Confused and a bit scared

[samc]

Hi everyone

I had some bloods done before Christmas as I am having tummy issues and Hba1 came back abnormal at 55. Previously the highest it had ever been was 42 but usually lower. I have been having steroid injections for carpal tunnel regularly and I know this can push blood sugar up so I am having a repeat test in 2 weeks. I already have osteoarthritis in my knees, Graves’ disease autoimmune thyroid) and Fibromyalgia and in daily pain. Then the tummy issues started. Feeling really overwhelmed with yet another thing to deal with and thinking life is just going to be miserable. I do also suffer from anxiety. I did read that blood sugars can rise due to the injections, illness, sleep deprivation which I have and dehydration. Is 55 really high? I just don’t know what to think at the moment. Happy new year to you all, mine hasn’t started the best! X

 

[Steve1122]

Hi Sam, I'm newly(ish) diagnosed myself so don't feel able to offer advice, but I can say I feel your pain and so you're not alone. I've only been on these forums a few days, but already it seem a great place for help and reassurance. Happy New Year, and may things settle and ease for you soon.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi everyone

I had some bloods done before Christmas as I am having tummy issues and Hba1 came back abnormal at 55. Previously the highest it had ever been was 42 but usually lower. I have been having steroid injections for carpal tunnel regularly and I know this can push blood sugar up so I am having a repeat test in 2 weeks. I already have osteoarthritis in my knees, Graves’ disease autoimmune thyroid) and Fibromyalgia and in daily pain. Then the tummy issues started. Feeling really overwhelmed with yet another thing to deal with and thinking life is just going to be miserable. I do also suffer from anxiety. I did read that blood sugars can rise due to the injections, illness, sleep deprivation which I have and dehydration. Is 55 really high? I just don’t know what to think at the moment. Happy new year to you all, mine hasn’t started the best! X

Welcome to the forum
Steroids are well known for raising blood glucose but some people find that if it is a short term treatment then blood glucose will stabilise. So maybe the repeat test will show a lower reading but bearing in mind the HbA1C is an average over the previous 3 months it may not be too different. However 55 mmol/mol is not desperately high, the threshold for diagnosis is anything over 47mmol/mol. But the other conditions including the tummy issues you mention all put a stress on your body which also can increase blood glucose.
One thing that would help would be to reduce the carbohydrates in your diet as it is all carbohydrates which convert to glucose. Making some modest changes will help but learning about what are the high carb foods and what it is best to avoid or reduce portion size is a good idea. This link may help you do just that and give you some meal ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[TrevA]

55 is not really high. When I was first diagnosed 6 years ago, my Hba1c was 79. With meds (Metformin) and better diet I got it down to 48 and it stayed in the low 50’s. But over time I’ve become a bit blase about it, and my most recent one was back up to 75 and I’ve been put on Gliclazide and given a free monitor, so I can now check my readings daily. This has all given me a bit of a jolt and I’ve been much better with my diet over the last month. My 30 day rolling average mmo/l is 7.8 and I can now tell which foods are spiking my blood sugar, so which ones to avoid.

I did buy a meter when I was first diagnosed but soon stopped using it. So if you are worried, buy a meter (or ask if you can get one free) and check which foods spike your blood sugar. I’ve also joined a Diabetes support group and there are people there who have been living with and managing the condition for over 20 years, which is reassuring.

 

[samc]

Hi Sam, I'm newly(ish) diagnosed myself so don't feel able to offer advice, but I can say I feel your pain and so you're not alone. I've only been on these forums a few days, but already it seem a great place for help and reassurance. Happy New Year, and may things settle and ease for you soon.

Thank you and happy new year to you too

 

[samc]

Welcome to the forum
Steroids are well known for raising blood glucose but some people find that if it is a short term treatment then blood glucose will stabilise. So maybe the repeat test will show a lower reading but bearing in mind the HbA1C is an average over the previous 3 months it may not be too different. However 55 mmol/mol is not desperately high, the threshold for diagnosis is anything over 47mmol/mol. But the other conditions including the tummy issues you mention all put a stress on your body which also can increase blood glucose.
One thing that would help would be to reduce the carbohydrates in your diet as it is all carbohydrates which convert to glucose. Making some modest changes will help but learning about what are the high carb foods and what it is best to avoid or reduce portion size is a good idea. This link may help you do just that and give you some meal ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

