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Could I be prediabetic?

T

throwthisawayman

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Let me start off my saying that my fasting blood glucose is relatively normal, for the past couple days my measurements are in the 4.5-5.0 range in the morning.

However, my post prandial measurements have scared me. I had a pretty high carb breakfast yesterday and measured a 7.6 45 minutes after, although I went to wash my hands and returned in about 10 minutes and got a reading of 6.3. Today, after a very large and somewhat oily lunch (it was dimsum) I returned home and recorded numbers in the 7s but also got readings as low as 5.9 in some instances about an hour on. two hours on I got a 6.1 and a 6.3 and 3 hours on it returned to about a 5.5. I've been paranoid about this nonstop and after a high carb dinner I checked myself an hour later 5 straight times in about 3 minutes and got readings of 8.2, (washed my hands), 6.7, 7.9, 6.9, and 6.8. From what I understand

I'm an extremely paranoid person with pretty bad anxiety so I've been thinking about this nonstop and I'm terrified that I'm actually diabetic or prediabetic and I only get good readings during fasting but my insulin is not working well itself? Any insight and/or explanation into my readings or why my readings seem to fluctuate so much? Should I be looking at the low readings as a accurate indication or the average of the readings? Thanks a lot for any help.

Also I feel pretty sleepy after I eat and I also pee a lot but only on certain days. (especially if I think about it). My weight + BMI is average to low. I do have a family history.
 
Hi @throwthisawayman .. and welcome
You may or may not be pre-diabetic but the only way to find out for certain is to check with your doctor for a fuul blood test and an HbA1c reading.

It also sounds to me as though you are testing quite randomly, at different times and with no real pattern in mind. The usual method is to test your fasting BG on waking in the morning then immediately before meals and again two hours you started eating. This means that you have good indicators of any particular foods that cause you to "spike", along with comparative readings that build up over time.

You also mention that you eat some "high-carb" meals, which will inevitably raise your BG levels. The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through diet, testing your Blood Glucose and exercising seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Hope this helps
 
My first reaction was to ask why on earth you were doing all this testing and causing yourself to worry when according to the figures you give you don't have a problem.

My next thought was that I am in writing elsewhere saying that everyone should own a meter and test themselves annually instead of waiting for the NHS to notice. These two thoughts seem to be at odds.

I suppose that if I advocate self testing then I should say at what point you start to worry and do something about it. The official limits seem adequate for this purpose.

If you have a problem getting lower than 8.5 two hours after eating then visit your doctor. You are OK in that respect.

If random tests result in readings higher than 11 then visit your doctor. You are OK in that respect.

In the meantime your numbers are fine, your weight is fine and if you are pre diabetic then you are pre pre pre diabetic.
 
The conventional clinical view of diabetes is based primarily on our glycemic response. It was observed that normal glucose response lies largely within 4.0-7.0 mmol. With 8 mmol being the threshold before our kidney starts to excrete the excess glucose.

There has always been the sobering alternative view that glucose impairment is actually the late stage diagnosis of diabetes. The view is that excessive insulin response clearly precedes glucose impairment...
 
@throwthisawayman

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Ask questions when you need to and, as you see, someone will 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 245,000 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
Reduce your 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 free 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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. They're all 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.
 
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