[wallie215]

New to all this and did not know pre-diabetes even existed but I guess I will learn as I go. Last Friday I had an episode of feeling faint, dizzy and tingling sensation in my arms and legs. I was at work at the time and it was about an hour after I ate. I work at a Nursing home so I could just go in and talk to a nurse. She did the vitals check and all was pretty normal. She then checked BS and found that to be 81. Told me to get a glass of orange juice and eat a banana and come back in an hour if I start feeling better. I got to feeling better so I went back to work and did the recheck and hour later and found it to be at 73.I was feeling great again. I checked about an hour later and found it to be at 110. Monitored over the weekend with readings pretty normal 110 or more. I made an appointment for the Dr for yesterday and went to see him. I explained what was going on and he said it sounds like pre diabetes symptoms and said to watch the diet and stay away from simple sugars.Did not really say it was pre diabetes for sure. Diabetes is in the family my dad had it later in life 60+ and his was type 2. My nephew is 13 and was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago. Not sure what type though.

What should be my next step. I do have a friend who has a son that has diabetes and have been talking to her but I am not sure what to think anymore. I did do some looking online and every symptom I had was listed too.

Thanks
Paul

[EeyoreButterfly]

Those numbers do not necessarily indicate prediabetes. In fact, neither of those were true episodes of hypoglycemia (which is clinically defined as less than 70) My doctor had me test for a week before making the diagnosis. You need to test your fastings, and two hours after every meal. Fastings that are 100 or higher or post meals that are 140 or higher indicate pre-d.

I would get a meter and strips. Ask your doc for a script so that your insurance will pay for it. If not, get a cheapy one from Wal Mart or a pharmacy. Test for a week and record your readings. Take that info to your doctor and go from there. The other thing you can do is ask for an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. You will fast beforehand then drink a drink with 75g of glucose. Yourblood will be tested at various intervals, usually up to two hours afterward. This is considered a more definitive test.

If your sugars indicate a problem, then you need to look into eating lower carb. Carbs are the problem, not sugar. Start with no more than 45 grams per meal, but you can certainly go lower if you want to. Most people find that they get better results the lower they carb. Exercise will also reduce your BS. Keep testing so you can see what works. If you eat something and test high, you'll know to eliminate that from your diet, and vice versa. We call that eating to your meter. If you are overweight then losing even 10% of your current weight can help you gain better control.

You can also talk to your doctor about medicine. Metformin has been shown to delay the progression from prediabetes to type 2 so it is worth talking about.

Finally, your nephew is most likely Type 1 if he is 13. If he is, he will have a very different treatment plan as Type 1 and prediabetes are two very different beasts. He will most likely be on insulin as his pancreas has stopped producing inulin due to an autoimmune attack. He probably will not be on oral meds and resistance is not likely to be a problem. With prediabetes you are probably headed toward type 2 which means that you will initially control with diet and exercise and possibly oral meds.

[Ronin]

Hi Wallie!

What you have experienced may well have been nothing more than a missed meal, on the other hand it may be a sign of something that is not quite right.

What you need are some specific tests. Lets start with a fasting blood glucose (FBG) or better yet a full blood panel. If your FBG is above 100 that might indicate a potential problem. Pre-Diabetes is just that, a potential problem. The reason for the diagnosis is to get people to recognize that there is an underlying tendency, largely environmental (i.e., your life-style may accellerate a predispositon towards diabetes) and that it's time for a change of life-style.

There are other factors to be considered. Are you overweight (or too short for your weight), do you exercise, what are your dietary habits?

I do have a problem with your MD -- making statements about a person being Pre-D without some objective testing he cannot make that diagnosis. The prescription to lay off simple sugars is good advice for anyone, but not meaningful.

Tell us a bit more about yourself (fill in your public profile information as that helps a lot) and I think there is enough collective wisdom here to assist you.

[angelsbridges]

Monitored over the weekend with readings pretty normal 110 or more.

Were these fasting numbers? Or after meals? It's normal for blood sugar to go up after meals.

If your relative is 13 and was just dx, they probably have Type I.

I echo the thought that you should test regularly just to see, or if you're worried...I don't understand how your doctor would have assumed prediabetes based off of those numbers. Meter and strips will help you actually determine! Good luck!

[genie86333]

Seems odd that you would feel funny at 83 & then feel fine when you were even lower in the 70s after eating something carby. Makes me think something else is going on totally. (I could be wrong as I'm not a doctor, just a former EMT - but if I'd been called to a scene & the person told me what you just did...I wouldn't be thinking "diabetes" or "pre-diabetes")

I'd ask the doctor for more definitive tests - an A1C (which measures your average blood glucose for the last 3 months) & oral glucose tolerance tests (to see how your body reacts to sugar.) With those tests, you'll have a better idea of if it's sugar/carbs that's causing the problems

[Subby]

As above, for me the thing standing out the most, is that the results you have mentioned are far from convincing. Definitely get tests done as outlined above, before embracing this diagnosis.

It's not much, but it's quick and dirty: the ADA page on pre-diabetes levels. How to Tell if You Have Pre-Diabetes - American Diabetes Association

Note that the arrow-graphs are for specific tests you may have access to through your doctor, Fasting Plasma Glucose and Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. Not just random BG tests.