From Hypo To Prediabetic

Welcome to the forum @Pakmoto. Why do you think you are pre-diabetic? Fbgs around 5.8 would be in the non-diabetic range.

Hello and welcome Pak,
I can relate to your story, and also relate to the 'crazy sports' thing (I do draw the line at jumping out of a perfectly good plane though!). Hypos for years and trying to eat right. Also had a big fight to keep my weight down (BMI 29 at one point!) and it just seems that my body can't take much modern life abuse before things 'go to pot' as they say.
I've also not seen a GP/doctor about this yet, as I'm plucking up the courage.
But, I have found that following the LCHF way of eating (see other threads on this forum, there is plenty of good information about), has stopped those pesky 'lows', so there is hope

Have a look around the site, and the members here are very helpful and knowledgeable

Pakmoto said:

I’m really hoping I’m not, but for me 5.8 is very high, I normally have a fbgs of between 3-4 sometimes even less, and it’s just steadily risen up to the higher numbers I’m now seeing.

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Just for info, my fbgs are normally 4.8, but if I've ate badly, I'll get 6.3 for a couple of mornings. Back on the wagon, my fbg will start to reduce, but takes a good few days before getting back to 4.8.

It may be worth for you to keep a food diary (with amounts of food noted too) along with any sugar readings? See if you can find a pattern.

Pakmoto said:

I’m really hoping I’m not, but for me 5.8 is very high, I normally have a fbgs of between 3-4 sometimes even less, and it’s just steadily risen up to the higher numbers I’m now seeing.

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I am very sorry to hear that. Let's hope everything will work out well. Make tests and let me know. x

Pakmoto said:

Hi
I guess the title says it all, and my past lifestyle has certainly brought me here,

I’ve always kept check on my BG as most of my life It’s been more on the side of hypoglycaemic, but I abused that factor and for much of my life used sugar foods to keep my BG up, however I’m now in my mid 40’s and my fasted BG is now in the 5.8 area, I’m not sure as yet if it’s due to cell insulin resistance or beta cell exhaustion as I haven’t been tested yet.

I’ve always led an active life, and my need for activities has thrown me into some crazy sports.

Anyway that’s enough about me, how are you all doing?

Pak...

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What was the cause of your hypoglycemia?

Pakmoto said:

I never did find out, the one time I went to the doctors about it, I was told to “eat more and take a chocolate bar to bed” no blood tests, no further consultations, but just left to sort it out myself. It’s just one of the reasons I changed my doctors, but it always put me off going back, but over the years I just learnt to deal with it.

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Hi, have a type of hypoglycaemia that is called reactive hypoglycaemia.
We have our own forum and there is great advice and good knowledge about how and why hypoglycaemia happens to some of us.
It is difficult for GPs and doctors to diagnose Hypoglycaemia, mainly due to lack of training, asking for a referral, is always the best option, because a specialist endocrinologist in Hypoglycaemia, will have the necessary diagnostic tests available.
Treatment for Hypoglycaemia is usually dietary. Lowering your carb intake is usually beneficial. Depending on how your body reacts to certain foods such as fruits, can have a big influence on how you feel. You may have an intolerance to dairy like I do, it's the lactose, that can make me go hyper then hypo! It causes high insulin levels.
Finding what is causing the Hypoglycaemia is really important.
As for exercise, I can't do strenuous exercise, but walking is brilliant, swimming, gentle weights and working is good for my blood glucose levels. I have found that anything that makes me sweat, triggers a liver dump, which triggers an insulin overshoot which causes the hypo!

Keep asking, keep researching, do read the RH forum, also the low carb forum for ideas on how food you avoid will stabilise your blood glucose levels.

Best wishes

Hi @Pakmoto, See if you can find via Google 'pictures of prediabetes or T2D 'Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests' (OGTT) preferably also ones showing insulin curves to compare with blood sugar curves".
For an OGTT my understanding is that: a person who has eaten carbs and a full diet for several days beforehand arrives fasting, has blood taken for glucose (+/- insulin depending on what the doctor is ordered and what is allowed under health system financial restraints)!), then given glucose solution to drink and has blood taken at hourly intervals.
For testing for pre-diabetes or T2D usually the pre-glucose, one and two hour after glucose intake readings are taken. These may show a normal or above normal pre-glucose reading and either a glucose level at 2 hours above normal but below diabetes level (pre-diabetes), or blood sugar into the diabetic range (usually T2D, with some provisos) AND in both cases a 2 hour insulin level above normal. So this is interpreted as showing that the person's pancreas gland is putting out extra insulin, but too late, to attempt to control the blood sugar level.
If one continues the blood testing beyond the 2 hour mark to say 4 hours at every 1/2 hour, what may emerge is that the larger than normal. late insulin release mentioned above may be enough to send the blood sugar level (BSL) falling by say, the 3, 3 1/2, 4 hour level to hypoglycaemic levels.
And if you think about it, if you and eating your meals, having higher than normal blood sugars at 2 hours followed by a hypo at the 3, 3 1/2 to 4 hour mark, you will be tempted to eat more to deal with the hypo, and so the cycle continues.
Logically, by eating less carbs for a meal may lead to less high BSL, less high insulin release and less likelihood of a hypo later.
I am not intending to describe the separate, sometimes mixed phenomenon of Reactive Hypoglycaemia.
I hope sans pictures on site here that the above makes some sense. Late hypos after meals could be part of pre-diabetes or T2D (and some other variants, not discussed here). Best Wishes.

