New here - thanks for reading

[ellieclarke1989]

I am not diagnosed as being diabetic.
I am diagnosed with an under active thyroid and I take 75mg levothyroxine a day.
I am also diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency and I take colecalciferol capsules (prescribed vitamin D)1600 units per day.
Diabetes runs in my family.

My most recent HBA1C- August 2019- 36 mmol/ mol- normal range is between 20-41.
My HBA1C was 28 mmol/mol in 2016 and 31 mmol/mol in 2018. I can see that this number has got higher over that few years.

I had some blood tests taken two
Weeks. The results all showed up as normal. I don’t know if there is another name for a HBA1C or for a diabetic check. I had a full blood count which included Haemoglobin estimation, total white cell count, platelet count, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, basophil count, eosinophil count, monocyte count, lymphocyte count and neutrophil count.

I recently brought a blood glucose monitor. I took some readings. 9.1 mmol/L taken 1 hour after lunch, 8.8 mmol/L taken 1 hour after dinner, 7.4 mmol/L taken first thing in the morning nothing but water for 13 hours, another morning, first check I got 10.1 mmol/L. I’m not even sure what these numbers mean.

I have been doing what I can to look after my health- for just over two years now- I have been taking my medication every day, as prescribed. I have a regular sleeping schedule- sleep at 10pm and wake up at 8pm. I have been drinking a lot more water 4-5 bottles of 500ml a day- a few years ago I never drank more than a few sips in a day. I have regular meals times- I try to eat as healthy as possible- I try to eat as much salad,fruit and vegetables as I can, I eat chicken, cereal, homemade soups. I go outside get fresh air. I get exercise by walking everywhere as I don’t drive. I know I do things that are unhealthy- I do eat snacks, crisps, chocolate but I really am trying to be healthier and feel better. I am doing better with this stuff than I was a few years ago.

However, I really do feel like there is something wrong with my health. I don’t know if there is a chance I could be diabetic or if it’s something else that is making me feel so unwell.

I have been really tired for years. Even after getting 10 hours sleep a night I still need to sit down, take a rest, sometimes even have a nap after doing something. Every day activities make me feel exhausted. I always feel nauseous and dizzy, I feel that way whether I eat or I don’t, it also makes no difference what I eat. I feel week- I find so many things so hard to do- I am in my 30s. I struggle so much like opening a bottle of water seems really hard for me- I will struggle for a few minutes to get it open

And then feel exhausted from that.
I forget things easily. I am like I need to remember that I will write it down - open

The notebook app on my phone - I have already forgotten it. Same thing happens if I go to write something on paper. I often feel confused as well. It’s hard to explain but it’s like I feel confused, frustrated-probably frustrated that I am going to forget Something. Things that I know confuse me. It’s like I have to think about everything, it’s like i have to concentrate on everything, it’s like everything is a puzzle, like when you hold a puzzle piece and you are trying to figure out where it goes and how it fits in- that’s me with everything, like I get my socks and I’m like what do I do, which way do they go, how do they fit on, I know this may sound silly, but that’s how bad my confusion is. I feel like I can’t think clearly.

I am unable to speak to people I don’t know. I am scared of going to my doctor- not just this doctor/ but every doctor - I get there and I just can’t speak. There is no way I can ask for any kind of test or referral. If I can get someone to come with me it’s not as bad but there is no one. My family don’t have the time to come with me. If I book an appointment all that will happen is I just won’t be able to speak- I can do nothing but look at the ground and then just leave because I know I can’t say a word and I feel like I’m wasting their time.

 

[Inka]

Hi @ellieclarke1989 Sorry you’re not feeling 100%. As you correctly say, your HbA1C of 36 is normal ie not diabetic. This is the diagnostic test for diabetes. I can see you’re concerned because yours has risen slightly, but you’re still safely in the Not Diabetes zone.

