So this morning I got an email from my doctor remarking on the (290!!!)
sugars I showed in the labs I had done yesterday. 290 is very much
higher than normal for me, and it is a sugar level where the bod slowly
gets more and more damaged. Over 140 is actually a level where
neuropathy and other damage happens to the body, so it is important to
limit these high sugars as much as possible.
So, i read that, and hadn't had breakfast yet, so decided to take a
fasting measurement. 369!! I didn't believe it, so I tried again, 338.
And I got nervous and looked up online if I should go to the ER with
levels like that. Turns out some places say 400 and some 500 but at
least under 400, it wasn't needed to go to the ER (Phew).
But I still, after a low carb breakfast and healthy foods (veggies, some
cheese) I am still having sugars in the 290. It means I'm stressed out,
ill, or something else is pulling my body out of whack (I did take my
meds as prescribed today, yesterday and the day before that).
What I did read was that one of the reasons for such high sugars is a
dangerous condition for type 1 diabetics called ketoacidosis. It is when
the body has no insulin at all and the cells are starving, trying to
burn fat to get energy because the sugar cannot enter the cells, and
then the sugars rising and rising in the cells together with the ketones
and the fact the body burns more and more fat, creates this condition
which can be very dangerous. WebMD explains "Ketoacidosis can be caused
by not getting enough insulin, having a severe infection or other
illness, becoming severely dehydrated, or some combination of these
things. It can occur in people who have little or no insulin in their
bodies" ( http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/
tc/diabetic-ketoacidosis-d
ka-topic-overview )
And I had to blink a moment. I have type 2 diabetes and in my case, that
means I have wayyy too -much- insulin in my body, so much that my body
became resistant to it and the insulin that I make only lowers my sugars
a little bit, not all that is needed. And because I eat a keto WOE
(keto for ketosis, not ketoacidosis) if I did a test for ketones they
would show up, because I am burning fat because I eat fat and proteins
more than carbs, and that's actually healthy for me (or at least I"m
losing weight and feeling fine). So, I know I'm not at risk for
-ketoacidosis- but most doctors confuse the two so much that I got
nervous for a moment.
If I'd had ketoacidosis my sugars would have gone higher and higher. at
400 I would have reached my personal 'well this is enough' level and
gone to the ER. But instead I've had several measures today and it keeps
getitng lower, though it's still a bit high, it's now (4 hours later)
at 250. So, I was worrying about silliness, as I often do. It's still
really complicated and if even doctors are finding it hard to keep the
two apart, how are we poor lay people supposed to? Well Peter Attia
explained it very well on his site, and someone who can make even a
little insulin (and I make -lots-) cannot get ketoacidosis. I really
like Peter Attia's blog because he can explain the science about keto
level diets at a level I can follow it, and he gives sources, which I
consider very important. Also, it helps me explain what is going on in
my own body, which is not handling carbohydrates very well at all, so
the 'mainstream agreed on' nutritional science is not usable for my body
(if I would eat the mainstream suggested diabetes diet I'd be dealing
with sugars this high or worse every day).
if you're interested, you can find Peter Attia's explanation on ketones here http://eatingacademy.com/nutri
tion/is-ketosis-dangerous.
Written on Tue Nov 17, 2015
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