A few q's from a rookie

[Marie4james]

Hi everyone this is my first post. I have been reading the info on here for a week, since I got 'the call' to go to chat about my blood results...

Bit about me.., 32 yo female. BMI 20, and had gestational diabetes 6 yrs ago. I have been feeling very unwell for a while including excessive thirst (drink approx 8 pints water a day plus tea) gastric symptoms and excessive sweating. Also extreme tiredness where I never feel alert, constant headache. Have also had 3 urine infections in 4 months and secere intermittent odema in ankles and abdomen.

So had full blood screen. Which came back as 14.6fasting. I have been put on glic 80mg x1. No ketones/sugar in 2 urine samples. Hba1 came back at 58. Is this ok?

Sent away with glic and Bg monitor. I am lucky that my dr have me Px for loads of lancets/test strips and wants me to document food and Bg for a week and go back.

I have heeded all the advice from forum pros here and completely re hauled my diet. I am noticing amazing results with my digestive system. - no longer constipated and feeling less tired. I am all over the place with my Bg though - it had ranged from 5.5 mid morning (where I actually felt hypo) - is this because I'm not used to normal Bg? Up to 15.4 post meal of chilli with two dessert spoon of rice. (Bye bye rice!)

As I am slim and youngish do you think it could be Lada? Are my results 'severe' enough to indicate that? What is an acceptable post meal reading?

Sorry for the long post. But I determined to get this controlled and for me, it has to be mainly through diet as I am so inactive due to genetic brittle bones which has caused spinal fractures. I an also worried as I go into hospital a lot and worry about GA's and hospital food messing everything up as nhs idea of diabetic diet is somewhat different to what really works.

Sorry for the ramble and thanks for taking the time to read!!

 

[JayPRocks]

Hi there I am diabetic type one and have been for forty odd years with no long term complications. Not a dr but doing ok. Your HBA1 at 58 is way off the scale yet as it is so high have they used the the MGDL scale which I have heard is being introduced. If that is the case your HBA1 is around 3.2 which is very low though. I would suggest you contact your diabetic team about it. As you have mentioned and I agree you know your body better than anyone so be string if and when you go into hospital. There is no normal post meal reading as different meals have different carbs. Rice as an example has a high carb count. Don't say goodbye rice just be aware if the need to have more medicine. Salads meat and fish have no carbs. Lastly YES you would feel Hypo at 5 if your blood sugars are running high yet that takes us back to you talking to your team regarding the HVA1 result. Most of all remember diabetes is a pain in the ass but it's not nearly so bad as other nasty diseases out there . Hope my words have helped JP

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello Marie and welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear about your health issues, and now a diagnosis of diabetes. I can't help on the LADA question but others will be along.

The NICE guidance, which the NHS uses, is that Type 2's should be between 4 and 7 pre-meal and under 8.5 at 2 hours. However, this is a bit generous. Current thinking is under 6 before meals and under 7.8 post meal, but obviously the lower the better. Your HbA1c of 58 could be worse, but could be better. It equates to an average of 9.3mmol/l (the measurement units on our meters) over the past 2 to 3 months.

Yes, bye bye rice, and also cut down or avoid potatoes, pasta, bread, pastry and anything made with flour. There are plenty of helpful threads on the forum about testing and diets. It is a matter of finding a diet that is suitable for you, for your metabolism, and one that is sustainable for life.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi there I am diabetic type one and have been for forty odd years with no long term complications. Not a dr but doing ok. Your HBA1 at 58 is way off the scale yet as it is so high have they used the the MGDL scale which I have heard is being introduced. If that is the case your HBA1 is around 3.2 which is very low though. I would suggest you contact your diabetic team about it. As you have mentioned and I agree you know your body better than anyone so be string if and when you go into hospital. There is no normal post meal reading as different meals have different carbs. Rice as an example has a high carb count. Don't say goodbye rice just be aware if the need to have more medicine. Salads meat and fish have no carbs. Lastly YES you would feel Hypo at 5 if your blood sugars are running high yet that takes us back to you talking to your team regarding the HVA1 result. Most of all remember diabetes is a pain in the ass but it's not nearly so bad as other nasty diseases out there . Hope my words have helped JP

Sorry, but the mg/dl scale is the one used in America and some other countries. It is not used in the UK.
An HbA1c of 58mmol/mol is not off the scale. I have no idea what the 3.2 score you have come up with comes from. Can you enlighten me?

 

[Marie4james]

Thank you for your quick responses. This forum is a wealth of information.

Another Q... I get very sweaty hands. I have been washing hands before testing, would any sweat residue on fingers affect a result?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Yes, any residue on your fingers can affect the readings. The advice given is to wash with soap and warm water, rinse thoroughly, and dry thoroughly. I tend to do the washing and rinsing under running water.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Your HBa1C is 7.5% in old money and needs attention. NICE would recommend insulin if up to three tablet types don't bring your sugar into a good range. As you have a good BMI I would suspect LADA unless the gestational aspect has an influence still. LADA can come on at widely varying rates. I went thru max dose of Metformin, Gliclazide and Sitagliptin until insulin was needed. Glic has a max dose of 320mg so you may need that increased. The gliptins can help reduce spikes. There are two tests for LADA i.e. GAD for antibodies and c-peptide to measure your insulin level. To be honest you need to be aware that insulin may be needed over the next few years. Don't panic though. It was the best thing that happened to me when tablets failed (together with a low-carb diet) and it's not a big problem. I assume you are having a low-carb diet already but this is essential together with the tablets.

 

[Marie4james]

Ah yes @Dailbell I'm sure 7.5 was the conversion I was given at the dr. I didn't think that sounded too bad?

I have adopted the LCHF diet and it does seem to be improving the situation -Moving out of the low teen figures to around 10 average.

I was tested after having GD and it had resolved. I had very poor control in pregnancy and had to have long and short acting insulin - though I was following the Nhs diet advice which after reading on this site is not the best.

Good to know I have scope for increase on the glic to hold insulin at bay but as you have mentioned, my gp has alluded that insulin is a likely direction for me in future.