Sky-high blood sugar

I stopped by my friendly neighbourhood bistro for one beer late Wednesday afternoon, and was sorely tempted by their daily salad special (baby spinach drizzled with pomegranate vinaigrette, with pink grapefruit pieces, feta cheese, and walnuts). Then I chose to indulge in their home-made focaccia (equivalent to 3-4 servings of bread), with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. THEN I treated myself to their excellent coffee and, fatally, a slice of flourless polenta chocolate cake (with a caramel topping). They do provide a few gluten-free menu items. Well, the cake was chocolatey; a different "mouthfeel" due to the cornmeal; definitely rich; tasty, but took a bit of getting used to (I ate it all, of course).

I tested my BG before bed, and it was too high for the meter to read (>33.3 mmol/dl or 600 in US gallons). I'm sure it's been that high before, but the thing was I had no familiar symptoms of high blood sugar (sticky eyes, reeling sensation). I took one extra unit of NPH insulin and 4 mg of Gluconorm, and downed 3 cups of Chinese blood-sugar-reducing tea, all of which drove down the BG to 19+ about 2 hours later. I shoulda stuck to the salad. But it was a beautiful meal!

I don't blame the chocolate so much as I blame the bread---too much, too white, and too delish! I'm going back tomorrow for brunch and will try to make better choices.

Diabetes woes...

I'm a'feared to check my BG this morning. I had a nice 30-minute walk to meet a friend for dinner (not too cold out, about -4C). Then I took two steps back by having tiramisu for dessert (it WAS a lovely dinner). I admitted to my companion that I am diabetic and she said, "I won't tell about your dessert if you don't tell I'm trying to diet."

My symptoms: peripheral neuropathy (numbness on shins); lesions (twice in armpits, often inside nostrils); yeast and urinary tract infections (asymptomatic, diagnosed by urinalysis); high blood sugar in morning, of course; I've had blurry vision, but that's cleared up, etc. Low energy since I don't exercise enough.

I just tested at 14.2 mmol/dl (multiply by 18 for USians)--this is waaay high, but about average for me. Fasting blood glucose should be 6.0 or less, and 10.0 or less one hour afer eating. My last good reading was in early December (5.8). I had salad for dinner.

My BG meter is a Johnson&Johnson Lifescan OneTouch Ultrasmart. I have medical benefits from work, so most of my equipment and drug costs are covered.

I just bought the RealAge(tm) Workout book by Dr. Roizen. Since I smoke and have DM my "real age" is about 58. I started flossing daily (instead of weekly) last August--that will take a couple of years off (my calendar age is 51).

All for now -- wish me luck!