Anyone have symptoms with pre-diabetes?

Catmad14

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Other
I found out I had pre-diabetes in August, at the time I'd have said I didn't have any symptoms. Since then have tried to make adjustments in diet, a bit more exercise (am fairly active though) and switching screens off in evening in hope of better sleep.

Last week we were away, I eat really well at times but lapsed in terms of trying a local cake and dish and had a glass of wine every night. Been feeling tired all week, but have tried two different exercise classes. Went out last night, eat half a pizza and a glass of wine, found myself feeling quite sweaty in the night. So just wondering if the tiredness and being hot last night are symptoms of not eating so well.
 

KennyA

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Messages
3,379
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome.

I don't actually accept there's such a thing as "pre-diabetes". The whole "diagnosis at 48" thing was set up around 2008 to provide a fallback - it was accepted internationally that what ever else happened (ie earlier diagnosis wasn't ruled out), T2 would be diagnosed by everyone if BG rose past 48. The problem with that is that in the UK at least, it's become a fact that T2 will only be diagnosed with a BG of 48 and above.

Pre-diabetes had to be invented as a concept to cover the gap left when people's BG left normal levels (above 42ish, see graph) but before it rose to 48.

This matters because it's known medically (see Bilous and Donnelly, Handbook of Diabetes) that diabetic symptoms occur at lower BG levels. One of the reasons that 48 was selected as the fall back point was that serious retinopathy was relatively rare at BG levels below that. In other words, it is known that people did get retinopathy caused by elevated blood glucose levels, at levels under 48, but it was usually milder.

In my case, I had a pretty full range of diabetes symptoms starting about as soon as my BG left normal levels, which I think happened around 2010. I can't be sure because my medical records don't mention any BG levels from then. I started with oedema and weight gain, moved through kidney problems, bullae, "burning feet" neuropathy (I know my BG was 44 when that started in 2013/4), night sweats, blistering, cuts not healing, tissue paper skin, and more.

I did go to the doctor, but was firmly told I didn't have diabetes as my blood glucose wasn't high enough. I was on a range of medication to make my kidneys work, to stop the pain, that sort of thing. In those days I knew next to nothing about diabetes and assumed that I was getting good advice.

Roll forward to December 2019, and they tell me that actually I am now diabetic after all, because my BG had reached 50. By April 2020 I had reduced that to 36 and almost all the symptoms had gone immediately (although I still have some greatly reduced things that are probably permanent damage).

So the short answer is yes. The formal diagnosis level doesn't mean much in terms of symptoms. People have diabetic symptoms, ie diabetes, at lower levels and can have no symptoms with much higher BGs.

[edited to attach graph]
 

Attachments

  • HB copy green line.jpg
    HB copy green line.jpg
    141.6 KB · Views: 31

RuHu

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I found out I had pre-diabetes in August, at the time I'd have said I didn't have any symptoms. Since then have tried to make adjustments in diet, a bit more exercise (am fairly active though) and switching screens off in evening in hope of better sleep.

Last week we were away, I eat really well at times but lapsed in terms of trying a local cake and dish and had a glass of wine every night. Been feeling tired all week, but have tried two different exercise classes. Went out last night, eat half a pizza and a glass of wine, found myself feeling quite sweaty in the night. So just wondering if the tiredness and being hot last night are symptoms of not eating so well.
I'm just waiting for results of my latest blood test last time I was 48 but I suspect I am over that figure now. I have nodded off with a phone in my hand a couple of times around 11 a.m. only to be woken up when my phone drops to the floor. I've also had what I thought were hot flushes returning so I feel like I've had the same sort of symptoms as you.
I'm trying to be careful but I need to educate my husband too as he does a lot of the shopping.
 

Outlier

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,865
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I had all sorts of low-grade symptoms years before my diabetes diagnosis, and it was only when I lowered my blood glucose to non-diabetic levels and these things cleared up that I realised they were all connected to my T2. Some were: coated tongue, swollen tongue, severe dental plaque despite the best of hygiene, discoloured skin, skin tags, falling asleep after meals.....quite a few more, but that'll do.
 

Catmad14

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Other
Thanks for your replies. I felt a bit better yesterday, so I guess time will tell whether I'm just generally have a couple of off weeks or so, or whether it's symptoms.
 

KennyA

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Messages
3,379
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks for your replies. I felt a bit better yesterday, so I guess time will tell whether I'm just generally have a couple of off weeks or so, or whether it's symptoms.
There are diabetic symptoms - ie symptoms of metabolic disorder, and symptoms/damage caused by high blood glucose, which is itself a symptom of metabolic disorder. And not everything you experience is caused by diabetes.
 

Melgar

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Messages
1,089
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I pee a lot. I’m keeping my blood sugars in the prediabetic range. At night I can get up about 4 times with copious amounts of pee. I have tried restricting my fluid intake so I don’t have fluids after 6pm. It’s made no difference. I was getting numb fingers, but I found that had nothing to do with diabetes, it was secondary Reynards disease.

Going slightly off from your question, a half pizza is full of carbs. It’s possible your pancreas may have produced a lot if insulin to cope with the carb intake and your blood sugars went a little low as your pancreas over produced insulin, sweating is one of the symptoms of low blood sugar. its quite a common reaction after eating something very carby. Your liver usually compensates and corrects the low blood sugar. Nothing to worry about.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Calderbloke