Can black coffee influence Fasting BG level?

Ponykid · #1 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 11:00 AM

I tested at 101 fasting just a week ago so am newly diagnosed as pre-diabetic. A bit of a control freak, I decided to get a kit and see if it is true or the test was just a fluke. (I am 50 overweight from recent substantial weight gain due to fatigue. Also, my dad and uncle were both diabetic, so I acknowledge the risk.) Anyway. When I first wake up, my BG is in the low 90's. If I have a cup of coffee then test, it goes up to 100-106. Not bad, but in "the range". Could it be just the coffee? 2 hours after eating I'm between 85-95. That's pretty ideal, isn't it? Also, does high blood sugar make you feel tired? I sometimes get really, really tired for no reason, have migraines regularly, blurry vision & numbness in hands when waking. No weight loss though. Are migraines common in pre-diabetes patients?

Handybear · #2 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 01:36 PM

Some people react to caffine. I am one of them. I only have decaf now. You may want to test and see if that is what causes you rise.
You seem to have a handle on you BG so keep up the good work.

Good Luck

psilocybin · #3 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 02:34 PM

i do not react to it...my bs stays stable with XL coffees

jwags · #4 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 02:38 PM

There is a lot of controversy with coffee so I decided to use myself as a guinea pig. One morning I just drank coffee and tested 2 hrs later and was about 30 points higher. The next morning I didn't drink or eat anything and bg spiked to 180 about 60 points. Many diabetics suffer from dawn phenomenom which causes our numbers to go up during the night and if we don't eat right away they will contiue to rise until around 11 am.

tisley · #5 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 05:24 PM

I'm glad you asked this question. I too have seen similar results. The main difference is, I never have anything other than decaf coffee yet with nothing else consumed, I will see a BG increase of 30 to 50 points. Due to a heart condition, my chardiologist said no caffine. So I don't. It has appeared to me that it is a combination of foods eaten previously that has the propensity to increase the BG measurement.

Jupiter3737 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handybear

Some people react to caffine. I am one of them. I only have decaf now. You may want to test and see if that is what causes you rise.
You seem to have a handle on you BG so keep up the good work.

Good Luck

Yes I am one of them.When you say "testing", what does it mean.Example:I tested myself before with a BG of 5.3.2 hours after eating, I was 8.3.Is it the difference between these two numbers that is important or does it mean that whenever I eat this ( in the example) I will have 8.3 reading!!

Looking forward to your reply

Handybear · #7 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 03:28 AM

If it were only as easy as saying eating X will raise me to a certain number. You can eat the same food twice in a row and get totally different results. The purpose of testing is to find out what your body can handle. We all react differently to different foods.
Also, sometimes if I suspect a certain food I will test one hour, two hours and even three hours after eating just that food to see what my BG reaction is.
The one thing I know is that diabetes is a very confusing disease.
Again, good luck.

Ponykid · #8 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 08:23 AM

Well, I guess I really am pre-diabetic with three morning fasting BG readings of 101 before having my morning coffee. And maybe I have dawn phenomenom explains the slight rise before breakfast. I am testing frequently to look for patterns. But having blood sugar in the 100's isn't really high, is it? I can manage cutting carbs but really, really, don't want to give up my morning cup of Joe!

genie86333 · #9 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 07:25 PM

The recommended goal is to keep your blood sugar under 140, including the 2-hour after-the-first-bite-of-each-meal reading, so low 100s isn't bad. However, remember diabetes is progressive & eventually it may raise your numbers to unacceptable levels, so keep monitoring!

Ponykid · #10 (**permalink**) 04-19-2009, 09:54 PM

Thank you for your responses. I heard from the doc today (A Kaiser HMO doctor that sends email on Sundays--wow!) and she is not concerned about morning levels under 109 and doesn't think I should bother monitoring my glucose. She feels my symptoms (fatigue, migraines, dry skin/hair) are not related to BG. She suggests I lose a few pounds and take a migraine preventative so that's what I'll do. I'll test for a couple of weeks anyway just to be sure. My dad died from diabetes complications (kidney failure) and my uncle had a hard time managing his diabetes. I'll confess to being a bit of a hypochondriac as a result. Proactive is good, isn't it?