Just doesn't make sense

[Maker field]

any advice would be much appreciated.I am a 60 year-old slim reasonably fit man and went to the doctor because I was feeling exhausted all the time. In early April I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic with a fasting blood glucose level of 6.2 and told to change my diet. I have switched to a very healthy no sugar low carb diet but eight weeks later feel even worse than I did in early April. I had a follow-up tests last week of fasting blood glucose andhigh glucose drink - tested after two hours not sure what the technical word for the test is- everything is normal 5.3 was the fasting blood glucose reading. However I feel unbelievably unwell and have developed various symptoms and in fact feel much worse than when I first went to the doctor two months ago. symptoms include extreme tiredness sometimes feeling slightly nauseous, skin rashes on lower legs and genitals, dry and slightly sore and itchy eyes, weight loss of a stone in eight weeks even though eating a healthy diet, slight sweet smell somehow in my nostrils .The tests are telling me that I'm absolutely okay and yet I feel really ill- please can anyone advise what might be going on as it just doesn't seem to make sense.

 

[ConradJ]

any advice would be much appreciated.I am a 60 year-old slim reasonably fit man and went to the doctor because I was feeling exhausted all the time. In early April I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic with a fasting blood glucose level of 6.2 and told to change my diet. I have switched to a very healthy no sugar low carb diet but eight weeks later feel even worse than I did in early April. I had a follow-up tests last week of fasting blood glucose andhigh glucose drink - tested after two hours not sure what the technical word for the test is- everything is normal 5.3 was the fasting blood glucose reading. However I feel unbelievably unwell and have developed various symptoms and in fact feel much worse than when I first went to the doctor two months ago. symptoms include extreme tiredness sometimes feeling slightly nauseous, skin rashes on lower legs and genitals, dry and slightly sore and itchy eyes, weight loss of a stone in eight weeks even though eating a healthy diet, slight sweet smell somehow in my nostrils .The tests are telling me that I'm absolutely okay and yet I feel really ill- please can anyone advise what might be going on as it just doesn't seem to make sense.

Hi there @Maker field ,

Sorry to hear about your troubles (and your success in lowering your HbA1c - well done!). You could possibly be suffering from nutrient deficiency - especially with body minerals and salts, including magnesium; this can be a common occurence with dietary changes and is well written about elsewhere on the web. The weight loss can also possibly be as a direct consequence of the diet, as can some of the other symptoms you mention. Are you getting headaches and light-headedness at all?

As an immediate test, buy yourself some diaoralyte and take a couple of sachets over the next few days to see if that relieves the tiredness - I have found that I need to drink it at least once a month at the moment as I progress through my diet change. If it doesn't work, go back to your GP and have your iron levels, Vit D levels, checked.

Check out the diet sections of the main diabetes.co.uk site and the low carb / diet posts in the forum.

Best wishes.