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New - shocked myself with BG readings

E

EmJ

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hi everyone

I am just looking for a little guidance/advice/tea&sympathy! Lately I've not been feeling great, I am heavier than I have been in a few years (BMI 31) and after reading about obesity risks I thought I'd just check my blood sugar – we have meters at work. When I've checked it in the past just out of curiosity, it's always been normal, 3 or 4 something. I checked on Saturday, and my starved bg was 7.9. I looked this up – diabetic range – I was shocked. I checked after lunch (and I had a fizzy soda, which I wouldn't usually, but I really wanted to test myself) and got a 1 hour post prandial reading of 13.2, ouch, and 2 hours post prandial of 8.9 (IGT range?).

I've since been furiously reading up on this and other sites. I have very little faith in my GP as they have been spectacularly unhelpful with other problems, I'm waiting to transfer to a different practice but that is many months away. It would also be at least 6 weeks before I would be able to get to a GP appointment I can get to (and then another few weeks after that that I'd be able to attend for a blood test, as my own GP does not offer them, just authorises them and you have to go elsewhere to have the sample taken) so in the meantime I ordered by own bg meter to see what is going on.

Yesterday, before dinner I had bg 9.8, 2 hours after dinner 9.2 (IGT range?). This morning, fasting was 5.5 (normal!?). So overall I seem to have a mix of readings – all a bit confusing and I'm not quite sure what to make of things, but my mind is racing ahead.

My main questions at the moment are
  • what would/should my (UK NHS) GP do in this circumstance? If I have a month's worth of variable bg readings, will they order a HbA1c, or am I likely to have to repeat fasting bg etc for them with venous samples?

  • I am only 31 years old, no family history of diabetes. I am 'mildly obese' currently (ouch), over the past few years have usually been the mid-overweight BMI ranges. If I am 'slightly' diabetic or prediabetic, is the GP likely to suggest just diet and exercise initially anyway?

Thanks in advance for any advice or support.
 
Hi EmJ and welcome to the forum

Do you live on the moon? 6 weeks seems a long time to get to a doctors appointment. I suggest you make the appointment anyway. Even if you don't trust your doc, they are the gateway to other professionals such as eye screening specialists and podiatrists that you will need if you are diagnosed.

It may vary, but my experience was diagnosis made by two fasting venous blood tests of 7+. The hba1c was done after diagnosis. One locum doctor said, if diagnosed, I would try diet and exercise only. Then my own doc said diet+exercise+metformin. Really seems to depend on who you get on the day. Either way, it is not the end of the world and there is a lot you can do to improve your condition, whatever it is. This forum has been the most helpful resource so stick around.
 
Despite being diagnosed years ago I'm only just getting to grips with this so am still very much in the early learning stages, but one thing I know from experience is that if you don't do something to change your lifestyle the likelihood is that your BS will just continue to rise. What I'd wish I'd done, in retrospect, and what I'm trying to do now is - lose weight and change my diet to low carb. There's lots of advice on here about that, but I think that doing those two things straight away could keep you away from medication and from lots of later complications.

Good luck.
 
Welcome,

I think the fact that you already appreciate the limitations of the NHS, and are taking responsibility for your own actions and health, suggests that you will cope with your diabetes very well.

It may be worth bearing in mind that treating diabetes with a low carb diet (as I do) can result in the following:
  • Lowered fasting BG
  • Lowered HbA1c score
  • Increased BG readings at an Oral GlucoseTolerance Test
So whatever you do between now and your doctor running any of these tests, you would be sensible to come off the low carb and eat a min of 150g carbs a day for several days before the tests... That way the doctors will have fasting and OGTT test results that make sense within heir diagnostic framework. Although the HbA1c test may be a bit out of wack...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi and welcome.

I can only speak from my own experience. I was having a routine medical check and also had above normal blood pressure at the time. My GP authorised a full blood test that included a glucose test (random, not fasting) and an HbA1c. They came back within a few days and I was told to go back for a fasting test. Glucose and HbA1c. Then I was given the diagnosis of Type 2. Results were 53 HbA1c and just 7 for the glucose. I was not offered any meds, just diet and exercise and see how it goes in 3 months. That was January, and I am still not on any meds.

I think you need a GP appointment and take it from there.
 
Thankyou all for the welcome. I think I am really in a bit of shock that I might be diabetic.

I don't live on the moon but the problem is I work full time, and it is not practical for me to take time off work for anything other than a real emergency. I have just tried to get a GP appointment and they don't have any available at times I can make in the next 4 weeks, and their system won't book further in advance than that, so I'll have to check back each week.

Brunneria thankyou very much for the advice that low-carbing would affect those tests – I was wondering about that. In panic-reflex this weekend we had almost no carbs at all. That's probably not a good idea then unless (or until?) I get a confirmed diagnosis.

With readings like these, does it seem likely that it is diabetes? This morning fasted glucose was normal. What should I be keeping track of at this early stage? Just daily fasted glucose in the mornings? Post prandial readings?
 
Dr google would be telling you that if the readings are correct, you are diabetic. now relax and take a deep breath, everyone has a panic at first.
I would take a couple of hours off work and see the doctor
 
I agree with B. Are you far from the hospital? Ours has a diabetic dept and if you explain about weeks for an appointment they may step in. Once the diagnosis is official I would low carb and test. Keep a food diary. You'll soon work out what you can and can't eat. Try www.dietdoctor.com. I lost 2.5 stones, have halved bs. Why don't you ring the doc, express concern and demand an appointment. If they refuse threaten them with an official complaint. Contact your hospital and say that doc refuses to reat you. Good luck!
 
My fasting was also 13. This is an emergency. You will become very ill if you don't start putting yourself first sometimes. The quicker you are diagnosed, the quicker you can start dealing with it . Take care and let us know the outcome. Then we can let you know all your entitlements. Good luck!
 
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