anyone else on this board pre-diabetic?

[Gunnie 10]

When I first joined, this forum was not here. This is a great idea! Am I the only one with pre-diabetes? :-

[Jenny 10]

Hey Gunnie, it is nice to finally meet another pre-d...well of courese the condition isn't nice...

I am also a Pre-D. I just haven't been around much lately. I was diagnosed about 2 or 3 years ago. Have been on Actos. How about you? Have you been on any meds?

[s4par 10]

I was diagnosed 8 months ago but dont have insurance so I cannot get much medical help right now, 4 months from now and that will change though. Now I dont like having pre diabetes but it is much better than living with constantly changes moods with no answer as to why. I had always felt that my moods changed too much and did not know why, now I know. so what kind of changes do you make in your diet and any things that seem to work well?

[jeggeman31 10]

pre-diabetes? :-

 

Okay call me crazy, or call me dumb, but what may I ask is pre-diabetes ? How do they decide if you may get diabetes ? This is the first I have heard this before

[Harold 172]

Something they came up with a couple of years or so ago. Before they came up with this classification doctors seldom warned their patients they were developing diabetes and if they did they did it obtusely by saying loose weight, or eat more protien. Now that they have this bracket insurance will pay for prescriptions and diet classes. Pre-diabetes is reversible in some cases, but even if not, catching it really early they can slow down the progression a whole lot. Really it apllies to type 2's for the most part since the advent of anti-bodies for beta islet cells are enough to be classified type 1.

[Eri's mom 11]

They labeled my youngest as a pre-diabetic...that was a few years ago.

All they did was tell me to keep on eye on her and that I pretty much knew what to expect since Eri already was dx'd with it.

She was being checked once a year for her A1c, and we check her routinely at home...so far, so good....just haven't checked her in the past couple months.

[liz32 10]

with this pre diabetes, did you have a lot of mood swing and odd cravings? I have recently been dxd with T2 but before that I was having really odd mood swings and really hungry some days and no appitite other days. I was begining to think that I needed to take something. This is the first time I've heard of the pre-diabetes, and I am just curious if that was what was going on. I no longer have wild mood swings now. Any info would be great. Thanks

[Jenny 10]

Well before I was dx'd I had a lot of moodiness and stuff too. I also went through periods of being very cold and dizzy. My bg ranges anywhere from 50's to 170's and can go from here to there within a half hour or hour. Cutting out a lot of bread has helped with me and losing a few pounds too. They also put me on a med called Actos which helps me with the yo-yoing.

 

s4par I hope you get insurance or find a way to get some help with your testing and stuff.

[Gunnie 10]

I have a lot of issues right now, but decided this is the year for my health, and have started to do something about it. I'm not really sure about symptoms because I have a lot of medical issues and am under extreme stress at work and at home. I think if the A1C comes back at 6 or higher, you are considered diabetic. Mine is at 5.7. I think the first step is to ask your doctor to do an A1C test and go from there. My situation is a little complicated in that I am extremely overweight, and have sleep apnea, Ovarian Polycystic Syndrome, and broke my leg real bad 3 years ago, which limits what I can do for exercise. I have switched doctors and now feel more comfortable with my health and plan of action. If you doctor is not willing to order an A1C if for nothing else than your peace of mind, I would consider finding another one. My doctor takes everything I say seriously, and lets me know she is concerned about my health

[Eri's mom 11]

Weird...after reading all that, I've never even considered myself...I mean, I had been checked for diabetes w/ all three pregnancies(always had to go back for that LOOOOOOOONG test as well...ugh!!!)...but I was never classified as gestational diabetic(although I DID have pretty big babies and all 3 were early)...

 

I have mood swings...I have low blood sugar readings(have been as low as 42)...the dizzy spells, shakes, extreme hunger, irritablility, etc... the VERY weird food cravings...BUT, everytime I test my sugar, it's usually somewhat on the lower side or normal. I think the highest I ever was was 118mg/dL...so that's not diabetic, right? I guess that would be more like hypothyroidism or something, wouldn't it?

[zookeeper671 10]

...I have mood swings...I have low blood sugar readings(have been as low as 42)...the dizzy spells' date=' shakes, extreme hunger, irritablility, etc... the VERY weird food cravings...BUT, everytime I test my sugar, it's usually somewhat on the lower side or normal. I think the highest I ever was was 118mg/dL...so that's not diabetic, right? I guess that would be more like hypothyroidism or something, wouldn't it?[/quote']

Could be reactive hypoglycemia. Have you mentioned your symptoms to a doc?

