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High Blood Sugar
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High Blood Sugar
GETTING
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Activity Card #1
Symptoms of High Blood
Sugar or Pre-Diabetes
Symptoms
GETTING
People often don’t know they have high blood sugar or pre-diabetes.
There are no symptoms and pre-diabetes can only be diagnosed by a
health care provider using a blood test. Even though there are no signs
of high blood sugar, damage to your body may be occurring such as
increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst, need to urinate, blurred
vision, or a feeling of being tired most of the time for no apparent reason,
and extreme hunger.
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High Blood Sugar
GETTING
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Activity Card #2
Pre-Diabetes or Diabetes
Diagnosis
There are two different blood tests that can help determine whether
your blood sugar is high or if you have pre-diabetes. The simplest test
is to have a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test. This test must be done
on an empty stomach which means that a person may not eat or drink
anything except for water, for at least eight hours before the test.
• If the fasting blood glucose is less than 100 mg/dL, this is
considered normal
A person with high blood glucose or pre-diabetes has a fasting blood
glucose level from 100 to 125 mg/dL.
GETTING
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High Blood Sugar
GETTING
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Activity Card #3
Pre-Diabetes or Diabetes
Diagnosis
GETTING
The other test is called the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This test
measures how the body handles a standard amount of sugar or glucose
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that is given to the patient to drink. It measures the amount of glucose in a
person’s plasma before and two hours after drinking a large premeasured
beverage containing glucose. A health care provider can then compare the
before and after glucose levels to see how well the body processed the sugar.
• A person with pre-diabetes will have a blood glucose level between
140 and 199 mg/dL two hours after the premeasured drink. Normal
blood glucose levels after the OGTT will be less than 140 mg/dL.
High Blood Sugar
GETTING
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Activity Card #4
Controlling Pre-Diabetes
Prevention
GETTING
Things you can do to control high blood sugar or pre-diabetes
• Be physically active – your goal should be to exercise at least 30
minutes most days of the week, or do 2 sessions of 15 minutes of
exercise per session on most days of the week.
• Lose weight if you’re overweight, about 5 percent to 7 percent
of your body weight (about 10 pounds for a 200-lb. person).
• Stop smoking – it can aggravate many problems that people
with diabetes already face, such as heart and blood vessel disease.
• Eat healthy – eat fiber-rich fruits and vegetables each day and
choose whole grain foods. Cut down on fatty and fried foods. You
still can have foods you enjoy, just eat smaller servings.
• Limit how much alcohol you drink – up to 1 drink a day for
women, 2 drinks a day for men.
• Take the medicines your health care provider prescribes, if any.
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High Blood Sugar
GETTING
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Activity Card #5
Pre-Diabetes and Other
Health Problems
Complications
High blood sugar causing other health problems
People with high blood sugar or pre-diabetes increase their risk for
diabetes, heart disease and stroke. With diabetes, the risk for other
complications such as kidney disease, nerve and vision problems are
also increased. Some of these problems may already be starting with
high blood sugar.
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High Blood Sugar: What You Need to Know
What is type 2 diabetes?
When you have type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t make
enough insulin. In most cases, it does not use insulin the
right way. Without insulin, the sugar from the foods you
eat stays in your bloodstream and does not go into your
cells. This makes your blood sugar high.
“I knew high blood sugar and diabetes
ran in my family, but I never thought I
could have it too.”
What is pre-diabetes?
Pre-diabetes occurs when your blood sugar levels are
higher than normal, but not high enough to have diabetes.
Many people with pre-diabetes develop diabetes.
Too much sugar in your blood can damage
different parts of your body.
• Eyes: Poor vision
• Feet: Loss of a foot
• Nerves: Loss of feeling in fingers and feet –
can’t feel injuries
• Heart: Heart attacks
• Kidneys: Kidney failure
• Sex organs: Infections in women and sex
problems in men
• Mouth: Gum disease
• Brain: Stroke
Could you have diabetes or pre-diabetes?
You may have a greater chance of getting diabetes or prediabetes if you:
• Have a parent, brother, or sister with it.
• Are African American, American Indian, Asian
American, Pacific Islander, or Latino.
• Are a woman who gave birth to at least one baby
weighing 9 or more pounds, or you had diabetes
when you were pregnant.
• Have been told you have high blood pressure or if
your blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
• Have high cholesterol.
• Are not physically active.
• Are overweight.
• Are 45 years old or older.
A person with high blood sugar may:
• Be very thirsty or hungry a lot
• Feel very tired and worn out
• Have to urinate a lot especially at night
• Have blurry eyesight
• Lose weight (without trying)
Even if you don’t have any of these signs, you still may
have diabetes.
How can you tell if you have diabetes?
As many as 1 out of 4 people who have diabetes don’t
even know it! That’s because the symptoms can seem
harmless. If you have any of the diabetes risk factors or
symptoms, talk with your health care provider. There is a
simple blood test you can have done. The test will tell you
if your blood sugar is too high.
Take steps today to stay healthy
Get a blood sugar test if you have any of the risk factors for diabetes.
You can keep from having problems from diabetes by taking good care of yourself.
Action Plan for High Blood Sugar
√ Check off items from the list below that you will be able to change or improve. Or you can write in your own action items.
Watch your weight.
Eat foods that are lower in fat such as: low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fresh fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, and beans.
Lose weight slowly if you are overweight. Lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week. Be sure to talk with your health
care provider about a weight goal that’s right for you.
Take your medicines.
ake your medications or insulin the right way, each day, as your health care provider prescribed.
T
eep taking your medications unless your health care provider tells you to stop.
K
Get moving each day.
Take a walk most days of the week. Start out slowly and build up to at
least half an hour.
Sign up for an exercise or swimming class. Ask a friend to go with you.
Always check with your health care provider before starting any new
exercise program. If you have eye problems, talk with your health care
provider about how to stay active without hurting your eyes.
“There was no way around it —
I needed to lose weight. My husband and I skipped cake for dessert and ate fresh fruit instead.
We even started dance lessons.
Now I have more energy!”
Make a meal plan that works.
at healthy foods. Find out what a good diet includes.
E
ork with a dietitian to come up with a meal plan that keeps your blood
W
sugar under control.
Check your blood sugar.
Ask your health care provider how often you need to check your blood
sugar with a blood glucose meter.
Write down your blood sugar results.
Follow the treatment plan you and your health care provider decide upon.
Ask your health care provider what you need to do if your blood sugar goes too low or too high.
Other
1. Are the items that you have chosen achievable?
Yes
No
2. What will you do to make these changes?_____________________
__________________________________________________________
3. When will you make these changes?__________________________
__________________________________________________________
NPC00954-F
Reasons to reach your
goal. Did you know...?
Two-thirds of people with
diabetes die of some form
of heart or blood vessel
disease. More than 17
million people in the United
States have diabetes.
June 2010 © Pfizer. All Rights Reserved.