Borderline diabetes

Diharvey

Member
Messages
5
Hi my doctor told me the other day my blood sugar levels were high. He told me to cut down on sugars and carbs. I have to go back after Xmas for another blood test. Looking at websites it's looking more likely that I could have diabetes. Whilst I'm waiting for blood test etc, would it be use for to have a blood sugar monitor now so I can keep a check and try to keep my sugar levels down?
 

Hobs

Master
Messages
11,797
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
Argumenative barstifferous (new word *lol*) types who think that they know everything *wink*
The test strips are expensive, but if you can afford them, then by testing before you eat then 2hrs after a meal you will certainly be better informed that without testing.

Check through the thread for newbies and there is a guide to help you.
 
Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am very much in favour of people owning a meter so that they can see what effect different food has on their sugar levels. The only comment I wish to make is that it might be a good idea to wait until after your next blood test just in case you are not diagnosed with diabetes.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Diharvey and welcome to the forum :)

Although you have not (yet) been diagnosed with diabetes, here is some information that we give to new members which I think you will find helpful. Carry on asking questions and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 

eggplant

Active Member
Messages
42
Hi Diharvey

As SF says, the strips/meter can be expensive (although you can get a Code Free SD with 50 strips for under £20 on Amazon) so unless you're desperate to know/be proactive, you might want to wait until you go back to the doctors after Christmas (given Christmas delivery schedules it might take that long for the meter to arrive anyway).

One thing I would advise though is that you think carefully about what you eat/drink. Before I was diagnosed last year, one of the symptoms I had (a common one) was a raging thirst which I (quite wrongly from a diabetic perspective) tried to feed with fizzy drinks, diluting squash drinks, milkshakes, etc. It was totally the wrong thing to do and sent my BG levels sky-high (from an initial fasting blood test of 16 mmol/L the result of which I was unaware of - to a whopping 27.4 mmol/L just a week after that initial test). The second result meant I was put straight onto insulin (thankfully, I only had to take it for around 6 weeks) which was a bit scary as an introduction to Type 2 diabetes. :oops:

Anyway, have a good (mindful) Christmas and hope you get a good result in the New Year.
 

tazzle

Active Member
Messages
37
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Hiya

I bought a meter ( wish I had gone for the codefree as strips cheaper ) and its the best ting I did imo. It let me work out what gets the BS high as its not always what I think. Its highlighted clearly what I need to cut back / out and once I am settled with the regime I will cut back on the testing.

I hope that this will prevent me developing full blown diabetes . I am sooooo close as did get two readings above 12 in past few weeks :? and often got over 8 the first couple weeks. If it does then its money very well spent imo !
 

Diharvey

Member
Messages
5
Squire Fulwood said:
I am very much in favour of people owning a meter so that they can see what effect different food has on their sugar levels. The only comment I wish to make is that it might be a good idea to wait until after your next blood test just in case you are not diagnosed with diabetes.
Thank you for your reply most helpfull
 

Diharvey

Member
Messages
5
Thank you so much your reply has helped. New to this so hope I'm replying. Correctly. I bought machine last night bloods was 7.3 this morning after no food or drink was 8.6 how can that be ? Thank you
 

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
Diharvey said:
Thank you so much your reply has helped. New to this so hope I'm replying. Correctly. I bought machine last night bloods was 7.3 this morning after no food or drink was 8.6 how can that be ? Thank you

It's called the "Dawn Phenomenon", and everybody gets it. It means your liver knows you are about to wake up and pumps a bit more glucose into your blood to get you going. In anyone who isn't diabetic, the pancreas releases insulin, the glucose is packed away into the muscles to be used as energy, and the blood glucose levels drop.

In us Type 2s, our pancreas may not be producing enough insulin, or we may be very insulin resistant, so that the insulin cannot get the glucose into the muscle cells no matter how hard it tries :shock: . So our blood glucose reading goes up.

As you learn more about what you can and can't eat, and control your carbohydrate intake, so your morning fasting readings will improve. Don't worry about it too much.

Some people don't do a morning fasting reading any more, prefering instead to do a reading before the main meal, and 2 hours after. If you end up approximately where you started, you're getting it right.

The recommended BG readings for a Type 2, in this country, are:

4 - 7 mmol/l before meals;
less than 8.5, 2 hours after.

Some of us prefer to work to less than 7.8, 2 hours after. Others among us try to stick to non-diabetic recommended levels, which are:

3.5 - 5.5 before meals;
less than 8, 2 hours after.

But that takes some practice :wink: .

Make sure you enjoy your Christmas - just remember, everything in moderation! Mince pies are the worst things for me, so I don't eat them. But I am working my way through a very special box of chocolates - one at a time :lol:

Viv 8)