• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Doctor said glucose are too low

B

Beckyjade_

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
So I recently had a blood test done at the doctors as I have been feeling really tired, nauseous dizzy and shakey for quite some time, this was a random blood test but the doc told me that my hba1c is way lower than it should be and sits at around 2.2 mmol and this is causing the problem but the issue is that she said she was concerned about it but then literally sent me on my way and told me to come back in a month she said I needed to adjust my diet but with no info can anyone shed some light on if I would actually get these symptoms from low sugar levels and also what should I be eating to fix this
Any help would be much appreciated
 
i have no idea how to help but um, im new to this and only got found out from yesterday (i know) haha..
i am the same as you.. i'll be watching this forum of yours. keep positive and stay together all of us.
you'll be okay *hugs*
 
Beckyjade_ said:
So I recently had a blood test done at the doctors as I have been feeling really tired, nauseous dizzy and shakey for quite some time, this was a random blood test but the doc told me that my hba1c is way lower than it should be and sits at around 2.2 mmol and this is causing the problem but the issue is that she said she was concerned about it but then literally sent me on my way and told me to come back in a month she said I needed to adjust my diet but with no info can anyone shed some light on if I would actually get these symptoms from low sugar levels and also what should I be eating to fix this
Any help would be much appreciated
Click to expand...
Did your doctor tell you what your HbA1c result was?
 
No she made things very complicated, she said that it gives me an average of 2-3 months but just said the equivalence in mmol but I don't really understand the results, was just told I would need to keep going back for bloods to keep a check on it so I'm a bit confused
 
I would suggest you try and get a printout of your results as without them we are all a bit in the dark.
She's correct in saying that the HbA1c shows an average level of blood sugar over the past 2 or 3 months but if it was showing an average of 2.2 then her diagnosis of pre diabetes (if that's what she said) would be a bit unlikely in my opinion.
 
Beckyjade_ said:
the doc told me that my hba1c is way lower than it should be and sits at around 2.2 mmol and this is causing the problem
Click to expand...
This really doesn't make a lot of sense. 2.2 is way lower than any remotely normal HbA1c. Even if this figure is for a spot reading finger prick test, it is too low and would require some immediate attention. Your avatar information says Pre-diabetic, is this correct or are you on any diabetic medications?
An HbA1c of 2.2 would, as far as I understand it, would imply some abnormality in blood, quantity of red blood cells or very rapid turn over, but I'm not medically trained and am just thinking aloud.
Could you get an actual print out of your results from your surgery, you are entitled to this. It could be that there has been a misunderstanding. Tell us what you find.
To answer your question about what you should eat to increase your blood sugar levels: sugar, sweeties, cake, all the stuff we normally tell people to avoid.
Sally
 
bulkbiker said:
I would suggest you try and get a printout of your results as without them we are all a bit in the dark.
She's correct in saying that the HbA1c shows an average level of blood sugar over the past 2 or 3 months but if it was showing an average of 2.2 then her diagnosis of pre diabetes (if that's what she said) would be a bit unlikely in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Yeh this is also what I thought, I thought pre diabetes was like high sugar levels, either way I will try and obtain my results but tbh I have had so many problems with my surgery that I do find it hard to trust them anyway, the other thing is she said I need to work on increasing it but didn't really tell me what to eat to do that she said it shouldn't be this low sorry for the questions I'm just confused
 
Beckyjade_ said:
No she made things very complicated, she said that it gives me an average of 2-3 months but just said the equivalence in mmol but I don't really understand the results, was just told I would need to keep going back for bloods to keep a check on it so I'm a bit confused
Click to expand...

If she said it converted to 2.2mmol/l as an average of over the last 2 to 3 months, I believe she has miscalculated or you mis-heard. That is impossible. Please give the surgery a ring and ask for a print out of your test results as @bulkbiker said.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
If she said it converted to 2.2mmol/l as an average of over the last 2 to 3 months, I believe she has miscalculated or you mis-heard. That is impossible. Please give the surgery a ring and ask for a print out of your test results as @bulkbiker said.
Click to expand...
That is definitely what she converted it to I know that much I will try and get a print out when the surgery opens tomorrow, like I said she said that explains why I have been feeling so unwell because low sugar levels can cause those symptoms, I'm not currently on meds I just didn't understand why they are low and why she never gave any info, anyway if I get a printout I will post on here tomorrow
 
@Beckyjade_
You could buy yourself a blood glucose monitor and test strips and test yourself throughout the day for a few days. I think most of us would recommend testing first thing in the morning, before and two hours after each of your main meals and then again at bed time. Keep a food diary with your results. This will show you what is happening and may suggest what alleviates your problems.
Sally
 
Yes, you need to check the numbers, get a printout, and then come back to us with the details.

