[tadgoss]

Remember, a lot of things raise the blood sugar. Stress, infection, anger, frustration, and in many diabetics even caffeine will raise the blood sugar.

You must also remember that those hormones released in the wee hours of the morning to prepare us for getting up (growth hormone, cortisol, epi, norepi) also stimulate the liver to produce sugar. So occasionally you will see bumps on your first test of the day. This process is called gluconeogenesis, where the liver creates glucose from non-carbohydrate sources such as amino acids and lactate. This is why many Type II diabetics are started on Metformin--this drug inhibits this process in the liver and is generally very well tolerated.

The American College of Endocrinologists set a goal of 70-110 on arising and before meals and <140 two hours after meals measured from the first bite of food, not the last. Studies show the after meal blood sugar is much more predictive of bad outcomes than the before meal blood sugar, so I would concentrate more on those.

Also, the long-term measurement of control is the A1c(Hemoglobin A one c). Normal is usually 4-6% and ACE sets a goal of <6.5% for best results. The ADA goes on to say patients with diabetes should normalize their A1c as long as they are not having excess symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Remember, watch the carbs. They fuel the blood sugar the most. If you are new to this, I would shoot for a max of 100-120 carb gm per day (not all at once!). Focus on those after meal tests to figure out what moves your BG the most and avoid those foods. If this range does not give you good control, nudge it downward. Good luck.