Prediabetic BG but underweight, seeking advice.

[tpower]

You guessed it!! My bg went up to 300-400 overnight and exercise did nothing. It was under 100 by reducing food and carbs and complaining I couldn't eat anything without raising fast and high. . My doc just said don't worry about it just eat . Of course I couldn't eat carbs but I was pounding nuts by the pound and so much protein I could barely breathe. Bg still climbed. 3 hospitals in one month and finally started insulin. I was clearly close to death and within 2 months on insulin I was SO MUCH better. And so angry. Never should have happened. It was so simple. I did ask about LADA and insulin and they said I didn't need it. HELLO? At the end of the day a won a small malpractice settlement on my own for their negligence. When I asked for GAD and cpeptide they said I didn't need it. Of course I did. I have no idea why docs are so against it. LADA is not very uncommon!! This from both a primary and a diabetic endo specialist. Who in fact is no longer in practice !!!! Yay

I could be wrong, but your experiences do sound like where I am heading. The endo I saw refused the tests and told me just to eat more ( didn’t believe even the dietitian’s report). I am going to go back to my GP and offer to pay for proper testing.

 

[Kristin251]

I could be wrong, but your experiences do sound like where I am heading. The endo I saw refused the tests and told me just to eat more ( didn’t believe even the dietitian’s report). I am going to go back to my GP and offer to pay for proper testing.

Do it!! It's a shame but not worth the loss of health if you don't. I can't imagine why they won't just do the tests especially with the sudden unexplainable weight loss. That's a primary sign the tables have turned!! Hoping the best for you.

I left he third hospital with severe malnourishment, protein deficiency and muscle wasting. NOT GOOD but 2 months on insulin was so much better. I'm still not the same or as strong as I was but I'm very much alive now.

 

[tpower]

Do it!! It's a shame but not worth the loss of health if you don't. I can't imagine why they won't just do the tests especially with the sudden unexplainable weight loss. That's a primary sign the tables have turned!! Hoping the best for you.

I left he third hospital with severe malnourishment, protein deficiency and muscle wasting. NOT GOOD but 2 months on insulin was so much better. I'm still not the same or as strong as I was but I'm very much alive now.

Thanks I won’t give up.

 

[AloeSvea]

OK mate AloeSvea, you were a bit blunt at the end there and could not help your irony No worries though.

Interesting what you said about the meters. Yes I pay for it all myself, of course. Will keep your assessment of the Accucheck in mind for the future.

Ah! But I was not being ironic. Not at all. I don't do irony now in forums as a rule. I really do believe a pre-prediabetic sticky thread is a good idea. Dead serious. I do understand that folks with some insulin resistance would want to prevent full-blown impairment (in the form of 'prediabetes' or 'type 2 diabetes' proper.) Absolutely. I just wonder if being in prediabetes and diabetes threads is the right place? I am very proud of the generosity of fellow diabetics actually, that they are happy to spend the time discussing blood glucose anomalies and so on with people who do not have significant impairment, when they themselves do, or have done, and deal with the seriousness of that.

Pleased to be of help re the caresens meter limitations. We do get them given to us free in Aotearoa/NZ, when attending a PHO diabetes information workshop - called Diabetes Self-management Education (or DSME). One is referred by your GP or other health authorities. Or you can get meters on prescription from GP or health clinic etc.

The DSME is where you get taught all about low glycemic index food, but not low-carb, the so called healthy plate as an offshoot. Crackers were served, to my horror, at morning tea for instance, by the diabetes nurse (who was very nice actually, and engaged in nutrition discussions with me and the nutritionists at the morning tea, where I brought my own and shared with other diabetics interested in the carb content of food and its effect on their BG.) But it was extremely helpful re BG testing and using meters. And I liked meeting other diabetics, and listening to prediabetics I found interesting to compare and contrast in terms of fear of complications differences and other pertinent differences. I did actually, at the time, wonder about putting fullblown diabetics and prediabetics in the same group (I wondered if we were there as walking talking warnings? lol. Not so pleasant!) (I did not seriously think we were there as warnings). My own HBA1c was 67, at the time, from 93 at diagnosis a few months previously. I got two meters even! I had not yet discovered real low-carbing, although I well understood the significance of carbs, but was a moderate-to-low carber, in transition as it were to the current low-carb life I live today.