I

Welcome to the forum
Steroids are well known for raising blood glucose but some people find that if it is a short term treatment then blood glucose will stabilise. So maybe the repeat test will show a lower reading but bearing in mind the HbA1C is an average over the previous 3 months it may not be too different. However 55 mmol/mol is not desperately high, the threshold for diagnosis is anything over 47mmol/mol. But the other conditions including the tummy issues you mention all put a stress on your body which also can increase blood glucose.
One thing that would help would be to reduce the carbohydrates in your diet as it is all carbohydrates which convert to glucose. Making some modest changes will help but learning about what are the high carb foods and what it is best to avoid or reduce portion size is a good idea. This link may help you do just that and give you some meal ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

Thank you for that. I have tried to do exactly that and reduce carbs or if I do eat them to have seeded bread or whole grain rice, wholewheat pasta etc. I am hoping I don’t have to cut out carbs altogether. Yes I can’t see the result being much different yet. The steroid injections do what they are supposed to but every one has made me feel really off for a while and I noticed on my Fitbit that my heartrate drops everytime for several weeks too. Yes I did wonder if the stomach issues could be making it worse. I have also been very stressed and not sleeping a lot which I believe both increase blood sugar? Thank you, I will take a look at that link

 

[samc]

55 is not really high. When I was first diagnosed 6 years ago, my Hba1c was 79. With meds (Metformin) and better diet I got it down to 48 and it stayed in the low 50’s. But over time I’ve become a bit blase about it, and my most recent one was back up to 75 and I’ve been put on Gliclazide and given a free monitor, so I can now check my readings daily. This has all given me a bit of a jolt and I’ve been much better with my diet over the last month. My 30 day rolling average mmo/l is 7.8 and I can now tell which foods are spiking my blood sugar, so which ones to avoid.

I did buy a meter when I was first diagnosed but soon stopped using it. So if you are worried, buy a meter (or ask if you can get one free) and check which foods spike your blood sugar. I’ve also joined a Diabetes support group and there are people there who have been living with and managing the condition for over 20 years, which is reassuring.

Hi thank you for your reply. I have bought a monitor but haven’t used it yet as I really don’t know what the readings mean. I have not been put on meds as we are trying to see if I can bring it down by diet. Can’t honestly see the result being much different in 2 weeks but I think they are going to test again 3 months after. Thank you for your advice

 

[Leadinglights]

I

Thank you for that. I have tried to do exactly that and reduce carbs or if I do eat them to have seeded bread or whole grain rice, wholewheat pasta etc. I am hoping I don’t have to cut out carbs altogether. Yes I can’t see the result being much different yet. The steroid injections do what they are supposed to but every one has made me feel really off for a while and I noticed on my Fitbit that my heartrate drops everytime for several weeks too. Yes I did wonder if the stomach issues could be making it worse. I have also been very stressed and not sleeping a lot which I believe both increase blood sugar? Thank you, I will take a look at that link

Even the wholewheat /brown versions of those foods are high carb and portion size needs to be reduced if you have them at all. You don't have to cut carbs altogether but make the carbs you have worth it for flavour rather than just carriers for other foods.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi thank you for your reply. I have bought a monitor but haven’t used it yet as I really don’t know what the readings mean. I have not been put on meds as we are trying to see if I can bring it down by diet. Can’t honestly see the result being much different in 2 weeks but I think they are going to test again 3 months after. Thank you for your advice

The readings you are looking for are 4-7mmol/l fasting/ morning and before meals and no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours after eating. If your levels are higher than that then look for an increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l from before your eat to 2 hours after.

 

[Drummer]

I

Thank you for that. I have tried to do exactly that and reduce carbs or if I do eat them to have seeded bread or whole grain rice, wholewheat pasta etc. I am hoping I don’t have to cut out carbs altogether. Yes I can’t see the result being much different yet. The steroid injections do what they are supposed to but every one has made me feel really off for a while and I noticed on my Fitbit that my heartrate drops everytime for several weeks too. Yes I did wonder if the stomach issues could be making it worse. I have also been very stressed and not sleeping a lot which I believe both increase blood sugar? Thank you, I will take a look at that link

Sorry @samc but the seeded bread is still bread, rice and pasta still high carb choices.
You are unlikely to need to cut out all carbs, but continuing to eat high carb foods rather than choosing lower carb veges and berries is probably making things harder. I have a very varied diet, and really enjoy the foods I choose, and I don't eat more than 40gm of carbs a day.

