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Can someone please help me with my blood glucose numbers? I'm worried...

C

charlie000

Well-Known Member
Messages
439
Some background info on my journey
In Feb 2019, I was admitted to hospital after suffering an Atrial Fibrillation (still being investigated) episode. After they did my full bloods, they found that my HBA1C was at 105. I was kept in hospital by a senior doctor, despite the other doctors wanting to discharge me, due to my glucose levels.

Now, I am ever so grateful to that senior doctor, because she highlighted how serious my HBA1C was. Although, her recommendations to my GP was to get me started on Diabetic medicine. I am sure she meant this in good faith, as a Doctor. She was a cardiologist and I guess not a diabetes specialist, but came in contact with many diabetics, who had heart issues. I am 26, so I was told I was 'very young'. I think I'm old!

So, a few days after hospital, I started cutting the **** out of my diet. No more high carb fast food, no chocolates which I was eating 4 bars a day! No bread.

I did a soup only diet, after looking in to the newcastle diet for a bout 2.5 weeks, then switched over to LCHF. It was very difficutl to me, still as I am scared of high fat. But it's working...

My numbers
In the past few weeks my numbers have increased so well. Here's how they are:

Fasting blood glucose: 4.4 - 4.8 (I haven't seen it over 5 in the past 1.5 weeks)
Pre-meal glucose: 4.4 - 4.6
Post meal glucose after 1 hour 5.6
Post meal glucose after 2 hours 4.8
Post meal glucose after 3 hours 4.4 - 4.8
Before bed: 4.4 - 4.6
4 AM (post dawn phenomena): 4.6 - 4.8

My diet is restricted carbs, moderate protein and high fat. I have around 15g of carb a day, and no more than 20g.

What do you guys think of these numbers? Prior to being in hospital my blood glucose would be around 8.2 when waking up, and post meal in to 14 - 15. I tested it with some free meters.

Why I am worried
I was amongst a lot of diabetics and saw loads of Hypos happen. I am told my blood glucose should never be below 5 mmol. But I am scared when it goes down to 4.4 but at times I have checked it's been 4.2 and then 3 mins later back to 4.6 or 5.

It's causing me sleep problems, I am scared if I sleep it'll drop down to under 4 and I could go in to a Hypo.

I take no medication, just diet.

I have a main meal a day and a smaller meal.

Please ask me any questions to help me.
 
Those numbers are great if you are a T2, a lot of people would sell the their first born son for them.
charlie000 said:
I was amongst a lot of diabetics and saw loads of Hypos happen. I am told my blood glucose should never be below 5 mmol.
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I have never had a hypo, and my lowest bgl was around 3.5 if I remember rightly.
 
Guzzler said:
A HbA1c of 105 (as stated in your OP) is not in the Pre Diabetes range. That number is very high Type 2 Diabetes.
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Yes I know. But something is baffling me because I had a blood test a few weeks before that and my hba1c was 56. This was about 3 weeks before so I don’t know what happened.
 
charlie000 said:
Yes I know. But something is baffling me because I had a blood test a few weeks before that and my hba1c was 56. This was about 3 weeks before so I don’t know what happened.
Click to expand...

A reading of 56 is not Pre Diabetes, either. It is still T2.

Non Diabetes is below 42
Pre Diabetes is 42 to 47
Type 2 Diabetes is anything 48 and over.
 
Guzzler said:
A reading of 56 is not Pre Diabetes, either. It is still T2.

Non Diabetes is below 42
Pre Diabetes is 42 to 47
Type 2 Diabetes is anything 48 and over.
Click to expand...

This is so confusing the hospital doctor said it was pre diabetes as did my GP.

Could the number have been 10.5 and me incorrectly remembering?
 
charlie000 said:
This is so confusing the hospital doctor said it was pre diabetes as did my GP.

Could the number have been 10.5 and me incorrectly remembering?
Click to expand...