kitedoc said:

Hi @Pakmoto, See if you can find via Google 'pictures of prediabetes or T2D 'Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests' (OGTT) preferably also ones showing insulin curves to compare with blood sugar curves".
For an OGTT my understanding is that: a person who has eaten carbs and a full diet for several days beforehand arrives fasting, has blood taken for glucose (+/- insulin depending on what the doctor is ordered and what is allowed under health system financial restraints)!), then given glucose solution to drink and has blood taken at hourly intervals.
For testing for pre-diabetes or T2D usually the pre-glucose, one and two hour after glucose intake readings are taken. These may show a normal or above normal pre-glucose reading and either a glucose level at 2 hours above normal but below diabetes level (pre-diabetes), or blood sugar into the diabetic range (usually T2D, with some provisos) AND in both cases a 2 hour insulin level above normal. So this is interpreted as showing that the person's pancreas gland is putting out extra insulin, but too late, to attempt to control the blood sugar level.
If one continues the blood testing beyond the 2 hour mark to say 4 hours at every 1/2 hour, what may emerge is that the larger than normal. late insulin release mentioned above may be enough to send the blood sugar level (BSL) falling by say, the 3, 3 1/2, 4 hour level to hypoglycaemic levels.
And if you think about it, if you and eating your meals, having higher than normal blood sugars at 2 hours followed by a hypo at the 3, 3 1/2 to 4 hour mark, you will be tempted to eat more to deal with the hypo, and so the cycle continues.
Logically, by eating less carbs for a meal may lead to less high BSL, less high insulin release and less likelihood of a hypo later.
I am not intending to describe the separate, sometimes mixed phenomenon of Reactive Hypoglycaemia.
I hope sans pictures on site here that the above makes some sense. Late hypos after meals could be part of pre-diabetes or T2D (and some other variants, not discussed here). Best Wishes.

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Hi I am also new to this site. Early this year I had a HbA1c test which was 35.5mmol/l or 5.4%. My GP told me this is normal, but looking at the literature it would appear I am only just under the threshold for prediabetes.

Two members of my family have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Also 8 years ago I was diagnosed with mild hypertension, but this has been adequately controlled with medication ever since the diagnosis. Following the HbA1c test I decided to reduce my carb intake dramatically, virtually eliminating rice, pasta and very small amounts of bread or potato. Within 6 months I lost 2 stone. Currently I weigh 8 stone at 5ft 10, which I suspect is underweight? My body fat % is just 5% and visceral fat is 1%. I decided to buy a blood glucose monitor a week ago and have been testing certain foods to see how my body copes with fluctuating glucose levels. I thought I would try higher carbohydrate meals to see how responsive my body is to keep bgls in check. I am quite worried with the results I am finding.

For example prior to eating a Multi-seeded ciabatta roll with Mediterranean vegetables inside, my blood glucose was 4.6 mol/l. After 45 minutes my blood glucose rose to 6.3. After 1 hour 15 minutes it rose further to 7, then further to 7.6 five minutes later and peaked at 8.6 mol/l just under 2 hours after eating. By hour 3 my blood glucose had dropped to normal levels at 5.2 mol/l.
I exercised both immediately before and after having this meal. I went on a brisk walk and according to my FitBit had achieved 13,000 steps and burned over 500 calories. The blood glucose levels referred to above exceed the 7.8 threshold and that is after doing moderate exercise too which is supposed to control blood glucose levels.

On a separate occasion I tried quite a few potatoes as part of my evening meal. Before the meal my blood glucose was as follows:
4.1 before eating
3.6 one hour after eating
6.3 two hours after eating
6.2 three hours after eating
4.1 and 3.7 four hours to four hours 15 minutes after eating
But the strange thing is an hour later my blood glucose went back up again and fluctuated between 5.8 and 6.9 for a further 2 hours before dropping back down to fasting levels. I had not eaten for over 6 hours so these figures too are worrying.

Other occasions eating meals with no or little carbs, my blood glucose barely rises above fasting levels. Also my fasting blood glucose upon awakening is consistently below 5.0 mol/l.

I am concerned I could be facing impaired glucose or prediabetes. Am I worrying over nothing?