Managing Your Blood Sugar after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant

This video explains why you may develop high blood sugar after your allogeneic stem cell transplant. It also explains the health risks of having high blood sugar and what you can do to improve your blood sugar level.

Your body turns the food that you eat into a sugar called glucose. Your blood carries glucose to your cells so your body can use it for energy.

Insulin is the hormone that helps move glucose from your blood into your other cells. It's made by your pancreas, which is an organ located at the back of your abdomen.

If your pancreas doesn't make enough insulin, or if your cells don't let the insulin in, your blood sugar level will get too high. This is because the glucose stays in your blood instead of going into your cells.

When your blood sugar level is too high, it's called high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia.

You're more likely to have high blood sugar if you eat a diet high in fat and sugar, you're overweight, or you don't exercise enough.

You're also more likely to have high blood sugar if you've taken medications such as cyclosporine, sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, otherwise known as MMF, tacrolimus, or prednisone, or if you've had total body irradiation.

Your healthcare provider can check your glucose level by doing a fasting blood test. A fasting blood test is a test done after going at least eight hours without eating.

If your fasting glucose level is higher than 126 on more than one test, you may have diabetes.

The signs that you may have high blood sugar include being very thirsty and hungry, having a dry mouth, urinating more than usual, especially at night, having blurry vision, and feeling really tired.

Over time, high blood sugar can cause heart disease, kidney problems, vision loss, nerve damage, and stroke.

There are things you can do to prevent high blood sugar or to manage your blood sugar levels, such as eating better.

The fat in meat, dairy products, and oils changes the way insulin is able to move glucose into your cells. Eating less of these foods, or cutting them from your diet, can help reduce your body fat and allow insulin to do its job.

Try choosing foods that have three grams of fat or less per serving, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains like multi-grain bread and brown rice, and beans and nuts.

Carbohydrates in food increase blood sugar levels, but not all carbohydrates affect blood sugar in the same way.

Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly, and cause a low and steady rise in blood sugar levels, and therefore in insulin levels.

Eat foods that are high in complex carbohydrates, such as beans, most fruits, most vegetables, oats, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, multi-grain bread, barley, corn, and quinoa.

Simple carbohydrates are digested more quickly. They raise blood sugar and insulin levels quickly, and more than other foods. Limit foods you eat that are high in simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, soda, honey, syrups, white bread, white potatoes, and most cold cereals.

Eating more fiber can also help lower your blood sugar and help you stay full longer. Try to eat at least 40 grams of fiber each day.

Choose beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole wheat pasta, oats, multi-grain bread, and quinoa.

Start to increase your fiber slowly, and drink at least eight glasses of water a day to help keep your bowel movements regular. If beans make you gassy, try eating small servings and cooking them well.

Exercise can also help keep your blood sugar under control. Try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as a brisk walk, bike ride, or jogging, five days a week.

Check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program.

You can find heart healthy meal ideas by going to www.mskcc.org/pe and typing heart healthy in the search bar on the right of your screen.

For more information about your heart health after your allogeneic stem cell transplant, visit www.mskcc.org/pe. There, you can find written information, such as Managing Metabolic Syndrome After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant, as well as more videos.