Hi everyone, I am new here but just looking for a little bit of advice. I am 19 years old, fairly tall and overweight and have no prior health conditions. Recently my friend purchased a blood sugar monitor, one where you prick your finger. She tested hers and it was perfectly fine but i have tested mine several times and over a period of a week and from what i can find online I am not sure its ok. The normal readings I have are between 5.9-8 mmol/L however my lowest reading was 4.1 and my highest reading 10.1. My last test was today three hours after eating, I had a reading of 8.5 mmol/L. I have read how to do it online and pretty sure I am doing it right, washing my hands before use etc. I also think the machine works well as it had good reviews online and my friends was fine every time she tested. I just have a few questions... firstly do i need to go to doctors? If it is suspicious is it more likely to be type 1 or type 2 or pre diabetes ? and is there any symptoms to look out for? Thank you so much Freya.
Should I go to Doctors? Please help me!
- Thread starter frey99
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Why not see your GP and ask o get tested? All numbers you have mentioned are non-diabetic to borderline, depending on what you had eaten/drunk. So no need to panic, but possibly worthwile to get it checked.
Blood glucose numbers don't tell you anything about what type one could have.
Blood glucose numbers don't tell you anything about what type one could have.
One of the downsides of the Internet is that it is very easy to convince ourselves we are about to drop dead.
There is nothing wrong with your readings. Many things can make your blood sugar peak for short periods. A reading of 10 could be because you had a pizza three hours ago, 4 because of hard exercise and nothing to eat etc. so a few isolated readings mean nothing. It is the average and trends over a period (couple of months) that tell a story
Any or all of these could be symptoms of diabetes:
Losing some with a sensible diet will not do any harm and saves adding to your stresses with Doctors offering words of doom.
There is nothing wrong with your readings. Many things can make your blood sugar peak for short periods. A reading of 10 could be because you had a pizza three hours ago, 4 because of hard exercise and nothing to eat etc. so a few isolated readings mean nothing. It is the average and trends over a period (couple of months) that tell a story
Any or all of these could be symptoms of diabetes:
- Feeling tired during the day, particularly after meals (fatigue)
- Often feeling hungry, particularly if you feel hungry shortly after eating (polyphagia)
- Urinating more often than normal, particular needing to do so during the night (polyuria)
- Feeling abnormally thirsty (polydipsia)
- Blurred vision
- Itching of the skin, particularly itchiness around the genitals (genital itchiness)
- Slow healing of cuts or wounds
- Having regular yeast infections (thrush)
- Having a skin disorder such as psoriasis or acanthosis nigricans
- Sudden weight loss or loss of muscle mass
Losing some with a sensible diet will not do any harm and saves adding to your stresses with Doctors offering words of doom.
JoKalsbeek
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Hey Freya,
We can't diagnose you here, if there is anything to diagnose. If you're worried, see your gp and ask for a HbA1c test. But your range seems okay to borderline (depending on what you ate before that high) for a teen, so relax... And if you find you can't let it go, get tested.
If you are worried about your weight, try reading Dr. Jason Fung's books. The guy tends to make sense. Both about weight and diabetes type 2. They, luckily, have the same diet-oriented solution. (T1 is a different animal entirely).
I think you're okay, but it doesn't matter what I think. It's about *your* peace of mind.
Hugs,
Jo
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HSSS
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I’d agree with all the above but would add the caution of many T2 are diagnosed with few or no symptoms. I only had tiredness (overwhelming I admit) as a symptom.
Don’t be terrified, but be appropriately cautious. Try losing a little weight (ideally by cutting some of the worst carbs) and see how you feel. If that doesn’t need help or you’re still concerned pop to your gp and ask for an mot which includes a diabetes check.
At 19 yrs T2 isn’t unheard of but less common unless your lifestyle/weight really needs improvement. If that does apply making those changes now will only benefit regardless of diabetes diagnosis. T1 tends to manifest quite quickly (weeks not years) at your age from my understanding.
Don’t be terrified, but be appropriately cautious. Try losing a little weight (ideally by cutting some of the worst carbs) and see how you feel. If that doesn’t need help or you’re still concerned pop to your gp and ask for an mot which includes a diabetes check.
At 19 yrs T2 isn’t unheard of but less common unless your lifestyle/weight really needs improvement. If that does apply making those changes now will only benefit regardless of diabetes diagnosis. T1 tends to manifest quite quickly (weeks not years) at your age from my understanding.
