Diabetic issues

[ono]

I am Type 1 Diabetic, and just recently I have noticed the strangest thing.
I wake up in the morning, test my blood glucose and am say 5.8. I go for a shave, 20 minutes, test again and I am 6.9, this is really strange because before I started wet shaving (about three months ago) my glucose would go down from the first test in the morning until I ate something, which is the normal behavior.
Are there any other Diabetic members, any similar experiences or theories about why? My only thought is it might be a certain feeling of excitement or extra awareness that pushes up the sugar production from the liver?
Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Isaac]

Well, the body does tend to increase glucose levels with stressful/exiting events. So, this might be your sugar rush

 

[AceByTerror]

You're not eating your lather are you?

j/k

 

[ono]

You're not eating your lather are you?

j/k

I might as well, it smells so good.

 

[ono]

Well, the body does tend to increase glucose levels with stressful/exiting events. So, this might be your sugar rush

Really this is my only theory too, but it is weird, maybe not very healthy if it happens every day

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

What kind of glucose scale is that? Hgb A1C?

 

[ono]

What kind of glucose scale is that? Hgb A1C?

Just the plain daily gluco meter. It's in mml/L

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

Just the plain daily gluco meter. It's in mml/L

I did a little googling. It's mmol/L, I'm used to mg/dL. I learned something new today, thanks.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5640311_read-blood-glucose-mmol_l-scale.html

 

[ono]

yes mmol sorry. This is the standard in the UK which makes comparisons with USA difficult: )
Going up by about 1.0 point in the space of 20 minutes without eating any carbs is pretty odd, not like I was on a rollercoaster or anything.

 

[Mike H]

Hey ono, my son has Type 1 and I try to stay informed. Thank you for bringing this up. I know stress, excitement, and illness can all raise BGL. Since you are going up about 1 mmol/l (or 18 mg/dl) I would contact your endocrinologist and get an opinion. Are you getting up earlier than you used to? I wonder if it not related to shaving, but part of the natural dawn phenomenon. "The dawn phenomenon is the end result of a combination of natural body changes that occur during the sleep cycle and can be explained as follows. Between 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., your body starts to increase the amounts of counter-regulatory hormones (growth hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines). These hormones work against insulin's action to drop blood sugars. The increased release of these hormones, at a time when bedtime insulin is wearing out, results in an increase in blood sugars. These combined events cause your body's blood sugar levels to rise in the morning." from WebMD

 

[ono]

Hey ono, my son has Type 1 and I try to stay informed. Thank you for bringing this up. I know stress, excitement, and illness can all raise BGL. Since you are going up about 1 mmol/l (or 18 mg/dl) I would contact your endocrinologist and get an opinion. Are you getting up earlier than you used to? I wonder if it not related to shaving, but part of the natural dawn phenomenon. "The dawn phenomenon is the end result of a combination of natural body changes that occur during the sleep cycle and can be explained as follows. Between 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., your body starts to increase the amounts of counter-regulatory hormones (growth hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines). These hormones work against insulin's action to drop blood sugars. The increased release of these hormones, at a time when bedtime insulin is wearing out, results in an increase in blood sugars. These combined events cause your body's blood sugar levels to rise in the morning." from WebMD

Well I'll be damned, never heard of this phenomenon, mind you I've been type one for just under a year now, It was out of the blue, adult onset, I'm not even fat, quite the contrary.
That sounds very much spot on. I have a planned visit in september, I'll ask more about this, but thanks a lot for the tip Mike.

 

[Vickers]

Are you on a pump, or do you inject?

P.S. My daughter is Type 1.

 

[Lamb Root]

... mind you I've been type two for just under a year now ...

So, are you a type 1 or type 2?
I believe that there are many non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM; type 2) patients that regularly use insulin. That said, I'm a type 1 and Mike's explanation about blood sugars rising in the morning is actually right.

 

[ono]

Are you on a pump, or do you inject?

P.S. My daughter is Type 1.

I Inject, no pump for me yet, although it is an interesting prospect

 

[ono]

So, are you a type 1 or type 2?
I believe that there are many non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM; type 2) patients that regularly use insulin. That said, I'm a type 1 and Mike's explanation about blood sugars rising in the morning is actually right.

Sorry that's type one (corrected post), my brain is playing tricks on me.
I need to inject insulin to match my carbohydrate consumption. It's very good to know about this mirning effect, it explains things perfectly.

 

[phillylion]

You're not eating your lather are you?

j/k

I'm tempted to eat my Trumpers coconut cream.

 

[LuckyR]

Going from 104 to 124 (for us Yanks) is not a dramatic shift, especially if the first value was immediately upon waking.

One could rattle off half a dozen potential reasons for such a change without the ability to prove that this or that one (let alone a combination of them) was responsible for your observation.