The home blood glucose meters are not for diagnosing diabetes. They’re really for people who already have diabetes to monitor their levels. In people without diabetes, glucose levels go up and down, rising after food, sometimes into the 10s. You’ve done the right thing having diabetes ruled out with the HbA1C test.

Is it possible your thyroid issues are contributing? I know both @Drummer and @AndBreathe have some knowledge in this area, as do a number of others here.

What was your iron level? Could you be slightly on the low side? That can cause tiredness too. Also, sometimes there just isn’t any cause of tiredness - or rather, modern life is the cause. Some people can manage without much sleep - I’m not one of them! However, sleeping too much can also cause tiredness. 7 or 8 hours is the recommendation.

You also mention a Vit D deficiency. I was slightly deficient in Vit D and found good quality supplements made a huge difference in my energy levels.

With your anxiety around doctors, could you make a brief list of what you want to say and simply give them that? Start off by explaining in writing that you feel too nervous to communicate properly, then list your problems briefly.

 

[ellieclarke1989]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I feel like diabetes is a complication condition. My last HBA1C was taken in 2019.
I am glad to know that glucose levels do go up and down. I feel a little better about that.

As for the thyroid issues I don’t really know- I know thyroid issues can cause a lot of issues but I’m medicated and told my levels are okay.

My iron levels I got Mean corpusc. haemoglobin
28.0 pg Normal range: 26.9 - 33
Haemoglobin estimation
141g/L Normal range: 117 - 149

 

[harbottle]

Those numbers do seem a little high for the morning - fasting BG should ideally be < 5.6 in non diabetics, but it can be a little higher in the morning naturally anyway, even if you don’t have diabetes.

What do you get 2 hours after a meal? What is the reading before a meal? It’s perfectly possible for non diabetics to get readings like that after food, I believe, depending on what they’ve eaten. I’d be interesting to see if it has come down after 2 hours to < 7.8.

What do you get if you fast during the day? IE after breakfast don’t eat until tea.

All sorts of things can cause BG to go up and down, it changes by the minute.

 

[AndBreathe]

Those numbers do seem a little high for the morning - fasting BG should ideally be < 5.6 in non diabetics, but it can be a little higher in the morning naturally anyway, even if you don’t have diabetes.

What do you get 2 hours after a meal? What is the reading before a meal? It’s perfectly possible for non diabetics to get readings like that after food, I believe, depending on what they’ve eaten. I’d be interesting to see if it has come down after 2 hours to < 7.8.

What do you get if you fast during the day? IE after breakfast don’t eat until tea.

All sorts of things can cause BG to go up and down, it changes by the minute.

Some people do find their morning scores are their highest of the day, uften due to dawn phenomenon, where out bodies prepare us to get up and go as we get out of bed.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum

It sounds like you have some health anxiety building up, and it must be distressing to have symptoms and sensations like forgetfulness, and the tiredness - but not know what‘s behind them.

The HbA1c results are quite normal, as are the BG fluctuations you have observed.

Where diabetes causes thirst it generally happens when BG levels continually exceed 10mmol/L and the kidneys try to flush out excess glucose which spills over into urine.

 

[AndBreathe]

I am not diagnosed as being diabetic.
I am diagnosed with an under active thyroid and I take 75mg levothyroxine a day.
I am also diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency and I take colecalciferol capsules (prescribed vitamin D)1600 units per day.
Diabetes runs in my family.

My most recent HBA1C- August 2019- 36 mmol/ mol- normal range is between 20-41.
My HBA1C was 28 mmol/mol in 2016 and 31 mmol/mol in 2018. I can see that this number has got higher over that few years.

I had some blood tests taken two
Weeks. The results all showed up as normal. I don’t know if there is another name for a HBA1C or for a diabetic check. I had a full blood count which included Haemoglobin estimation, total white cell count, platelet count, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, basophil count, eosinophil count, monocyte count, lymphocyte count and neutrophil count.

