5.9 Blood Test

Hi,

I just wanted a bit of advice on my situation. I am pregnant and was given a booking in appointment with midwife and bloods taken at 13 weeks pregnant. They took a glucose blood test, I wasn't told to fast. I think I may have had a light breakfast and definitely some sweets like polos during that morning. The results came back at 5.9 and the midwife said it was fine but I have looked in my notes and it is higher than the reference range, which is 5.5 or something. Does this mean I am diabetic or pre-diabetic? I rang up the midwife after as I was stressed and she said it's fine, the reading is high but it's fine and kept saying don't worry as you woll be given a GTT at 28 weeks. It hasn't reassured me at all.

My other random nonnfasting glucose tests have been 4.9 and 4.7 in April. And my HBA1C has been 32. I don't know how i can go from 4.7 in April to 5.9 in September. My diet has been **** to be honest since the pregnancy as I have had no energy to cook or much of an appetite so have been eating lots of white bread everyday.

I am scared I have pre existing diabetes or gestational diabetes onset.

Can anyone help me with this who has morr knowledge?

Sorru if my post doesn't make sense. I am stressed out and can't sleep hence the late post.

urbanracer said:

Hi, if this was a finger prick test, 5.9 is not high for a non-diabetic. You can read the NICE glucose levels recommendations.
If it was an hbA1c test where a vial of your blood was sent away to a lab, then the 5.9 figure may refer to a percentage. In this case, you're at the edge of the non-diabetic range.

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5.9 was just a blood glucose test with a needle for booking in appointment with a midwife. I had lots of Polos before the blood test on my way to the appointment because it keeps the nausea at bay and a light breakfast.

My HBA1C has been done once this year and once last year as I had some episodes of tiredness and it has been in the low 30s last two years. Never had it tested befoee that. Not sure if a HBA1C is enough to rule out diabetes type 2. But ny GP and another doctor have told me this is how they diagnose.

Also had random blood draw for glucose previously with other blood tests and has been 4.7 (in April 2018) and 4.9 (December 2016) and this was non fasting, so I had been eating during the day before these draws.

Geordie_P said:

It looks well within the normal range, especially if you had some polos, so don't worry. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to cut back on the white bread if you can, but there isn't much to worry about from the figures you report here. Take care!

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Thank you for your response. I will definitely be cutting back on the white carbs, and carbs in general. I just never realised until now exactly how bad they can be. And being pregnant and having low energy and nausea doesn't help as you just reach for convenience food, which is sandwiches and baguettes for me and pizza cravings.

Hi,

I was after a bit of advice and input. Over the last year I have had a few episodes of light headedness, 1 or 2 episodes of blurry vision and just general fatigue. I have had HBA1C test and it was 32 (most recent last year) and 34 when these episodes were happening. Also, non fasting blood glucose tests taken alongside other bloods of 4.7, 4.9 and a high of 5.9, which was three weeks ago. However, I haven't had a fasting blood test. I am pregnant now (only 16 weeks) and the tiredness and fatigue has obviously carried on into pregnancy. I have been checking my BP, which has ranged from 96/60 to 119/80 which is all normal.

I had eventually decided to track my blood with a strip monitor.

Have had readings over the last week a 2 hours after food of 5.6, 6.1, 7.1, 6.5 and highest reading has been 7.5 2 hours after a small steak and salad and yogurt and a tiny bit of rice.

Do you think these indicate pre diabetes? I am just concerned that after 2 hours my levels are still in their 7's sometimes after dinner. I have read that ideally the numbers should drop down to your overnight fasting levels after 2 hours from eating.

I will be discussing it with my doctor, however, she isn't veru helpful, I have had these symptoms for a year on and off and I can only think it is my blood sugars and have finally decided to check for myself at home. I do get varying readings sometimes, for example, I had 5.1, 6.1, and 7.3 on 1 evening from the same hand. Not sure what to make of that either.

I am really stressed about this because it has suddenly clicked that my diet has been high carb since pregnancy and I feel so drowsy after eating and get a dry mouth so I may have diabetes.

I lost a baby 3 years ago, and I am trying my best to be healthy now but have no energy to cook properly.

