my crazy numbers, can anyone relate?

[kristyn28]

Tuesday i did the sugar test to see if i was Diabetic. I had crazy numbers, and even the doctor was sorta confused, i was wondering if i am not alone, someone gave me a list of what numbers are to be when, and mine dont agree. The Doc told me that i was Pre-d Because of my first number -113
Here are the rest of them.
30 min-227
1 hr-280
2 hr-135
3 hr- 78

He also told me to be on a basically no carb diet. Anything i eat needs to be under 5g, but he didnt give me a number to aim for (like only eat 90g a day)
Has anyone had crazy numbers like this when they were first tested? It would ease my mind if i knew i wasnt the only one.
The doc said that i get a sudden rush of BS, then i overcominate and that is why it drops.
Thanks for any help i can get.
Kristy

[Nibor]

Please, please have your doctor refer you to a dietitian. 5 gm of carbs is 1/3 of a carb serving (1 carb serving = 15 gm of total carbohydrate). 150 gm or more is generally recommendedm depending on calorie intake, being careful to spread that out throughout the day.

You need to see an RD that is knowledgeable about diabetes, and, it would seem, an MD that is knowledgeable about diabetes.

[kristyn28]

i asked him if i needed to see a dietician, because i was lost, and he said that i didnt need to, or maybe medicaid wont pay for it.
I used Sparks,com in Jan for weight loss, and then i quit going and i went back today so i can have a place to put my food on and it has carb/fiber ect on it. I had 63 carbs, 13 fiber. (I had hamburger helper 33 carb)
I just got a meter, so hopefully now i will get a better idea of what my BS is doing.
Thanks
Kristy

[Samantha]

I'm doing the same thing with my numbers and also new to this frustrating illness .

I don't understand why the dr.s lab is 120 and my monitor is in the 200s .

[ElleMarieR]

I try to stay under 30 carbs for the day mostly I stay under 20. If I do have closer to 30 I try to eat them earlier in the day and ALWAYS with a fat. It seems to balance them out. Since I started eating lower carb I have cut out my high blood pressure meds completely.

I do eat carbs but only really healthy ones, basically fresh veggies and some fruits and have virtually wiped white flour from my diet. My blood sugars are staying pretty stable between 98-107. I would like to see them improve more but for now I am happy.

In addition I have lost 22 lbs and that's a nice side effect of eating lower carb!!!

Good luck with your new way of eating. It will take about 3-5 days before your body will stop craving the high carb foods and then you will be amazed at how little you miss them.

[kristyn28]

The day after i started my *diet* my scale gave me a crazy number, i freked!!! but then the next day all that gain had disapeared. I figure it was water gain, when you change things, you put your body into shock, then your body gets use to it. Last night it seemed i kept waking up every 1-2 hours with a major need for the BR, ive never had that happen before. Ive not had really that good sleep after i found out the news.

[CaptainMike]

Please, please have your doctor refer you to a dietitian. 5 gm of carbs is 1/3 of a carb serving (1 carb serving = 15 gm of total carbohydrate). 150 gm or more is generally recommendedm depending on calorie intake, being careful to spread that out throughout the day.

You need to see an RD that is knowledgeable about diabetes, and, it would seem, an MD that is knowledgeable about diabetes.


Those are generally the old-school ADA guidelines that most everyone who is successful in controlling their blood sugar levels totally ignores. The vast majority of people (type 2) on this board who are successful at controlling their BS with diet and exercise are eating much lower carb that 150 grams a day. I eat around 30 grams a day. Your best bet is to test test test and see how different foods affect your levels. (testing 2 hours after the fist bite).


To the OP:
Though that is not a typical GTT result, to me it certainly indicates glucose impairment of some type, though I am not an expert by any means. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of that specific test will post up.
Best of luck to you, and congratulations on catching things this early. Welcome to the boards.
Mike

[Ronin]

Hi Kristy!

Welcome to the club you never wanted to join as well as DF.

The first thing you need to know is that the diagnosis of Pre-Diabetic is highly debated in the diabetic community. The history of the diagnosis is short as it is fairly new and was supposed to capture young people before the onset of full-blown Type-2 diabetes.

One problem is that a lot of MD's get the word that now a FBG (Fasting Blood Glucose) over 100 but below 125 is an automatic Pre-D. And a lot of MD's don't really know what to tell their newly diagnosed Pre-D's beyond attempts to scare the bejesus out of them. They also don't realize that most of us don't actually hear anything other than DIABETIC and suddenly we don't hear anything else.

Reading your posts on this thread I have a sense that your overall health issues go beyond a single blood test and a glucose tolerance test.

