High bp or hypertension is well associated with renal issues and renal issues are associated directly to diabetes and I would hazard a guess that Candi is experiencing renal problems at this point due to the high blood sugars and so the high bp etc.... let's see what her tests come back as and what her doc dx'es her with ..... curious and I wish you luck Candi!
hugs,
Shelagh
http://clik.to/lupus

Candi, get a glucose meter. The doc might give you one, they often have them
on hand for patients who cannot afford them. Or maybe he'll give you a
coupon for one. Also check the net for coupons by the different
manufacturers. The new ones are so easy to use.  Sign up of diabetes classes
at your local hospital.

The trick is to chose the carbs carefully. You really don't want to waste
them on something silly but I also know that taking everything good and fun
away makes life very boring!

I have a wonderful older friend and she was doing fine with her diet when
she was living with her granddaughter but now she has been home for several
months and her blood sugars went sky rocketing. She called me, told me where
her sugars were. I freaked out! I went to her house and began to poke
through her pantry and refrig. OH MY! Her son had been doing the grocery
shopping and he'd been picking out all the light foods. Sometimes the light
foods have more sugar in them and I began to point this out. Read the labels
carefully. When in doubt look at the carbs, one brand may be much lower than
another. It's taking me almost three weeks but I've got her down from 255 to
130. She feels better and has lots more energy. She's riding a stationary
bike almost daily. (Getting her one of those to ride was sheer luck!) And
she's actually eating better, in a timely fashion, and not feeling hungry.
She has a whole group of treats that she may have as an afternoon or morning
snack. It's limited in nature but she doesn't feel deprived.

Learning what is a "serving" is often the hardest thing for diabetics.
Having someone show you helps. She's eating more salads, one for lunch and
one smaller one with dinner. A meat should be the size of a deck of cards or
the palm of your hand. Exchanging foods is a little trickier but once you
get the hang of it you almost don't have to think about it. I found her a
lower carb bread and that eases the carb load. I switched her crackers to
whole wheat and limited them. If she has an egg and pancake for breakfast
then she's not allowed cheese and crackers for her snack. So she has celery
and no sugar added, pure, peanut butter instead. Then she can have the
crackers with her salad at lunch or maybe she'll have a half of a turkey
sandwich with her salad. Her afternoon snack is what she really relishes as
I have also introduced her to flavored teas. Tea with fresh fruit, or tea
with two Maria's (very plain Mexican cookies), or even two Eddy's Dibs (ice
cream). She's not feeling deprived and she's sticking to her diet! Dinner is
more normal with meat, a vegetable, and a small salad. She loves
cauliflower, greens, squash, etc. They are all "free" foods. At night if
she's hungry she can chose from a whole list of little things such as
cheese, low-carb yogurt, peanut butter on crackers, etc. usually a high
protein item.

I've been trying to take her out to lunch every so often to help her with
meals while she is away from home. I've had her try new things and she's
enjoyed it. Then we stop by the grocery store and see what new things we can
find for her to eat. She loves cranberry juice and I found her some made
with Splenda. Sure was better than the no-sugar added but they used apple
juice to sweeten it, making it way too high in sugar! Now she can tell her
son get me "this" and hands him the label. Three times I've taken her to the
grocery store and done her shopping. I won't say what it cost me but I
figure I don't tithe to a church or donate to United Way, etc so what little
bit I can do for another human being is probably more important then
striking a check for some organization.

She tests her blood sugar every morning so she knows if she ate something
she should not have eaten. How much apple does she dare eat for a treat or
in her salad? We've figured out it is about a 1/3 of a large apple. My
sister cannot eat that much apple but my friend can. Everybody is different
and how you metabolize your food will be different. I've seen diabetics eat
things I wouldn't dream of eating at one meal and I'm not diabetic (yet).
How much potato is too much? It's a carb serving and maybe 1/4 of a baked
potato is all you can have or maybe you can eat 1/2 of one. Can you eat 1 or
2 new potatoes?

The trick is to spread the proteins and carbs out throughout the day. I tell
my friend it is like stoking the woodstove. Paper is the sugar and it flares
up and goes away. In diabetics it flares and gets stuck in the blood much
like creosote in the chimney. The fiber is like tinder and is needed to keep
things hot but the proteins are the big hunks of wood that slowly burn. The
carrots, lettuce, celery, squash, greens, broccoli and cauliflower are just
free food that will not effect sugar levels. Eat all you want!

I do hope this helps.
((HUGS))
Bev