confused

[christieuk]

Hi. I seem to be diabetic or possibly pre-diabetic. Im waiting to see my GP following the fasting blood test, but in the meantime, I have been researching about diabetes.

What is confusing me is that when I havent eaten for 12 or more hours ie after the last evening meal and before eating the next day, my blood glucose level seems to be normal around 5-6 when using a glucometer. However as soon as I eat anything and I mean fairly normal things, the readings can increase anywhere from 9 to around 16. Is this normal or does it mean I have a pre-disposition for diabetes or actually have diabetes?

My GP seems to have the view that a fasting glucose test which is normal means that I dont have diabetes.

If you can help in anyway, I would be very grateful. Thanks for reading.

 

Hi Chris,
I hate to say this but it seems more probabl that you ARE and have diabetes, I went to the doctor for literally years wondering why i was so drained and ill all the time, i eventually blamed it on my work and was frightened to go back.
I changed my doctor after one sunday drinking buckets of water and was diagnosed right away,bought a glucose meter which i knew nothing about at the time and my mmol was 28.5
guess im a lucky guy to still be here!

I have seen my mmol sitting at 5 in the morning but as soon as i eat vroom! it shoots up.

btw i have type one and type 2 now which needs pills and insulin and my levels can be very erattic at any time, but im getting there.
you'll get there m8
chin up

 

[Kimbers.21]

hey,

yeh to me it sounds like u are developing diabetes - when u dont eat theres little sugars in ur blood stream so it would b quite low as ur body would of digested things and when u eat it will shoot up as ur puttin sugars into ur body (if any of that makes sence)

Aidy xx

...you dont even know how very special you are...

 

[sami]

i sound like you are diabetic to me to as your morning blood sugar is 5-6 that is the same as mine but if it goes up to 9-16 that is very high in none diabetic people it does go up after food but not by much maybe a rise of 1-1.5 and soon goes back down thats what my book that the clinic gave me says anyway . do you have a monitor if so do a test 2hrs after you have eaten then do a test every hr to see how long it takes to come back down . i would also go back to your doc and ask him to do a HbA1c blood test that will tell him/her what your average blood sugar has been over the last 3 months or so or get him to do a glucose tolarance test that will show if you have it or not . do let us know how you go on

sami
just found out
HbA1c 7.7

 

[christieuk]

Many thanks for all your replies. I was pretty sure that I am diabetic given the readings Im getting on the glucose testing. Reason Im so concerned is that I am due to have quite a major op in a few months time. When I went to hospital a few months ago, the water test showed signs of glucose, they then pin pricked my finger and it read 9.1. They were really quite iffy about doing a very minor procedure with that reading. As it happened I didnt have the procedure, but with a major op coming up and with the readings Im getting, I can see them simply refusing to do the op until the blood sugar is under control.

Well Im off to see the doc Friday night. He wants to wait for the fasting test before, it seems, he commits himself to a diagnosis of diabetes.

I'll let you know how I get on. Once again many thanks for your replies.

 

[Dennis]

Hi Christie,

The fasting test is one of the tools that doctors use to determine diabetes, but it is not foolproof as it only shows your reading at a particular moment in time after having no food intake for 12 hours. At that point your sugar level should be in the normal "resting" range, but the test doesn't allow for factors like how long a gap since you last ate or how much exercise you have had since you last ate. Both can show an artificially low fasting reading. What can be more significant is an HBA1C test. This measures the peaks and troughs in your blood sugars over the previous 90 days, so gives a better indication of how well your insulin is coping with blood sugar. I imagine your GP will do an HBA1C test as that is normal practice.

An increase to 9 after eating would be pretty normal, but the reading could be higher depending on the carbohydrates and sugars in whatever you have eaten. Sugars will always have an immediate effect on blood sugar level, but carbs have different effects depending on whether they are slow-release or fast release. The fast acting carbs will have a much quicker impact on your blood sugar than those that convert to glucose more slowly. This is the principle behind low GI and high GI carbs. If your sugars go significantly over 9 around 90 minutes after eating, then check what you have just eaten against one of the GI indexes. If you Google GI Index you will find loads of them. My favourite is
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_informatio ... table.html

 

[christieuk]

As an update, its been confirmed, am definitely diabetic as my fasting blood glucose was 8.6. Seeing the diabetic nurse on 4th Feb and then a referral to the dietician.

The only thing I wasnt too sure about, a lot of you seem to test your blood regularly which my GP doesnt want me to do. Hes put me on metaformin. 1 per day for a week increasing to 2per day for another week and then 3 per day the week after that. He says they only test blood sugar when the patient isnt well and then they test for the HAb1C. Does that sound right, or should I check it more often?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Flybywyre]

Straight on to Metaformin seems a bit over the top.......
Where you not given the option to try and steady things by diet alone?
Regards
FBW

 

[sugarless sue]

How are you supposed to know what foods affect your blood sugars if you don't test!!!:evil:Sorry rant over!! You need to take control of your diabetes and the best way is to know what foods affect you,which send up your BS and which don't. The doctors keep trotting out this "Oh but you don't need to test"Ask him/her "are you a diabetic then?" Testing and controlling carb intake is the best way to control Type 2.Suggest to the doctor that you would like to try diet only first before you go onto Metformin.