 

[kokhongw]

I reread this thread and think it is important to have adequate protein to have good lean mass weight gain...that is ultimately what we want. Not carry too much excess fats around our tummy...or cheeks.

 

[Safi]

Hey @tpower - just checking in to see if you've have any luck in gaining weight. Hope you're OK.

 

[AloeSvea]

So what do y'all reckon? Moderators? @DCUKMod ? A special sticky thread for folks with HBA1c's of 37.32, 29, etc, ie non diabetic and non-prediabetic levels, to help sort each other out? In the name of prediabetes and diabetes prevention?

 

[DCUKMod]

So what do y'all reckon? Moderators? @DCUKMod ? A special sticky thread for folks with HBA1c's of 37.32, 29, etc, ie non diabetic and non-prediabetic levels, to help sort each other out? In the name of prediabetes and diabetes prevention?

Forgive me for being a bit dim, but it's late. What sort of sorting out do you mean? There's a whole pre-diabetes area, or is that not what you mean (without me having to go back through the entire thread tonight)?

 

[JohnH2019]

Hopefully you have been able to figure it out. One thing that many doctors overlook and have little clue about is the exocrine pancreas side. Many with diabetes will also have some impact on the exocrine function but rarely is it tested for and most will not even realize. Pancreas enzymes are needed to break down food into usable nutrients. I also was pre-diabetic and losing weight fast. I also had some, at the time unexplained, low values in vitamin D, testosterone, B12. Subsequent urine metabolic and stool tests uncovered many more nutrient deficiencies and exocrine pancreas issues.

Please ask your doctor to do stool tests such as pancreatic elastase and 24 hour fecal fat to check for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or EPI.

 

[Cazt]

Thanks I won’t give up.

Hi tpower, I'd be really interested to hear you got on since your last post. I am also low weight (BMI 18.2) and prediabetic for the past 18 months. HBA1c measured three monthly, originally 43 then 44, 43 and recently 45 mmol/mol. I had a GAD test, negative, but the endo the GP has been communicating with said no other tests would be useful. I've been on a very low carb diet for 18 months but can see no pattern from what I eat or from exercise - sometimes BG is low when I expect it to be high and vice versa. Very rarely in the 4s, sometimes in the 5s, more often in the 6s and frequently 7s and 8s or higher after eating. I'm seeing the GP again next week after the most recent HBA1c and just don't know what to say to her, except that I'm in limbo and would like some answers or at least some interest shown in what is happening to me. Any suggestions gratefully received after your experiences.
Would just like to ad that I have researched tirelessly for the past 18 months into all this and am 'up to here' with reading papers!

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi tpower, I'd be really interested to hear you got on since your last post. I am also low weight (BMI 18.2) and prediabetic for the past 18 months. HBA1c measured three monthly, originally 43 then 44, 43 and recently 45 mmol/mol. I had a GAD test, negative, but the endo the GP has been communicating with said no other tests would be useful. I've been on a very low carb diet for 18 months but can see no pattern from what I eat or from exercise - sometimes BG is low when I expect it to be high and vice versa. Very rarely in the 4s, sometimes in the 5s, more often in the 6s and frequently 7s and 8s or higher after eating. I'm seeing the GP again next week after the most recent HBA1c and just don't know what to say to her, except that I'm in limbo and would like some answers or at least some interest shown in what is happening to me. Any suggestions gratefully received after your experiences.
Would just like to ad that I have researched tirelessly for the past 18 months into all this and am 'up to here' with reading papers!

Hi @Cazt ,

The member you're adressing hasn't been active on the forum for over 2 years now. I think you'd be better off starting your own post with your questions, you're more likely to get responses that way. Also, you might want to add your typical meals for a day, often there's something in there that's not as low carb as people think. And as you're using a meter, could you record a day's meals and the meter's results? Test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite each time. That gives people here the most information.

Good luck!
Jo

 

[tpower]

Hi tpower, I'd be really interested to hear you got on since your last post. I am also low weight (BMI 18.2) and prediabetic for the past 18 months. HBA1c measured three monthly, originally 43 then 44, 43 and recently 45 mmol/mol. I had a GAD test, negative, but the endo the GP has been communicating with said no other tests would be useful. I've been on a very low carb diet for 18 months but can see no pattern from what I eat or from exercise - sometimes BG is low when I expect it to be high and vice versa. Very rarely in the 4s, sometimes in the 5s, more often in the 6s and frequently 7s and 8s or higher after eating. I'm seeing the GP again next week after the most recent HBA1c and just don't know what to say to her, except that I'm in limbo and would like some answers or at least some interest shown in what is happening to me. Any suggestions gratefully received after your experiences.
Would just like to ad that I have researched tirelessly for the past 18 months into all this and am 'up to here' with reading papers!