 

I suffered from severe hypoglycemia since childhood, then whammo... type one at age 32.

[Eri's mom 11]

I did mention it to my GP and GYN in FL, but they always attributed it to early menopause...Guess I'll get a doc up here and discuss it with him.

 

So, hypoglycemia can turn into diabetes?

[gaelicgrl 10]

I have been hypo since jr. high and still have low blood sugar. I get the same way (especially during pms) shaky, sweaty, bad bad bad mood and thats when I haven't eaten in a while. I find that if I eat at least every 3 hours then I can keep it from happening ... and I actually wasn't testing again until my husband was dx with diabetes. Lately it has been pretty low but nothing to worry about. I think I get plenty of sugar with my starbx in the morning. I think a few years back there was no relation to becoming diabetic but the research has shown that some people do become diabetic.... usually type 2.

[gaelicgrl 10]

mayne there should be a thread for hypoglycemics?

[danboy 10]

Hi all. About 5 weeks ago I was diagnosed as prediabetic; i.e., fasting bg level of 112. I also have low HDL; i.e., less than 40.

Since I have a family history of diabetes with poor results I am taking this very seriously. So far I have lost 7 pounds and plan to do another 10 at least; and that would get me down to 170#. I am 5'9" and 67 years o;.

I have considerably reduced my carb intake. I am keeping the daily intake below 150g and try not to exceed 50g at any meal. I have switched to almost exclusively whole grains and no-carb drinks and all but eliminated refined sugar.

The most difficult thing is trying to up the exercise to work on the HDL.

With that backgroud, my question is basically this: will keeping my overall carbs low contribute to reducing my bg or would it be better to have fewer at any one time but maybe in 5 "meals" instead of three? Or does it matter?

Thanks for any insights.

 

Dan

[Harold 172]

Hi all. About 5 weeks ago I was diagnosed as prediabetic; i.e., fasting bg level of 112. I also have low HDL; i.e., less than 40.

Since I have a family history of diabetes with poor results I am taking this very seriously. So far I have lost 7 pounds and plan to do another 10 at least; and that would get me down to 170#. I am 5'9" and 67 years o;.

I have considerably reduced my carb intake. I am keeping the daily intake below 150g and try not to exceed 50g at any meal. I have switched to almost exclusively whole grains and no-carb drinks and all but eliminated refined sugar.

The most difficult thing is trying to up the exercise to work on the HDL.

With that backgroud, my question is basically this: will keeping my overall carbs low contribute to reducing my bg or would it be better to have fewer at any one time but maybe in 5 "meals" instead of three? Or does it matter?

Thanks for any insights.

 

Dan

A Fasting bg of 112 at 67 years is not really all that bad in that those levels called normal rise with age, but still your right in being concerned and doing something about it. All carbohydrates are one form of sugar or another and there are like 5 types the body can digest to form glucose. Keeping your carb intake low over three to five meals will help, but we really don't know how well your handling meals in the first place. You do show that you have a problem with fasting bg's. Do you have a meter? The only way to tell how your doing and how what your eating is affecting you is by checking with a meter.

[danboy 10]

Thanks for the quick come back. No, I do not have a meter; I suspect that will be my next step so I can monitor things more closely.

 

Can you tell me what the "A1c" test is and how it compares to the fasting glucose test? My doc believes, as you do, that the blood sugar level does not indicate a real problem at this time, but that could get worse. He said we should monitor it again in about six months. Loosing weight was one of the eforts he proposed. I don't intend to let it get to the point where it is a problem, if at all humanly possible; that is the reason I am doing the reseach and asking the questions I am.

 

Thanks again.

 

Dan

[Harold 172]

The A1c test gives a weighted average of your blood glucose over the previous 90 days. It really does not compare to FBG's, but FBG's do influence A1c results. A1c's can be misleading if your spending as much time high as low because it averages in the your okay range. Increased activity or exercise will probably help your HDL's, at it does mine, and losing weight along with it will increase insulin sensitivity. Apparently your at a point that you may be able to reverse the trend towards insulin resistance. I wish you the best of luck. This can seem overwhelimng trying to learn everything so give yourself time. Also don't be afraid to experiment with food after you get your monitor or ask questions. There's a lot to learn.