Question:
I am pre op and having trouble regulating my blood sugar.

I am on medication and following a strict diet. My problem seems to be in the mornings when I first get up. My blood sugars are in the 150 -170 range. When I test them in the late afternoon or early evening they are in the 100-110 range. Is that strange that the fasting blood sugars would be higher than the ones taken after I have been eating during the day. I have to get these under control (and I am working with my doctor) or they are going to cancel my 2/11/03 surgery date. Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.    — Lynda D. (posted on January 31, 2003)

January 30, 2003
I wish I could say something nice such as, "How nice that your Dr. is so cautious" but, I would be lying. My sugars were MUCH higher...250+ at timesand I was on insulin. I asked my surgeon what he would do if I wasn't in control on my sugars...he asked that they be atleast under 200...but pointed out that after surgery...we would see a big drop in my sugar levels, so he wasn't going to worry too much. My surgery was three months ago..and my A1c has gone from 8.1 to 5.9...you will see a big change post op too.
   — TanaMom2JAM

January 31, 2003
Hi Lynda. I also had alot of trouble keeping my blood sugar level under control. It wasn't until my Endocrinologist put me on another oral medicine, did it get better. At the time of my surgery, I was taking 3 medications for Diabetes and when he added the third, my sugars went from the 160-180 range down to 140 or so. That was good enough for my surgeon. Then I had surgery.. BOY did that change things! Since the day of surgery, I haven't had ANY Diabetes medications and my blood sugar readings have never gone above 130. For me, thats a miracle! Yours will go down too, you'll see. Good luck!
   — thumpiez

January 31, 2003
I am in the exact same circumstance you are. My glucose is always 20-30 points higher in the morning before breakfast. I suspect its because we are less active at night. My Doctor also required my A1c's be at least below 8. I am watching what I eat and taking 1000mg's of Metiformin in the morning along with 5 mg's of Glyburide. In the evening I am taking 1500 mgs of Met and 15 mgs of Gly. I have found a cheaper way of checking my A1c's. Its a one time use meter. It looks like a pager. You can buy them for about 24 dollars or 10 of them for around 100 dollars. http://www.diabeticexpress.com/cgi-bin/dexpress.cgi/01-35.html?id=qh9A4TDL
   — Jon S.

January 31, 2003
Hi Lynda, the reason for your sugars being higher in the morning is because it is called " pre dawn syndrom" it is when your body kicks in around 4 or 5 am to raise your blood sugar kinda of a safty mechonisum (sp) so your sugar doesnt drop to low, kind of like when a body plateaus it thinks its going to starve to death. Just another one of our bodies ways of preserving itself.
   — wizz46

January 31, 2003
Rosemary is 100% correct...I found this a little while ago.. DAWN PHENOMENON: Very early each morning, the body releases hormones that wake you up and tell the liver to release stored glucose to give you energy to start the day. These hormones also inhibit insulin. The result is that glucose level rises between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m., reaction known as the dawn phenomenon. Dawn phenomenon is the reason why blood glucose levels are often unusually high when you wake up. If your glucose levels are high each morning, talk with your health care team. You may need to modify the dose or type of insulin you take before bed. You may need to get up around 3 a.m. and take insulin. Or you may need to eat less at breakfast or increase your morning insulin dose.
   — Jon S.

January 31, 2003
I just wanted to comment on what Jon said. That is very interesting. I wonder if a malfunction of that is why some people (like me) are just NOT morning people. I'd never heard of that before.
   — Toni C.

February 1, 2003
the morning of my surgery (jan. 10, 2003) by sugar was 247, they went ahead and done my surgery and really acted like it was not that "big" of a deal. They did monitor it while I was in the hospital, but I don't think it will be a determining factor on the day of your surgery. I was freaked out when I found out how high mine was, but I did very well in surgery and was even released one day early from the hospital....Best Wishes
   — april-michele D.