Need help lowering my blood sugar below 275 (Diabetic no meds)

Find another doctor, or have your doctor send you a prescription renewal. If that don’t work talk to your First Sgt. and let him/her help. You need to get it under control, you do yourself and your unit no favors by not getting it squared away.

More vegetables. More exercise, and a different urgent care.

Well, you might want to cut down on the fruit for now. That number is rather high, and what is scary is it could get higher. I don’t understand why you can’t get meds. Go to the clinic on base and tell them what is going on. The GP there should be able to help you.

Oh, you said the hospital will not give you meds. A doctor won’t prescribe or the pharmacy is giving you a hard time?

When a sugar level is that high for more than a few days, it’s usually a sign that you need insulin. You should NOT allow this to continue. See a doctor… ANY doctor… and get a prescription for insulin. Trust me… I know!

After you get yourself to a doctor (which in your case is very important) and get yourself sorted with your regular meds, consider taking cinnamon capsules to begin to balance your blood sugar levels. (But don’t go off insulin without doctor’s permission.) See a naturopath for a program to supplement your health, too.

Do you fill your perscriptions at a regular pharmacy and are you in the US, here in the US alot of our pharmacies will call our doctors offices to get the refill for us without having to do anything. This way even if they are on vacation they will have the on call doctor pull your file and send the script to the pharmacy, this is a lawsuit waiting to happen if something were to happen to you as a result of you not getting your meds and you tried to get them filled. So no one wants to be held liable.

Exercise and drinking water is the big key to getting the your blood sugars down. Don’t eat any high carbohydrate foods, there are some vegetable that are high in carbs so you want to stay away from them for now until you get your sugars under control like and once in control just eat them in moderation like:
Carrots
Beets
Peas
Winter Squashes (particularly acorn and butternut)
Parsnips
Potatoes in all forms
Sweet Potatoes
Corn
Plantains
If you are going to eat a carbohydrate at all vegetable or not be sure your eating a protein with it. These are all things you should be doing even on the Metformin because when the drug fails to work any longer you then add the insulin to what your doing now.

If you’re in the army shouldn’t they already know that you’re diabetic? and shouldn’t they provide you with meds if you need them? Afterall a passed out/dead soldier isn’t good for much, is he?

To all who asked about the Pharmacy on post: My post wont give you more than a 90 day prescription, regardless of if it’s a permanent or not. If YOUR doctor/PA isn’t there, they wont give you any more meds. I think my doc is in today so I’ll try again, wish me luck. And thanks everyone.

@Moegitto Had you actually gone for an appointment at the medical center and another doctor would not get you what you need? They should have given you a chit to get your blood drawn if you are active duty with no problem I would think. Next time go to the ER, they would have dosed you up to bring down your number. It still doesn’t make sense to me that another doctor would not get you meds. I know the whole prescription thing now with the military can be a nightmare, because they use plans now that are with private insurers and pharmacy plans like Express Scripps.

OK, first you have to monitor your diet. You are OK with the lean meat and salad, but you need to lose the fruit (at least until you can get your blood sugar under control).

For snacks, you can have a handful of almonds or peanuts, a couple of pieces of cheese.

Next, go to a Whole Foods store and get Jarrow Formulas Glucose Optimizer. (It costs $30 a bottle) Until you get your blood sugar down, take three pills every morning and three every evening.

If you have Metformin, you should be taking it. Did your doctor prescribe it for once a day or twice a day? Metformin is medication for diabetes. Do not drink alcohol while you are taking it.

@JLeslie Yes, my primary care center assigns you to a doctor and they don’t care if your dying you HAVE to see YOUR doctor, even if they have one right there looking at you like your stupid. I love peanuts, so I guess I’ll have to start eating more of those. I took my blood sugar this morning and it’s at 219, so I guess it’s getting down now, I might have to avoid the fruit because I do eat fruit at every meal.

@Moegitto But, there is not an on call doctor? When I was under military care I actually don’t ever remember calling a doctor like I do out here in the private sector of healthcare, so I am asking because I am not sure. But, definitely emergency would see you and treat you if you walked in I would think. Plus, I don’t even see why you have to be seen. You need a blood test on record woth that high number so they will treat you.

Why did you run out of meds?

@Moegitto You can still eat fruit with meals just not as a between-meals snack. Stick to low-sugar fruits. Some good ones are apples, peaches, orange, berries.

I have trouble believing a pharmacist wouldn’t help you out in this situation.

Diet needs to be stricter & you need to be stricter…You cannot ever be in a position where you don’t have meds.

@Moegitto Also, usually you can buy a few pills off your insurance if you have a refill. However at a military pharmacy that might be impossible. But, you should be able to have the script picked up by an outside pharmacy.

@SpatzieLover I actually disagree. I think there are plenty of pharmicists that wold not help out. Sure some will spot you some medicine, but others won’t. The military deal can be awful and frustrating now. My mother just had a horrible experience getting her medication, because Express Scripps and Navy had some sort of bad entry and miscommunication. She is ready to just go to a phramacy and pay it was so stressful and upsetting. I never remember anything like that when I was younger and picked up my perscriptions at the Naval hospital.

@JLeslie There is an emergency room and urgent care here, but I actually went there and they said diabetics normally run a blood sugar around 250, so I was in no danger and to keep using my metformin. I normally run 119, so this is a threat to me, even if every doctor tells me it’s not.

@Moegitto I am not diabetic, so I don’t know when doctors panic, but I thought above 200 they begin to feel something more aggressive should be done. I guess they felt you weren’t going to go into a coma or drop dead waiting a day or two, so they did nothing. If it happens again just really limit your carb and sugar intake so your body has time to bring down your sugar levels.

The worse part is that I just had half a dental implant put in, so I can’t chew on one side of my mouth. More stress, I wish they take these stitches out soon…

I finally seen m doctor, got some glipizide again. Not really helping, I think I might need some insulin. Guess I’ll give it till friday, then I’m going in to see the ER docs, since they’re the only ones that give it to me.

Don’t be afraid of insulin. It can improve your quality of life dramatically. A 275 blood sugar level is dangerous when it lasts for many hours. A little bit of insulin can lower it much faster.

Def not afraid, they just say they want to give my Glipizide a chance. But after I do give it a chance, if “I” think it’s not doing anything, then I’m definitely going to get my insulin. I’ve used it before and it doesn’t bother me none stickin myself for the rest of my life .

I got a little impatient (VERY) and went in to my ER. They gave me like 8 months worth of insulin sticks. They’re easy to use, but I feel they don’t have the same effect as regular insulin bottles. They’re both Novalog though, strange…

If you are able to measure your blood sugar regularly you can stick with diet, exercise and pills whenever you remain in your target range and use insulin carefully when you are significantly above. Like above 200 three hours after a meal. Ideal would be a fast analog insulin like Humalog. You need to find out how much 1 unit of insulin will lower your blood sugar.

I have ZERO experience with anything not Novalog. The military uses it because it’s the cheapest, it’s “fast” acting but it’s a huge mixture of medicines with insulin. I know the math with novalog, but sometimes my body resists the insulin HARD. I think I might be a type 1.5 (LADA) diabetic, but the army doesn’t do the test required to prove it.

Novolog and Humalog are fairly similar. Both are fast-acting analogs.

Maybe it makes sense to do a C-peptide test which can give helpful hints about being 1.5 or not.

Taking note (C-peptide). I only got a couple of months left, so as soon as I get out and get my own health insurance (the military forces you to use tri-care, and they are HORRIBLE). I’ll ask them to do the test.

The test is quite expensive but worth taking.

As long as it’s related to Diabetes, the VA will cover it.