Even if your sugars are only a bit high, it means your body doesn’t “work” well with sugar. Some people are born with genes that can tolerate sugar, but people with metabolic disease develop a resistance to Insulin and their sugars go up with too much carbohydrates. If you control your glucose intake, you can lower the risk of heart problems, stroke, kidney problems and peripheral vascular disease. What is that? check the video below.

if you have diabetes, it means you have Metabolic Syndrome.

Here is a great link from one of my patient’s recommendations. Diabetes Daily. 

If you have metabolic syndrome, it is even more important for you than people who don’t have it to EXERCISE. Any exercise that gets your muscles pumping and your heart muscle pumping will help reduce complications of diabetes. Also, if you have metabolic syndrome you are more likely to get heart attacks and stroke and so your cholesterol must be super low – the bad cholesterol – the LDL. Consider a Statin. Talk to your health care professional.

If you have diabetes, you could do well to consider a keto diet. Check out the keto section on Diet-lifestyle-Chronic Disease

You can monitor your blood pressure at home (try and keep around 120/80 and max 135/85) and you can also monitor your sugars. Another important test to do at home every six months is a foot check to see if there is nerve damage. See the video below.

In Canada we have a help-line 1800 BANTING (18002268464) where a person can speak to a diabetes educator. There is also a Diabetes Prevention Program that can be accessed. 

A diabetes diagnosis can be stressful. Before watching videos below, remember not everyone with diabetes gets complications. Also, remember stress increases cortisol and glucose and using the Body to Calm the Mind (Limbic System) is a great way to reduce inflammation, glucose, and cortisol. 

Fatty liver is common if you have metabolic disease and is now thought to be from sugar – not fat. Excess carbohydrates that you eat that your body doesn’t need is converted in the liver into fat and can be dangerous. 

Diabetes can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

Symptoms of Heart Attack and Stroke

Diabetes can be a source of great pain. Either from nerve pain – neuropathy, blood vessel blockages causing muscle pains and eventually muscle damage – as in heart attacks and peripheral vascular disease. It causes severe emotional pain from disability – heart failure, kidney failure and stroke. Pay attention to your disease or it will likely greatly affect your life.

When you have sugar problems there is information you need to know. Talk to your doctor or health care provider, but here is a summary of some information that could be helpful. 

You require an eye examination through an optometrist or specialist at least every 2 years. If you can afford it, yearly.

monitor your blood sugars. They should be around 4-7mMol/l  in the morning and less than 10mmol/l two hours after a meal. 

Your HBA1C – or A1C – is a blood test done every three months and that should ideally be below 7mMol/l. Less than 8 can be reasonable. Talk to your doctor. 

Your cholesterol bad fat, LDL, must be below 2 and the good fat, HDL, must be high – over 1.2, if possible. 

Foot exams – yearly – check if your feet are warm and if you can feel soft touch 

Get immunized. Diabetic patients should have a pneumonia vaccine (every 5 to 10 years roughly)  and flu vaccines yearly. If you are over 55, get the shingles vaccine. 

Your kidneys should be checked, including a urine check. Urine protein can increase from nephropathy – see above – check ACR in urine – less than 2.2.

Have your teeth checked at least yearly.

Blood Pressure must be lower than normal. Aim for around 120/80. If your BP is higher at home, speak to your physician. Ideally at home it should be less than 135/85 but I like it a bit lower in my patients, especially if they are younger. 

Using Insulin needs to be carefully discussed with your health care provider. I have a plan I use for some patients but please don’t use this plan until you have discussed it with your doctor or HCP.

Start with 10 units of long acting insulin at night. Check your glucose every morning before breakfast or eating. If your sugar is higher than 8, then increase your night time insulin by 1 to 2 units maximum.

Take your glucose reading again fasting, if over 8, then increase again the night time insulin by 1-2 units. Keep increasing every night until your glucose is less than 8. Once that happens, you have more or less the night time dose.

Then you need to check at least 2 readings 2 hours after a meal. If your glucose is over 10 then start with 4 units of Insulin in the morning. Keep checking your glucose. If higher than 10, 2 hours after a meal, then increase by 1 to 2 units every morning. 

Symptoms of low blood sugar include confusion, dizziness, shakiness, anger, hunger, weakness. Test your sugar and take your emergency sugar tablets. If not available – can use Coke or Orange Juice.  Keep checking the sugar and taking sugar every half an hour until the sugar is over 4.

Again – this is not to be followed without speaking to your doctor.