confused

[NotPink]

Hallo everyone...New to posting on any forum. I was diagnosed pre diabetic last year at 6.0 mmol. After sending for further checks they decided I was not prediabetic. I was still encouraged to go on the training course which I completed. I was confused as I don't eat carbs like bread pasta, crips potatoes etc etc. I bought an accu monitor which usually records between 4.8mmol to 6-7mmol depending on fasting etc. I also exercise daily. I control my diet and take readings when I feel pre-diabetic...Its not in the family. So I don't know why I have it. Is it age related. I am not overweight either. Help.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

It sounds like they don't think you're prediabetic (which is a bit of a made-up thing anyway; lots of prediabetic people don't develop diabetes). The 6.0 mmol/l was presumably a spot blood glucose test, and such things aren't good for this kind of diagnosis. I imagine your GP gave you an HbA1c blood test which was low enough that they were no longer worried.

So by all means try to be more healthy (nobody's going to advise against eating more vegetables and fibre, less sugary stuff, taking more exercise, etc.). But you can probably stop worrying about diabetes, at least for now.

(I'm guessing your GP will either be planning an HbA1c test each year or will be happy to offer one if you ask, just to make sure things aren't going wrong.)

 

[NotPink]

Thank you that was a reassuring response. I just feel stuck between being buffeted and worried. Thank you. I do hope you are well.

 

[NotPink]

Hallo
I hope no one minds me asking another question. I gave up eating dairy cheese and want to transfer to a vegan alternative. However the one I can safely eat because of ibs dietary needs contains coconut oils which is fine but also potato starch which is not so good presumably. I read that cold potato starch is ok for potential pre diabetics but not if it is heated. It obvioulsy changes in the heating. Does anyone know the truth? Many thank you's 🙂 lovely people.

 

[Docb]

When you have diabetes (which it looks like you haven't) and control it by diet, then the one thing that really annoys you (at least it annoys me) is when somebody comes out with statements like the one you have cited. It does not work like that.

Different people react differently to different things. It is likely that eating spuds will give you a blood glucose increase whether you are diabetic or not because of their carbohydrate content. There are a number of factors which will determine the size and sustainability of the increase of which whether they are hot or cold will one of the possible things on the list. It maybe important for some but the idea of citing it as a general rule for all is a bit far fetched.

Anyway, next time I have Pommes Lyonnais I am not going to let them go cold before I tuck in. I will however limit the portion size to keep my blood glucose in bounds.

 

[rebrascora]

The small amount of potato starch in your veggie cheese is unlikely to cause you much of a problem unless you eat mountains of the stuff all at one go and even then the fat content of the cheese will slow the rate of release of the glucose from it. If you were fully diabetic I would suggest you checked by testing before and 2 hours after eating it to see how you responded, just to be sure, but it seems from your post that you are not even pre-diabetic....

Do you know the result of the blood test that was sent away? It is called an HbA1c reading. That is the reading which is used to diagnose diabetes. A one off finger prick reading tells you nothing.

I would say that highly processed foods are probably not the healthiest choice and that is one of my concerns with vegetarian foods like this but that may be a controversial opinion. We all have to make our own decisions on such things.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

There are a number of factors which will determine the size and sustainability of the increase of which whether they are hot or cold will one of the possible things on the list.

There's possibly the resistant starch thing. I doubt it's that significant.

 

[NotPink]

When you have diabetes (which it looks like you haven't) and control it by diet, then the one thing that really annoys you (at least it annoys me) is when somebody comes out with statements like the one you have cited. It does not work like that.

Different people react differently to different things. It is likely that eating spuds will give you a blood glucose increase whether you are diabetic or not because of their carbohydrate content. There are a number of factors which will determine the size and sustainability of the increase of which whether they are hot or cold will one of the possible things on the list. It maybe important for some but the idea of citing it as a general rule for all is a bit far fetched.

Anyway, next time I have Pommes Lyonnais I am not going to let them go cold before I tuck in. I will however limit the portion size to keep my blood glucose in bounds.

Thank you. I am beginning to understand there are different factors in foods affecting people differently. I have severe ibs and eat a restricted diet and organic only. I don't eat white potatoes normally. I think if I ate grain carbohydrates then I would have diabetes 2 as I get a dry mouth and feel hypey after certain meals especially in the evenings. It is so confusing as to the different testing available and I wonder if I can do both tests at home?
You literally get little info from the docs.
Take care and stay safe.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @NotPink

I am yet to find a vegan cheese that is passable. We’ve tried a few for. youngest, and even made some with cashews and nutritional yeast, but we’ve yet to find one that really works. The best we’ve found are those ‘soft cheese’ type spreads that you can stir into things... plus nutritional yeast, of course.

Interested in what you mean by when you ‘feel pre-diabetic’. I wonder if it might be reassuring or at least informative for you to check before and again 2hrs after eating a meal to see the ‘meal rise’.

Generally you would want the pair of readings to be approx 2-3 apart - so 5 and 8... or 6 and 9...

I just wonder what sort of levels you are seeing when you feel slightly off, and what sensations you are feeling?

 

[trophywench]

Anyway, next time I have Pommes Lyonnais I am not going to let them go cold before I tuck in. I will however limit the portion size to keep my blood glucose in bounds.

Nor me when I next have Pommes Dauphinoise - it's a sign I like whoever's coming to dinner when I make them but they're useful cos you can assemble them well before and don't need watching like a hawk whilst they're in the oven and also keep warm for ages without spoiling!

 

[NotPink]

Welcome to the forum @NotPink

I am yet to find a vegan cheese that is passable. We’ve tried a few for. youngest, and even made some with cashews and nutritional yeast, but we’ve yet to find one that really works. The best we’ve found are those ‘soft cheese’ type spreads that you can stir into things... plus nutritional yeast, of course.