Any input on those numbers would be helpful. This forum has been more useful than my GP in terms if lesrning about carbs and diet control, etc. Definitely will be putting into practice some of what I have learnt.

Thank you for reading this far, I know it's been bit long.

Diakat said:

Those numbers are not in the diabetic range.
So sorry to hear of your previous loss. You could explain symptoms and worry to midwife and ask for an oral glucose test to check for gestational diabetes just to give you peace of mind.

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Thank you for your response. Are they in the pre-diabetic range? I'm just concerned my levels don't go down after dinner and stay in the 7's. I haven't done my first morning bloods before eating anything.

I asked my midwife for a OGTT and she said only at 28 weeks since my booking in blood glucose test was 5.9 (which was flagged as high) but she said it was non fasting so they won't test until 28 weeks. I will try again and explain my symptoms of dry mouth, tiredness, etc., but it can also be normal pregnancy symptoms too so not sure if they will test.

annazoe32 said:

Sorry but those numbers indicate you might have gestational diabetes. It is unlikely you have diabetes normally though.

I am post partum and had gestational diabetes and our targets are normally under 7 or 7:8 1 hour after eating. If you are going by 2 hours then under 6.4 as when pregnant the idea is to test the peak at 1 hour. It does depend on the area you live as targets differ but when pregnant our blood sugars generally lower so targets are completely different to normal diabetes.

I don’t know where you live but I would definitely suggest visiting the GP and requesting a GTT to diagnose. Fasting levels in my area when pregnant are 5 or under other areas 5.3 or under.

Hope this helps. Gestational diabetes is progressive throughout the pregnancy. When I was 16 weeks I didn’t have it but by 24 I had developed it. So it’s very important you get it checked. I have an amazing healthy baby as had great levels under control.

Best of luck

Anna

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Thank you so much Anna. My diet has been carb heavy in the beginning but I have very small portions. I did a morning test now and got 6.1, which is high. I just can't believe I have diabetes. I will try and make an appointment but from what I have read if you get destational diabetes early on then you most likely had diabetes before. But my tests have never picked it up before. It's so confusing. The last non fasting glucose test taken from vein blood was 4.7 and that was at like 3pm and I had been eating throughout. And the nurse said that is a really good level for non fasting. I am also extremely stressed and have been sleeping on pretty much 5 hours sleep interrupted. Could this make my levels rise too?

Also, woyld those levels give me those symptoms I am experiencing like dry mouth at night and foggy head and fatigue?

Just to update.

Went to see GP today. She said I definitely don't have diabetes T2 prior to pregnancy as my last A1c was actually in May 2018 and was 30mmol. And last year was actually 32.

She said I have to wait for GTT until 24 weeks as my blood taken at booking appointment was 5.9 non fasting and she doesn't see a problem with that.

Doesn't really help me put my mind at ease about GD now. She kind of brushed of my home monitor readings and didn't pay attention to them. She said not long till 24 weeks so I have to wait.

Diakat said:

Hi @Zaza83
As you have two treads on this subject (other here: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/5-9-blood-test.157841/#post-1908903 ) would you like them merged?

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Yes please. Sorry, I posted twice as there was no further response.

I guess I have another question, can non diabetics get a higher blood sugar reading on a morning?

annazoe32 said:

This is totally appalling advice by GP. Nice guidelines say if you have a fasting blood test above 5.6 (this would include before meals) you have gestational diabetes! Where are you based and do you have a midwife? Ask the midwife and insist on being referred to local outpatients hospital for diagnosis. You can have a GTT at any stage in pregnancy if they suspect!

Hope this helps. It definitely doesn’t mean you have diabetes prior to diagnosis and like you said your hba1c was 30 so you’re fine don’t worry about that!

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GP and midwife both said 5.9 was not a fasting blood glucose and therefore they will wait til 24 weeks. And I said I have been testing at home and they dismissed my readings. I have started eating carbs today and definitely getting higher readings. I don't have any risk factors for GD and I nver had it in my previous pregnancies. I don't know why this is happening now? I have put on more weight than orevious pregnancies and have been really inactive than I usually am because I have had a prettt bad 1st trimester.

I might book a provate GTT so i can get it over with and actually stick to a low carb diet as I definitrly think I have GD based on my after meal readings with carbs.