Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia is when you have too much sugar in your blood.  It is usually the first symptom diagnosed with a patient with diabetes.  They take a quick finger prick size of blood, put it on a test strip and in a few seconds they indicated if you have too much blood sugar in your blood.  You can also buy the testing device at your local grocery store or pharmacy, does not require a perscription and runs anywhere from $8-$108 for the testing unit.

So the symptoms most commonly associated with Hyperglycemia are:

• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Headaches
• Difficulty concentrating
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
• Weight loss
• Blood sugar more than 180 mg/dL

If you go untreated and have long term hyperglycemia it may result in:

• Skin infections
• Slow-healing cuts/sores
• Decreased vision
• Nerve damage
• Stomach and intestinal problems such as chronic constipation or diarrhea

Does not sound like fun!  So if you do have high blood sugar what do you do??

....feel a disclaimer coming on...... I am not a doc or in anyway authorized to give any medical advice, simply a patient educating myself (and maybe you) on what I learned along my path to a healthier lifestyle.. please consult your health care provider if you believe you might have diabetes or call 911 in case of a medical emergency...... thank you now back to the blog.

Some people take insulin to lower their sugars, while I am on insulin, I am not going to focus on this avenue as it is really the last option path and should be used in combination with other steps to lower your blood sugar.

Drinks lots of water!  IF you do not have kidney damage (can be caused by untreated diabetes), drink that water to help lower your blood sugar level (coffee and soda do not count!  needs to be water)

Take a walk (OK caution here!  If your sugar is above 290 you should seek medical direction on exercise before doing anything)  If you know me... I am not an exercise type of person, do not enjoy it, however..... in prep for this blog I learned through numerous studies and articles that exercise actually makes your insulin recepters more willing to function properly thereby lowering your need for insulin injections and blood sugar in the blood.  I will get into this deeper in a future blog.

Stop eating so many carbs... ok this is very ignorant to say.  My carb intake is less than 1/2 of what it should be (I keep a food diary - you should too) and my blood sugar is still running over 200 on any given test.  That said, I do notice a significant increase when I have eaten any carbs at a meal that day.  So don't stop eating carbs but rather be aware of what you are eating and add extra water/exercise to balance your sugars out.

Moderate Hyper does not make you pass out or put you in a coma but it does lead to some pretty naste results. 

More information about Hyper can be found here:
http://www.chemocare.com/managing/hyperglycemia-high-blood-sugar.asp