My Diabetes 2 Backwards Numbers---Anyone else?

I am my wife's primary caregiver and do plenty of fetching and walking.

I really don't understand the dawn effect and have never read anything about it or had a conversation with my doctor. who has not informed me very much over the years. He sent me to a nutritionist and remarked once before surgery that pain meds would raise the blood sugar. He also remarked when he prescribed Metformin that it doesn't do very much, he said. So I have been on my own studying and learning from trial and error. I am not aware of devices for monitoring except the diabetes strips to check my blood sugar in the morning and annual AIC blood tests. The only issue my doctor is concerned with is my blood pressure, and the prescriptions he has me on do not control my BP very well. So I continue to work on diet and exercise. At this point I am doing pretty well but not satisfied at reaching my personal goals of weight loss and BP control. I know I am not declining at age 85 and I am not ill from the diabetes. I am sleeping better these days and not doing much work around the house. It is o.k. for now. Dorisena

Dorisema I am extremely surprised that you have never heard or read about the "Dawn Effect" in the diabetic 2 world. I am more so that your Doctor hasn't mentioned it unless you are one of the rare diabetics that doesn't experience it or your Doctor doesn't have many diabetic patients. It is best for a diabetic to have a Doctor that concentrates on diabetics and has experience with a significant number of patients. .

My doctor has changed his specialty to pediatrics but still keeps his elderly patients. Mostly he does referrals for those patients who have chronic issues and need a specialist. That is how primary care seems to be these days. I asked for a specialist and he sent me to an endocrinologist. Getting another doctor in this area is nearly impossible for the elderly. There is a huge difference in health care now that physicians do not own their own practice and are paid by a large health care system which manages their office. They have less pressure and worry and they do not work so many long hours. They do have more than one doctor in their offices and that is helpful if a person is ill on the doctor's day off. So I continue to study what I can find to learn more. Dorisena

I tried to read about the dawn effect on the web and couldn't relate to it. Can someone explain it to me in plain language? I do understand how stress changes blood sugar levels because i had that problem many years ago. Dorisena

After reading on the web, my guess is that I have not had the dawn effect because I have never needed to use insulin to control my level of diabetes. I knew enough to change my diet when first diagnosed, and I lost weight and had low numbers in the morning. If I do not eat a low carb diet , I will have an increased morning high blood sugar number which tells me to avoid carbs and be more active. I did have higher morning numbers when I took pain meds before my back surgery, but now that I take no pain meds at all, I have few problems.
I am aware that everyone's degree of diabetes is different depending on how well their pancreas functions and how well they manage their diet. My doctor is correct in not using medications for diabetes control when he knows that my interest in nutrition and my gardening provides a healthy diet for good diabetes control. He knows that I practice good discipline for my condition and he knows that I study and seek as much information about diabetes control as is out there to read. So far I am avoiding further health damage. Dorisena

My Doctor has at times diagnosed me as type 2 without complications and pre-diabetic or hyperglycemic. My doctor is not an endocrinologist but I understand many of them see the issue in similar fashion. Dawn phenomenon as it has been explained to me is a normal physiological process that occurs in everyone diabetics (type 1 and 2) as well as non diabetics. Diabetics inability to produce sufficient insulin or utilize it effectively (insulin resistance) cause sugar numbers to rise higher in the early morning hours. Not to confuse you but type 1 diabetics who are insulin users also experience a similar issue due to insulin dosing or usage and rebound sugars known as the somogyi effect which is addressable my better dosing control. I believe dawn phenomenon can also be controlled by strict dieting, including the reduction of evening carbohydrates and limiting hours of eating I.e., eating all meals within an 8 hr period within a 24hr day the 16:8 diet plan.

Thanks for the explanation, Johnny. I don't think I have noticed any dawn effect because when I have a blood sugar test of , say, 128, I can attribute it to something I ate the evening before which was over the limit of my usual diet. I eat my meals in ten hours, and often skip an afternoon snack so I can have an early dinner. I seldom eat anything before bedtime, but I have a glass of milk in the evening which "fills the holes" in my tummy and can make me sleepy if I am not working. If I stay on my chosen strict diet, my blood sugar is between 104 and maybe 115 without strenuous activity during the day. When I eat plenty of vegetables during the day, I only take one Metformin in the evening. I still want to lower my AIC and lose some weight, but that needs to be a summer project for me when I work in the garden. Right now it is 6.8 but has been as low as 6.3 in the past. I don't see many problems in my regimen. Dorisena

I have Diabetic for years and my A1C is 6.1. Which my Dr. says is good. My morning Accu check has always been in the high 90 to 100, with my Precision Xtra Meter! So I tried the FreeStyle Meter! In the morning same time same blood drop. FreeStyle reading 81 and the Precision Xtra Meter reading 101. Does anyone know why the reading is so different?

When I was first diagnosed, I purchased a cheaper meter and the numbers were higher than the FreeStyle meter I purchased after that. I am guessing it is a different brand meter and perhaps a different level of testing. These meters are considered home style test measuring, and perhaps not as precise as the clinic testing. With an AIC of 6.1, your doctor thinks you are doing well, so if you want lower numbers you can alter your diet and exercise program. Dorisena