5.4% HbA1c but insulin resistance?

[GREEKDIABETES]

Hello, my name is Nick and i am from Greece. For more than 10 years i suffer from fatigue, indigestion and bloating that comes and goes. All my symptoms suggest that i have insulin problems but the HbA1c is 5.4% and the glucose tests around 99 mg/dl. Also i am around 84 kg and i am 184cm.

When i drink coffee in the morning(around 150mg caffeine) my digestion restarts and i am hungry and i digest food just fine. If i eat without coffee i can't digest a single banana. It seems that coffee on empty stomach gives a signal to my pancreas to produce insulin and without coffee it does not produce.

I am confused because the blood tests tell the doctors that i have no diabetes but the symptoms tell me that i have diabetes.

 

[Rokaab]

Hello, my name is Nick and i am from Greece. For more than 10 years i suffer from fatigue, indigestion and bloating that comes and goes. All my symptoms suggest that i have insulin problems but the HbA1c is 5.4% and the glucose tests around 99 mg/dl. Also i am around 84 kg and i am 184cm.
I am confused because the blood tests tell the doctors that i have no diabetes but the symptoms tell me that i have diabetes.

Indigestion and bloating aren't generally signs of diabetes, fatigue can be but fatigue can be a side effect of many different conditions - your Hba1c suggests you are not diabetic, and neither do those symptoms you've mentioned.

Fatigue, indigestion and bloating are signs of something, but I wouldn't have thought it'd be diabetes.
Do you have excessive thirst and need to urinate a lot? - those are more the signs of diabetes.

 

[Alexandra100]

Indigestion and bloating aren't generally signs of diabetes, fatigue can be but fatigue can be a side effect of many different conditions - your Hba1c suggests you are not diabetic, and neither do those symptoms you've mentioned.

Fatigue, indigestion and bloating are signs of something, but I wouldn't have thought it'd be diabetes.
Do you have excessive thirst and need to urinate a lot? - those are more the signs of diabetes.

I disagree. High bgs damage nerves including the large vagus nerve which regulates digestion. Excess thirst and urination are usually indicators of advanced diabetes.

 

[Alexandra100]

Hello, my name is Nick and i am from Greece. For more than 10 years i suffer from fatigue, indigestion and bloating that comes and goes. All my symptoms suggest that i have insulin problems but the HbA1c is 5.4% and the glucose tests around 99 mg/dl. Also i am around 84 kg and i am 184cm.

When i drink coffee in the morning(around 150mg caffeine) my digestion restarts and i am hungry and i digest food just fine. If i eat without coffee i can't digest a single banana. It seems that coffee on empty stomach gives a signal to my pancreas to produce insulin and without coffee it does not produce.

I am confused because the blood tests tell the doctors that i have no diabetes but the symptoms tell me that i have diabetes.

5.4% is not a bad result at all (I would be very pleased with it!) but it is at the top end of normal. You might like to read up about "normal" blood glucose levels here:
https://www.bloodsugar101.com/what-is-a-normal-blood-sugar
IMO your options are: (1) Keep on drinking coffee before meals and try not to worry or
(2) Check out what is happening to your bgs after meals by getting a meter and test strips.
I suspect that, like me, you could almost cure your indigestion and even your fatigue by eating fewer carbohydrates (no more bananas!). High bgs damage nerves, including the vagus nerve that runs the length of our bodies and regulates digestion. Lowering bgs can gradually heal this damage. But first you need to know if your bgs are high at any time of day, especially after meals. If not, you will know to look elsewhere for the cause of your symptoms.

 

[Rokaab]

I disagree. High bgs damage nerves including the large vagus nerve which regulates digestion. Excess thirst and urination are usually indicators of advanced diabetes.

That may be the case, but given that the bloating and indigestion has been going on for 10 years or so I'd have thought that if it was diabetes related there would've been other symptoms by this point - including a higher hba1c - course I could be wrong
Cutting carbs may well help, but it would be worth trying to find out what it actually is, it could be IBS or some food intolerance rather than diabetes.

 

[Alexandra100]

That may be the case, but given that the bloating and indigestion has been going on for 10 years or so I'd have thought that if it was diabetes related there would've been other symptoms by this point - including a higher hba1c - course I could be wrong
Cutting carbs may well help, but it would be worth trying to find out what it actually is, it could be IBS or some food intolerance rather than diabetes.

You may well be right. However I do think cutting carbs would be worth trying. In my experience of chronic digestive problems, finding out the cause is very difficult, assuming that the obvious suspects such as coeliac disease have been ruled out. I ended up having two endoscopies, an unpleasant procedure and not without risk, to no avail. IBS cannot be diagnosed in the same way as chicken pox, and even when it is thought to be the culprit - what then?

 

[KK123]

Hi Greekdiabetes, the fact is none of us has got a clue what it could be, it could be anything. Please go back to your Doctor who appears to have already decided it is not diabetes. Those symptoms could be indicative of just about any condition. We can all muse over what is causing it but in the end we are simply guessing.

 

[Alexandra100]

Please go back to your Doctor who appears to have already decided it is not diabetes.

I know nothing about Greek doctors (assuming the OP is in Greece) but UK GPs are programmed to decide that no-one really has diabetes until/unless they are drinking buckets and peeing for England. If the OP does have some glucose intolerance, better that they find out for themselves.

