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Erratic Blood Sugar Levels

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Nadie

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Hi I was wondering if you could help as I’m struggling to find much in the way of answers elsewhere.

For a little while I’ve been getting increased thirst, headaches and light headedness so I took my blood sugar levels with my brothers kit (who is type 1) and it was 9.6 about three hours after eating. This struck me as a little high so I did a fasting test that night which came out at 7.7 and then monitored them the next day and had the following results:

9am - Breakfast
12pm - 8.1/146
12.30 - small snack
1 pm - 12.2/ 220
1.15 - lunch
2:15 - 8.9/160
3:20 - 7.7 /138
4.20 - 5.8

As the evening goes on, even after dinner, my sugar levels seem to be within normal range.. I’ve tried this a few times now with always the same outcome but I’ve repeated the fasting glucose and monitored in the day and had similar results. I’ve also had a hba1c whivh came out perfectly normal at 28.

I’m confused as to why my levels are higher during the morning and afternoon but seem to regulate in the evening? I’m also aware of the dawn effect but I thought in typically a non diabetic the rise is only very small and also wouldn’t carry over till early afternoon?

As mentioned, my brother is type 1, my maternal uncle is also type 1 and both grandmas are type 2. I’m 28 years old female, I had a baby 11 months ago but was tested in my pregnancy ( I think about 24 weeks) for gestational diabetes and I got the all clear however I did then put on ALOT of weight towards the end, 70 pounds in total!!( I have subsequently lost all of it now), my maternal grandmother is also Indian (southern Asian).

My gp is useless and didn’t even get me in for an appointment or hear out my symptoms, just left me a blood test form st reception and I didn’t get a call as it came back ok.

Any guidance or information would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.

Please allow me to say at this point that we are not doctors so we cannot diagnose you. As to your figures, they do seem a bit high but you did not say what is was that you had eaten. Even non Diabetics are more insulin resistant in the morning than in the evening so your improving numbers as the day goes on is not surprising. FYI raised blood glucose levels are one of the last symptoms of T2 to manifest, this is likely the same for LADA. There are some who experience a 'Honeymoon period' with T1 but I will leave others to advise on this as I am T2 and have no experience of it.

I would advise that you carry on keeping records of your readings alongside a detailed food diary. The fasting readings should be taken first thing before you get ready for your day. The readings later should be immediately before eating then 2 hours after first bite of food. I would then take these records to your GP with a view to having more tests (if you see no improvement, that is).
Possible tests would be GAD and c-Peptide but an OGTT would not go amiss.

Good Luck, please do not give up as this does merit further investigation.
 
Hi @Nadie, Welcome.
If you go to the Home page, select Living with Diabetes halfway along the horizontal menu and then Blood glucose ranges on the far left you can be a table showing what the usual ranges are for the non-diabetic.
There are for fasting and at least 90 minutes after a meal. Most of us choose 2 hours after.
If you can record BSLs at some of those timings and take along to the GP he can give you his/her interpretation.
 
@Nadie
Hello Nadie and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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 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. Most of these are 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.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies and information you have all given, it’s really appreciated. I called the gp yesterday and asked for an appointment so I could discuss it further but they wouldn’t give it to me and instead said that they only diagnose diabetes based on the Hba1c now and do not go on any type of other finger prick tests such as random or fasting. I queried that would it be healthy for my body to be having spikes even if not all the time and he said that they used to think like that 10 + years ago but now they just look at the average. He also didn’t think that I was likely to get type 1 due to my age. I don’t know enough about that so I won’t comment on it but I still feel a bit perplexed by it all. I want to trust him and that he is a doctor so he obviously knows a lot more than I do on the subject but just seems contradictory to everything else I have been told/researched. Is this what others have been told?
My gp wrongly diagnosed my baby a few times over and was reluctant to investigate further before we took him to hospital and it was discovered he has a severe kidney problem so I guess I’m just a little anxious and mistrusting of my gp now!
 
I would be too and I’d be considering getting a new gp. Misdiagnosing my baby and having outdated ideas of diabetes. Seems to imply an attitude that considers himself infallible. Danagerous attitude imo.

Not that I am suggesting you have type 1 but it can be diagnosed at any age not just in kids. There are also more unusual forms such as reactive hypoglycaemia (again not that I’m suggesting you have this as it’s about low levels). I’ve not heard that spikes don’t matter either. They do. But yes typically they do use hb1ac for diagnosis now but do use fasting lab blood draws too. Fingerprick tests are seen as screening to be backed up by lab tests for diagnosis.
 
Do not change anything with diet yet but do as suggested and keep a record over a few days of your levels before and after meals then try again to get an appointment with the doctor...a different one if that is possible.. and show them the levels you have been having. Of course you may not have diabetes your symptoms may be due to something else but you really need to know what is going on before you start changing anything
 
Hi, sorry that you are having a rough time; as others have said, one is not allowed to give diagnoses here, and I would be reluctant to criticise a HCP cos we might not have the full story.

Diagnosis of diabetes is made on fasting glucose 7.0 mmol/L or more, or random glucose 11.1 mmol/L or more or 2 hour value in glucose tolerance test of 11.1 or more or properly elevated HbA1c PLUS confirmatory evidence such as symtpoms of thirst, peeing a lot, or another high blood test or retinopathy on looking in eyes. Your finger prick tests are really useful and as you say guide you as to when your glucose levels are high ie the times at which an armful of blood might be diagnostic.

The line about just using the HbA1c is rubbish. It is reassuring that it is not high in you, but if developing T1DM, one can progress so quickly that the HbA1c does not have time to rise. HbA1c is a useful test, but many folk do not realisie that it is not perfect,

The line about your age is also rubbish; Danish and USA data show that T1DM occurs new from age 30 to age 80 at similar rate.

Your glucose levels are not dramatically high, so I would be a little surprised if they are causing thirst and light headedness; I would ask a decent GP what they make of this; there are other causes eg hgh calcium levels.

Best wishes
 
I can't add anything much to the above comments.

May I ask if you are otherwise healthy? Any anaemia or thyroid issues? Some conditions can affect the accuracy of the HbA1c.
When you had your blood tests, what else were you tested for, such as cholesterol, liver and kidney functions, full blood count etc. You can ask for a print out of your blood test results, which you are entitled to. Also, if you are in England your surgery should be putting blood test results on-line, but you have to register for this at your surgery.

One word of advice, never accept a doctor's opinion that blood results are OK. Look for yourself as they maybe teetering on the edge of not being OK.
 
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