Diabetes Mellitus Type II - NIDDM...
now I am taking insulin

The main indicator for diabetes is Blood Sugar.  This is something that I have had to spend some time researching so I can understand it completely.  That way I can actually take care of myself better if I have all the information.

To the right you see a graph.  The key to remember in this is that there is a range of blood sugar that your body maintains automatically if you do NOT have diabetes.  If you have diabetes the blood sugar "pressure valve" doesn't function anymore. 

Too Low: (top part of the pic)
 

0-70 mg/dL - This level can cause someone with diabetes to pass out, fall into a coma and die.  (I don't have much problem with low blood sugar).  But if you do run into this situation, and the person is awake, some juice, milk, a sugar cube, candy bar will help.  If the person is passed out, do not hesitate, call 911.

Best: 
 

71-120 mg/dL - This level is the the normal operating level of the body, even if you ate something with sugar in it, have been exercising, etc.  You body tries to maintain this level all the time.  A diabetic must however work to maintain this level by: testing blood sugar levels (I call this "stabbing, the slowest way to cut your wrists on little pin prick at a time"); taking oral medication; taking insulin (by shot, or whatever way it is is available if it is required, and if it is required, it is required.); exercise; and maintaining a healthy eating plan (this is NOT a diet, so just throw that stupid word out now).

Good:
 

121-150 mg/dL - This is still in the "okay" range.  This is the level you are at on Thanksgiving Day, after you've eaten 3 pounds of turkey, 2 pounds of potatoes, 1 gallon of gravy, and an olive and you find yourself asleep.  This is the "food coma" level for the normie (those with out diabetes).  If the sugar level is kept at this level for an extended period of time the complications of diabetes will begin to start.

Too High:
 

151-900 mg/dl - This is the most dangerous level, and this is also the level that the most severe complications begin.  It can be lack of blood flow to the feet; neuropathy (death of the nerve cells in the extremities, lower legs, arms, hands, etc.); retinopathy (death of the retina in the eye); blurry vision; frequent urinating; sleepiness; and blurry vision.

My First Experience with Blood Sugar Levels:
 

When I first found out that I had diabetes, the blood sugar test showed that I had a blood sugar level of 585 mg/dL, over 5 times that of the normal person.  At the time I was having the frequent urination (tiny bladder syndrome); sleepiness (used to just nod off to sleep all the time.  Normally, when you feel a bit tired, the first reaction is: "I'll eat something that will pick me up."  But eating something did the exact opposite and forced my blood sugars even higher.  And the worst part and my real "eye opener" was the blurry vision.  My vision changed to the point that anything that was more than arms length from me was blurry and fuzzy, it was like living in a bubble and everything outside of the bubble was just foggy.  Of course I was driving to work in this phazey hog, and if I had passengers I usually didn't tell them until after we arrived that I couldn't see anything.  Well, I could, but still.

Okay, I mentioned a measurement here mg/dL

I had no idea what that was at all, so I did some research about it, and this is what I have been able to to come up with for what the measurement actually means.

The mg is milligrams.
The dL is deciliters

Helpful isn't it?  I didn't think so either.  So this is the best possible explanation that I can come up with.

The mg/dl is a measurement of how many milligrams are in a deciliter of blood.  What this translates to is:
 

	A milligram (mg) is approximately  1000th the size of sugar cube.
	A deciliter (dL) is: 0.211338 pints or  0.422675 cups or  3.3814 fl oz (US) basically  4/10 of an 8 ounce cup a bit less than  1/2 of an 8 ounce cup.

(Luckily I don't have to drain a half of cup of water to test my blood, that would be kinda awful.)
 

The human body has about: 5 liters or 9.08083 pints or 21.1338 cups or 42.2676 1/2 cups of blood.  (Yeah, this is a guess and an over-simplification).

The normal person has approximately based on a 
blood sugar of 100 mg/dL: 

4.2 sugar cubes in their entire blood system or 
.1987 sugar cubes per cup of blood in their system or 
.0993 sugar cubes per 1/2 cup or

24.72 sugar cubes in my entire blood supply or 

x 24.72

1.169 sugar cubes per cup of blood or 

x 1.69

.5848 sugar cubes per 1/2 cup of blood

x .5848

So as you can see, the sugar levels in the body don't look like much at all, but without sugars (glucose, the gasoline for the body) you can't function.