(will now jump down off soapbox and go and lie down in darkened room)

Knowledge is the key to control

 

[Dennis]

Couldn't agree more with what Sue said. Furthermore an HBA1C is taken only once every 3 months because it measures blood sugar peaks and troughs over a 90 day period. What your doctor is saying is that, if you have any problems, they wont know about it they next test you in 3 months time, by which time even a small problem will have become critical.

I'm sorry but your GP is in breach not just of government and NICE guidelines over patient self-testing, but all common sense. I suggest that next time you see him you ask to be referred to a diabetes consultant. Your GP CANNOT refuse this - he would be guilty of medical malpractice if he did. Many GPs have surprisingly little knowledge of diabetes, despite it being one of the most common complaints in the western world. From what you have told us about your GP's attitude and what he has prescribed for your diabetes, he seems to know a great deal less than most!!

 

HI Fly Sue and Dennis. thank you very much for your answers. Im probably not writing this in the correct part of the forum but dont know if I can move it over or not.

To answer the question about diet, I have already done this. I actually eat a very good diet. My husband has MS and for no other reason, this is why he has always tried to eat heathily since his diagnosis. He cooks from scratch every day and our diet is fairly well balanced, low on sugar, fats etc. The decision based on that information and the blood readings, prompted the move to Metformin. He would otherwise have done the diet first.

I too though it was strange not to test blood regularly but have done so anyway. Apparently the surgery only do the HBA1C test yearly unless Im ill, in which case they would test earlier. What I have found is that 2 hours after eating evening meal, Im now down to around 8 - which is way better than any other readings Ive had at that time of day, theyve always been double figures, so I presume the Metformin is working. Im still in the early stages of trying to work out what causes rises etc, but thanks for telling me and I shall keep a rigid food diary to see if I can pinpoint things. Im seeing GP's wife next week who is the practice nurse and apparently a diabetes expert. She will then refer me to the dietician after that. Im going to mention a few things to her including some of the comments you have made.

Fingers crossed and many thanks again for your very helpful replies.

 

[Linda59]

Hi, one of my doctors wouldn't give a tester said it had to be the d nurse that gave it, when I saw my d nurse she gave me one straight away even asked what kind I would prefer, so if you have an appointment ask her, as has been said tell them you need one as guidelines say you should be testing..




Linda

 

[Dennis]

Christie (I presume its you as your screen name has gone missing), one thing to bear in mind when you do see the nurse and dietician is that the standard advice from the government health "experts" and the diabetes organisations of UK and US is that diabetics should have a diet that is low in fats and high in carbohydrate. There is very strong evidence that it is this very diet that has caused both the diabetes and obesity epidemics that are sweeping the UK and US.

Just remember that diabetes = high blood sugar, and what causes high blood sugar? Carbohydrate - nothing else. Reduce carbohydrate and you lower blood sugar. Can I suggest that you have a look at the information in the link below? Whether you choose to believe it is up to you, but please read it first.
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/diabetes_index.html

 

[Buachaille]

Have a read at the above alternative link. Certainly appears to be some well researched material. I am not a high carb fan and have moved to having smaller meals of what I like rather than what the dietitian would prefer.

I too was put straight on Met and had no difficulty. Last visit to the practice doc who is diabetic herself put all my tests results well back into the range of a normal person. Indications are that they might stop the Met if my next check in March gives the same or better results.

Keep taking the tablets.

 

[Poppy]

Wow that link was great. Kept me reading there for ages.

 

[qrp]

Hi, Christie, read the posts with much interest.

As usual, Dennis is on the ball and you might like to know that Dr Richard Bernstein (book from Amazon) maintains that pancreas function can be preserved where it is by serious low-carbing. He has clinical evidence in support.

Well worth taking seriously and, as Dennis says, reducing carbs will keep blood glucose levels under control, especially the spikes. They are what ask for more insulin which the poor old pancreas exhausts itself trying to supply, according to Bernstein. Comment, anyone?

QRP T1 Levemir/Novorapid

 

[Dennis]

Hi QRP,

I have both of Dr Bernstein's books, the Diabetes Solution and the Diabetes Diet. I have to say that what Dr Bernstein and Barry Groves (the Second Opinion guy) propose makes perfect sense to me. I find it difficult to stick rigidly to as low a carb diet as Dr Bernstein recommends, but I have certainly succeeded in a radical reduction in my carb intake, with really good resulting BG readings.

 

[qrp]

Dennis and all, hi.
Diagnosed 8 months now and a goodly part of that timehas been in getting a realistic perspective on the tidal wave of info available. These forums have been the most helpful 'cos you can ask questions easily and quickly which isn't possible with websites.

Yes, I like you, would find 20 carbs a day (Bernstein) near impossible: I'm on 70 - 80 and seeing how it goes but further reduction is going to be needed, I'd say.

The saddest part of the diabetes story is the lack of any structured advice at local clinic/GP level on management ie what to record - carbs, BG results, insulin doses etc, how to interpret the results, including the finer points like somogyi fr'instance; and adjusting treatment regimes accordingly. The screening tests, like HbA1c, kidney, retinopathy and others seems to tick their boxes so no symptoms, no problem! That's all they seem able to offer. Like I say, sad.
regards QRP