Guitarman63
Member
Hello, I have been reading all these helpful threads for a few weeks now so I thought I would share my story and perhaps ask a few questions. I'm 63, male, active, BMI in the healthy range (just!) at 25. Until fairly recently I have always been fit with no health problems whatsoever. But recently I was diagnosed with prediabetes, and not just a little bit high either, both H1c tests (three weeks apart) showed 47.
I started by following the NHS advice of slow release carbs like porridge but when I got a glucose monitor I was horrified to see how much my BG was spiked so since then I have been following a very low carb diet so no grain, bread, rice, pasta or potatoes or other below ground veg. Low carb soya milk and yogurt, no pastry or cakes. I haven't found this as hard as I thought but I do miss the baked potatoes and oven chips! This low carb regime was definitely an improvement but it seems to have plateaued as if I haven't found the real problem. During the last week all my morning fasting readings have started with a seven, whereas they were sixes at the start. As a recent example of this is, I recentely had a bedtime reading of 6.1. At 3.15am it was 7 and by 8.30 it was up to 7.5 which according to most medical websites, if repeated, makes me already diabetic!
The problem is that while my BG is generally between 5 and 8 as you might expect for a prediabetic, the fasting morning readings are often as high as 7.8, much higher than they were the night before. I am usually at around 6 or 7 two hours after my evening meal. I have tried several variations, increasing and decreasing the carbs in my evening meal, with and without alcohol, taking my statin (more about that later!) in the morning instead of at night, but the morning readings just keep getting higher. When I first started the low carb my BG readings were really good but they seem to be getting progressively worse although I haven't increased my carb intake.
For me there has been another health scare to complicate matters having been so fit and healthy all my life.
Back in June 2019 I had a heart attack one night. I didn't realize it was a heart attack, I thought it was indigestion! Or perhaps a pulled muscle in my back or both. So I took paracetamol and it went off. Anyway, my wife persuaded me to see the GP the following morning who hooked me up but could find nothing so I was rather surprised to be whisked off to A&E in a 'precautionary' ambulance! More ECG's followed, all clear but the very sensitive test for a heart stress enzyme showed I had suffered a heart attack. 2 stents later and I felt exactly as I always had before, fit and raring to go! I mention the heart attack because of the drugs - Ramapril for lowering blood pressure (I didn't have high blood pressure but they like it to be very low) a beta blocker to lower my pulse (it was normal before but they like it even slower) and Atorvastatin which blessedly I have had no side-effects at all from. I was on a big 80mg dose for a year and I asked to get this reduced to 40mg because I wonder if this is what is causing my high morning fasting readings. I would like to change to another statin which has no link with HBS but they say Atorvastatin is the best at stopping any more plaque breaking off causing another heart attack or stroke. The reduced dose has made no difference, nor has taking it in the morning instead of at night.
I know the dawn spike thing is a fairly common question but most pre-diabetics don't seem as bad as me! I feel like I am teetering on the edge of a diabetes diagnosis despite completely changing my diet for these last few months. The odd thing is despite both serious health issues I feel absolutely fine, the same as I always did. I can go off cycling across the moors and keep up with my fit and healthy wife.
Apologies for such a long ramble but I would be interested to know if anyone has any suggestions. I don't want my next H1c test in nine months time to have me firmly in the diabetc range!
I started by following the NHS advice of slow release carbs like porridge but when I got a glucose monitor I was horrified to see how much my BG was spiked so since then I have been following a very low carb diet so no grain, bread, rice, pasta or potatoes or other below ground veg. Low carb soya milk and yogurt, no pastry or cakes. I haven't found this as hard as I thought but I do miss the baked potatoes and oven chips! This low carb regime was definitely an improvement but it seems to have plateaued as if I haven't found the real problem. During the last week all my morning fasting readings have started with a seven, whereas they were sixes at the start. As a recent example of this is, I recentely had a bedtime reading of 6.1. At 3.15am it was 7 and by 8.30 it was up to 7.5 which according to most medical websites, if repeated, makes me already diabetic!
The problem is that while my BG is generally between 5 and 8 as you might expect for a prediabetic, the fasting morning readings are often as high as 7.8, much higher than they were the night before. I am usually at around 6 or 7 two hours after my evening meal. I have tried several variations, increasing and decreasing the carbs in my evening meal, with and without alcohol, taking my statin (more about that later!) in the morning instead of at night, but the morning readings just keep getting higher. When I first started the low carb my BG readings were really good but they seem to be getting progressively worse although I haven't increased my carb intake.
For me there has been another health scare to complicate matters having been so fit and healthy all my life.
Back in June 2019 I had a heart attack one night. I didn't realize it was a heart attack, I thought it was indigestion! Or perhaps a pulled muscle in my back or both. So I took paracetamol and it went off. Anyway, my wife persuaded me to see the GP the following morning who hooked me up but could find nothing so I was rather surprised to be whisked off to A&E in a 'precautionary' ambulance! More ECG's followed, all clear but the very sensitive test for a heart stress enzyme showed I had suffered a heart attack. 2 stents later and I felt exactly as I always had before, fit and raring to go! I mention the heart attack because of the drugs - Ramapril for lowering blood pressure (I didn't have high blood pressure but they like it to be very low) a beta blocker to lower my pulse (it was normal before but they like it even slower) and Atorvastatin which blessedly I have had no side-effects at all from. I was on a big 80mg dose for a year and I asked to get this reduced to 40mg because I wonder if this is what is causing my high morning fasting readings. I would like to change to another statin which has no link with HBS but they say Atorvastatin is the best at stopping any more plaque breaking off causing another heart attack or stroke. The reduced dose has made no difference, nor has taking it in the morning instead of at night.
I know the dawn spike thing is a fairly common question but most pre-diabetics don't seem as bad as me! I feel like I am teetering on the edge of a diabetes diagnosis despite completely changing my diet for these last few months. The odd thing is despite both serious health issues I feel absolutely fine, the same as I always did. I can go off cycling across the moors and keep up with my fit and healthy wife.
Apologies for such a long ramble but I would be interested to know if anyone has any suggestions. I don't want my next H1c test in nine months time to have me firmly in the diabetc range!
It makes me feel better to know things may improve over a longer period. I probably was asking a lot when my diet has always been 'good' if carb heavy. I don't mind waiting as long as things are going in the right direction.