Hi. Thanks for asking. I found out earlier this year that I have been suffering from steatorrhea ( fat malabsorption) for at least two and half years which partially explains weight loss. I was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and now taking prescription digestive enzymes with every meal. Improved stools but after gaining a bit of weight my weight gain stalled again. Also had an MRCP ( MRI for pancreas) and a lesion was found in my pancreas. It is potentially precancerous but under observation for now. So finally I am being taken seriously and have found a really good Gastroenterologist and a pancreatic surgeon).The cause for the pancreatic insufficiency is still unknown but Specialists now admit that I probably am insulin deficient as well. My glucose tolerance has continued to decline despite low carb diet. Going to see a new Endocrinologist about that soon. I find that eating too little carbs leads to elevated BG ( not enough insulin production triggered and liver dumps glucose) and a new development now is that too much protein also leads to high BG. I have to balance all the macronutrients to keep my BG within more or less normal limits.
I don’t know if my story helps, but it does show that things are not simple and it is worth digging and being persistent with doctors when you know there is something wrong.

 

[tpower]

A

Hopefully you have been able to figure it out. One thing that many doctors overlook and have little clue about is the exocrine pancreas side. Many with diabetes will also have some impact on the exocrine function but rarely is it tested for and most will not even realize. Pancreas enzymes are needed to break down food into usable nutrients. I also was pre-diabetic and losing weight fast. I also had some, at the time unexplained, low values in vitamin D, testosterone, B12. Subsequent urine metabolic and stool tests uncovered many more nutrient deficiencies and exocrine pancreas issues.

Please ask your doctor to do stool tests such as pancreatic elastase and 24 hour fecal fat to check for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or EPI.

A late reply, but I do need to thank you. Your message prompted me to go back to my GP and insist on more tests. I was diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. I am now taking prescription digestive enzymes which make a difference with the steatorrhea ( fat malabsorption) and surprisingly BG too. I also had an MRCP ( MRI for pancreas) which revealed a potentially precancerous lesion which is now under observation. Specialist admits that pancreas is malfunctioning and I am probably insulin deficient as well. Finally making progress.

 

[Brunneria]

A


A late reply, but I do need to thank you. Your message prompted me to go back to my GP and insist on more tests. I was diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. I am now taking prescription digestive enzymes which make a difference with the steatorrhea ( fat malabsorption) and surprisingly BG too. I also had an MRCP ( MRI for pancreas) which revealed a potentially precancerous lesion which is now under observation. Specialist admits that pancreas is malfunctioning and I am probably insulin deficient as well. Finally making progress.

well done for persisting!
I hope the monitoring you are getting means that any downturn will be caught rapidly.

 

[JohnH2019]

A


A late reply, but I do need to thank you. Your message prompted me to go back to my GP and insist on more tests. I was diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. I am now taking prescription digestive enzymes which make a difference with the steatorrhea ( fat malabsorption) and surprisingly BG too. I also had an MRCP ( MRI for pancreas) which revealed a potentially precancerous lesion which is now under observation. Specialist admits that pancreas is malfunctioning and I am probably insulin deficient as well. Finally making progress.

I am so glad to read this!! Not that you are suffering through this, of course, but that you have something you can now work with. I remember not knowing the cause, when continuing to deteriorate, was horrible. You really have to be your own advocate these days for anything medical. It is something many are learning the hard way, that you just cannot blindly trust what doctors tell you. Do not assume that they did all the necessary testing, and do not take 'no' for an answer from doctors if you feel something is not right, as you know your body best.

Since there is not that much practical info out there, the book Primal Pancreas (Pancreas Damage Survival Guide) which I got from Amazon was the most useful in helping me turn my health around even after the diagnosis of EPI.

 

[tpower]

I am so glad to read this!! Not that you are suffering through this, of course, but that you have something you can now work with. I remember not knowing the cause, when continuing to deteriorate, was horrible. You really have to be your own advocate these days for anything medical. It is something many are learning the hard way, that you just cannot blindly trust what doctors tell you. Do not assume that they did all the necessary testing, and do not take 'no' for an answer from doctors if you feel something is not right, as you know your body best.