 

[TrevA]

Yes, I’ve had to make some quite drastic changes. I don’t eat rice or pasta or potatoes, I only have the occasional slice of bread. I’ve actually started making my own low carb bread using ground almond flour, as it’s much lower in carbs. I use ground almonds from Aldi. I eat lots of eggs, bacon, ham, salad, fish, cheese - all low carb foods. A lot of people use cauliflower rice instead, but I’m not keen on the taste, so if I cook a chilli or curry, I just have a larger portion of the meat in sauce with a bit of salad instead of rice.

 

[samc]

Welcome to the forum
Steroids are well known for raising blood glucose but some people find that if it is a short term treatment then blood glucose will stabilise. So maybe the repeat test will show a lower reading but bearing in mind the HbA1C is an average over the previous 3 months it may not be too different. However 55 mmol/mol is not desperately high, the threshold for diagnosis is anything over 47mmol/mol. But the other conditions including the tummy issues you mention all put a stress on your body which also can increase blood glucose.
One thing that would help would be to reduce the carbohydrates in your diet as it is all carbohydrates which convert to glucose. Making some modest changes will help but learning about what are the high carb foods and what it is best to avoid or reduce portion size is a good idea. This link may help you do just that and give you some meal ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

If I eat hardly any carbs though and cut out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta would I not go into ketosis which could be dangerous for a diabetic?

 

[rebrascora]

There are still carbs in milk and yoghurt and berries and tomatoes and onions and butternut squash and all other veg., even lettuce contains a tiny few carbs, so it is really about reducing the high carb foods and eating more of the low carb options.
Ketosis in itself is not normally a problem, but ketosis with high BG levels or certain diabetes drugs can be a problem, but you don't need to go full keto diet. I would have difficulty maintaining a carb intake of 70-90g carbs a day if I ate bread or potatoes or pasta and the way I see it I can leave those bland, beige carbs and have have more food and more interesting flavours from other lower carb veg. That way, I have nice big platefuls of food so I don't go hungry rather than small portions of carb rich foods which tend to make me feel hungrier and trigger cravings.

 

[Leadinglights]

If I eat hardly any carbs though and cut out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta would I not go into ketosis which could be dangerous for a diabetic?

If you haven't already it would be an idea to keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carbohydrate so you can see just how much you actually are having as it is easy to underestimate portion size and just how many carbs there are in some foods.

 

[samc]

If you haven't already it would be an idea to keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carbohydrate so you can see just how much you actually are having as it is easy to underestimate portion size and just how many carbs there are in some foods.

Thank you. That’s a great idea. I must admit I feel quite overwhelmed at the moment

 

[samc]

There are still carbs in milk and yoghurt and berries and tomatoes and onions and butternut squash and all other veg., even lettuce contains a tiny few carbs, so it is really about reducing the high carb foods and eating more of the low carb options.
Ketosis in itself is not normally a problem, but ketosis with high BG levels or certain diabetes drugs can be a problem, but you don't need to go full keto diet. I would have difficulty maintaining a carb intake of 70-90g carbs a day if I ate bread or potatoes or pasta and the way I see it I can leave those bland, beige carbs and have have more food and more interesting flavours from other lower carb veg. That way, I have nice big platefuls of food so I don't go hungry rather than small portions of carb rich foods which tend to make me feel hungrier and trigger cravings.

Thanks that’s helpful. So is that what I am aiming for? 70-90g carbs? I am just confused by it all right now and not really had anything explained properly

 

[rebrascora]

Low carb is anything under 130g carbs a day. Some people's bodies/diabetes can manage at about 130g carbs a day, other people need to go a bit lower and a few people need to go much lower. Most of us find that using a home testing Blood Glucose (BG) meter helps to inform us as to what our body can cope with and what it can't by testing just before and 2 hours after a meal, so see how much our BG levels rose as a result of that meal/food and then adjusting the carbs in that meal next time we have it, if it spiked our levels too high. This enables us to "see" our diabetes and what works for us and what doesn't and it can be quite individual from one person to another.