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Could Coffee gave a false positive Type 2 diagnosis ?

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fendertele

Well-Known Member
Messages
226
Back In January I had many symptoms that concerned me and led me to get checked by my Doctor and they did the tests and came back I was just in the area of being diabetic type 2 I think 49 was the starting number and I was 51.

Since then I've dropped all carbs and sugar and live on meats,cheese,eggs and double cream/mayo etc.. LCHF.

I returned after 2 months for my second test and was told I was now back in normal range and they were over the moon with how fast I had reversed it.

I'm still on the same diet however just the last couple of weeks I've been getting the same symptoms as I was getting prior to by diagnosis.... dry mouth, urinating frequently and bloated all over like the kid from charlie and the chocolate factory.

I sat thinking what had changed.....

I've never been a coffee drinker but for a few months before my initial diagnosis I started drinking coffee as I was working from home during lockdown and had gave up smoking.

I was on anywhere from 2-4 cups a day but again never thought anything of it.

When I got my diagnosis as part of my diet change I also dropped Coffee...... and it's only in the last 2 weeks that I've started again and all of a sudden all the symptoms are back!!

I only add double cream no sugar or sweeteners.

I decided to google this out of curiousity.... It appears it can increase cortisol which is something I've had issues with in the past ( another condition I wont go into) and with this can also Increase blood sugar levels.

This got me thinking is it possible that I may not have been actually type 2 diabetic and the large daily amounts of coffee I was drinking were pushing my Blood sugar levels up ? maybe the diet wasn't needed after all and it was just mainly dropping the coffee that made the biggest difference ?
 
Symptoms prior to initial diagnosis included.

Dry mouth
Massive water retention
Frequent urination.
So much so developed spider veins in ankles etc.

Symtoms now despite still being on LCHF but reintroducting Coffee.

Dry mouth
Massive water retention
Frequent urination

Forgot to mention prior to the t2 diagnosis I was also getting checked as I had signed of Protein in my urine which could be a sign of kidney issues.... but can also be caused by dehydration... kidneys came back normal.. which makes me think I was dehydrated..coffee.....

All starting to look connected.
 
You mention frequent urination, dehydration and water retention, not sure how that combination is possible.
If you think your problems are due to coffee, stop drinking it for a few weeks and see if you improve. You probably need to avoid other caffeine sources as well for a meaningful test. As to whether you were really diabetic, it seems very likely but you can test by eating some carbs and measuring your blood sugar 2 hours later. Don't do both tests at the same time.
 
fendertele said:
I may not have been actually type 2 diabetic and the large daily amounts of coffee I was drinking were pushing my Blood sugar levels up ?
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I've heard of coffee causing higher levels in some people but if you think about it you were diagnosed because you can't handle those higher numbers. It matters not if the levels are caused by coffee or jam sandwiches. Someone without diabetes would not have a HbA1c of 51 no matter what they eat or drink.

fendertele said:
maybe the diet wasn't needed after all
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Your diet was responsible for getting your HbA1c down to normal so I would think it was definitely needed.
If nothing has changed with the diet and you are experiencing symptoms again, maybe another visit to the dr's to get things checked is called for.
 
Thanks guys I just thought Id ask as I had never previously drank coffee in my life and only started a few months prior to my diagnosis and noticed the gradual change in my appearance worsening in this time.

I reckon I was constantly dehydrated and thought it was possible being constantly dehydrated may have been the reason for higher than normal blood sugar levels on the day of testing... which was then lower the next test as I had completely stopped drinking caffiene and drinks aswell as the diet change... so was no longer always dehydrated.

I never mentioned it in previous posts but my urine was permanently dark yellow/Orange looking.
 
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Mr_Pot said:
You mention frequent urination, dehydration and water retention, not sure how that combination is possible.
If you think your problems are due to coffee, stop drinking it for a few weeks and see if you improve. You probably need to avoid other caffeine sources as well for a meaningful test. As to whether you were really diabetic, it seems very likely but you can test by eating some carbs and measuring your blood sugar 2 hours later. Don't do both tests at the same time.
Click to expand...


As the body removes too much water it goes into survival mode and begins to hold onto every drop which then leads to the bloating caused by this... plus the high cortisol... bad combo for water retention.

Coffee wasn't my only drink at the time I also drank a lot of sugar free soda which would have been short term rehydrating me but then further dehydrating me the moment I had to urinate... My urine was basically always dark yellow/orange... this is probably why they detected the proteins in my urine as I was dehydrated all the time.

This was why im not thinking it's possible that being constantly dehydrated raises cortisol which can increase blood sugar levels... and as long as I remained dehydrated/cortisol high the levels would remain high.

And thought this might have been the reason I tested high.

I dont test daily my Doctor just wants to test me every couple of months as they said the daily readings didnt matter but the test every couple months is a bigger indicator of whether or not the diet is working or needs tweaked.

But yeah I'm failry convinced the dehydration/cortisol combo may have had a bigger impact on my Blood sugar than my eating habits ?
 