HbA1c measures the amount of glucose your red blood cells have been exposed to over their lifetime.
Red blood cells live somewhere around 100 days, usually, and are constantly being renewed.
Apparently about 50% of your HbA1c is from the 30 days prior to the test.

If the figures you report are correct then there is something strange going on.
However if so I would have thought your doctor would have been more concerned.

One reason for a low HbA1c (remember it assumes that your red blood cells live for around 100 days) is if for some reason your red blood cells are being scavenged by your liver at a much younger age. If so this needs to be investigated.

However, don't panic.
Get a print out of your results and post them here.
 
Beckyjade_ said:
That is definitely what she converted it to I know that much I will try and get a print out when the surgery opens tomorrow, like I said she said that explains why I have been feeling so unwell because low sugar levels can cause those symptoms, I'm not currently on meds I just didn't understand why they are low and why she never gave any info, anyway if I get a printout I will post on here tomorrow
Click to expand...

The HbA1C converter on this site doesn't even go that low. It sounds a very unusual result.

Could it have been 22 instead?

When she mentioned adjusting your diet, was that because she thinks you're not eating enough?
 
My daughter used to get this. She got it in her mid to late teens when she wasn't eating regularly.

I agree with everyone else about getting a print out of your test results and I agree that you could do with a blood glucose meter so you know whats going on with your blood. :)

When you get the shakes I suggest you eat a banana or drink something with sugar in like orange juice, lucozake or a big glass of milk and then make yourself a bowl of cereal or a sandwich to eat immediately. You need to plan on regular meals and snacks - all with carbs in . I'm sure you know this but carbs are things like pasta, rice, potatoes or bread.

You should start keeping a diary of what you've eaten and when you feel shakey (and how soon after eating) things like that will really help your doctor decide what is wrong with you.

Out of interest, do the shakes happen after any meal or are there certain meals that bring it on more?
 
A hba1c that gives an average blood sugar of 2.2mmol/l would be a hba1c of 9 mmol/mol or 3%. I'm not sure that would be possible, it's dramatically low.

If it transpires that your hba1c actually is 9 you really need to be testing your blood sugar, and you should ask your GP for a monitor at least initially. To be honest, if your hba1c is 9 I'm suprised you weren't given a monitor, your blood sugar is dangerously low.

Then you would need to consider what is causing the low blood sugar. When did your symptoms start? Are you on any medications? Have you had other bloods done for things like cortisol and thyroid levels? You really should be having a referral to an endocrinologist to find out why you are having low blood sugar.

@Brunneria may be able to offer some advice on reactive hypoglycaemia. But I'm unsure whether the timing of your symptoms would fit with RH, to consider that would in itself require a bit of testing.

I think you should 1) get a print out of your results and 2) if your hba1c really is that low make a follow up appointment with your GP for some clarity in the advice to adjust diet, seek fructosamine test (do you have any anaemia or red blood cell issues that could explain an erroneously low hba1c?) seek further investigations into what is causing low blood sugar and seek access to a blood sugar monitor so you can do your own investigations to see if hypos are food related.
 
Beckyjade_ said:
So I recently had a blood test done at the doctors as I have been feeling really tired, nauseous dizzy and shakey for quite some time, this was a random blood test but the doc told me that my hba1c is way lower than it should be and sits at around 2.2 mmol and this is causing the problem but the issue is that she said she was concerned about it but then literally sent me on my way and told me to come back in a month she said I needed to adjust my diet but with no info can anyone shed some light on if I would actually get these symptoms from low sugar levels and also what should I be eating to fix this
Any help would be much appreciated
Click to expand...

Hi,
Like others have said, you really need to get a printout of your test results (you can usually get them from reception at the surgery). Then you can read up on them properly.

There are a few reasons why an HbA1c may be inaccurate, so your doc may order other tests. Have a google on the fructosamine test that @catapillar mentioned.

The symptoms you describe may describe low blood glucose, but they could be a lot of other things too, so you really do need a proper diagnosis from your doc. Do they happen at particular times? After certain meals or foods?or do you feel like it all the time?

