People doing shit they know will kill them in the long run.

[HYHYBT]

if your dad's Blood Sugar was 70.0, then that's what most people consider 'Pushing daisies' level.

Healthy blood sugar, if you have not eaten within 4 hours, should be between 4 and 6, depending on your size and activity level.

I think you're using a different scale of some kind.

[Andara Bledin]

Healthy blood sugar, if you have not eaten within 4 hours, should be between 4 and 6, depending on your size and activity level.

That is a scale I have never heard of.

Normal blood glucose level for every scale I've seen is between 70-100. Much below that and you start getting to the point of not having enough sugar to function properly.

^-.-^

[Eisa]

Yeah, it must be a different scale. 'Cause I'm pretty sure it was 70-something and it was like...yikes! Because he's not supposed to let his blood sugar fluctuate that much, I believe.

[Rapscallion]

The one my father follows is like the one Salted Grump suggests.

Rapscallion

[Andara Bledin]

Millimoles per litre (mmol/l) seems to be a regional measurement mostly in the UK, with 4-8 being normal range.

I've only ever encountered the milligrams per deciliter (mm/dL) system, with 70-100 being normal range.

I have no idea how these systems differ or which gives a more accurate measurement, but having a reading of 70 with the former would be equivalent to something near 1000 on the latter. At that point, you'd be doing severe damage to the nerves, and probably suffering acute ketoacidosis usually resulting in a diabetic coma, although some people can be at that level and still appear to be only just a bit sick.

^-.-^

[Eisa]

I asked my dad about it. He said his doctor told him that anything below 100 was bad for him, so I believe he's following the mm/dL system. I'm not really sure what he's supposed to keep it at, though. Probably 90-120 or so is good, but I think the big thing was no wild fluctuations.

[Salted Grump]

Ueah; I use millimoles per litre, and (wrongly) assumed that it was standard worldwide. My bad.

And yeah; wild fluctuations are bad, but there's always going to be some 'bouncing'; as I said, within 2 hours of a meal you're normally supposed to be between 6 and 10 mmol/L, while after fasting for a minimum of 4 hours you can have between 4 and 6 mmol/L when healthy.

Kinda puts my earlier comment of 'Peaking out' at 34.6 in a new light.

Personally, one thing that drives me nuts about our 'modern' diet isn't the food, or how much we eat (which is still too much, IMO), but how much of it is sweetened to some extent. Definitely makes it a bit harder to maintain a healthy blood sugar level when practically everything has sugar in it now.

[Andara Bledin]

Hey, we all learned a little something in this discussion.

I think my ex got up to 800+ once while we were still together. That I know of, anyway. He wasn't great about testing (he'd lie to me about it to make me stop asking him instead of just, you know, testing), and I wouldn't put it past him to not have been truthful with me about the results.

The lows, however, were much more worrisome. He'd let his sugar levels drop way too low. He could be up and functional at 30. Or he could be semi-conscious and almost totally incoherent. One morning, he told me he was a shark, and then thrashed about in the bed with his arms at his sides trying to bite me... Yeah, hypoglycemia can be pretty scary.

^-.-^

[Boozy]

Personally, one thing that drives me nuts about our 'modern' diet isn't the food, or how much we eat (which is still too much, IMO), but how much of it is sweetened to some extent. Definitely makes it a bit harder to maintain a healthy blood sugar level when practically everything has sugar in it now.

I know! They put sugar in everything now. Everything. It's amazing.

Someone's best bet is to avoid processed foods. Make their own soups and sauces. It's time-consuming, which is the only problem.

I'm grateful that I don't have diabetes or any other blood sugar issues, but I still have to avoid processed foods to control my migraines.

[KitterCat]

Just to give you a bit of a shock Andara, Mr. KitterCat has read 34 at one time. Nothing says concern while your co-workers are trying to gently push you to the emergency room.*At the time all he complained about was a slight headache and needing a candy bar. We have a running joke that he’s a mutant due to some of the readings he’d get.


*He worked in a hospital at the time and the ER’s rooms were directly across from the phlebotomy rooms. He found out about the low sugar readings because he volunteered to give a sample when they did their monthly calibrations on the machines. Staff started using him as a “freak” test.

[Mytical]

I don't eat near as healthy as I should, especially with NASH and Diabetes. My one weakness is soda. I've pretty much managed to control my blood sugar despite that. Of course I've beaten the odds on NASH for 13+ years, so..I am a fighter .

[Andara Bledin]

Just to give you a bit of a shock Andara, Mr. KitterCat has read 34 at one time. Nothing says concern while your co-workers are trying to gently push you to the emergency room.*At the time all he complained about was a slight headache and needing a candy bar. We have a running joke that he’s a mutant due to some of the readings he’d get.

I kept packets of raw sugar with me for when he'd let his sugar drop.

I let my sugar levels drop at times, myself. The headache and overall shakiness gives me a good clue that I need to eat something.

^-.-^