I wake up with a normal blood glucose reading, but within a couple of hours my sugar will rise up to 200 points, with no food. Also, when I work out, my sugar rises about 100 points, even if they have been steady for hours. Does anybody out there experience these issues? I don’t have an endocrine and I don’t know any diabetics, so I’m not sure who to ask. Also, does anyone know of any good docs in the miami area that have experience with type 1’s? Any help is greatly appreciated. You can also reply to my e-mail. chris_o_robertson@yahoo.com Thanks, Chris
If your BG is going up on its own, that means your basal insulin is not high enough at that time. If you’re on Lantus or NPH, you’ll need to increase the amount a little bit to see if that helps. It’s probably the dawn phenomenon.
As for exercise, sometimes adrenaline can make your BG go up. I’m on a pump, so I just leave it on while I work out instead of removing it. Does your BG come back down? If it does then you probably shouldn’t do anything about it, otherwise you might go low.
You should also find an endo or CDE! they are really important, as you can imagine. My client is a find-a-doc resource called Vitals.com. You can check them out, or hopefully someone will give you a recommendation.
maybe your not eating soon enough. Your blood sugar can rise if you don’t eat. I saw this happen to me one day when i didn’t eat and when i checked my sugar it kept on going up. Not sure why it does that.
Most Type 1s seem to have this issue with the morning blood glucose. For me, the problem is that it is not consistent, so I can’t merely increase my basal rate and fix the problem, because sometimes that will send me into hypoglycemia.
Do you have a CGMS? It can help you quickly spot when this is happening and let you cut it off at the knees. It has helped me tremendously.
Now, as for the exercise issue, like Allison said, it is the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system that releases hormones that raise your blood glucose. You are probably talking about rather strenuous exercise, maybe weightlifting, things like that? Steady-state aerobic exercise does not tend to have this effect. Symlin can help, if you take a bit after your workout. Otherwise, just expect it and test often after your workouts. Do not turn off or remove your pump during exercise- non-diabetics do not experience a complete cessation of insulin secretion during exercise and neither should we.
Dear Chris did you drink real coffee (i.e. with caffeine) for me with a large mug from 100 to 200 sounds about right and then needs mucho insulin and time to bring down. Does not happen consistently but most times.
Chris,
This does happen to me consistently. I use a pump and even tried to correct it by adjusting my basal rate. That did not work. Now I take an extra unit of insulin when I get up unless I’m low or more insulin if I’m correcting for a high sugar. Good luck. Hope you figure this out.
Dena
This has happened to me, but only in the morning. Coffee never once has had that effect at night.
Freakin’ diabeetis. . . .
Happens to me too. I am on a CGMS—the rise is obsious and dramatic–like others though not consistent–so no way to set basals to compensate–I do a correction and have 15g carbo as soon as I get up–usually dairy in my coffee–and for me–it goes up whether I have coffee or not–sometimes higher if no cofee, sometimes not…it is that “D” thing—always somethin…
I also rise while exercising and crash some unspecified time after usually (sometimes during–keep a coke close to the treadmill) soglad to have CGMS to at least get a warning…usually if I excercise an hour before a meal it will keep the crash at bay–forme that is usually hititng the treadmill in the am after my fisrt cup of coffee, check of work mial and OC’s…
hopefully someone willbe able to recommend a good doc
Hi Chris,
Second the opinions of the others about reading up Dawn Phenonmenon. Realize it sounds counter-productive to eat while your numbers are climbing in the morning, but it really does help. I made the mistake of skipping breakfast when I had high fasting numbers & BG kept getting higher. Eating stops the liver from dumping even more glucose, which is the Dawn Phenon issue. I eat as soon as I get up & eat very few carbs for breakfast.
Same here with exercise. Big BG leap & then low hours later. I’ve started doing less strenuous work outs & it’s helped. Don’t know what time of day you work out, but I’ve read that people with Dawn Phenomenon shouldn’t do heavy exercise in the morning because it causes spikes.
Hi Chris, What cured the morning rise for me and this may or may not work for you, is I eat a piece of string cheese when I wake and drink about 16 oz of water. This stops the liver from dumping morning fuel i.e sugar chains. Some people control this with a increased basal rate that that may work for you also. It worked for me except I also ended going low a bit later when that morning rise stopped so I looked for another way.
I am pretty sure you could use any source of small protein I just use sting cheese cause it is easy and I am not to focused until some coffee 
Hope you get some help out of the great advice
Be loved
Yes and after it does I remember how to make coffee 
Dear Oneless. You wonder if the coffee magnifies the dawn effect. Liver is primed to spew out glucose and the coffee gets it going full speed. I do dare do real coffee at night.