High BG - Not Eaten For 20hrs!

[JudyJudes]

Hello Everyone

Im Pre-Pre Diabetes and Celiac. My last A1c was 5.4, previously up from 5.3, 5.2 and 5.1. With each test my readings are rising. I eat very low carb, fish, chicken, meat, veg, salad, legumes etc. I have no bread, pasta, sweets, chocolate, sugary drinks etc. Very little alcohol. In all honesty I do not know how I can further improve my diet. I move when I can but am restricted due to disability. I started wearing a blood glucose monitor back in January due to being disqualified from the ZOE study (due to being celiac) and wishing to know how my body responds to food. Back in January my readings were tickety boo. Fasting numbers between 4.5 - 5.5; however I was getting severe spikes up to 13 after most meals. Hence I’ve either removed or severely restricted potatoes, rice, gf bread and gf pasta from my diet. That said my diet hasn’t ever really been carb heavy but clearly my body didnt like carby foods.

I eat twice a day and rarely snack. At 12:00 today I had lunch which was the first time I ate in 20 hours having last ate at 16:00 yesterday. My lunch today was spicy mackerel stuffed pepper, avocado and a salad. 440 calories, 9.8g carbs, 25g protein and 4g fibre.

Now my blood glucose readings are generally higher averaging 6.5 during the day with a spike after any food.

Todays Readings:-

08:00 - 6.8mmol/L
08:30 - 7.2mmol/L
12:00 - 6.6mmol/L - Lunch.
13:00 - 8.4mmol/L - 1hr post lunch
14:00 - 8.1mmol/L - 2hr post lunch
15:00 - 6.3mmol/L

Im trying to work out if the problem is impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, impaired glucose regulation or non-diabetic hyperglycaemia

My question is has anyone else had a similar experience? How can I help myself? Any advice or shared experience would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

PS I have a Health Check coming up and I will discuss there.

 

[TheSecretCarbAddict]

Looks like morning increase could be a dawn phenomenon. This is liver dumping blood glucose to get you ready for the day and often not food related (our body is really clever and can generate new glucose without you consuming any). Search forum for some tactics to manage this (timing of food before bed, timing of food on waking, etc.)

I find that around 5g of carbs puts my sugar up by 1mmol/L or so 2h after meal and generally works with multipliers. It will be different for different people, but you should be able to work out your impact to be able to predict the impact of your meals and adjust before you eat. I find that occasions high protein content of a meal impacts me as well, but more than 2h post meals, usually 3-4h mark.

I'm finding that for fasting to have a positive impact, I need to do more than a day. I'm now experimenting with alternate day 42h fasts, and these seem to return BG to good baseline so that the food I consume doesn't then push me out of non-diabetic range.

It is hard work keeping in the green all the time and for me is a combination of watching carbs, fasting, regular exercise like walking and getting in my sleep. All elements add up.

 

[TheSecretCarbAddict]

Just to add, higher than normal BG levels can be driven by other factors than nutrition. Illness, stress, etc. also play a role and can affect your BG results.

 

[JudyJudes]

Thank you @TheSecretCarbAddict , your replies are much appreciated.

I was wondering if I’ve developed an autoimmune condition of the pancreas (if there’s such a thing) as I have a few autoimmune conditions and I know that predispositions people into developing others. I will be exploring further when I have my Health Check in a couple of weeks.

As little as 6 weeks ago my numbers were great, between 4.5 and 5.5 before food/on waking etc. I find all things Insulin and blood glucose related are really complicated and everyone is different.

Thank you again

 

[Resurgam]

To keep my blood glucose levels steady I eat at about 12 hourly intervals. If I don’t eat breakfast my levels keep rising until I eat.

 

[JudyJudes]

To keep my blood glucose levels steady I eat at about 12 hourly intervals. If I don’t eat breakfast my levels keep rising until I eat.

Thank you @Resurgam. I have tried eating earlier in the day on rising and it made no difference. After the initial big spike my readings still didn’t go below 6.5 ish. It’s really frustrating.

 

[HairySmurf]

Hi and welcome

Your situation appears complex and has a few confounding factors, so this may well not apply in your case. When it comes to slowly rising fasting blood glucose levels I subscribe to the idea that rising levels of fat in the liver are the primary culprit. You mention that your fasting levels were 4.5 to 5.5 in January, and 6.5 now - has the rise been steady and gradual over that time? If so, maybe liver fat, which causes insulin resistance in that organ which messes with blood glucose regulation. If there was a sudden jump, and as you don't drink much alcohol maybe some other explanation is more likely.

