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Not diagnosed-Hba1c normal but blood sugar high?

Z

Zebragirl

Newbie
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4
Hi, my hba1c level at end of Nov was 36, normal. Since last month i sometimes feel weak/shaky/sweaty and often needed to eat something every 3hrs. Not every day like that though. I got a Kinetic finger prick monitor and have been taking readings for a week now. Morning fasting level between 6.2-8.4, 2hrs post food levels between 7.2 and 11.1 (varies massively!). Looking at charts it seems to be too high but can diabetes come on that quickly? I do wee quite a bit and have thirst/dry mouth but I have EDS and borderline under active thyroid so those symptoms have always been there on and off. I haven’t been to doctor as they’re only dealing with urgent cases at the moment. How long should I monitor it for and are these monitors accurate? Any advice as to whether blood sugar can be high without diabetes and if hormones can do it, I’m perimenopausal? Thanks in advance!
 
Oh ok, that’s good to know. Should I be having a hbac1 test or a fasting one do you think? Is it possible to reverse this? My Dad, 78, has been type 2 for a year (was borderline I think) and they said it was hereditary
 
the a1c only reflect the past 90 days blood sugar average ... many ppl got a marginal readings until the pancreas cannot keep up with the cells with too much insulin resistance then you will start to be pre-diabetes ... which in most case changing your diet can help and even reverse the condition. Having normal a1c may only represent your pancreas has been overload for years but still can keep up, till one day its cannot keep up anymore you will be official diagnosed.
 
You may have had insulin resistance over some time, artificially keeping your blood sugars within range. I went down hill very quickly over a period of around 4 to 6 weeks, when I decided to get healthy by eating more fruit, orange, apple juice, home made white flour pancakes, bowls of oats and similar.

It might be some time before you can get officially checked. In your shoes I would lower carbs now-ish.
 
If I were in your shoes, I would get a GP appointment - they are still seeing people - I was there yesterday. Discuss your concerns with your GP and take it from there. I hope you feel better soon and let us know how you get on. Take care
 
Zebragirl said:
Oh ok, that’s good to know. Should I be having a hbac1 test or a fasting one do you think? Is it possible to reverse this? My Dad, 78, has been type 2 for a year (was borderline I think) and they said it was hereditary
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A hba1c test would make more sense, as you already use your meter to do fasting tests.
 
Zebragirl said:
i sometimes feel weak/shaky/sweaty and often needed to eat something every 3hrs.
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Those are often symptoms associated with low blood sugar (hypos). Have you tried testing while having one of these episodes. (It is possible that you are either having false hypos at normal blood sugar levels because your body is used to higher levels, or that you are getting real hypos and the lows are masking your highs and making your hba1c look normal).
 

Just to say that because you have normal Hba1c and fasting levels, you still can get high blood sugar results, it all depends on what you eat and how much, was it carbs and sugar heavy? What did you drink with the meal?
As with the others, I would get a repeat full blood panel test. And also start having a look at reducing your carbs intake.

Take care, keep safe.
 
Thanks so much for all your advice, all really useful info! I think I’m going to try cutting down on carbs-I had a soft baguette for lunch today with chicken & salad and 2hrs later my reading was 11.1! I had thought my diet was relatively good- I have low sugar type cereals for breakfast most days- often porridge with almond or soya milk with chopped banana, blueberries, a few seeds etc. Maybe a daily banana is a bad thing though?! I don’t have sugar in hot drinks, no squash or fizzy pop and very rarely drink alcohol. Lunch I often have soup (some homemade) or a wrap or sandwich. Dinner wise we eat mostly fresh, unprocessed foods with plenty of white meat, fish, salad, vegetables etc. My downfall is chocolate, biscuits and cake though.. I do eat too much of those things and I do need to lose weight. I just looked at low sugar, low carb food ideas and lots were fatty/oily foods like cheese, processed meats etc but I have gallstones and they flare up if I have too much rich food. I’m not sure what I can eat that is filling but also low in carbs and fat? Are wholemeal carbs suitable or no better than white carbs? Sorry for all the questions, I’m new to all of this! Thanks again
 

Hi. I couldn't eat the level of carbs you report eating daily. Bread, cereals, porridge, bananas, sandwiches/wraps, are all off-limits for me because of levels of starchy carbs and fructose. I know that what you're eating is basically what the NHS Eatwell plate advises, but that is way too high in carbs for most T2s. You seem to be limiting sugar (which is fine) but carbs are essentially sugar you've not yet processed. And I don't think there's any evidence that carbs in wholemealare any different to carbs from other sources - they may take longer to be digested, but they do get digested. How are you with lean meat?
 
Hi, that’s really useful info thank you. I’m not diagnosed (yet), and my last Hba1c test in Nov was in normal range at 36. But I’ve felt not right for a few weeks, feeling that I need to eat more often, headaches and I was suspicious my blood sugar not right. My readings are averaging 7-8 but have been between 5.4 and 11.1. Diet wise I can see where you’re coming from with the carbs basically being sugar as yet unprocessed. Being pretty clueless about diabetes I assumed that excess sugar from eating sweet foods was the main issue! Thanks for educating me on the reality! Not sure what you mean regarding the lean meat? Can meat affect blood sugar too? I do have gallstones so try to avoid too much red meat- I probably have red a couple of times a week max.
 

Meat has zero impact on blood sugar. I meant it as a suggestion for meals - and it can be fish or chicken as well as red meat.
 
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