Anybody know anything about Pre-diabetes?

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RachelT

RachelT

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
I seem to have skipped that part and gone for the full works myself...

My brother is worried because he's feeling dizzy and tired a lot which seems to be cured by the comsuption of a chocolate bar, he's worried that he might be having hypoglycemic episodes. Could insulin resistance mean that he's not getting the energy he needs which makes him drowsy? He's been tested for quite a lot, because he suffers from depression, including thyroid function and that all seems fine. But type 2 diabetes does run in my family and he's quite a big lad. He's understandably worried. Does anybody here have any experience of what the warning symptoms of pre-diabetes are? Is it the same as Syndrome X? I haven't had the nerve to jab a lancet in his finger and do a blood test, i can't bear the thought of doing it to someone else.

Thanks folks

Rachel T
 
Rachel can you get him to check it out with GP ?
 
He has about as much faith in his GP as i have in mine. He reakons that her solution to everything is "Take Ibuprofen". I would but he lives on Teeside and i live in Northampton, and as a whole family we're rubbish at visiting Gps.
 
RachelT said:
I seem to have skipped that part and gone for the full works myself...

My brother is worried because he's feeling dizzy and tired a lot which seems to be cured by the comsuption of a chocolate bar, he's worried that he might be having hypoglycemic episodes. Could insulin resistance mean that he's not getting the energy he needs which makes him drowsy? He's been tested for quite a lot, because he suffers from depression, including thyroid function and that all seems fine. But type 2 diabetes does run in my family and he's quite a big lad. He's understandably worried. Does anybody here have any experience of what the warning symptoms of pre-diabetes are? Is it the same as Syndrome X? I haven't had the nerve to jab a lancet in his finger and do a blood test, i can't bear the thought of doing it to someone else.

Thanks folks

Rachel T
Click to expand...
Hi Rachel So sorry to hear of your brothers problems. I have tested my 9yr old a few times in the past, and honestly it's not as bad as we think it's going to be. Also doing a finger test would put both your minds at rest. I think a visit to the doctors might be best for your brother(if you can get him to make an appointment!). I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is Syndrome X?. best wishes Sheena
 
am64 said:
Rachel can you get him to check it out with GP ?
Click to expand...

That's by far the best approach, I think.

If he is suffering from diabetes, the sooner he's diagnosed and treated, the better.

Andy
 
Thanks guys, i think that he'd know if he had "proper" diabetes,he doesn't seem to be drinking a lot, or peeing a lot, or have blurry(er) vision. The Hypo thing is what worries him, coz i've never had one.

I thought that Syndrome X was the same as Pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is what seems to be a low level of insulin resistance that can be reversed with diet and exercise. I guess it's what all those people who claim to have been "cured" have, because they felt the symptoms dissapear as soon as they lost weight.

Syndrome X, according to Gretchen Becker (the source of a lot of my diabetes info) means you have high insulin levels in your blood as well as insulin resistance and high cholesterol. No idea of how you test for it.

I guess he'll just have to go see his ibuprofen-loving GP.

Thanks for the advice

Rachel
 
When my GP first diagnosed me with diabetes, he said I was 'classic metabolic syndrome' (syndrome X) i.e. type 2 diabetes (or impaired glucose tolerance or obesity putting you at risk of type 2), plus dyslipidaemia plus high blood pressure.

I don't think it's something there's a specific test for - you either have those 3 factors going on, or you don't.
 
In the US a fasting glucose level above 5.6 is used to define prediabetes. In the UK pre diabetes isn't a term used 'officially but the level used to diagnose impaired fasting glucose is 6.1mmol/l . Many people with impaired fasting glucose will go on to develop diabetes, not all though and it is thought that at this point it is possible to prevent (in some people) the development of frank type 2.
So you do need a blood test , your meter can give an indication but remember that a capilliary one isn't the same as a venous one analysed in a lab.


There was a very large study in the US that looked at diabetes prevention in those that had 'pre diabetes' They had 4 groups, one had intensive instruction on lifestyle changes, one took metformin, one a drug that was discontinued because of side effects and the other a placebo.
Lifestyle changes included a diet to induce weight loss,( lower fat, lower calorie diet) and increased physical exercise
The best results were in this lifestyle chanfe group with a 58% reduction in the likelihood of getting diabetes, for those over 60 it reduced the likelihood by 70%
Metformin was most sucessful in reducing the development of diabetes in the younger age group 22-44)
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/preventionprogram/

