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My blood sugar spiked. How do I get it down quickly?
Cel101 posted:
I dont know what to do when my blood sugar spikes high.
betaquartz responded:
From what I have seen here, most people recommend drinking lots of water, and getting in moderate exercise-walking, riding a bike, etc. This all depends on how high you are spiking. I believe that over 300 you should be seeing the dr.
phototaker responded:
How often does your blood sugar spike higher? What are you numbers at that time? Does it spike higher when you eat something specific?
krhudson responded:
Not recommended to excersise if you are knocking on the door of 250 since that is when dehydration could set in. Not sure if you are a type 2 or type 1 Diabetic.

If you are type 2, just eat very small portions of good carbs only such as veggies and moderate fruit ( depending on which ones spike your blood suger) and 4 oz of protein and salads etc.. take your meds as prescribed. If the blood sugar drops to about 225, get active on treadmil or walk for a couple miles and lift weights or weight bearing excersise.

Do this for a day and a half and if you see no improvement, call the Dr. with a log of your blood sugars in the last couple days, when you excersised if you could and what food you had and the amounts. The Dr. will have to re visit your meds and your habits and may have to re set your program.

If you are eating a lot of starchey carbs that could be the culprit or if you just did something different than normal back when the numbers were good or just eating more the carbs will eventually pile up and show in the blood sugars.

Try to correct this yourself for 2 days. If you are over 300 for 2 days you need the Dr. immediatly. In fact I would be a little more catious and call the Dr. if I were at about 275 consistantly for 2 days.

Let me know if you are not on meds period or are a type 1 on insulin.

Keep us posted. Hope you get to feeling better.

Cel101 responded:
My blood sugar spiked to 237 after eating breakfast. (bowl of fruit and coffee). I am type 2. I am on pills.
I fell asleep after the spike for 3 hours today. I am having a huge difficulty with eating properly and exercising. I am sleepy all the time and feel apathatic .
None of this helps my modivation.

I am hoping that finding support through discussions will help.
Cel101 replied to krhudson's response:
Thanks for your response. It spiked to 237 after breakfast. I slept for 3 hours. I am having a hard time eating right and exercising.
mhall6252 replied to Cel101's response:
A bowl of fruit sounds healthy, but it's probably too much fruit in one serving for a diabetic, especially if you are not eating a protein with it for balance.

You really should see a dietician for some advice on how to pair foods to reduce the chances for spiking, information on portion sizes and what types of foods to avoid. Many times your doctor can assist with setting it up and in many cases, your insurance will cover most of the cost.

You also need to think about the apathy - that is going to cause you problems if you don't address it. You will be on a roller-coaster ride of high blood sugars that make you tired and want to sleep. Long term damage is an ugly potential that you really want to avoid.

Try walking 10 or 15 minutes at a time, if the idea of intense exercise is more than you can handle right now. Anything to get started is better than nothing.

Lots of water and a 15 minute walk should help a bit with an immediate blood sugar spike. But you need to know what's causing the spike and then avoid it next time. A bowl of fruit will do that to most of us.

phototaker replied to Cel101's response:
Okay, you can relax....that's why I asked you about what you ate when your blood sugar rose. I was going to mention fruit....

When you were first diagnosed, did the doctor suggest you go to a dietician or to take any classes on diabetes, maybe held at the hospital?

The reason I asked is that it's so important to eat properly and to exercise while you take your medicine.

First of all, you need to get a carb counter, like "The Calorie King" or an online line one, to let you know how many carbs you're eating at one time.

A breakfast for me would be to have some protein, like an egg, Eggbeaters, and a slice of whole grain toast. I wouldn't drink juice, as it would send my sugar way up, but you could have a small orange. If your numbers are high right now, ease that in later, when they come down. Some people have oatmeal, cottage cheese, or some other protein.

I try to have smaller meals, since I'm not on medicine for my diabetes. You'll want to have around 35-45 carbs at each meal, with little snacks in between at around 10-15 carbs.
Don't have a piece of fruit without nuts or cheese. Some people have no trouble with fruit and some spike, like I do.
Stay away from white potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, and aim for whole grain varieties of bread, rice, or pasta. I use very small amounts of this and mostly stick with salads, vegetables, protein, fish, chicken, etc., and fruit. Once in a while, I'll have Dreamsfield pasta, a small amount or one slice of whole grain bread.

Then, once you get your routine started, add walking every day, or some exercise you might like, bike riding, gym exercises, swimming, dancing, etc.

You'll find your numbers coming down much more. If you stick to this, you'll be more successful. Don't depend on the meds to keep your blood sugars lower. You are a big part of this deal.

I hope this helps. Welcome and ask any questions you want.
phototaker replied to phototaker's response:
Cel, let me add that once you start exercising, you will feel SO GOOD. It really perks you up. Do not exercise vigorously when your numbers are high, though. For now, just take a walk every night for 1/2 hour. Exercise sends up my blood sugar numbers at first, and then they come down later. So...if you're in the high 100's, just take a little walk and drink a LOT of water.
xring responded:
Up to around 300, I'd exercise & drink water. My biggest spike (2 hrs after eating too much bread) was 208 & after 25 minutes of exercise, I was 103.
krhudson replied to xring's response:
you and me both xring but I found out 250 is the cut off for excersise for the dehydration factor and the fact the body is taking in all the water it can to a point where the kidneys get overworked etc... maybe someone can elaborate on that rule again about excersising when 250 or above since I have a tough time describing what is exacally happening when we are at 250 or above.

xring replied to krhudson's response:
If I recall correctly, several months ago, Dr. Dansinger also said exercise is OK even at 300 or possibly 350. I'd agree that even mild activity is way better than resting - which would keep blood sugar high much longer.
GaryTardiff replied to xring's response:
I know one thing. A bowl of fruit would put my BG in just about the same place.
auriga1 responded:
Everyone has given you some really good advice.

I had a terrible spike two hours after eating (my insulin was expired) and my doctor's nurse actuallly handed me a glass of water. It will come down, but slowly. I know exactly how you feel when you go high. The fatigue can be overwhelming and you feel as if you can't do anything but sleep. I once took a four hour nap because my BS reading was in the 400's.

Fruit in and by itself will cause a blood sugar spike for most diabetics. You should combine that with a protein.

If you find yourself in that type of situation again, go for a walk. Utilizing your muscles will help lower your glucose levels, as they need energy to keep working.

Have you seen a dietician and/or CDE to help you in your meal planning? Do you have any resources, such as a carb counting book or online sources to help you research how many carbs are in the foods we eat? My dietician has in her office "The Calorie King," which is a calorie, fat and carb counter of nearly all kinds of foods you can think of. It is also available online.

You need to determine why you are having a hard time with eating properly and not exercising. It sounds like a vicious circle, but one you can stop. The higher numbers do cause one to feel very tired and lethargic, but once you break out of that circle, you will feel 100x better.
betaquartz replied to Cel101's response:
This bowl of fruit, was it fresh fruit-what type. Was it canned fruit-in own juices or syrup, or water? All of these factor in. A bowl of bananas and apples will be much different than a bowl of strawberries and melon. As will a bowl of mixed berries.

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