Anonymous Question Is it the diabetes or the menopause?

[Anonymous Question]

Anonymous question submitted:

I have recently had HbA1c test and my results came back as 47. Doctor said this makes me borderline diabetic. I am not taking medication at the moment and have been advised to try lifestyle changes. I can't see how this will help, as I am not overweight, I eat healthily and exercise regularly. My dad is diabetic type 2 so I think it may be in the genes. The question I want to ask is can someone who is borderline diabetic still get symptoms of diabetes. For over 18 months I have been experiencing lots of different feelings/sensations - i.e. pins and needles, numbness in fingers, dizziness. 12 months ago I started getting a feeling as though I had something in my left eye (dry eye syndrome) and now I am getting really sore tongue with burning/tingling sensation/metal taste and my taste seems to have diminished. I am going through the menopause and before the diabetes test I was putting all these strange symptoms down to that, but now I am confused. Can anyone give me any advice.

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[Totto]

My recent HbA1c was 46 and I am also going through menopause, have recently started on patches.

Your pins and needles can be due to high bg, but in many other condidtions you get this as well. Have you had your thyroid checked? It is common to get thyroid problems in times of hormonal upheaval like menopause. Dizziness is common in hypothyroidism, but the worst symptoms usually are tiredness and inability to get going.

Have you had vitamins B12 and folate checked? Lack of them, particularly B12, can cause permanent nerve damage but the first symptoms are numbness and pins and needles. The older you get the greater the risk for vitamin B 12 deficiency, and the lower range is low indeed so probably quite common but undiagnosed. Sore tongue is a common symptom.

Regarding lifestyle change I recommend two things. First, get a bg monitor.. That way you can check how different foods affect your level. Secondly, eat more good quality fats and fewer carbs. I for example can tolerate half an apple if I eat something fat with it, cheese for example, but a whole apple raises my bg level quite a lot.