Hello all. I am a 50 year old lady, 11st 5, 5 foot 10. For a few months I have been feeling increasingly shaky, light headed, sicky, racing heart, and generally very odd at different points during the day, usually when hungry or after eating. After reading up on blood sugars, I thought all my symptoms pointed to having low blood glucose. I popped into my local chemist and he gave me a monitor. On checking my fasting blood sugar, it read 123 and after eating I am 155 1 hour after food, and 163 two hours after. From what I can make out, this is high, and not the low I was half expecting, but my symptoms dont seem to fit. Can anybody throw any light on why I am experiencing more low glucose symptoms but have high readings? I'm a bit fed up of not feeling "me" anymore :/
A little advice please
- Thread starter DianeC1967
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Bluetit1802
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Hello and welcome,
Symptoms of low glucose and symptoms of high glucose are very similar in a lot of respects. Having said that, the levels you report are a tad high but not very high.
What you could do is to test yourself whenever you feel these symptoms, and repeat every 15 minutes for a while. See what your levels are like then.
Symptoms of low glucose and symptoms of high glucose are very similar in a lot of respects. Having said that, the levels you report are a tad high but not very high.
What you could do is to test yourself whenever you feel these symptoms, and repeat every 15 minutes for a while. See what your levels are like then.
Hello there, and thankyou for your advice. I will give that a go 
. I'm sorry, I put my readings in as US not UK standard
Fasting 6.8
2hours post meal 9.1
. I'm sorry, I put my readings in as US not UK standardFasting 6.8
2hours post meal 9.1
TheBigNewt
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There is a separate forum for hypoglycemia. Sounds like you don't have it. It's pretty rare, although plenty of people claim to have it. The key is you will not feel "OK" until you correct it.
Ross.Walker
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Hello
it is a bit higher than "the perfect" range. There are a lot of lifestyle changes you can make to lower your levels. I would recommend the doctors so you can get a thorough test completed, the test you did is a point in time that has it's uses. the Doctors will do a test that shows your levels over a few months giving a much clearer indication of what is happening.
Make sure of the issue before you embark on something that may not be the right thing to do, and please keep us posted on the results.
@daisy1 can you share your wisdom here to please
it is a bit higher than "the perfect" range. There are a lot of lifestyle changes you can make to lower your levels. I would recommend the doctors so you can get a thorough test completed, the test you did is a point in time that has it's uses. the Doctors will do a test that shows your levels over a few months giving a much clearer indication of what is happening.
Make sure of the issue before you embark on something that may not be the right thing to do, and please keep us posted on the results.
@daisy1 can you share your wisdom here to please
daisy1
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@DianeC1967
Hello Diane and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 259,000 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:
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.
Hello Diane and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 259,000 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
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
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.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
Kristin251
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- Type of diabetes
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Whenever my bg is moving one way or another I get those symptoms. Usuallly, FOR ME , blurry vision means going down and anxiety means up. Shaky can be either. Tired means I’m low
Keep testing when you feel it. But as @Bluetit1802 said, they can be very similar.
Keep testing when you feel it. But as @Bluetit1802 said, they can be very similar.
Thankyou all so much for your advice. I don't think I can put it off any longer, so will be making that doctors appointment next week
Went to see the doctor today. He didn't seem to think my symptoms pointed to glucose issues but instead he's concerned me about every other organ in my body! From gall bladder, thyroid issues down to testing for blood in my stools. I suppose its good he's testing for everything under the sun.... But i was rather surprised he dismissed glucose so quickly. More confused then ever! Will hopefully have results next week. I'm keeping fingers crossed for high glucose!