What is your normal way of eating, and how did your doc say to adjust it?
 
catapillar said:
A hba1c that gives an average blood sugar of 2.2mmol/l would be a hba1c of 9 mmol/mol or 3%. I'm not sure that would be possible, it's dramatically low.
Click to expand...

It is not unknown for someone "living on fat", but is clearly not normal.

Eating a banana and an apple when needed should help - the combination should increase BG and keep it up for some time. But all bets are off with readings like that.
 
Beckyjade_ said:
That is definitely what she converted it to I know that much I will try and get a print out when the surgery opens tomorrow, like I said she said that explains why I have been feeling so unwell because low sugar levels can cause those symptoms, I'm not currently on meds I just didn't understand why they are low and why she never gave any info, anyway if I get a printout I will post on here tomorrow
Click to expand...

Did you manage to,check the results @Beckyjade_ ?
 
Hey all, I haven't managed to obtain a copy yet, the surgery said I need to apply for it in writing as a form of consent? Not sure how much of that is true, but either way thought I would give you all an update I am generally at a healthy weight with normal bmi, the symptoms generally happen at any time of the day, before eating and after eating, there isn't a particular food that seems to cause any of the symptoms, I did however manage to get a Bg meter and have been trying to use that a a similar time each day ore meals post meals and when I feel off, the readings in the morning is normally about 4.3 mmol, pre meal is usually still around the 4mmol, upon having the symptoms I have tested and had results of around 3.4 but I have also had results of around 7-8mmol which is normal and after meals it tends to be back around 4 mmol after a few hours that is so I don't really know because to me all of those results are completely normal imo, I used to eat 3 standard meals a day but doc said I should have smaller portions more frequently so having food every few hours which seems a bit excessive to me I don't know is it normal to eat that much?
 
Beckyjade_ said:
Hey all, I haven't managed to obtain a copy yet, the surgery said I need to apply for it in writing as a form of consent? Not sure how much of that is true, but either way thought I would give you all an update I am generally at a healthy weight with normal bmi, the symptoms generally happen at any time of the day, before eating and after eating, there isn't a particular food that seems to cause any of the symptoms, I did however manage to get a Bg meter and have been trying to use that a a similar time each day ore meals post meals and when I feel off, the readings in the morning is normally about 4.3 mmol, pre meal is usually still around the 4mmol, upon having the symptoms I have tested and had results of around 3.4 but I have also had results of around 7-8mmol which is normal and after meals it tends to be back around 4 mmol after a few hours that is so I don't really know because to me all of those results are completely normal imo, I used to eat 3 standard meals a day but doc said I should have smaller portions more frequently so having food every few hours which seems a bit excessive to me I don't know is it normal to eat that much?
Click to expand...
Hi again,
It is normal to suggest that someone eat more often during the day if you have Hypoglycaemia.
But not until you have a proper diagnosis.
The reason is to stop you going low by keeping your blood glucose levels at a higher level to prevent the lows and symptoms. I was told to eat this way.
It does stop the lows but your control is difficult to maintain and you only need a couple of bites per meal to gain some control.
To me your blood glucose readings are normal but that means that your pre meal or fasting is in normal range, it's afterwards that the significance of testing comes into it. How high you spike and your two hour reading can give you the best results.

Until you know your hba1c and other blood tests, will we know how to approach getting control.
 
Beckyjade_ said:
Hey all, I haven't managed to obtain a copy yet, the surgery said I need to apply for it in writing as a form of consent? Not sure how much of that is true, but either way thought I would give you all an update I am generally at a healthy weight with normal bmi, the symptoms generally happen at any time of the day, before eating and after eating, there isn't a particular food that seems to cause any of the symptoms, I did however manage to get a Bg meter and have been trying to use that a a similar time each day ore meals post meals and when I feel off, the readings in the morning is normally about 4.3 mmol, pre meal is usually still around the 4mmol, upon having the symptoms I have tested and had results of around 3.4 but I have also had results of around 7-8mmol which is normal and after meals it tends to be back around 4 mmol after a few hours that is so I don't really know because to me all of those results are completely normal imo, I used to eat 3 standard meals a day but doc said I should have smaller portions more frequently so having food every few hours which seems a bit excessive to me I don't know is it normal to eat that much?
Click to expand...

So what were your results @Beckyjade_ ?
 
Back
Top