Newbie With Concerns, Questions???

[Dan Lockwood]

Hello.

I introduced myself in the Introduction thread and thought if many are like me on forums, I hardly ever read the Introductions, just look for new threads etc.

So with the chance of double posting, I'll start a new thread.

My first concern is how do I compare/share my US glucose daily readings and A1C number with what appears to be UK/European numbers? I've done some conversion calculators, but there's way too many numbers and acronyms to keep straight.

So I'll have to use the US numbers and I can later learn what or how to state them correctly for this forum.

I was told that I had an A1C of 7.5 about six years ago. At the time my doc didn't want to diagnose me with diabetes, but said let's try to work through it with diet and exercise. Well I blew that off for about a year and a couple doc appointments. Then it started to sink in and I started to just change my eating habits, not a diet, but trying to make a life style change, so my wife and I thought.

I went from 295 lb down to around 245 lb. My A1C dropped to 6.4, which is just .1 under diabetic and into pre-diabetic. That was good and I just changed a few things and tried to do more fiber etc and cut down on sweets. But after about 4 years the weight crept back on and I was up to around 265 lb in no time. Then a year ago my A1C was up to 8.5. I tried a bit here and there until the wife saw an ad in the local flyer that said that we can reverse your diabetes. The Wellness Connection was having a seminar on what they do and what might be done for diabetes patients. Hey a seminar and a free meal, can't go wrong.

We went and decided to give a try. I will say that none of it is covered under your insurance, so it's all out of pocket and it is NOT cheap by any shape way or form.

It's a 6 month program and I'm just about through with my 4th month. They do tons of tests up front and get you started on a detox cleansing for the first month along with other supplements they use. My first blood test draw was 8 vials of blood. I thought maybe I was in a blood donation by mistake. My A1C at the beginning of the process was 7.6. They found that my cortisol is out of whack, whack is a technical term I use. I'll have to be careful on my word choices as I am communicating to the original source of the English Language... So if I use the wrong word or slang, please don't take it personally. Just quietly correct me!

They got me started checking my glucose, as I had never done that before. Also I'm on NO medication other than just supplements at this point. My D.U.T.C.H. urine test came back with all of my hormones listed and boy are they screwed up big time. My estrogen and testosterone have become reversed for some reason. In another test it showed that my good/bad bacteria in my lower intestines was also reversed. So I've been working on getting back into balance. The doc also says that I have iron overload. The numbers don't seem high, but for me he said they were. So I'm doing therapeutic phlebotomies every three weeks for 500ml of blood. My third is this Thursday evening.

The end of November when I first started my program, my morning glucose fasting started out at 220 and over the last several months I saw it lower down to around the mid 110's. Each week's average was lower and lower. About a month in he started having me take my after dinner glucose 1.5 to 2 hours, or before I went to bed. I go to bed around 9:00pm. My first reading was in the 120's. I had read that anything below a 140 for that time frame would be good for a "non-diabetic", let along type 2. Since then my after dinner has been going down. Last night at 1.5 hours after dinner, which included prime rib leftovers, boiled shrimp and salad, it was 92. I think that's probably good.

BUT my issue is that my morning fasting glucose is now going back up. Today it was up to 151, yesterday 141 and not much lower over the past several weeks. This has me concerned as I'm not doing anything different in my eating habits and I've been working out on the Bowflex five times a week in the evenings about half an hour after dinner.

My goal is to be in the 5's for an A1C when I'm done with the program. They said that could be possible, but everyone is different.

As I told my wellness doc, even though they say that they can reverse my diabetes, I'm sure all they can offer is a reduction in my type 2 condition and mainly that will be an overall reduction in my A1C number. I'm sure that I will be in better shape health wise and my risk factors will be greatly reduced.

I was NOT sold on the reversal of my diabetes, so I used the example of an alcoholic that's been sober for 30 years. Even though he's not had a drink, that person is still an alcoholic. Unlike me, if I get drunk, I don't "have to have a drink" the next day and maybe not for another 10 years, I'm not hardwired in that way. So the same goes for being diabetic. I can have my numbers under control without medication, but no matter what, if I start to eat like I was 6 or 7 years ago, my numbers will go right back up, so I'm always going to be diabetic, but hopefully controlling it. Without control and will power all bets are off.

My concerns are my ever climbing morning fasting glucose numbers. For a couple weeks my average morning fasting was in the mid 110's and I felt like I had turned a corner. Last week my A1C had gone down from the starting of the program 7.6 down to 6.7. I was down to 6.4 five years ago with just diet and without tons of supplements, so I guess I've got a long ways to go yet.

I know during the wee hours of the morning your liver will release glucose and maybe something is triggering that that I may have some control over, not sure though.

