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Help please. Second BG test higher

Debmcgee

Debmcgee

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,939
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi
Please help me. I'm gutted beyond belief as I've really tried so hard to cut out anything that causes blood sugar to spike by following GL diet to a tee.

First test just over a month ago was 6.5 so clearly within prediabetic range. I have not eaten anything high carb or sugary - I've even be careful with vegetables yet my result has increased to 6.6.

Why? Was I wrong to expect it to have dropped so quickly? I am back to feeling scared of food again.

I asked doc for a referral to a dietician but was told I couldn't as I was not properly diabetic. I thought this was ludicrous as it would save the nhs a fortune to nip it in the bud now.

The guy who gave me the results kept going on about losing weight, despite the fact I have been and have reduced my bmi by two points already. I am current 37 bmi so still have some way to go.

I normally gym but have injured my leg so can't do exercise until that improves. I've not been able to go for a month.

Does anyone have any tips or advice for me? I feel like a failure and don't want to be :-((((

Thank you
Deb x


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whats a GL diet? what kind of foods do you eat? have you tried Low carb high fat? there is a lot of info on it on the forum.

Depending on the type of test done meters have a 20% variation so actually you may have dropped the amount of blood sugar but the meter isnt accurate enough to test.
 
Hi, and well done on your weight loss.

Was this an HbA1c test or a fasting blood test or a random non-fasting test?
Have you got your own blood glucose monitoring kit?

The GL (Glycemic Load http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_load ) is fine to use when you are eating carbs as a guide to portion control, but it isn't fine to use on its own. It is only a guide. You also have to count your carb intake and reduce the amount considerably. I think you will find most people on this forum advocate a low carb diet, with increased fats and/or protein to make up the energy deficit. I use the GL guide myself, but have also reduced my carb intake in total to under 90g a day. Many people are on a lot less than that.
 
GL = Glycaemic Load

I have done a while using GL. And I actually felt great on it. The problem I found was twofold. Firstly I didn't lose any weight (you are, so that doesn't apply to you) and even gained at times. Secondly, I had carb cravings and problems with portion control.

I think that with some people (me), you can hit a middle ground where eating by GL keeps you from the big glucose highs and habituallows, but at the same time, keeps the body churning out insulin in large enough quantities to trigger my carb addiction.

Different people have very different reactions to relatively small amounts of carbs. I spike to over 10 with a poxy slice of brown bread. But can eat much larger amounts of potato to less effect. And I can eat cold white sushi rice, but do badly on basmati. Go figure.

Might be best to map your reactions to carby foods so that you know your personal tolerances.
 
Hi
Thank you for replying. The blood test was an overnight fasting test, with the two tests a month apart.

I don't have a monitor - wish I did, but I simply can't afford the upkeep costs at the moment. So it's a finger in the air job at the moment.

Maybe I need to cut carbs even more.

I'm so confused by all this. I thought I'd see some sort of improvement over a three week period.




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Don't get too disheartened - my fasting BG varies a heck of a lot. Anywhere from mid 5s up to mid 8s.

It all depends on time of test, stress levels, what I've been eating over the last few days/weeks, and what I ate the night before.

I generally start in the 5.5-6.5 range then climb steadily until I eat breakfast. Try googling Dawn Phenomenon for some background info.
 
I agree, please don't get disheartened about those figures. There are so many variables with a fasting test, and for me it is the Dawn Phenomenon that affects them. My levels are always significantly higher when I get up than they are when I go to bed, and it is very annoying.
Perhaps you could ask your GP for an HbA1c blood test. This takes an average of the previous 2 to 3 months sugar levels and is the recognised test for diabetes diagnosis.
 
