Advice & Help:

[djs]

Hi,

I am a 30-year-old male with a mother and grandfather who have/had Diabetes.

I recently bought a blood sugar tester from argos (initially actually for my partner as she appeared to have hypo symptoms and has low iron levels - so wanted to monitor her sugar levels).

Her levels are usually always within the normally accepted range.

I have however also been testing myself and have noticed there higher than they should be.

Wake-Up 8.30am (not eaten or drank since 9.30pm) - 9.1

1pm (not eaten since 10am) - 6.9

3.15 2 hours after lunch - 9.7

Other random tests have varied between 6.8-10.9

Any help or ideas?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi,

I am a 30-year-old male with a mother and grandfather who have/had Diabetes.

I recently bought a blood sugar tester from argos (initially actually for my partner as she appeared to have hypo symptoms and has low iron levels - so wanted to monitor her sugar levels).

Her levels are usually always within the normally accepted range.

I have however also been testing myself and have noticed there higher than they should be.

Wake-Up 8.30am (not eaten or drank since 9.30pm) - 9.1

1pm (not eaten since 10am) - 6.9

3.15 2 hours after lunch - 9.7

Other random tests have varied between 6.8-10.9

Any help or ideas?

Welcome to the forum, non diabetics will have blood glucose reading which go up and down throughout the day and that is perfectly normal, they would have a high reading after eating a carby meal but it would return to normal fairly quickly.
The readings you mention do seem rather higher than one would expect 4-7mmol/l fasting and before meals, the same if Type 2 diabetic but no more than a 2mmol/l increase from the meal after 2 hours or no more than 8mmol/l. What you are getting is slightly more than that.
Readings from a blood glucose monitor are not diagnostic so I would ask your GP for an HbA1C test as this is what is used for diagnosis being an average over the previous 3 months. This is important especially if you are experiencing symptoms of thirst and frequent loo visits but also because of your family history.

 

[rebrascora]

I would say, you have 2 choices. You can go to the docs and ask for an HbA1c test to find out if you have possibly tipped over into diabetes territory or you can make a few changes to your diet and lifestyle now and watch your levels to see if you can bring them back down into range and avoid a possible diabetes diagnosis. Reducing your carb intake a bit and doing some walking if you are able, will benefit your health and that of your partner, so it could be a win win situation. Of course you would be well advised to do those things if you got a diabetes or even "risk of diabetes" diagnosis anyway, even with oral meds, so nothing lost in trying to bring levels down on your own first.

 

[djs]

Thanks for your replies - I did get an appointment and got bloods taken. Surgery called to say I have to go for a fasting blood test and I have been put Phosphate Sandoz due to low phosphate levels....anyone else any experience of this? Didn't get the luxury to speak to the doctor about it just got told by receptionist.

 

[djs]

I would say, you have 2 choices. You can go to the docs and ask for an HbA1c test to find out if you have possibly tipped over into diabetes territory or you can make a few changes to your diet and lifestyle now and watch your levels to see if you can bring them back down into range and avoid a possible diabetes diagnosis. Reducing your carb intake a bit and doing some walking if you are able, will benefit your health and that of your partner, so it could be a win win situation. Of course you would be well advised to do those things if you got a diabetes or even "risk of diabetes" diagnosis anyway, even with oral meds, so nothing lost in trying to bring levels down on your own first.

Thanks - we both live quite an active lifestyle...4 kids, own a horse livery yard, 10 pygmy goats, care for boarded dogs...Will also be starting a degree in mental health nursing in September.

 

[rebrascora]

I have my own 4 horses and my partner has 3 more (sadly it was 4 until last week ) and I have chickens and a large garden so I understand that you will have plenty of physical activity, but the steady rhythm of a good brisk daily walk makes more difference than all of that surprisingly for me. Sounds like you have a lot on your plate (if you will excuse the pun since what is on our plate becomes an important issue with us diabetics ) and will find it hard to fit anything extra in.

Did they give you any indication that you might be diabetic or just that you need a fasting blood test..... which is surprising unless they are going to test cholesterol as diabetes does not need a fasting test. Do ask for actual numbers when they give you results and not just vague descriptions like "at risk of diabetes" or "not too bad" or (hopefully not) ..."really high" 😱 Knowing your results and being able to compare them and track your progress is an important part of understanding your diabetes (if you have it) and taking control of your treatment.

Let us know how you get on when you get your results. For information it is sometimes a nurse at the practice who will deal with the diabetics and may actually have a bit more knowledge of the condition than a GP. They sometimes also have a direct line to a consultant or specialist nurse for advice or support if they need it, so don't be too upset if you don't see a GP. A nurse can be the appropriate person at the practice.