Please forgive the presumption in the following but there are factors you allude to that may be keys to your overall problem.

You mentioned medicare, that would indicate that you a low income person and as such your access to foods is limited by your income. Cheap foods are great belly-fillers with lots of carbs. This is not your fault -- it is an economic problem.

My second assumption is that you are probably overweight as a result of the foods you have available on your income -- again not your fault but somethign you have to address.

Now, to your MD and your condition:

The MD cannot cure you, neither can the MD make you well. You have to do those things for yourself. If you cannot afford a professional through medical insurance there are other ways to get professional advice. There are diabetic seminars that teach newly diagnosed people how to eat, et cetera. The hard part is that you have to do it for yourself.

FWIW: I'm in the genetic cause camp on the question of Diabetes. I think that the environment (i.e., what you eat, et cetera) may hasten the onset but if the genetics are there there isn't anything you can do except to delay/lessen the onset through diet and exercise. That is not easy and people here can help.

Try visiting the other sub-forums with emphasis on those dealing with diet, monitoring, and exercise.

[lorkatz2004]

Hi

I was also just diagnosed about 3 months ago......and saw the dietician at the endo's medical center. She also set me up with a diet with 150 carbs or 8 sevings per day.

Now, having said that, I cannot get my figures down. The fasting figure this morning was 140. My 2 hour after meals are all over 140 and they range up to 170. The docs told me I was pre-diabetic............

It is very difficult to understand what to eat

[princesslinda]

It is very difficult to understand what to eat

I'd suggest cutting back further on your carbs and increasing your exercise and see if your #s will follow suit.

Watch the potatoes, bread, rice, pasta (basically all the white foods), as these can cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly.

I eat lots of salads, green veggies, lean meats, eggs, nuts, cheese. If you have cholesterol issues, you could eat the egg substitutes and turkey bacon.

For dessert, I usually have s/f pudding or jello or low-carb ice cream.

I'd encourage you to test often, esp. 2 hrs after your first bite of food, so you'll learn which foods cause you problems and be able to make smarter food choices.

[Scrabblechick]

Right on for what Linda said. Personally, I aim for 100 grams of carbs per day. I respect and admire those who can do the ultra low-carb thing, but I can't do it, myself.

If there is an Aldi grocery store in your area, go there and stock up on good food. You would not believe what you can get there for half of what you pay in a regular store. We're fortunate enough to have one in our town and it is a lifesaver! Wal-Mart supercenters and neighborhood grocery stores are also good places. This time of year, hit the farmer's market, as well. I know what it's like to try to eat well on a budget. Not easy.

Use your meter, absolutely, and that will help you, as much as anything, to keep those numbers in good shape.

Take care and let us know how you're doing! :)

[kristyn28]

Hello! i did get a meter and i tested several times yesterday, it was giving me odd numbers, but i didnt have the *control* vial with me, i just got home and i tested with the control, so would that mean that the numbers i got were acurate? I even ate a very high Carb meal, and according to the meter, i didnt get a high.

[BrianSCohen]

I'm doing the same thing with my numbers and also new to this frustrating illness .

I don't understand why the dr.s lab is 120 and my monitor is in the 200s .

On thing I do to make sure my home monitor is calibrated is to take my monitor to the doctors office and test at the same time that blood is taken by my doctor. I can then compare the readings. I have found the the control solution is totally useless, as it only says whether the meter is within 20%. I have found close correlation between my meter and the doctors test.

Hello! i did get a meter and i tested several times yesterday, it was giving me odd numbers, but i didnt have the *control* vial with me, i just got home and i tested with the control, so would that mean that the numbers i got were acurate? I even ate a very high Carb meal, and according to the meter, i didnt get a high.

I have found it very important to maintain cleanliness on the fingers. Hand lotion, soaps, alcohol, honey and other things on your finger can totally disrupt readings. Try to was your finger before testing and see if that improves your readings.

Hi

I was also just diagnosed about 3 months ago......and saw the dietician at the endo's medical center. She also set me up with a diet with 150 carbs or 8 sevings per day.

Now, having said that, I cannot get my figures down. The fasting figure this morning was 140. My 2 hour after meals are all over 140 and they range up to 170. The docs told me I was pre-diabetic............