Also since the last of November, I've not had any carbs, such as potatoes, pasta, pizza, bread, chips etc. I've not drank anything but water, no coffee as I just don't like it, so water it is. I'm on gluten free, dairy free, sugar free. No cake, cookies, ice cream, pretzels, added salts, pastries etc. So I've been leading a dull life food wise. But I do have my steak, ham, bacon, eggs, and pretty much all the veggies raw or steamed I want. My salad have no cheese, croutons, or dressing, just vinegar and oil.

I'm trying really hard to eat the right things and my wife, even though she's non-diabetic with an A1C of 5.1 for the past several years, is following about the same eating habits, we've both lost more weight. I went down from 265 lb the end of November to around 235 lb and she's lost around 20 lb. She how I protected her from any weight shaming... But honestly she's looking great!

One last comment, thing, my doc has had me quit snacking after dinner. So after around 6:30 pm, nothing until morning when I take my morning fasting glucose reading. I read today that "maybe" a snack of some sort prior to bedtime may push back my liver releasing glucose. Does that sound logical?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Where do I start?

Thanks and have a great week!

Dan

 

[Deleted member 308541]

My first concern is how do I compare/share my US glucose daily readings and A1C number with what appears to be UK/European numbers? I've done some conversion calculators, but there's way too many numbers and acronyms to keep straight.

The US uses percentages (%) on the hba1c readings, so using my figures as an example of US 5.3% = Australian / UK 34 mmol/mol

I have a calculator in my log book app I use, which I can use to convert various readings for this forum. I cannot recommend it to you though. Here is another one available on the play store that may help you along.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.altervista.Glyconverter

 

[Deleted member 308541]

@Dan Lockwod I have just down loaded that Glyconverter app and it works a treat on conversions.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.altervista.Glyconverter

 

[Mike d]

@Dan Lockwood

Yogurt (with berries) and cheese are fine. Don't ban them from the diet. And certainly don't worry about the lingo. Most is transferable to England and Australia. The morning readings are the hardest and often the last to get under control Keep asking questions mate

 

[kokhongw]

One last comment, thing, my doc has had me quit snacking after dinner. So after around 6:30 pm, nothing until morning when I take my morning fasting glucose reading.

That is a great suggestion... over time the fasting glucose will improve...

 

[Debandez]

One last comment, thing, my doc has had me quit snacking after dinner. So after around 6:30 pm, nothing until morning when I take my morning fasting glucose reading. I read today that "maybe" a snack of some sort prior to bedtime may push back my liver releasing glucose. Does that sound logical?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Where do I start?

Thanks and have a great week!

Dan[/QUOTE]

Hi, I replied to your initial post but just wanted to add this link re dawn phenomenon

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html

 

[Deleted Account]

My first concern is how do I compare/share my US glucose daily readings and A1C number with what appears to be UK/European numbers? I've done some conversion calculators, but there's way too many numbers and acronyms to keep straight.

www.diabetes.co.uk is more than this very useful forum with some very valuable contributors.
If you go to the home page you will see a wealth of easy to use articles on diabetes which are easy to navigate and search.
For example, if you use type "BG conversion" into Search field in the top right of the home page, this is the first results: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html

I highly recommend taking a look around this under utilised amazing diabetes library,

 

[Rachox]

I have just one additional comment to add to the advice you’ve already received. I believe raised iron levels can have an impact on the accuracy of HbA1c readings. I’ll tag in @Bluetit1802 (hope you don’t mind Bluetit) as she knows more about this than me.

 

[Dan Lockwood]

Thanks to all of you for your replies and guidance.

I'll do some browsing this weekend to see what the site has to offer.

I tried about half a dozen strawberries last night before I went to bed and 136 this morning, down from 146 yesterday. I don't get too excited by that little of a drop as that's probably well within the error of each reading.

I did switch from True Metrix reader/meter to a Bayer Contour Next reader/meter. My True Matrix would give me a reading of say 150 and I'd take another reading from another finger and it might be 125 or 170, it was just not what I would call repeatable/consistent. When I switched to the Contour Next, my readings went up about 20 points, but I can take two readings from different fingers and they're usually less than 5 points apart. So I'm not sure which one is accurate, but I do know the Contour Next is very consistent in readings.

On my last blood draw I took my Contour with me to do a reading just prior to drawing blood. It read 146 and my test results came back at 164 for that fasting morning blood draw.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I'm on Pravastatin for 80mg once per day. For a very long time, possibly a year, I was taking 2000iu vitamin C daily. I read that vitamin C can counteract statins for cholesterol. Now I'm reading from the post above that statins can cause glucose levels to vary or be high in general.