I recently brought a blood glucose monitor. I took some readings. 9.1 mmol/L taken 1 hour after lunch, 8.8 mmol/L taken 1 hour after dinner, 7.4 mmol/L taken first thing in the morning nothing but water for 13 hours, another morning, first check I got 10.1 mmol/L. I’m not even sure what these numbers mean.

I have been doing what I can to look after my health- for just over two years now- I have been taking my medication every day, as prescribed. I have a regular sleeping schedule- sleep at 10pm and wake up at 8pm. I have been drinking a lot more water 4-5 bottles of 500ml a day- a few years ago I never drank more than a few sips in a day. I have regular meals times- I try to eat as healthy as possible- I try to eat as much salad,fruit and vegetables as I can, I eat chicken, cereal, homemade soups. I go outside get fresh air. I get exercise by walking everywhere as I don’t drive. I know I do things that are unhealthy- I do eat snacks, crisps, chocolate but I really am trying to be healthier and feel better. I am doing better with this stuff than I was a few years ago.

However, I really do feel like there is something wrong with my health. I don’t know if there is a chance I could be diabetic or if it’s something else that is making me feel so unwell.

I have been really tired for years. Even after getting 10 hours sleep a night I still need to sit down, take a rest, sometimes even have a nap after doing something. Every day activities make me feel exhausted. I always feel nauseous and dizzy, I feel that way whether I eat or I don’t, it also makes no difference what I eat. I feel week- I find so many things so hard to do- I am in my 30s. I struggle so much like opening a bottle of water seems really hard for me- I will struggle for a few minutes to get it open

And then feel exhausted from that.
I forget things easily. I am like I need to remember that I will write it down - open

The notebook app on my phone - I have already forgotten it. Same thing happens if I go to write something on paper. I often feel confused as well. It’s hard to explain but it’s like I feel confused, frustrated-probably frustrated that I am going to forget Something. Things that I know confuse me. It’s like I have to think about everything, it’s like i have to concentrate on everything, it’s like everything is a puzzle, like when you hold a puzzle piece and you are trying to figure out where it goes and how it fits in- that’s me with everything, like I get my socks and I’m like what do I do, which way do they go, how do they fit on, I know this may sound silly, but that’s how bad my confusion is. I feel like I can’t think clearly.

I am unable to speak to people I don’t know. I am scared of going to my doctor- not just this doctor/ but every doctor - I get there and I just can’t speak. There is no way I can ask for any kind of test or referral. If I can get someone to come with me it’s not as bad but there is no one. My family don’t have the time to come with me. If I book an appointment all that will happen is I just won’t be able to speak- I can do nothing but look at the ground and then just leave because I know I can’t say a word and I feel like I’m wasting their time.

Ellie, if you have concerns relating to diabetes, it makes sense you have an HbA1c done. 2019 is too old to be seriously meaningful, although it was at a decent, non-diabetic level then.

If you have not had your thyroid tested recently, that should ideally be done too. Again, the thyroid can be quite dynamic, so things can change. That you are medicated is good, but it could be you need a bit of a notch up in your medication. When tested, it is ideal to have a full thyroid panel done, including T3, rather than just TSH or TSH and FT4.

Again, your vitamin D. Generally speaking, we are at a deecnt point in the year for Vitamin D, because we're just leaving summer and a good summer at that, so we will have had a chance to get some sun on our bones, to help out.

Your supplementation levels, again, might need nudged up. Your dose isn't particularly high. It is also important to take Vitamin K2 along with the Vitamin D (Ideally Vitamin D3), to get the best out of it. The K2 helps our body get the best out of the Vitamin D.

If you haven't seen a doctor in recent times, I urge you to reach out. If you feel you can't interact well in your appointments, I would urge you to write to your doctor, to let him/her know how you are feeling and your concerns. Your initial post on this thread could make an excellent letter.

If you could do that, then at least your Doctor would know where your concerns lie and could be able to lead an appointment with you.

Being as fatigued as you are isn't good, so please reach out. It could perhaps be an easy fix?