This long interview with Prof Roy Taylor explains his ideas in detail on the role of liver fat in the development of Type 2 diabetes - Video interview Link He claims it explains all cases, which I don't buy, but the link between liver fat and elevated fasting blood glucose levels appears solid.

He has a theory about body fat levels which is his explanation for how a fatty liver comes about, and if your weight has been rising lately that might be it, though my own reading on the subject suggests there are other ways it can happen. For example risk factors for Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) include low skeletal muscle mass and a sedentary lifestyle, independent of being overweight or obese (Link and Link). As you mention that you have a disability and are unable to move much I wonder if that might be a factor. Any indication of liver problems in your next blood tests would confirm it for certain, as would elevated blood triglyceride levels (listed as a cause of fatty liver on some websites, a symptom of fatty liver according to Roy Taylor) though to the best of my understanding it's entirely possible to have the beginnings of excess fat levels in your liver (steatosis) and not have other signs of fatty liver disease as such, no easily detectable physical damage, at least not yet.

Again, this may well not apply in your case - the spikes up to 13 in January perhaps suggest impaired glucose tolerance, which does not fit with being in the prediabetic stage in the progression of Type 2 according to Taylor's model.

I hope the mystery is solved and resolved soon for you, and very best of luck

 

[sucuth]

Hello Everyone

Im Pre-Pre Diabetes and Celiac. My last A1c was 5.4, previously up from 5.3, 5.2 and 5.1. With each test my readings are rising. I eat very low carb, fish, chicken, meat, veg, salad, legumes etc. I have no bread, pasta, sweets, chocolate, sugary drinks etc. Very little alcohol. In all honesty I do not know how I can further improve my diet. I move when I can but am restricted due to disability. I started wearing a blood glucose monitor back in January due to being disqualified from the ZOE study (due to being celiac) and wishing to know how my body responds to food. Back in January my readings were tickety boo. Fasting numbers between 4.5 - 5.5; however I was getting severe spikes up to 13 after most meals. Hence I’ve either removed or severely restricted potatoes, rice, gf bread and gf pasta from my diet. That said my diet hasn’t ever really been carb heavy but clearly my body didnt like carby foods.

I eat twice a day and rarely snack. At 12:00 today I had lunch which was the first time I ate in 20 hours having last ate at 16:00 yesterday. My lunch today was spicy mackerel stuffed pepper, avocado and a salad. 440 calories, 9.8g carbs, 25g protein and 4g fibre.

Now my blood glucose readings are generally higher averaging 6.5 during the day with a spike after any food.

Todays Readings:-

08:00 - 6.8mmol/L
08:30 - 7.2mmol/L
12:00 - 6.6mmol/L - Lunch.
13:00 - 8.4mmol/L - 1hr post lunch
14:00 - 8.1mmol/L - 2hr post lunch
15:00 - 6.3mmol/L

Im trying to work out if the problem is impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, impaired glucose regulation or non-diabetic hyperglycaemia

My question is has anyone else had a similar experience? How can I help myself? Any advice or shared experience would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

PS I have a Health Check coming up and I will discuss there.

Hi,
so sorry you are going though this. It looks as if you are doing all the research you can to figure out exactly what is happening. Good on you. There are so many illness that can impact on blood sugars. Even people with not a trace of diabetes can have iffy blood sugars when they are ill.

Did you get diagnosed as pre diabetic? Is that Type 1 as that is linked with Coelic, whereas type 2 is not and I haven't heard people use the term pre diabetic for type 1 at all, except maybe for young children who have a particular genetic test for it.

I actually think you are doing really well and those blood sugars after eating can be anything up to 12 or even a little higher. The important thing is that your blood sugars are levelling off afterwards. Thats what my consultant told me anyway

Maybe talking with your consultant about it or whoever is your diabetes adviser at the hospital. In my experience they are usually very good. I am assuming you know about the link between Type 1 Diabetes and being Coeliac? If you aren't I would suggest asking about that too.
All the best.

 

[JudyJudes]

Thank you @sucuth & @HairySmurf (love that user name ) I appreciate your posts very much.

Update:-
This evening I mentioned to my husband that my thumb joint (where it attaches to your hand) was still very painful, hot and swollen. It has been like this a couple of weeks. I don’t recall injuring it. He inquired if it could be gout? Lo and behold there is a link between raised uric acid levels and higher blood glucose readings especially for women. Women with raised uric acid levels are 72% more likely to develop T2 than women without. I’m not saying I have gout or raised uric acid levels as I haven’t been tested for that; but it does seem to fit. Just a thought.

