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Pre T2 - HBA1C in control and then not plus symptoms - please help

P

Paul1974

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello all

New to this forum and would greatly appreciate some help. Excuse the slightly long pre amble.

Diagnosed with pre diabetes about 18m ago. Not massively overweight but a bit to lose, more lifestyle driven. HBA1C 44mmol/mol. Side symptoms - fatigue, thirst, brain fog, lungs feels a bit meh in the morning, some leg tingling.

Took action - massive carb reduction, almost no sugar (sweetener in coffee), dropped lager and switched to dry whites / spirits. Exercise 2-4 times a week. Using a CGM to track.

Result - lost 2st, HBA1C 37mmol/mol, no side symptoms.

Recent problem - Post the usual Christmas blip my blood sugar rose a bit and really struggled to get it down post holidays (far harder than post other temporary diet driven rises).

Eventually did (several weeks vs usual several days). I had a carby meal about a month ago and blood sugar back up again to pre diabetic levels and not really coming back down.

Usual exercise hasn’t been that effective. Have also stopped drinking to see if it was that. No chnage.

Some of the above symptoms have returned, in particular lungs feeling like I have a mild chest infection when I wake up (goes as soon as I get up) and some leg / finger tingling.

I am doing everything right but my levels are still in the low pre diabetic zone and trending up.

Will of course see a doctor but I find their advice very generic.

Thoughts appreciated.
 
Hi and welcome.

Short answer is that you've done it once, so you can do it again. Longer answer: there's a thing around that is to my mind a real risk - we put a lot of effort in, get the BG down, get rid of the symptoms, and we might think "that's it, done it, sorted". OK so far, as long as you don't then go back to older eating patterns that probably contributed directly to the high BG in the first place.

Are you eating more carbs than you were? Has anything else changed? Are you testing BGs before and after eating? That's the best way to get a grip on what's going on and to exercide a bit of control.
 
I find the lung thing a little funny... Though not funny-haha. Do you happen to know whether you have sleep apnea? It is rather disruptive for a decent night's sleep, and that could up bloods as well, a smidge. Just a guess though. Might be something to look into when you speak to the GP anyway. But there's more than carbs that can raise blood glucose. So if you've been stressed, maybe picked up the flu or another respiratory condition -it was the season for it, after all- some meds as well...

Best things to do, or what I'd do anyway, which isn't the same, per se: hit the low carb more, maybe some intermittent fasting if you haven't already, and get that talk organised with the GP. Go over blood glucose worries and specifically mention the lungs, because that just sounds kind of weird, especially since it abates when you get up. We tend to just throw everything on the blood glucose pile, when it might not all be caused by high sugar, while other issues, which could be relatively easily solved, can affect how our bloods are responding. So worth looking into, methinks...

Good luck!
Jo
 
Thanks guys

Some interesting points there. A few overlays….

I continue to use a CGM.
I am probably eating less carbs than I was pre Crimbo.
I was unwell over Christmas (flu).
I have been stressed, more at a subconscious level, with work.
I do have mild sleep apnea but haven't had symptoms for years / blood Ox is fine. Had a chest XRay / MRI and all clear.
 
I agree with @KennyA and @JoKalsbeek those are great suggestions. Have you thought of trying exercise. I don't mean a whole range of strenuous activities that leave you in a sweaty mess, but more along the lines of 30 minutes of walking a day, and /or maybe some resistance training . It just means you are tackling your raised blood sugars from a different angle not just diet. You may have had a rise in insulin resistance, anything could have caused this, an uptick in carbs, a virus, alcohol consumption, stress, lack of sleep, an infection, all can raise IR and inflammation. For sure dietary changes will help without a doubt, but exercise will not only burn any excess blood glucose you may have circulating in your blood, it may help your muscles, that is your muscle cells, to become more sensitive to insulin. The more sensitive your cells are to the effects of insulin the more glucose your cells will absorb from your blood stream. Just a thought. I use exercise as part of my daily routine to control my blood sugars.

Edited spelling
 
Thanks for the reply. Yes I do exercise, as noted in my original post, it just hadn’t had the usual impact on lowering blood sugar. Insulin resistance is interesting, as some of those factors you mention are relevant.
 
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