Scientists theorize that dehydration can lead to an increase in the hormone vasopressin, which prompts the kidneys to retain water and the liver to produce blood sugar, potentially affecting the body’s ability to regulate insulin over time
 
fendertele said:
I dont test daily my Doctor just wants to test me every couple of months as they said the daily readings didnt matter but the test every couple months is a bigger indicator of whether or not the diet is working or needs tweaked.
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Yeah, this is rubbish advice, get a meter, research normal levels & adjust your diet accordingly.
How else will you know what spikes you & what foods you can handle ?
 
fendertele said:
I dont test daily my Doctor just wants to test me every couple of months as they said the daily readings didnt matter but the test every couple months is a bigger indicator of whether or not the diet is working or needs tweaked.
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If the doctor tells you to test daily the nhs has to pay for a glucometer, and they don't like to spend money unless they have to. So it's UK standard to tell new T2s this. In fact if you actually want to know what your blood sugar is doing, and whether certain food (or drink) items are spiking your blood sugars, you need a meter.
 
Ronancastled said:
Yeah, this is rubbish advice, get a meter, research normal levels & adjust your diet accordingly.
How else will you know what spikes you & what foods you can handle ?
Click to expand...


Lol I dont which was why I went to the extreme of cutting out all carbs/sugars etc as even when I pushed to test daily they said no.

Ill need to look into buying one then and see as it would be nice to try and have some of the things I used to enjoy.

Cheers.
 
Hi @fendertele

Great work on reducing your BG to normal levels

Coffee is my go to drink with a little skim milk and sweetener and 4-5 cups a day. In my case my BG's have continued to decrease so has had no negative impact on my sugar levels (currently on a high protein diet but previously LCHF) with coffee all the way thru.

"I dont test daily my Doctor just wants to test me every couple of months as they said the daily readings didnt matter but the test every couple months is a bigger indicator of whether or not the diet is working or needs tweaked."

I believe this is very poor advice from your doctor as you should test your BG before consuming coffee and 2 hours after to see how it impacts your BG. Then you will know if that is the case. Also by testing your fasting blood sugars a few times a week you will know whether they are increasing or improving and to some degree if this is causing your symptoms

best of luck and let us know how you go
 
muzza3 said:
Hi @fendertele

Great work on reducing your BG to normal levels

Coffee is my go to drink with a little skim milk and sweetener and 4-5 cups a day. In my case my BG's have continued to decrease so has had no negative impact on my sugar levels (currently on a high protein diet but previously LCHF) with coffee all the way thru.

"I dont test daily my Doctor just wants to test me every couple of months as they said the daily readings didnt matter but the test every couple months is a bigger indicator of whether or not the diet is working or needs tweaked."

I believe this is very poor advice from your doctor as you should test your BG before consuming coffee and 2 hours after to see how it impacts your BG. Then you will know if that is the case. Also by testing your fasting blood sugars a few times a week you will know whether they are increasing or improving and to some degree if this is causing your symptoms

best of luck and let us know how you go
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Hey thanks yes I was buzzing when they told me I had reversed it and Ive been feeling in the best condition of my life but only in the last 2 weeks ( higher coffee consumption have I seen issues reoccuring.)

I posted above a link to a BG test kit think it is any good ?
 
When you decide which meter, you need to take into account the cost of the strips. When you first start testing you tend to get through lots of them. It's a good idea to keep a diary and log your meals alongside your test results.
 
bulkbiker said:
When you say 'drinking coffee" how exactly do you have it? And what amounts.
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Probably a teaspoon of coffee then 3/4 cup of hot water and the rest double cream added. The amount of coffee can vary as I tend to just pour it in straight from the jar... so possible could be as high as 2.5 teaspoons at a time.
 
bulkbiker said:
Providing you buy the strips in the 200 pack for £32.99 that's quite cheap. Not sure you'll be able to get any VAT back but at that price they are almost the cheapest out there anyway.
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Alright thats a good shout tbh I quite enjoy the LCHF lifestyle and would only add tiny tweaks to it so probably could find out if I can have those tweaks within the first 30 odd tests.

Little things like can I occasionaly have an indian curry with some amounts of rice... then for the rest of the week go back to steak/eggs/cheese.

And my main thing I miss is condiments... sauces... so testing If i can have a BBQ sauce with my meat etc..

I like Dark chocolate so would stay on this over milk chocolate... I eat the 90% stuff and when deprived of sugar it actually tastes very sweet.

I miss Icecream so might try and see if I can have those high protein ice creams.
 
I posted above a link to a BG test kit think it is any good ?[/QUOTE]

Best best advice is from the locals on here as I'm in Aussie
 
fendertele said:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diabetes-U...ds=type+2+diabetes+test&qid=1624607796&sr=8-6

Would this be a good choice ?
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Hi @fendertele , I’m personally am not familiar with the meter in your link. However here’s info about meters used by loads of members here. As has already been said is the ongoing cost of strips you probably want to consider.

So here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.


Home Health have recently bought out the Gluco Navii, but I haven’t heard any reviews yet, links to strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/

There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively.


Disclaimer, I haven’t used the discount codes that I have quoted recently so I don’t know if they are still current.





Spirit Healthcare have a meter called the Tee2 + found here:



https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793

with the strips found here:



https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097

Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423


With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual





Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
 
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