Ask the Diabetes Educator Archive

9/19/05

Q:
I am a type 2 diabetic on metformin and injecting insulin twice a day. I did blood work this morning and found that my sugars are still a little higher than usual. Does giving blood effect your sugars?

A:
If nothing else has changed and you only had higher sugars for one or two mornings, the stress factor of giving blood may be a reason, Also, if you drank juice and ate sugary foods to revive you after giving blood, that may be an even more direct reason. If the high sugars persist, carefully review your lifestyle, particularly your food intake. If nothing has truly changed, and you've been in good control for a long time on your current program, you should be able to return to those levels.