It is very difficult to understand what to eat

I found that my morning fasting blood a year after diagnosis was still 140, despite diet changes to the ADA recommended diet. I was told to target 5-6 meals, with a meal taking in 4 carb counts (60g) and a snack of 2 carb counts (30g). Add this up and you get about 200g of carbs a day. This was the "carb restricted" diet recommended by the ADA guidelines. After a year, I switched to a "low carb" diet, targetting under 100g/day. By the end of the year, my morning fasting blood sugar was down to 100 mg/dl. Two things to take away from this, it may take literally months for these sorts of dietary changes to sort out, and that you may just have to be strict about "low carb"

[lorkatz2004]

I am so upset and frightened.......I just had an endo visit today and he claims I am a Type 1 now..........and here I thought i was dealing with Prediabetes.

I am totally lost and frightened and will need a day or so to get my emotions under control and then I can go forward......I think I just need a good cry.

I have pills to take 30 minutes before meals, and have to start injecting lantus.

I need help........all I can think is how scared I am.

Cathy

[princesslinda]

Cathy, I also copied your post into a T1 thread so some of our T1 experts can offer you advice and encouragement.

[kristyn28]

My BMI is 28, and yes i am low income. I thought i would understand more after getting a meter, but i a just as lost. I eat a low carb meal, and my number drops, i eat a high carb, and it barely goes over 100 after about an hour. I just wish i knew what was going on, i need to find out the cause of me being tired, but i think the Doc is getting tired of seeing me lol.

[lorkatz2004]

Thanks Linda

I was so upset I cannot even remember how to inject myself or how to do it.

Cathy

[Ronin]

Hi Kristy!

Welcome to the weird world of the Pre-Diabetic. Most MD's don't have a clue when it comes to us.

The difference is that our endocrine system is working, although it is not working as well as a person who is totally healthy. So, you will get an insulin response to eating a meal with carbs that is often better than that of a Type-2 diabetic.

The real value of this diagnosis is that it is a warning that things are going wrong, but you haven't slipped into a full-blown Type-2 condition.

The question now is what can/will you do for yourself? Coming here to DF is a good start.

You do need to re-think your eating habits. I'd start with eliminating very high-carb foods with a high Glycemic Index (the ones that rapidly go into your blood stream). I have also tried "grazing" which is taking my "meals" and breaking them down into halves or thirds and making them snacks that I eat through the day. What this does is to reduce the load on your system and make it easier for your body to use the energy in the food. It does take a lot of planning and even more discipline to make sure that you don't over-eat.

The next thing is to look closely at portion control. All commercial foods have a panel somewhere that indiactes calories, et cetera. Included is a portion size -- most of us are shocked at actual portion sizes because we eat a lot more than a standard portion. What you need to do is make your portions smaller and you may want to invest in a good digital scale that measures in grams. Try bringing you portions in compliance with what a portion is on the package. (Note: this also is a money saver, you get more meals out of your dollar.)

Finally, you need to add activity to your daily life. Exercise is a poor word because few people actually want to "exercise" but all of us have some kind of physical activity that we actually enjoy. Basically, if it moves your body, increases your heart rate, and gets you slightly out-of-breath that is a good candidate as your form of "exercise." Everyone is different and has their favorite -- mine is bicycle riding but yours is probably something else. I know some people who just changed where they park at work so that now they have to walk further to the building (not to mention there are more parking spots the further you go from the building).

There are lots of other suggestions that you can get from people on all of the sub-forums here at DF.

[DonnaF]

No, you are not alone! I've always been hypoglycemic all my life and now I am finding out I may be pre-diabetic. This is really no shock to me if I understand how it all works. I never knew how to treat my hypoglycemia so I have probably caused my body to work much harder than it should have. I suppose if I am pre-diabetic that means my pancreas, at times, is not producing enough insulin. The life-long untreated hypoglycemia has basically worn out the pancreas (?). The good news is (I've read anyway) that pre-diab, if taken seriously and diet etc. is controlled, does not always progress to Type2.

I am just as frustrated as you are. I still don't know what makes my sugar go up. Sometimes it goes up hours after I've eaten, when I'm actually hungry and expect it to be low. Then at other times I am eating and my sugar just crashes. I really don't know what to eat at this point. I find myself monitoring my sugar 10-15 times a day. I am running out of fingers to prick!:T Adding to this I am pregnant and on a gluten free diet for Celiac. I guess the good thing is at least I'm used to reading labels!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know you aren't in the boat alone;) .

[cindybells]

:) hi all my name is Cindy im new to this site and cant figure out how to post a new question or [thread] so i thought i would ask my question on this one [ sorry for the intrution] my question is I had a fasting blood sugar test result of 103 [ is this considered pre diabetic ? ] and this was after a 3 month long low carb diet [ only lost 5 pounds in the whole 3 months ,103 is 23 points higher then two years ago. my dr said all was normal range but im having big big trouble losing weight or inches. Thank you:)

[Larry H.]

