Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar)

I have more of a problem with hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) than hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Most things cause my body and diabetes to react with high blood sugars. Anger, pain, stress and other emotions have the most effect and can cause my diabetes to remain high for a significant amount of time. Under correcting for a meal or snack can cause high blood sugar as well. If a site is not working properly or if my pump is having internal issues that can definitely cause a high blood sugar. When I was on shots the insulin would sometimes come back out of the body after receiving a shot. We didn't know how much insulin I received until about 45 minutes later, so that would usually cause a high blood sugar.

I usually get very snappy when my sugar is high and I don't want to listen to anyone. Especially if they are telling me to check my sugar because they recognize I'm high. That makes me feel like they are telling me I am a terrible diabetic and I don't know how to take care of myself (I'm crazy, I know). I start hurting almost everywhere at about 250-300. I feel really achy and lazy because of that. I am unable to process things like I can if my sugar is good (or even low). I can't think straight at all, so doing math or giving a speech is next to impossible. I am usually very thirsty and I feel sick to my stomach. I also feel sleepy, but that doesn't start until about 400. I can't sleep if my sugar is too high because my body won't let me. That's probably a good thing though. If I am asleep I can't take care of the problem, and it isn't something I want to let go unattended. I have never been in DKA and I would like to keep it that way!

If my site isn't working or if I have been high for a significant amount of time I usually use a shot of insulin to bring it down quickly. My pump is great when I can keep it in range, but if it gets too out of control I need a shot to fix the problem. That is a personal preference that most diabetics do not follow. Sometime exercise can fix the highs, but that isn't a certain deal. If I eat something really high in carbs or something bready, then I take a long walk after eating. That helps to keep my sugar in range, rather than having to correct for a high later. Most likely that is because the insulin takes longer to work, and breads have longer-lasting carbohydrates than candy or other simple sugars.

High blood sugars can cause major complications after a long time with this disease. It can shut down my eyes, my nerves, my liver, my heart and pretty much everything else in my body. I try to keep it under control as much as possible to avoid all of these complications.