I might be shooting myself in my foot as I'm going to the Wellness Connection doc for my diabetes program and I also have a GP. My GP has been harping on me to lose weight and eat better. So I've gone the route of the Wellness program without consulting my GP. I wanted to shock her on my next visit with lower A1C, weight lose and lower BP. But I'm still taking the statin. But my GP does know about my diabetes and also prescribed the statin. So maybe in her mind it's not a big deal.

My HDL is still too low at 31 and I'm still high on my LDL, don't remember the number at this point. So not sure which one would have a priority, cholesterol or diabetes.

Thanks again for the great suggestions and I'm very happy to be here and to get involved.

Have a great day.

Dan

 

[Member496333]

Hi @Dan Lockwood. Don’t worry about the US/UK/AU/EU etc. units. I think most of us are adept at the conversions so feel free to quote whichever metrics you’re comfortable with.

Welcome along and good luck on your journey. You are in the right place!

 

[Dan Lockwood]

I mentioned this in my post, but it still concerns me that my postprandial BG is so low relative to my fasting BG.

A normal blood sugar level after eating is 140 milligrams per deciliter or less in healthy people, according to Merck. One to two hours after beginning a meal, diabetic patients should have a target blood sugar range of 180 milligrams per deciliter or less, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Right now my fasting is averaging around the mid 140's and my postprandial is usually in the low 100's to even 92 the other day. And this is after a good hefty meal with red meat and salad with vinegar/oil. I took it as soon as 1 hr after and it's in the 100's and 2 hr after it's below 100 usually.

So does this mean that in this area my insulin is doing its job of controlling my BG postprandial?

I just wish I could get a handle on my fasting, but I believe that with my program doc and some help here, that may be coming within time.

Just a side note on exercise, it does not seem to do anything to my BG readings one way or the other. As it get warmer in my area I plan to get the roller blades back out. As a kid I spent about three nights a week roller skating. Roller blades came back to me very quickly and the first time I skated on them, which was probably 20 years since I had roller skated, I skated down the road 7.5 miles to meet the wife as she was bicycling and then I skated back home. I've skated as much as 40 miles one day and it was just like walking to me. But I'm sure it had other health benefits for me. So there's a great large cemetery near our house with great black top roads and of course very little traffic. There are some slight hills so that can do a good workout for me too. Maybe I can get the wife to ride her bike while I'm skating.

Thanks again everyone...

Dan

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Rachox tagged me about iron levels altering the HbA1c results.

It is a well known fact among the diabetes medical and research community that non-standard red blood cells can and do alter the HbA1c results. This includes iron irregularities. There is plenty enough to read about this on Google.

In addition to that, so do blood draws for either donation or medical reasons. This is obvious when we think about it. We lose an armful of blood which has to be replaced by new blood. That new blood has not yet been bombarded with glucose like older blood has, so any HbA1c is likely to be better than expected. So please be aware of this. What you do not want are falsely low HbA1c results.

 

[HSSS]

I mentioned this in my post, but it still concerns me that my postprandial BG is so low relative to my fasting BG.



Right now my fasting is averaging around the mid 140's and my postprandial is usually in the low 100's to even 92 the other day. And this is after a good hefty meal with red meat and salad with vinegar/oil. I took it as soon as 1 hr after and it's in the 100's and 2 hr after it's below 100 usually.

So does this mean that in this area my insulin is doing its job of controlling my BG postprandial?

I just wish I could get a handle on my fasting, but I believe that with my program doc and some help here, that may be coming within time.

Just a side note on exercise, it does not seem to do anything to my BG readings one way or the other. As it get warmer in my area I plan to get the roller blades back out. As a kid I spent about three nights a week roller skating. Roller blades came back to me very quickly and the first time I skated on them, which was probably 20 years since I had roller skated, I skated down the road 7.5 miles to meet the wife as she was bicycling and then I skated back home. I've skated as much as 40 miles one day and it was just like walking to me. But I'm sure it had other health benefits for me. So there's a great large cemetery near our house with great black top roads and of course very little traffic. There are some slight hills so that can do a good workout for me too. Maybe I can get the wife to ride her bike while I'm skating.

Thanks again everyone...

Dan

Its common for fasting to be higher than even postprandial. Fasting often remains the highest of the day if diet is well chosen for a long time. I’m 9 months into low carb and fasting is still the highest one unless I’ve eaten something I know I shouldn’t. I’ve seen other say it took a year or even 2 before it finally came down to the levels they wanted. The longer you’ve been with high levels it is likely your insulin resistance increased and the longer it’ll take to reverse - well it stands to reason anyway.

Do you measure before the same meal? The rise between pre prandial and 2 hrs post should be a rise of no more than 2mmol (36 of your measures). Post prandial day to day will vary by what you’ve eaten, unless it’s the same food every time.. this before and after will show you what foods affect you most or least and that’s a little personal although there are typical things highly likely to cause bigger rises.