugar levels on a daily basis, is just as serious....has been happening more and more frequently and effects many aspects of my daily living, oftentimes scares me half to death when thinking of having to drive long distances or trying to get through an entire workday, never knowing when one of these episodes are going to strike.
~Kat

[JohnBFisher]

Kat, you have my sincere empathy. I only recently started on insulin. I've only had one low event. My reading at the start was 72, but I'm sure it was falling rapidly. I came close to passing out. No fun. I'm not really sure WHY it dropped like it did. That's even scarier.

I think you will find that with xPAP therapy, you will not see any change or you will have a decreased tendency to drop as low. Essentially, the body works better if it is able to rest. It sounds as if your pancrease is over doing it in response to meals and other stresses. By sleeping better your body may be on less of a "hyper alert" stance. At least that is what I would expect to see.

Now, I'm not a doctor or any sort of medical professional. I'm just someone who has dealt with xPAP therapy for 20 years, diabetes (type 2) for 5 years and insulin for the past month. I'm just saying what my own experience leads me to think.

[KatAstrophe]

John,
Thank you so much for your kind words and understanding. I think that is really the most scary part of the whole thing, the not knowing both WHEN and WHY its happening. When it first began happening more frequently, I really thought to myself,..shame on me,, here I am doing this and that , not taking the time to eat properly and eating all the wrong kinds of junk, on the go... but very quickly learned that even when my lifestyle did settle down more and got into a better routine and healthier style of eating habits... I still couldn't pinpoint WHY my body was still doing these crazy things. I could go for 3 days eating the same exact healthy meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner,..with the first two days going by without an issue, then the next be the complete opposite. Its just so unpredictable.
Thanx for your perspective about what may become when I do get started with my xPAP therapy here too, I never would have thought of that...how one thing does have the possibility to very greatly affect another. I greatly appreciate your thoughts!
Wishing you well! ~Kat