A 10.5 would be the same as 91 so still Type 2 Diabetes. I would advise you to speak to your GP for clarification. A reading that high usually results in a recommendation for treatment starting with Metformin and for some people stronger drugs than Metformin. I was diagnosed with a HbA1c of 98 (11.1) and was 'threatened' with insulin but given a script for Metformin.

Edited to add.
What were you told when you got the 56?
 

I will speak to my GP.

How is your diabetes now? What kind of numbers are you at?

When I had 56, was told that my blood glucose is slightly high and to cut down on fatty foods avoid things like butter, more starch less sugary foods and more exercise
 
May I ask who gave you that advice?

My Diabetes is well managed.
 
I suggest that you either get print outs of all your test results or if you have access to your results online then check them carefully. You really do need to know where you stand with regards to HbA1c.
 

Hypos happen to people on glucose lowering medication (ie insulin or some T2 drugs such as gliclazide which increase the body's production of insulin). If you're on diet only you just won't go hypo (OK there is a separate condition called reactive hypoglycaemia but it's pretty rare and there's no reason to suppose you've got it.) A normal fasting blood sugar can go into high 3s, it's just for diabetics on insulin a blood sugar of 3.9 can lead to a blood sugar under 3, at which point nasty things start to happen. So, in your position I wouldn't worry about hypos at all. Your results look perfect.

Well done on achieving normal non-diabetic blood sugars. It sounds like you've dodged the diabetic bullet, at least as long as you watch your sugar/carb intake.
 
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Could I just ask where you got the information from that T2 people not on blood lowering meds don't hypo? I do.
 
I have cut out ALL non necessary sugar. I used to go to Tescos after work and get their three for £1.20 chocolates and eat them on the way home.

I'd have:

1 x Kinder Bueno Bar 43g
1 x Galaxy Milk Chocolate 42g
1 x Cadbury Twirl Bar 43g

That's 70.7g of carbs a day (just from this)

If we times that by 5 it's 353.5g a week!

That doesn't include the bread I'd have at lunch time everyday and the biscuits after lunch. All this made me feel sluggy, sleepy and dull. But since LCHF have felt so much energy and wide awake, sometimes I feels omething is wrong with me lol
 
Chook said:
Could I just ask where you got the information from that T2 people not on blood lowering meds don't hypo? I do.
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Non diabetics drop into the 3's, that's nothing to worry about. Their livers will kick in and get their bg a bit higher again, or they'll feel a bit shaky and hungry and eat something. That's all perfectly fine and normal.
The same goes for diet only T2's, unless they have some form of hypoglyceamia, reactive or not.

In insulin (or sulfonylurea) users low bg may get dangerous. Whole different ball game. And that's most likely what ts witnessed in hospital.
 
Do you have any indications that you might be going to actually have a hypo? If not. then as others have said, there;s nothing wrong with those numbers, and they look to be nice and stable - eating low carb generally means less ups and downs. There was a very interesting thread a while back where some T1s were discussing the fact that they were far less likely to have hypos when low carbing - due to this stability.

But if you're seriously worried, why not up your carbs a little to raise your glucose levels slightly? And possibly take a look at our Diabetes.co.uk Hypo Awareness program ?

Robbity
 
@charlie000 those numbers you quote are wonderful. The sort every one of us would love to see.
As said above, if your body goes too low in glucose your liver will kick in and secrete its own stores of glucose to raise your levels up. This is what happens with normal non-diabetics, and T2s not on medication are in a similar position to non-diabetics in relation to this. The hypos you witnessed in hospital were most likely T1s or T2s on insulin or Gliclazide type drugs that cause hypos.

Also as said above, your HbA1c results show you are fully diabetic. You need this clarifying with your nurse/doctor so you can be put on the diabetes care pathway. Do ask for print outs of your test results going back in time so you can check for yourself. Ones taken by the hospital probably won't show on any print outs. Just the surgery ones. If you live in England your surgery should be putting test results on line. Ask about this and how to register for the service.
 
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