Deb -
Thank you for your input. She has had type II since she was about 13/14 years old. I personally don't think she has been taking her diabetes seriously her entire life but that's just my concerned opinion.
She woke up (yesterday) feeling sluggish all day and when she got home from her job (she is a massage therapist and on her feet all day long) she went to sleep. I woke her up about 2 to 3 hours into the *nap* and didn't like the way her voice sounded - TOO TIRED!
That is when she took her glucose and saw it was at 264 and realized it must have been high all day long. She then popped what I think she calls a glucoside 10mg pill and she told me it usually makes her glucose go too low (to which I countered - then try taking 1/2 a pill or 3/4 of a pill). She is so consumed by the idea of having to consume sugar if the med makes her glucose go too low that she is losing sight of her health darnit!

When I went to see her 10 days ago (a day before she started Atkins), she admitted to only checking her blood glucose *occasionally* and I got her to pinpoint it at - a few times a week.
Now, I know type I's don't have that luxury but I was also under the impression that type II's don't either (my husbands grandmother has type II and checks it twice a day, grudgingly). I think my friend has part denial and part *I gotta save a buck* on her mind and not her health in the equation anywhere!!!

On her glucose levels - I can't tell you with any assurance that it is that high as she has told me that she felt pretty energetic and good (which means she doesn't monitor it even on a daily basis) and 5 days ago her blood glucose was around 250 and she popped one of the glucoside 10 mg pills and started getting LOW blood sugar in the middle of doing a massage (she explained this was a very HORRIBLE situation because it is unprofessional to stop a massage in the middle at CANYON RANCH in Vegas - I thought - who cares - this is your health and life chicky!)

I don't think I can persuade her to get to an endocronologist to monitor her meds and I don't know what doc would have told her to only take this pill when she was going to CARB HEAVY. I also don't know of any doc that would tell her that she only had to monitor her blood a few times a week. It seems like she is playing Russian Roulette with her pancreas....does anyone else get that feeling? I mean if it is money she is worried about (I think it is) than I will gladly pay for her doctor's visit or her testing strips just so she will monitor once or twice a day. I am SOOOO worried about her not being responsible about this.