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High Sugar Levels?
Q:85 year old Insulin dependent Diabetic who has been having variations in her sugar levels for the last 7 days. We are in UK and normal reading is under 10mml/ol but my Nan keeps getting readings of 18.7, 12.9, 17.9 and a few hours ago 12.9. She has not eaten anything she shouldn’t do and I can find no cause for this. I contacted the doctor who said she probably eat something she shouldn’t of. Useless. So I tested her urine with a clinitest urine strip and it came out positive for sugar in her Urine. What could be causing this? I was thinking of getting her a H1ABC test to check her blood sugar levels this way as it is usually more accurate. What do you think I should do? I have tried everything.
More Answers to “High Sugar Levels?“
H1ABC (we call it HBA1C in the States) is always a good test to do every 90 days – but it will do you no good here. She might have a healthy H1ABC because 90 days won’t be affected by these very recent near-term swings – so it won’t explain anything for you.It might simply be that at age 85, her beta cells are not producing the insulin they once were, and you might simply need to increase her insulin dosage. You don’t mention what dose she has now, or whether it’s delivered by pump or by syringe.In any event, YES, get another opinion, and watch her closely.Good luck! Sounds to me that you should also check for ketones in the urine. Sounds to me the Doc is not helping you out at all! Depending on the Doc and the type of insulin, more insulin may be required, but do NOT do this without Doc’s supervision!I’m on a fast-acting insulin and a sliding scale which tells me how much to give when my BS is too high.
MAYBE SHE IS CATCHING A BUG OR AN INFECTION CHECK FOR SORES…WHEN I GET SICK MY SUGARS GO CRAZY….GOOD LUCK…
It would be useful to know if she has type I or type II diabetes, since they are caused by two different things. It could be her hormone levels are off, because if she has type II diabetes, an increase in hormone levels makes the pancreas work harder. In which case, she either needs to readjust her carbohydrate intake (she won’t be able to eat as many carbs as she used to), or she’ll need to increase her insulin level. Type I diabetes works completely different from type II, and I don’t know anything about that. Good luck!
Raise hell with the doctor again. My elderly mother (we’re lower-middle class, private system in US, and I have a 24-7 number to call for such advice) so I can only suggest that you beat the socialist system to a pulp in order get the info you need.And since you’re stuck with going onto Yahoo! for advice, I’d check out the first MD answer to show up.There’s too many other systems in older people that may be failing, and what’s good for a juvenile diabetic could be too much for the elderly. My best wishes to you, caregiver. Hope Nan bounces back and gives her loved ones many years of wisdom and enjoyment.