Well I haven't read every post, but I see some things I don't find fit to me at least, thats the difficulty of helping here, each is different is subtle ways it seems.

First, your doctor sounds like the ones I have only in reverse. They aren't worried about higher numbers and think I can eat anything!

I resist finding my self a full blown type II yet, but on occasion I have in two years seen a result over 125 a few times. But if I was seeing 140 on a regular basis, I think that means something a bit different.

I would starve to death on 5 carbs! I don't know where in the world that came from. The ADA recommends, and many here disagree with, 50 at the most for morning and 70 for the other two meals tops. That is 190 less snacks. Many days I stay well under that, now and then I go over it. You really have to go by what your seeing on your meter, but be sure its working properly.. I have had a couple in two years that gave weird readings and I replaced them. A new one touch should be fairly accurate.

Aldi's, well I like them for prices, but I can't find much that is truly low carb unless you mean vegetables or meat perhaps, eggs, ect. At walmart with some work you can find a pretty fair selection of Cereal that with reduction for fiber will come in at under 20 carbs or a bit more maybe. I don't see anything at aldi in that low range. Same for other pre package items, aldi hasn't gone low enough on fat or carbs but the changes they have made are a good start for normal people.

Main thing is to be sure your truly knowing what your eating and that means per serving size. Its easy to over eat something that isn't too high carb, but then your multiplying the results.

A dietitian is a **** shoot too. Our local hospital that has diabetes classes has a "expert" on eating and I cringe at the advice I see many days.. You really need to watch the intake of carbs yourself to see where your at.

[Larry H.]

Cindy,
Didn't see your post before I put mine in. If your signed into the group you will see the "Post new Thread" link at the top left of the messages here. Open the forum you think you best fit in and put in the new message in it.
I think another question might be what was the number like that got you do go low carb for three months. If I was eating like I used to the morning number would be considerably higher than it is now. But even though after two years I see a number in the low 90's or 100's it doesn't mean that reverting to lots of carbs wouldn't put me quickly into a higher more unsatisfactory range. Its natural for a lot of us to have a pretty good reading if were doing things right. It is the poor eating that leads to trouble quickly.
From what I have read a reading near 100 is considered pre diabetic by many, but the more important thing might be what happens after you eat.

[Miemie]

I am so upset and frightened.......I just had an endo visit today and he claims I am a Type 1 now..........and here I thought i was dealing with Prediabetes.

I am totally lost and frightened and will need a day or so to get my emotions under control and then I can go forward......I think I just need a good cry.

I have pills to take 30 minutes before meals, and have to start injecting lantus.

I need help........all I can think is how scared I am.

Cathy


Hi Cathy,

I'm sorry to hear about your bad news! I've just been diagnosed as pre-diabetic a month and half ago, and can just imagine how I will feel if they must tell me now all off a sudden that I'm type 1.

I'm thinking about you, keep your chin up, and focus on getting your new way of life in order.

Regards
Miemie

[Miemie]

Tuesday i did the sugar test to see if i was Diabetic. I had crazy numbers, and even the doctor was sorta confused, i was wondering if i am not alone, someone gave me a list of what numbers are to be when, and mine dont agree. The Doc told me that i was Pre-d Because of my first number -113
Here are the rest of them.
30 min-227
1 hr-280
2 hr-135
3 hr- 78

He also told me to be on a basically no carb diet. Anything i eat needs to be under 5g, but he didnt give me a number to aim for (like only eat 90g a day)
Has anyone had crazy numbers like this when they were first tested? It would ease my mind if i knew i wasnt the only one.
The doc said that i get a sudden rush of BS, then i overcominate and that is why it drops.
Thanks for any help i can get.
Kristy

Hi Kristy,

I can totally relate to how you are feeling. My numbers started off quite low, would not rise above 100, even after I've eaten. Then, all of a sudden, it will rise to 190 after I've eaten and stay there for about 2 hours. Now, it rises to about 150 after I've eaten, and within not eve 2 hours, it has dropped to about 76, which makes me feel horrible.

I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic about a month and a half ago with a fasting bs of 90 and after 2 hours 150. I am on no particular diet. The specialist just said to watch my sugar. But I am trying on my own to cut out too much carbs and sugar. About 3 years ago I also did a GTT, and my numbers were 100%, and only in 3 years have gone from that to pre-diabetic. I'm just afraid off how quickly it will go from pre-diabetic to diabetes.

Together with that, my blood pressure is also a bit high with numbers like 125/100, I am only 32, and should not have a bottom number of 100.

It's a good idea to get a meter, so that you can monitor yourself.

Stay in touch, and let us know how it goes

Regards
Miemie