Debmcgee said:
First test just over a month ago was 6.5 so clearly within prediabetic range. I have not eaten anything high carb or sugary - I've even be careful with vegetables yet my result has increased to 6.6.
Click to expand...
go back and talk to the Dr, I think you'll find with 6.5 and 6.6 is that, 0.1 is within the margin of error of the lab,
as bluetit said a lot are low carbing
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
cravings
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm sorry you are feeling so scared and helpless. I (and many others like me) have found that the best way to drop your blood sugar levels is by eating less starch and refined carbohydrates. I check my blood every morning when I get up and the average was 6.22 when I started to stop eating all bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and pastry (and obviously no biscuits, chocolate, etc.). Within just a few days my blood sugar levels dropped and now they are an average of 5.2.

I saw my GP this morning (on an unrelated issue) and he suggested that I may have prevented the onset of diabetes or at least delayed it considerably.

It's just over one month now since I cut out bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and I have found that if I do have some of these now (small portions and only perhaps once a week or once a fortnight), they do NOT raise my blood sugar levels again. If I were to eat them regularly again, they would.

Please think seriously about getting a meter. If you check out on Amazon, the codefree meter costs £12.99 and comes with a few test strips. 100 test strips. 50 additional strips cost £7.12. I know if money is short even this may be too much, but I am thinking of your peace of mind. You sound really stressed and I am sure the stress will not be good for you. If you can afford it, get a meter and check each morning before eating or drinking anything.

good luck and keep telling us how you feel. This is a great forum. You will find a lot of very wise tips and useful information here.
 
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Thank you everyone. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Gundrum - I cut out everything starchy when I started doing low GL and have avoided anything processed or containing sugar so was expecting to see an improvement on the blood test.

I looked at the monitor and the code free one does seem reasonable so I will a to get one ASAP. The sooner I can test what food is my enemy, the better.

I really do want to beat this.

D x


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Good luck, Deb. Amazon is very quick in sending the Codefree and until then, do take time to read and browse the forum. The more you know and understand the better you can control your prediabetes.
 
I've ordered the kit and a hundred strips so I can test everything I eat to make sure my diet is right for me. Seems pointless cutting back if the foods I'm still eating are harmful, and given how unhelpful the GPs have been I think I need to take matters into my own hands!

Went out for dinner last night and wanted to have pizza but was sensible and had chicken salad! Quite proud of myself for that considering how sad I was yesterday.


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Well done, Deb.. it just takes a bit of time and adjustment. I find that I eat really well now even without the pizza
 
Me too but I used to love carbs and can't quite believe I've cut it all out!

Not looking forward to pricking bit though. I'm thinking to do it on my thighs...


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I used to be quite happy just to eat sandwiches all day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), or piles of spagetti, but you can get used to cutting it out and I don't generally miss it now. I have started eating this way now just over a month ago and only really craved bread once (fantasized about a jam sandwich on a long drive home).

I think it's just like giving up smoking. I tried that many times as well until I finally succeeded some 30 years ago without any craving afterwards.

What helped me, Deb, is some advice I was given when I first went onto this forum. I had been in denial for a long time (years, really). Apart from one niece, everybody in my family has diabetes. My mother and aunt went blind with it, my mother had gangrene.... I have always kind of accepted that eventually I would get it, too. But even though I knew the advice on how to delay it (losing weight, for example), it was always something to start next week.

When I went onto this forum (still in denial and not really willing to do something about the prediabetes and certainly not willing to give up bread, pasta, chocolates, cakes, etc.), someone suggested I look at foot amputations. I refused, but after a few hours I did google them and from that day onward the thought of getting full blown Type 2 is not something I am willing to accept as inevitable without putting up a fight to delay it as long as I can.

I am not sure where you could prick yourself to test for blood. I think fingers are the usual ones and the needle with which you prick is so tiny, it hardly hurts (the pain is far less than being pricked by a sewing needle).
 
Sorry to hear about your family. I too have seen what diabetes can do - my aunt lived with us and she had every complication including losing fingers, hand and arm. She also had kidney failure and two transplants. It was awful and that's why I changed diet overnight once I got first result.

I want to do all I can to stop me getting it too. I'm a single mum of two young girls and have to be ok for them or else I dread to think how they'd be cared for.

So I am willing and able and have changed so much - hence why I was so upset with second result showing no improvement :-(

X


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