Interested in what you mean by when you ‘feel pre-diabetic’. I wonder if it might be reassuring or at least informative for you to check before and again 2hrs after eating a meal to see the ‘meal rise’.

Generally you would want the pair of readings to be approx 2-3 apart - so 5 and 8... or 6 and 9...

I just wonder what sort of levels you are seeing when you feel slightly off, and what sensations you are feeling?

Hallo
Last night I ate some of the vegan cheese/potato starch with sweet potatoes and I felt the rush or sugar spike high like shaking sensation in my arms. I eat sweet pots regularly and have no negative effects before. Don't know how to describe it. Like fizzy lemonade bubbling!!!
My blood prick test was 9.5 mmol within 2 hours, the highest its ever been. I was shocked. I went on a short fast treadmill walk to exercise and hopefully reduce the high. This morning I was worried but my blood prick test via accureader was down to 4.9 mmol. at 6.00am.
Can I say thank you to this website. I have been feeling so lost regarding diet/lowcarbs/prediabetes scrawling thru different searches for info. and here you all are helping each other. Brilliant.

 

[Inka]

Hi @NotPink 🙂

If I were you I’d be asking the results of the further tests you had done. Presumably this was an HbA1C test. If you can find out the actual number you got then that would be helpful. You’ve been told you’re not pre-diabetic but still went on a course. So, I’m wondering what your result actually was.

You say you got 9.5 “within 2 hours”. What do you mean precisely? Did you test at 2 hours after the start of your meal or did you test before? Everyone’s blood sugar goes up and down whether they’re diabetic or not, hence the ‘wait till 2hrs’ advice.

A blood sugar of 9.5 wouldn’t cause the shaking sensation you’ve described.

Edited to add - I see on another thread that you eat a low carb diet? Is this since your test or did you start it before? How many carbs approx do you eat a day?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Can I say thank you to this website. I have been feeling so lost regarding diet/lowcarbs/prediabetes scrawling thru different searches for info. and here you all are helping each other. Brilliant.

Ah thanks @NotPink! that’s kind of you to say. 🙂

Glad you are finding the forum helpful

 

[NotPink]

I am sorry to be confusing. In short...severe ibs for 35 years led to a rice only diet for 3 years until 2016. Then private clinical dietician responded who had helped some one else in same situation. I followed her advice and gradually began to eat some things again... only organic but still no carbs, grains, dairy and nuts.
So, for four years I have not eaten bread pasta rice and/or grains. Following a general blood test for my thyroid levels, vitamin d and anaemia March 2019..gave a pre diabetes reading of nhs fpg 6.0 mmol followed up in May 2019 by a reading nhs HbA1c 35mmol/mol...and told I was not pre diabetic but I was kept on the books.
Issued with a training place for pre diabetics I registered and attended.
I was baffled as I found I did not eat processed foods or carbs of which we were advised to cut down.
I also exercise with walking or treadmill walking.
I bought an accucheck reader and began taking pin prick blood tests to monitor my insulin.
Only rarely has far as I know has my reading gone quite high.
Then I experience dry mouth...frequent loo visits etc.
When I got a 9.5 mmol it was roughly 2 hours after eating dinner. Hope this helps.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Only rarely has far as I know has my reading gone quite high.
Then I experience dry mouth...frequent loo visits etc.
When I got a 9.5 mmol it was roughly 2 hours after eating dinner. Hope this helps.

Those are signs of high blood glucose. And 9.5 is high for a typical (non-diabetic) person after a typical meal (not impossible, depending on the meal, but unusual).

It sounds consistent with you having Type 2 diabetes but (most of the time) controlling it with your diet and exercise.

 

[Inka]

You weren’t confusing @NotPink 🙂 It’s impossible to give every piece of information in an initial post so it’s fine to add things or clarify as we go along. I often ask questions to make sure I’ve understood or to get things completely clear in my head, so please don’t think it was a criticism.

An HbA1C of 35 is well away from the diabetes line (I was wondering if you’d been very close). The reason I asked about carb intake was that sometimes people eating a very low amount of carbs can develop a temporary insulin resistance. This means that if they do then eat carbs on one occasion, they have a bigger spike in their blood glucose than they’d normally have due to the temporary insulin resistance. That would give the impression there was something wrong when, in fact, it was just a side effect of their diet.

Sorry to hear about your troubles with IBS. I hope that’s improved for you.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

The reason I asked about carb intake was that sometimes people eating a very low amount of carbs can develop a temporary insulin resistance. This means that if they do then eat carbs on one occasion, they have a bigger spike in their blood glucose than they’d normally have due to the temporary insulin resistance. That would give the impression there was something wrong when, in fact, it was just a side effect of their diet.

Ah, I didn't know that. That would make more sense than my suggestion.

 

[NotPink]

Thank you. That is so interesting. I am so glad I found this site and the contributors like yourselves that make sense of things and have experience. I would never have thought of this unusual spiking due to insulin resistance. Made me think. I shall keep doing what I am doing and read up. Thank you for your insight and help.
I hope you stay happy and healthy.

 

[NotPink]

Hall
Really weird evening and night. I had no carbs as usual during the day but early evening I developed a dry mouth, legs felt a bit numbish from knee down (has happened before) doc says no worries there. Needed to go to loo a lot all night. I took a blood prick reading which said 4.8 mmol very early morning thinking something has gone awol and just right now I feel absolutely fine again. No symptoms. I wonder if I have something else. I am trying so hard and things happen.

 

[Inka]

@NotPink If you’re still having issues then I’d speak to a doctor if only for reassurance that all’s ok. Diabetes has been ruled out by your HbA1C (and your 4.8 reading while having symptoms confirms that). I’d be looking elsewhere for causes personally.