Since there is not that much practical info out there, the book Primal Pancreas (Pancreas Damage Survival Guide) which I got from Amazon was the most useful in helping me turn my health around even after the diagnosis of EPI.

Thanks. I will order that book for myself straight away

 

[Auto E]

Hello, I'm a skinny pre-pre-diabetic (recent A1c 41) with a BMI of under 16.5. I strongly recommend you to get hold of a copy of one of Jenny Ruhl's books. She is a long-term diabetic who has survived intact to be over 70 and has spent years researching and sharing info on diabetes. She also has a site:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

I have read her more recent book "Your Diabetes Questions Answered". By her own account her earlier book "Diabetes 101" is more detailed about the research studies on which she has based her ideas, and therefore a heavier read. She is very sane, explains about LADA, and even has a chapter explaining why our GPs are so useless to us and how to get the best out of them! Ruhl says that skinny T2s have more trouble than most controlling our bgs, probably because we produce very little insulin.

I am considering seeing a diabetes specialist privately, partly in the hopes he will tell my GP to get me tested for LADA. However I am holding off for now, as currently I am keeping my bg mostly under 6 and certainly under 7 by restricting my carbs. The snag is, I can't seem to run at all well on this regime and that is wrecking my morale. I am also considering privately seeing a sports dietician who also covers diabetes. I have an NHS appointment for November with a general dietician, but I doubt if she will be able to address my problem in fuelling sporting activity.

Interestingly, like you I can cope with carbs better for breakfast and seemingly not at all in the evening. Most people seem to experience the opposite.

Good luck with getting a diagnosis soon!

Thanks for this book recommendation. I'm interested in reading this.
BTW, I also cope much better with carbs in the morning. I'm currently experimenting with having dinner very early (4pm) to see if that helps my FBG.

 

[Auto E]

I suspect that two lots of multiple antibiotics which did not work put me on course for diabetes way back in my teens and twenties, one for simple tonsillitis and then for tonsillitis with serious complications which had the GP calling around twice a day until he brought some brand new antibiotics for me, and I was better in a couple of days.
I think that set me on course for diabetes long ago.

That is so scary.....

 

[Auto E]

Hi. Thanks for asking. I found out earlier this year that I have been suffering from steatorrhea ( fat malabsorption) for at least two and half years which partially explains weight loss. I was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and now taking prescription digestive enzymes with every meal. Improved stools but after gaining a bit of weight my weight gain stalled again. Also had an MRCP ( MRI for pancreas) and a lesion was found in my pancreas. It is potentially precancerous but under observation for now. So finally I am being taken seriously and have found a really good Gastroenterologist and a pancreatic surgeon).The cause for the pancreatic insufficiency is still unknown but Specialists now admit that I probably am insulin deficient as well. My glucose tolerance has continued to decline despite low carb diet. Going to see a new Endocrinologist about that soon. I find that eating too little carbs leads to elevated BG ( not enough insulin production triggered and liver dumps glucose) and a new development now is that too much protein also leads to high BG. I have to balance all the macronutrients to keep my BG within more or less normal limits.
I don’t know if my story helps, but it does show that things are not simple and it is worth digging and being persistent with doctors when you know there is something wrong.

Wow. Your situation sounds so very complicated and I'm glad you're finally having the doctors take your situation more seriously! I can totally see how in a certain pancreas/liver/stress hormone relationship that very low carb could make your blood glucose just keep going up. I'm mean, that's basically what happens to me during the night when I'm not eating. The lovely liver - trying to help but sometimes making things much worse!

 

[Alexandra100]

BTW, I also cope much better with carbs in the morning. I'm currently experimenting with having dinner very early (4pm) to see if that helps my FBG.

I am trying to eat my last food of the day between 5 & 6pm but find this very inconvenient so often fail. At least I more often than not manage to eat before 7pm. I find that if my last food is before 4pm I get too hungry before bedtime. My main meal is lunch (again, hyper-inconvenient) and I try to eat 2 portions of low carb vegetables then. In the evening I only eat 100g chicken, plus lately I am experimenting with 2 units of red wine, in the hope of improving my bedtime & morning bgs. I'm not sure yet if this is working, but I'm loving the red wine, though shocked at how small a measure = 2 units (recommended max daily allowance). Do keep us updated as to your success with early evening meals.