FBG: What do You Do?

[Cajunboy47]

What do you do to try and make your FBG lower, or to stop the Dawn Phenomena????

[v-effect]

I increase my basal rate 2-3 hours prior to when I start to see the rise. I increase it by .05 for 3 days. If that doesn't work, then I do the same thing again until I get my numbers where I want them- for the morning somewhere between 80-100.
V.

[eddiemcm]

I take 10 mg of Glipizide ER at 3AM in the morning.
At 6AM my FBG is in the 80's.It is about 115 without doing
this.I have good glucose control all day unless I bombard myself
with way too many carbs.Metformin never helped my dawn
glucose readings.Drinking a couple of cups of cinnamon tea
per day helped my dawn FBG but not as much as Glipizide ER.
Eddie

[Cajunboy47]

Eddie,

What's the difference between glipizide and glipizide ER?

[eddiemcm]

"What's the difference between glipizide and glipizide ER?"
Cajunboy
ER means extended release over 24 hours-only one pill a day.
Glipizide,according to manufacturers data,does not leave excessive fasting
insulin in the bloodstream after the meal/carb challenge.I used to take
glyburide but I had several hypo incidents-none with glipizide ER.
Eddie

[mike_d]

When mine was getting up near 120, I found a small snack at night helped keep it down-- usually just some liver or HB egg. I had never heard of Dawn Phenomenon so I looked it up last year:

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/dp.htm

[eddiemcm]

I researched the subject on the internet.
2 cures claimed by several people to work:
1.Protein snack before bed(like HB egg mentioned in this thread)
2.Vinegar before bed
Eddie

[Rose1942]

Does the protein snack before bed hold true for people not on any meds as well? Or is it something that works in tandum with either insulin or other meds? I am trying to control the blood glucose with diet alone, and hope to do so, but it's early in the game for me so I am still figuring out all the tweaks. I tend to have higher blood sugar in the early mornings sometimes, but not always, been trying to figure that out. Like instead of being in the high 80's it will be 107 or 110. Not a huge rise but enough to make me wonder why.

[Cajunboy47]

Eddie mentioned taking medication at 3am to control the morning BG number.... That got me to thinking, I'm up at 2am to 4am to go to the bathroom almost every night, so I decided to use that time to take my berberine hydrochloride, instead of just prior to my morning meal and with my vitamins.

It worked! Considering my evening meal and a few mixed drinks last night, I was happy with my FBG of just barely over 100 this morning. Actually, Eddie made me rethink the timing of all my herbs. I still have some gymnema sylvestre and I think I might take one or two at odd times and see if that helps get me lower overall numbers.

Thanks Eddie, your input gave me something new to try. I have numbers that are probably sort of ok, but I'd like to one day see an A1C of 4.8 or less...

[eddiemcm]

CajunBoy
The reaon I take stuff at about 3AM is because my dawn thing starts at about 1AM-that's just me but maybe it's true for a lot
of people.Diabetes is an adventure but we can fight it after we
get data based on how it affects us.
Regards
Eddie

[Cajunboy47]

Eddie,

I understand. Actually, I don't have a dawn phenomena anymore. My morning number is about the same as when I go to bed, but I'm thinking of trying to start the day with a lower number, since I can't seem to get it lower before bed time.... You're right, we're a walking experimentation and some of my experiments surpasses all reasoning!

[locarbbarb]

I discovered I had the Dawn Phenomena a little over a year ago. Then I discovered the Extend Bar.

I was having one as an evening snack, and it really helped!

Also, for information's sake, even with the bar each night, I was still sort of hypoglycemic during the day, even after moderate exercise. I had to keep my carbs over 50 g or I'd really suffer.

Just about 5 weeks ago, I wanted to do weight training exercises. I tried them and just about passed out from a hypo attack. I re-read the info about the Extend Bar, and now I have one for breakfast every day with a 1/2 scoop of whey protein (instead of in the evening).

I've been doing very demanding weight exercises with no hypoglycemia, and my carbs can be as low as I want!

Here is a link to the website. BTW, I buy them online, but I tried my first box from Walgreen's drugstore. Extend Bar (http://www.extendbar.com/)

Best wishes!

[Cajunboy47]

lowcarbbarb,

are you getting hypos because you're on diabetes medicine and if so, what are you on right now? I've been doing all natural foods and stayed away from the food bars, but I was browsing at Wal-mart today and Glucerna has an extended release bar and I was wondering if that might not help at night ...

About your demanding weight exercises, I have a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder and with the team of Doctors I have, they want to do a 2nd cortisone injection in aobut 5 weeks, then based on those results, they'll opt or not for surgery. If I can end my shouldder pain, I would love to do some weight training on a "Total Gym".............

[mike_d]

I have a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder and with the team of Doctors I have, they want to do a 2nd cortisone injection in aobut 5 weeks, then based on those results, they'll opt or not for surgery. If I can end my shouldder pain, I would love to do some weight training on a "Total Gym".............Oddly, I have one injured on my my left shoulder also, its been weak for almost 3 years after a fall. I couldn't lift a 10lb weight overhead-- I figured it wouldn't mend and needed surg. Now its cleared up after doing IF for ~4 months and I can also do chin-ups, push-ups, military press and use a 25lb dumbbell press overhead with my left arm. I still feel pain a little, but the strength has come back. The theory is fasting repairs damage. My FBS went from 116 down to the 70's or 80's in just two months.

[locarbbarb]

Hi Cajunboy!

are you getting hypos because you're on diabetes medicine and if so, what are you on right now? I don't have diabetes, but I do have hypoglycemia. I feel like one of the only people who had it worse when on really low carbs!

With the Extend bar I can have even less than 20 g of carbs a day and still feel great. I don't know about the Glucerna. All you can do is give it a try and see how it affects you.

As for your shoulder, have you done a search online for suggestions? Mike_d has some interesting news! If it were me, I'd do almost anything to avoid surgery.

Come to think of it, I went to a chiropractor a couple of years ago because of a fall where I injured my shoulder, and he used a laser (I think) or something that made it feel warm inside. It worked really well, although he did say the shoulder can take a very long time to heal. It could take a year or more, so be patient.

As I gave Mike_d's story a bit more thought, it brings to mind the effect of inflammation, in general, that may be exacerbating your shoulder pain. I would think the LC WOL would tend to lower inflammation, but you have to have a lot of veggies and some fruit (fiber, Vit C), and also fish oils - Omega 3's, which I know would help. So, I'd also do a little research on inflammation, and see what you could do to lower that, in general.

In fact, I had my doctor test my C-reactive protein and homocystine levels at my last checkup, and my inflammation markers were below the normal level. So, whatever I'm doing, it's working! :lol:

I hope you have some good success!

Barb