 

[Freema]

Hello, my name is Nick and i am from Greece. For more than 10 years i suffer from fatigue, indigestion and bloating that comes and goes. All my symptoms suggest that i have insulin problems but the HbA1c is 5.4% and the glucose tests around 99 mg/dl. Also i am around 84 kg and i am 184cm.

When i drink coffee in the morning(around 150mg caffeine) my digestion restarts and i am hungry and i digest food just fine. If i eat without coffee i can't digest a single banana. It seems that coffee on empty stomach gives a signal to my pancreas to produce insulin and without coffee it does not produce.

I am confused because the blood tests tell the doctors that i have no diabetes but the symptoms tell me that i have diabetes.

welcome here Nick ...

maybe you are more likely to have unstable blood glucose or some other condition , It is not always good to selfdiagnose ... there are really an almost unlimited numbers of conditions that can lead to fatigue and also bloating of ones stomach...
all you write of your numbers height weight blood sugar level of HbA1c are in the normal range

I will mention here some reasons for fatigue :

1.stress (long term stress/ problems in life or job or alike )

2.too low level of iron in ones body : can be helped by eating more red meat from cow or pig, or by eating very much green vegetables preferable with some lemon on also on the meat... as vitamin C actually is essential to uptake iron from food

3 something wrong with ones metabolism either too high or too low levels of thyroid hormone ; you need a doctor and a blood sample to find that one out

4. too low levels of vitamin D, which in the old time was very seldom in Greece, but nowadays many people are working inside all day and do not get enough exposure to sunlight ... and vitamin D deficiency can really make a person tired and also lead to depression........ so eat a lot of fatty fish 3-4 times a week or go out in the sun for 30 minutes every day and more in the wintertime with bare arms and shoulders..

5. a lack of vitamin B12 in one's body, sometimes people suddenly stop being able to uptake it from foods as their intestines are damaged the place where the cells that can uptake B12 vitamin, here you also do need a doctor and a blood sample to find that out... this is actually a serious condition and important to rule out, so if I were you I´d go to my GP and tell about this chronic fatigue and also ask for some advice for your bloating ..

good luck with finding out what is the cause of your problems, but well what GP´s does with the information is actually to rule out different possibilities and they know many more causes than do I .. so I think you can be pretty sure you are not diabetic

 

[Guzzler]

Not eveything is caused by Diabetes. Even gastroparesis can be idiopathic and happens to non Diabetics.
A high normal A1c and the absence of other classic symptoms just means that Pre D and T2 can be crossed off the list of possible causes (for now - in pencil).

The OP should investigate further. Perhaps an exclusion diet might throw up some clues but without further tests no one can lay blame at a particular door.

 

[Angelofthemarches]

Not eveything is caused by Diabetes. Even gastroparesis can be idiopathic and happens to non Diabetics.
A high normal A1c and the absence of other classic symptoms just means that Pre D and T2 can be crossed off the list of possible causes (for now - in pencil).

The OP should investigate further. Perhaps an exclusion diet might throw up some clues but without further tests no one can lay blame at a particular door.

Gosh, is 5.4% really a 'high' normal? It seems pretty good to me...

 

[Guzzler]

Gosh, is 5.4% really a 'high' normal? It seems pretty good to me...

Apparently, there is a question hanging over the parameters and how they were set too high. Ruhl has a bit on it in her book. I have the book but havn't read it yet but this is on her site.

 

[Resurgam]

There is an article about gut problems in New Scientist for 15th September which might help. It is the FODMAP diet, symptoms of indigestion and chronic fatigue indicate the problem it is supposed to alleviate.

 

[Alexandra100]

Apparently, there is a question hanging over the parameters and how they were set too high. Ruhl has a bit on it in her book. I have the book but havn't read it yet but this is on her site.

On her site she suggests that an A1c from 4.6%(=31) to 5.4% (=36) is normal. She warns that the risk of heart attack and stroke rises sharply from 5.4% upwards. This is bad news for me, as do what I may, I can't get my A1c below 38 (=5.6%). You can read all about it here:
https://www.bloodsugar101.com/what-is-a-normal-blood-sugar

 

[Alexandra100]

There is an article about gut problems in New Scientist for 15th September which might help. It is the FODMAP diet, symptoms of indigestion and chronic fatigue indicate the problem it is supposed to alleviate.

Anyone trying to follow FODMAP and LC at the same time has their work cut out.

 

[Alexandra100]

Gosh, is 5.4% really a 'high' normal? It seems pretty good to me...

It is also considered non-diabetic by the NHS. IMO this is tragic, as many people are fooled into thinking that once they have lowered their bgs to a non-diabetic level eg 5.9% (=41) they are home and dry, whereas according to Jenny Ruhl and many research studies, at 5.5% (=37) we are already at risk. I believe this, as with my highest A1c at 41 (5.9%) I have already accumulated numerous health problems I am convinced are diabetic complications.

 

[Lamont D]

I am not diabetic, my latest hba1c test was at 35, previously 37, it depends on wether you are going up towards diabetic levels or coming down from hyperglycaemia.

You can still have conditions that have normal fasting hba1c levels.

Welcome @GREEKDIABETES.

My advice is to keep testing and discover what is actually happening after you eat.
But your levels are non diabetic, but there could be a problem with your gut biotic.
I had very similar problems about fifteen years ago, this was caused by a bacterial infection and also a hiatus hernia.
This was cured by an antibiotic, but to find it, I needed an endoscopy.
See your doctor and explore other avenues rather than diabetes.

Eating healthy is so important.