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High Bg But No Symptoms?

UserABC2021

UserABC2021

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,990
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Today I met up with a friend who (it turns out) is T2. However, despite being on Met and Glic she never tests because her GP has never suggested it, doesn't even have a kit.

I have a spare kit in the car so she asked if she could use it... we did and she returned a 17.6.

Thinking this might be an issue with the kit or strips I tested myself and it was what I expected. I told my friend she should probably go see her doctor but she reckons she feels great.

When I was up in that range I felt lousy and I guess I'm feeling scared for her as I have no idea how long she has been at that level.

To those people who visit those dizzying heights or have recently come down from there... do you have no tangible symptoms?
 
HarrisonK said:
Today I met up with a friend who (it turns out) is T2. However, despite being on Met and Glic she never tests because her GP has never suggested it, doesn't even have a kit.

I have a spare kit in the car so she asked if she could use it... we did and she returned a 17.6.

Thinking this might be an issue with the kit or strips I tested myself and it was what I expected. I told my friend she should probably go see her doctor but she reckons she feels great.

When I was up in that range I felt lousy and I guess I'm feeling scared for her as I have no idea how long she has been at that level.

To those people who visit those dizzying heights or have recently come down from there... do you have no tangible symptoms?
Click to expand...
I was at those levels at DX. I was tired and used to fall asleep after eating. I thought I was ok until I got my levels down and realised I felt a whole lot better.
 
xfieldok said:
I was at those levels at DX. I was tired and used to fall asleep after eating. I thought I was ok until I got my levels down and realised I felt a whole lot better.
Click to expand...

That's how I was, but she claims she is on top of the world. Thanks for the reply.
 
I didn't start testing until a few weeks after diagnosis with an A1c of 98 (don't know how that would equate to daily average readings) but I felt no symptoms apart from freezing cold feet which I had put down to getting older and which disappeared (the cold feeling, not my feet!) once my levels came down.
It just proves how individuals can differ.
I think you are right to be concerned about your freind, how about suggesting that she may be able to lower her dosages or even come off the drugs, an awful lot of people dislike taking any kind of medication, it's worth a shot. Suggest she joins this forum, too. Good Luck.
 
Guzzler said:
I didn't start testing until a few weeks after diagnosis with an A1c of 98 (don't know how that would equate to daily average readings) but I felt no symptoms apart from freezing cold feet which I had put down to getting older and which disappeared (the cold feeling, not my feet!) once my levels came down.
It just proves how individuals can differ.
I think you are right to be concerned about your freind, how about suggesting that she may be able to lower her dosages or even come off the drugs, an awful lot of people dislike taking any kind of medication, it's worth a shot. Suggest she joins this forum, too. Good Luck.
Click to expand...

I mentioned to her about LCHF and this site, and I shall point out that coming off her meds eventually would be a win. It is fascinating that some people can handle consistently high bg levels.

Thanks for the reply, I'm glad your feet didn't disappear ;)
 
I reckon it all depends. I was diagnosed with an hba1c of 15% and a glucose level in the very high 20's. I also had ketones of above 4 and was sent straight to hospital from the Drs surgery. They told me that my levels would have been in the teens and 20's for the preceding 3 months. Yes, I had been urinating a lot and with a constant thirst but I was feeling absolutely normal apart from that. I had been going to work, running daily etc. At the hospital they must have asked me 100 times whether I was feeling ok and I absolutely was. Get your friend back to the Doctors.
 
My understanding is there are two time zones to consider: immediate and long term.
Immediately, our body reacts to when it is different to what it is used to. If our BG has gradually crept up over a long period of time, a high BG is normal and we may not be aware of it. If our body is used to a lower BG, we feel rubbish with a high BG.
Long term high BG is more concerning to me - this significantly increases the risk of complications such as neuropathy (problems with nerves which means we cannot feel pain in our extremities and may result in loss of limbs), retinopathy (bleeds in the retina which can result in loss of sight), nephropathy (kidney problems), increased risk of heart disease, etc.

I realise things are different with type 1 and type 2 but it is these long term risks which I fear most and the reason why I work hard to try to keep my BG between 4 and 7.

Guzzler said:
apart from freezing cold feet which I had put down to getting older and which disappeared (the cold feeling, not my feet!)
Click to expand...
I was hoping it is was the "getting older" part which disappeared ... glad your feet are still there though.
 
helensaramay said:
My understanding is there are two time zones to consider: immediate and long term.
Immediately, our body reacts to when it is different to what it is used to. If our BG has gradually crept up over a long period of time, a high BG is normal and we may not be aware of it. If our body is used to a lower BG, we feel rubbish with a high BG.
Long term high BG is more concerning to me - this significantly increases the risk of complications such as neuropathy (problems with nerves which means we cannot feel pain in our extremities and may result in loss of limbs), retinopathy (bleeds in the retina which can result in loss of sight), nephropathy (kidney problems), increased risk of heart disease, etc.

I realise things are different with type 1 and type 2 but it is these long term risks which I fear most and the reason why I work hard to try to keep my BG between 4 and 7.


I was hoping it is was the "getting older" part which disappeared ... glad your feet are still there though.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I went looking for the calculator after commenting upthread. An A1c of 98 shows an average daily reading of 15mmol. I had ball park guessed at the low twenties and think that there must have been times I hit those levels. It's a scary thought.
 
HarrisonK said:
Today I met up with a friend who (it turns out) is T2. However, despite being on Met and Glic she never tests because her GP has never suggested it, doesn't even have a kit.

I have a spare kit in the car so she asked if she could use it... we did and she returned a 17.6.

Thinking this might be an issue with the kit or strips I tested myself and it was what I expected. I told my friend she should probably go see her doctor but she reckons she feels great.

When I was up in that range I felt lousy and I guess I'm feeling scared for her as I have no idea how long she has been at that level.

To those people who visit those dizzying heights or have recently come down from there... do you have no tangible symptoms?
Click to expand...

I have never had any symptoms. Hba1c if 115 and a fasting BG of 22. Picked up in a random blood test. It is possible and she should see her GP before damage is done.
 
HarrisonK said:
Today I met up with a friend who (it turns out) is T2. However, despite being on Met and Glic she never tests because her GP has never suggested it, doesn't even have a kit.

I have a spare kit in the car so she asked if she could use it... we did and she returned a 17.6.

Thinking this might be an issue with the kit or strips I tested myself and it was what I expected. I told my friend she should probably go see her doctor but she reckons she feels great.

When I was up in that range I felt lousy and I guess I'm feeling scared for her as I have no idea how long she has been at that level.

To those people who visit those dizzying heights or have recently come down from there... do you have no tangible symptoms?
Click to expand...


it is damaging for the body to have such high blood glucose levels and sometimes the damage comes sneaking and a lot of damage are of the ireversible kinds ...like neuropathy that can't go away again when the damage is done or diabetic sweating where ones nerves are damaged so that the sweat glands behave differently and leads to sweating even without one being hot and so on...

https://www.bloodsugar101.com/organ-damage-and-blood-sugar-level

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317366.php
 
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When diagnosed, my level was 33.8
I never felt ill, tired etc.
 
And yet people who are dx in the low fifties have symptoms, it is sometimes very strange. It has taught me that the human body can cope with far greater levels of 'abuse' than I ever imagined.
 
Thank you all for your input, hopefully my concerns are enough to get her to see her GP. At least I feel better informed should she want to discuss it further, although I will keep pointing her here to this site as I'm still a newb to it all.

Cheers
 
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