My Diabetes 2 Backwards Numbers---Anyone else?

Hi @retiredteacher, welcome to Connect.
Good for you for making healthy lifestyle changes to your diet and exercise. Not easy to do. And then it must be a bit frustrating to have perplexing numbers; high in the morning and getting lower throughout the day.

I'd like to introduce you to few other members who have type 2 diabetes. I'm hoping @ihatediabetes @nancywhite @minda77 @thawyzard @kennethn1971 @amy75 @alfredt and @marb might be able to shed some light on your situation or at least share their experiences with managing sugar levels and number readings.

What foods have been helping to control your numbers and which ones do you have to avoid?

I eat chicken breast (oven baked) three or four days a week or eat vegetarian. One day a week I may have lean beef. All legal green vegetables work magic. I do not eat legumes. I do not eat fruits, except a few blueberries; others shoot blood up off the chart. I eat one piece of diet dry wheat toast for breakfast. Avoid all other breads. Cannot eat cereals, oatmeal and the like. No pasta of any kind. I cannot eat fish. I've tried other things, but always see the numbers rise. I eat nothing fried. I drink water. I do not have dairy unless it is fat free cheese. My diet is very limited, so I try to add something that should be diet and then again it doesn't work.
Three hours after lunch (all veggies) my blood was 90. In the morning, it will be higher, as is the norm for me. No desserts, no delicious anything. I have also exercised twenty minutes today. That's painful for me. I am 73 years old and have arthritis.
Today my A.M reading was 145 and 90 after lunch. That is good, but in the morning, it will probably be back in the high range again. Last night after supper it was 102. That makes no sense to me. I have been reading and researching all year, but I still cannot find this type of behavior. I had no idea I had diabetes when informed a year ago, and as always healthy, it really has hit me like a ton of bricks. I am not taking any medicine. I am determined to control this monster with diet and exercise.
Thanks for your response.

retiredteacher

@retiredteacher You certainly have developed a commendable diet plan! Since you are concerned about the higher numbers in the morning, might you consider calling your endo and just speaking to him before your next appointment? I admire the good work you are doing with your diet. Keep in touch and let us know how it is going for you and if you get any answers to your questions. Teresa

Thanks, Teresa, but I don't feel as if I'm doing that well since that A.M. reading is high. My Endo told me the morning should be below 120 and the three hours after lunch should be under 180. Only a few days do I see that.
Do you know why it would rise during the night and then fall during the day? That's backwards. My Endo knows this but he seems more concerned with my A1c.

retiredteacher

Hi I was tagged so I will add response. I got diagnosed with diabetes in 2014. That's when I hit 50. Doctor said pancreas makes less insulin as we age so eventually it can't keep up. He said to lower demand for insulin so pancreas can keep up. That's losing weight or diet or exercise or some combination. I also think weight training is helpful as well as smaller meals but eat more often. I like to put leftovers in small containers and heat one up every couple hours. I don't think carb are all bad but doctor said if you eat an apple then smear some peanut butter on it. That lowers glycemic index. So for me I'm doing the Healthy Living program. I put my goals as at least one day hiking, one day weight training, one day interval training, and weigh myself once per week. But I have lots of goals in resilience, too. We can't just diet and exercise. We are encouraged to seek meaning for life too. That helps to stay on course. Peace.

@retiredteacher Hello again. You are probably doing everything you can do. If you read the post from @ihatediabetes you will see that as we age our pancreas often works less efficiently. I would encourage you to read about diabetes and talk with some others who also have it. @ihatediabetes is a great person to correspond with. Best wishes! Teresa

Could you possibly be experiencing the "Dawn Phenomenon" or "Dawn Effect?"

See this article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/dawn-effect/faq-20057937

Note that this article talks about the effect as related to those taking insulin or other medications but, if I understand it correctly, it could also happen if you aren't taking those medications. I also have high morning blood sugar. For me it tends to be higher than other times of the day, even though I haven't had anything to eat and my blood sugar was lower before bed. My doctor says that this is not unusual and that my morning blood sugar will likely be the highest reading I get all day.

@eonealjr, I have thought of that. I suppose it could be the problem but it's not totally consistent. Mu A.M. #'s are mostly the highest, but occasionally this is not the case. This morning, for example, blood was 115 and yesterday it was 90. So, I just lack consistency. My endo has never mentioned it, but I may ask him when I see him again.
Thanks,
retiredteacher

@ihatediabetes, I applaud your exercise routine and feel very inferior as I could never do that. I have never been athletic, but I have always been fit until the last few years. As a result of arthritis and other problems, my exercise is limited to my tread mill or walking tapes. I walk every day, but it has not helped me lose weight. It helps me sleep better, though I am not one who sleeps more than six or so hours a night, and then it's very sporadic. I think this is a result of training myself to sleep even less when I was teaching. Also when I was young, my daddy always awakened me early as he thought sleeping late was lazy. I think my meaning for life was to teach. I always thought I would die in the classroom. It was my passion, my love, and my soul. When I had to retire, I was broken and have been in mourning since. So now, I don't have any goals for meaning for life; I just try to survive and help my husband survive.
I appreciate your response. I hope we can keep in touch as I also hate diabetes and everything related to it.
retiredteacher

Hi thanks for your reply. I think it's important to find meaning to life no matter life stage. That's what keeps us going. I think when people lose sight of meaning then they get depressed. It creeps up on people. Then they start stockpiling pills, a little here and little there. They plan their exit for when pain gets too much. So I think its good to have goals. I make daily goals and longer term goals. For daily goals I list two or three things to do. A longer term goals is like wearing a certain dress size. Also I do think spirituality is important. I go to coffee shop and read Bible daily. If I miss a day I really notice. You might also consider some resistance training. You can make really slow movements but with resistance. I've been doing it and it's made my joints stronger so I can hike on hills. I also think warm water zero entry pools are good for arthritis. There are water exercise classes for seniors out there. Peace.