Distressed after a year!

In 2008 I had all the signs, knew I had diabetes. I told the doctor “I’m coming in to test for diabetes, I’ve got all the signs”. Of course I did. I assured the nurse that I indeed had fasted since before midnight, and no, I didn’t have a cup of coffee morning. I was close to 400.
The doctor said she felt it could be controlled with diet and exercise, but for the meantime she’d use glipizide to get the levels down I threw myself into “beans & greens”, no “white foods” as she advised. Inside a month the levels were normal. I maintained this regimen until having to move to Maine, and had no control over cooking (not my kitchen, and my food was “borrowed”). Even so, my levels were very good.
I had to stay in Salvation Army rehab (not eligible for emergency housing) after coming back to NY. A 40 hour work week was required to stay there (working inside the SA). I have anxiety disorder, but am on med. Couldn’t eat much due to nerves, and dropped about 10 pounds more than I’d previously dropped with working and eating little. (I’ve also GERD and IBS, so eating is best in small amounts anyway). STILL my levels were good.
After 3 months I got my own place, and “cheated” thinking the levels were so good it wouldn’t matter. And it didn’t seem to, the levels were still good! But I put on between 10 and 15 pounds in 3 months.
I’m almost ideal weight at 157 lbs now.
A month ago I started back to “beans and greens”, having dropped free sugars (soda primarily) and sugar in coffee prior.
About two weeks ago I started noticing “high” morning numbers, about 135 to 156. All this past week, I’ve been (for me) abnormally low - 87 to 120 AFTER meals, and mid week plummeting to 53 AFTER a meal.
Sleep is feast or famine, either “zonked” or “tense” & plagued by bad dreams (typical of the body to attempt to raise blood sugar during sleep by releasing adrenaline). Last night I woke 4 times, every two hours. Slept a bit later in the morning, woke up “tense” from bad dreams. Blood sugar was 132 before meal. Took the glipizide and about 45 minutes later, it was 147!!
Even with perhaps 30 calories from Wal-mart fat free creamer (10 per serving, 3 tsps creamer=30, it is pretty “weak” stuff, and dark roast coffee stays dark after adding it, therefore 3 teaspoons) I could justify an increase. But I never read higher after morning coffee (especially with fat free creamer).
I can’t understand this at all, especially since last night I read at 87 after two hours after a meal, and had a bagel with a smear of cream cheese to ward off a drop.
I have two meters in good working order with fresh strips. The control solution is new, and reads correct for the strip code on both meters. I’m waiting about another 20 minutes and will take the blood sugar again. After a pint of water, I still don’t expect it to be lower.
Any advice, or similar situations? I am distressed by this turn of events!

You’re dealing with a lot. It helps to share. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Be sure to record each event - by date, including the number of carb grams, time of eating, when you took the glipizide, and the related tests. Sounds like you need to talk your record over with a couple of specialists who talk with each other and a nutritionist who understands the kind of steady diet you need with IBS. You have a lot going on in your life - stresses of other illnesses sometimes can change expected results of medication. If you’ve been taking glipizide regularly, it’s time to have another check-up.
Now is the time to make some appointments to see what’s going on. Sit back and let the docs decide. And let us all know how it goes. We’ll be thinking of you.

Thanks so much for for the support! I called my g.p. earlier today right after posting, I already started drafting an easily “sight scanned” report for him.
Again, thanks so much to you, and everyone on this site for being here!

Okay, take a deep breath…I think you are tensing yourself up too much. Let’s start over, as you said, greens and beans.

Start with your monitor (meter) and fresh strips. Make sure that your equipment is ready for this journey.

Get an appointment with your doc or dietician to set up an eating plan and med plan for yourself. Act as if you are starting all over, and don’t know anything. Then relax, I’ll say that again R E L A X! Your liver will kick in and start making insulin for you…and you’ll get those high numbers at night if you stay as tense about it as you are. Your body senses that, and kicks in to the insulin and you come out high. Not good. Sure you are going to have situations where things are going to go high, and then low…not as low as what you are reporting, and that’s why the visit to the doc. Typically we all need to fine tune our programs on a regular basis, like tuning the car.

So, dear Wayne, please RELAX and get yourself an appointment, with the people who know you best, and then keep it, ask questions, takes notes, exercise, eat healthy and take those meds, as they prescribe them…it’s an individual disease and we have to treat ourselves like a very fine car…with care.

Hi Wayne!

Are you still taking Glipizide? I wonder if that is causing the lows…

How have your blood sugars been since you posted?

Wayne my heart goes out to you…That is alot to deal with…I noticed that you said you called your GP…My opinion is that you now need more specialized care…You will need an Endo preferably one with an educator in the same office. For my IBS and gerd i see a Gastro. Maybe the endo will tackle all these problems at first but best to have him refer you to someone He or She can communicate with regarding all your issues. I hate to give you bad news but coffee is horrible on both GERD and IBS. Go Decaff for awhile…( I of coarse do not follow my own advice I must have my special roast starbucks) but when very sick i do quit for awhile…Oh well hope this can help some…please let us know how u r doing. This is the perfect place to vent…People always help me out here…God Bless

Poor sleep is stressful. It could be that a bad night’s sleep could lead to poor blood sugars the next day.