View Full Version : irreversible damage?
joanna2
09-20-2007, 10:29 PM
when blood sugars are running high(over 300) for a period of about 3 to 6 hours.......what happens to body? If it causes harm to the body...is the damage irreversible ? Does anyone know for sure?
3-6 hours of high blood sugars causes no lasting harm.
It's not free, but the "damage" is not permanent.
Science has a very good understanding of what happens at the cellular level when blood sugars are high and how that leads to microvascular complications. Much of this work has been elucidated by Dr. Michael Brownlee. For the especially curious, see:
Banting Lecture 2004
The Pathobiology of Diabetic Complications
A Unifying Mechanism
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/reprint/54/6/1615.pdf
yeswe'rebothD
09-20-2007, 11:01 PM
I think it's hard to say but I think it might be worth looking at the DCCT trial/study. Anyone know where such info can be obtained?
I'd be interested too, because after 2.5 years of not being insured (and therefore being unable to test my bg as often as I would like), I've been experiencing more and more complications creeping up on me. Not sure how much is from being not-so-well controlled for that time period, or from 16+ years of being slightly-controlled. But thankfully, it looks as though I just may be getting insurance again soon, as dh is due to be hired in at his company, with insurance to follow.
Barry
09-20-2007, 11:06 PM
Without Keytones I would think not a big issue. It's a average thing. It doesnt mean that all the blood cells are that high, just the ones currently being made. The 300 cells are mixed with blood cells in the 70s and 80s and 90s and so forth that have been made the past three months.
What 3 days of highs might do is feed bacteria in the body as high sugar is conducive to bacteria growth. High BGs may temporarily slow healing of a wound.
Live and learn for the next time
when blood sugars are running high(over 300) for a period of about 3 to 6 hours.......what happens to body? If it causes harm to the body...is the damage irreversible ? Does anyone know for sure?
Don't sweat the 3 to 6 hours. That will happen (and does happen) to all of us, and while it's not great it's not the end of the world. Being over 300 for 3 to 6 days is more of a worry, and 3 to 6 weeks or worse yet months would be just not acceptable..
I may be wrong about this, but I use the analogy of cigarettes: if you're smoking for say 4 hours and it happens a few times it's not a big deal. Smoking 4 days - your lungs will be hurting for a few days after. 4 months and you're causing real damage..