People who have pre diabetes often have characteristic features of the metabolic syndrome (syndrome x, insulin resistance syndrome). This article describes the syndrome and the different criteria. There are slightly different sets of criteria issued by various groups.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/122501-overview
The International diabetes Federation one includes:

central obesity (defined as waist circumference >94 cm in men or >80 cm in women in Europid persons and in ethnic-specific levels in Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian persons)
together with 2 of the following:
Triglyceride level of 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) or higher
Low HDL-C level (defined as <1.04 mmol/L [40 mg/dL] in men or <1.29 mmol/L [50 mg/dL] in women)
Blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or higher
Fasting hyperglycemia (defined as glucose level >5.6 mmol/L [100 mg/dL]) or previous diagnosis of diabetes or IGT
 
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HelenM said:
The International diabetes Federation one includes:

central obesity (defined as waist circumference >94 cm in men or >80 cm in women in Europid persons and in ethnic-specific levels in Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian persons)
together with 2 of the following:
Triglyceride level of 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) or higher
Low HDL-C level (defined as <1.04 mmol/L [40 mg/dL] in men or <1.29 mmol/L [50 mg/dL] in women)
Blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or higher
Fasting hyperglycemia (defined as glucose level >5.6 mmol/L [100 mg/dL]) or previous diagnosis of diabetes or IGT
Click to expand...

At my diagnosis ......

1) Tick (waist >94 cm)
2) Tick (Triglyceride >1.7 mmol/L)
3) Tick (Low HDL-C level)
4) Tick (BP >130/85)
5) Tick (Fasting Hyperglycemia)

It's a wonder that I'm still around!

Andy 🙂

p.s. Now, and am not on any medication (yet)
1) Tick(ish) (waist just over 94cm)
2) Cross (Triglyceride ~1.2 mmol/L)
3) Tick (still stubbornly ~0.96 mmol/L)
4) Cross (BP <130/85)
5) Cross (Fasting Glucose Level 4.8 mmol/L)
 
I was diagnosed with Type 1 after going to the gp with dizziness and tiredness as my symptoms so I do think your brother needs to visit his gp asap. I didn't have the classic symptoms of thirst etc at all, just felt tired and almost passed out at work. My gp tested my urine and found sugar then did a finger prick test and it was 12.8 at diagnosis.
 
Dear Rachel,

My partner has type 1 diabetes so diabetes is not a new thing to me. I can't give you any medical advise but I can share my experience with you and I hope that this helps your brother.

I started feeling very dizzy earlier this year, to the point of staggering a lot. I would also feel extremely fatigued. I would often struggle to get out of bed in the mornings for work or walk around the supermarket. Strangely eating helped, not necessarily sugar but eating, particularly protein. This would only help for a couple of hours at any one time. Then I would start to feel bad again. I felt like I had to eat all every couple of hours to stop the symptoms. Other symptoms included headaches, palpatations, difficulty breathing, tingling sensation in my fingers, difficulty concentrating.

I went to my GP who tested me for absolutely everything and it came back negative. I was distraught as I was not coping with any of my symptoms and I was worried that the dizziness and fatigue would lead to me completely collapsing at some point very soon.

I paid to see a private nutritionist. Only the once though as it is quite expensive. I took my blood test results to her that I got from my GP. She said that my fasting glucose level at 5.2mmol is actually on the high side and that I have uncontrolled blood sugar, better known as pre-diabetes. She said my GP only looks at if I have diabetes, not pre-diabetes. She said that my glucose levels fluctuate constantly and that if I continue with my current lifestyle I will develop type 2 diabetes. She recommended the GI diet.

I went back to my GP and told them that this nutritionist said I have pre-diabetes but that I wanted their medical opinion. they said that she was talking a lot of mumbo jumbo, but when I explained my symptoms to them they also told me to use the GI diet.

I personally feel a lot better when I don't eat any sugar (I usually feel bad a few hours after I consume sugar) and eating too many potatoes/pasta also makes me feel worse. See this link which may explain why http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-141731/Syndrome-X-Case-Studies.html

Sarah
 
Thanks everybody

Thanks everybody, that's a very interestin post in particular thanks Sarah.

I can't make my brother go to the doctors coz he lives at the other end of the country and doesn't respond well to nagging anyway. I told myself i was going to stop worrying about him because i had enough to deal with with me, but he asked my advice. Little did i know that can of worms that was going to open.

I've got to stop worrying coz my brain has gone into worse possible case scenario mode. Diabetes on top of his exisiting problems (back pain, depression) doesn't quite bare thinking about. Without going into the ridiculously conveluted details of Torode family emotional dynamics, it'd be a good way of sending at least three members of my family totally round the twist. I don't think i can take it, let alone my dad and my brother. Very very scary.

Sorry about the panic, damn my overactive imagnination ( i hope.....). I'm just hoping that life isn't planning on kicking me and him when we're down.

Rachel
 
there are a lot of chemists who will do a check of your blood to see if you have diabetes ,well in scotland dont know about any place else
 
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