 

[ianf0ster]

Joint pain could raise your blood glucose, as can stress, lack of sleep, injury, illness, statins, steroids and about 40 other things.

 

[In Response]

I was wondering if I’ve developed an autoimmune condition of the pancreas (if there’s such a thing)

Autoimmune condition of the pancreas is generally called Type 1 diabetes.
I am not suggesting that is what you have. Just explaining that Type 1 is an auto condition that affects the pancreas.

 

[JudyJudes]

Thank you @In Response . I’m seriously wondering if i developed late onset T1. Absolute bummer if I have

 

[M1k3yc]

Hi - This was happening to me, even after fasting my glucose on waking was in double digits and didn't drop until lunchtime. It was very frustrating. Vicotaza / Ozempic work in part by reducing the amount of glucose the Liver releases. I'm on it and am now in pre diabetic glucose levels.

 

[Tony337]

Hi
A bit left field perhaps but for years i ignored the fact that meat like chicken has an adverse affect on my levels until i put it to the test.
I had not eaten for a good 5 hours with no fast acting insulin on board and i ate a chicken leg.
It took 2 hours mind you but then my levels shot up from 6.3 to 9.5!

I was surprised to say the least and now treat chicken in particular with a bit more respect.

If you are hungry and not eaten for a while pop a bit of chicken in and see what it does to your levels.


Just a thought and i wish you well.

Tony

 

[Outlier]

Is this chicken you cooked yourself, or ready-prepared from the supermarket? Some of the latter has sugar added to give that beguiling brown look, while sliced chicken from some sources is treated with edible starch so the slices don't stick together.

If of course it is the former, this is a useful bit of information as well. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JudyJudes]

Thank you @Tony337 & @Outlier I can’t say I’ve noticed any adverse effect with chicken. Any chicken I have is cooked at home and usually organic. I have noticed that sometimes if my fat intake is a bit high does tend to raise levels over a longer period which I do understand.

 

[Alexandra100]

My lunch today was spicy mackerel stuffed pepper, avocado and a salad. 440 calories, 9.8g carbs

Lots of questions - I hope you don't mind. Would you feel like experimenting with further reducing the carbs? I and a lot of other people here consume only 10 net / 20 total carbs in a day so perhaps only a few more carbs than in your one meal. Are you counting net or total carbs? What was in the stuffing for the pepper? What was in the salad? Did you spice the mackerel yourself or buy it already spiced, and if the latter, did a label show the carbs? Legumes aren't low carb - would it be hard to cut them out for a while? Lots of detective work to do - fascinating if it wasn't so frustrating. Good luck!

 

[stfluffybrain]

Hi and welcome

Your situation appears complex and has a few confounding factors, so this may well not apply in your case. When it comes to slowly rising fasting blood glucose levels I subscribe to the idea that rising levels of fat in the liver are the primary culprit. You mention that your fasting levels were 4.5 to 5.5 in January, and 6.5 now - has the rise been steady and gradual over that time? If so, maybe liver fat, which causes insulin resistance in that organ which messes with blood glucose regulation. If there was a sudden jump, and as you don't drink much alcohol maybe some other explanation is more likely.

This long interview with Prof Roy Taylor explains his ideas in detail on the role of liver fat in the development of Type 2 diabetes - Video interview Link He claims it explains all cases, which I don't buy, but the link between liver fat and elevated fasting blood glucose levels appears solid.

He has a theory about body fat levels which is his explanation for how a fatty liver comes about, and if your weight has been rising lately that might be it, though my own reading on the subject suggests there are other ways it can happen. For example risk factors for Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) include low skeletal muscle mass and a sedentary lifestyle, independent of being overweight or obese (Link and Link). As you mention that you have a disability and are unable to move much I wonder if that might be a factor. Any indication of liver problems in your next blood tests would confirm it for certain, as would elevated blood triglyceride levels (listed as a cause of fatty liver on some websites, a symptom of fatty liver according to Roy Taylor) though to the best of my understanding it's entirely possible to have the beginnings of excess fat levels in your liver (steatosis) and not have other signs of fatty liver disease as such, no easily detectable physical damage, at least not yet.

Again, this may well not apply in your case - the spikes up to 13 in January perhaps suggest impaired glucose tolerance, which does not fit with being in the prediabetic stage in the progression of Type 2 according to Taylor's model.

I hope the mystery is solved and resolved soon for you, and very best of luck

Brilliant link thanks so much