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Fasting sugar levels too high to have glucose tolerance test :(

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kk84

New Member
Hello all - I have been struggling with tiredness for years, the gp has done loads of tests but recently the test commonly used for a diabetes diagnosis, didn’t work. It seems I’ve had a genetic change to my haemoglobin? I had a fasting test a few weeks ago and the result was 6.9, a test last week which wasn’t fasting was normal. Yesterday I went to the hospital for a gtt and my fasting sugar level was 7.6 so they were unable to do the test with the sugary drink and just sent me home!

The gp surgery has just called to book me an appt with the diabetic nurse. I just feel a bit anxious about what’s going on and how worried I should be, what should I be doing? Typically this is happening at a time when I’m starting a new job and having two holidays within the next month so I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Meals in our household are complicated, my daughter is coeliac and my husband has a genetic high cholesterol condition. Feeding everyone the right thing can be difficult and the thought of adjusting this even more for me is overwhelming. We generally eat well but do rely on rice and potatoes a lot as covers most bases but other than that we don’t drink sugary drinks or have lots of desserts. But I do crave sugar!

Any advice is welcomed!
 
kk84 said:
Hello all - I have been struggling with tiredness for years, the gp has done loads of tests but recently the test commonly used for a diabetes diagnosis, didn’t work. It seems I’ve had a genetic change to my haemoglobin? I had a fasting test a few weeks ago and the result was 6.9, a test last week which wasn’t fasting was normal. Yesterday I went to the hospital for a gtt and my fasting sugar level was 7.6 so they were unable to do the test with the sugary drink and just sent me home!

The gp surgery has just called to book me an appt with the diabetic nurse. I just feel a bit anxious about what’s going on and how worried I should be, what should I be doing? Typically this is happening at a time when I’m starting a new job and having two holidays within the next month so I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Meals in our household are complicated, my daughter is coeliac and my husband has a genetic high cholesterol condition. Feeding everyone the right thing can be difficult and the thought of adjusting this even more for me is overwhelming. We generally eat well but do rely on rice and potatoes a lot as covers most bases but other than that we don’t drink sugary drinks or have lots of desserts. But I do crave sugar!

Any advice is welcomed!
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum
Any haemoglobinopathies can make the HbA1C test unreliable but I believe there is another test Fructosamine which does work under those circumstances.
Your fasting glucose level does seem a little high for a non diabetic. But if you are diagnosed as diabetic or even prediabetic then potatoes and rice are not too good for managing your blood glucose.
However your tiredness could be something else, anaemia for example or some vitamin deficiencies.
 
Thanks for your reply, yes I’ve had my iron levels checked, I take a multivitamin and eat a variety of veg etc. I also have endometriosis. My whole life I have “needed” food so to speak, i have to eat as soon as I wake up, regular snacks, don’t make me late for lunch or dinner or I will feel weak and dizzy, my family are used to my ‘hanger’ so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something up with my sugar levels. It’s just frustrating it’s never been considered before by the gp. Potatoes and rice are going to be a problem :(
 
Hi @kk84 There are good substitutes for potato and for rice.
For :
Mashed Potato - mashed cauliflower or swede.
Roast potato or chips - Celeriac or fried halloumi (as alternative to chips).
Rice - ground cauliflower (cut up both florets and stem of flower in suitable size, then use food processor to grind down to rice grain size). Cook briefly in microwave- you don't want it too wet and soggy! Raw, it can be frozen in handy portion size.
 
Thank you for these ideas I will give them a whirl! I went to the supermarket this evening and felt confused and came home with not very much food need to do some research
 
One of the issues about saying your fasting glucose level was too high for the test is that many people get an increase in blood glucose as soon as they get up and start moving about as the liver tries to be super helpful and releases glucose to give people energy for their organs to function.
So presumably you had been active in getting ready and getting yourself to the place where the test was going to be done.
It does seem a bit odd about it being too high as it was a test used to diagnose diabetes before the HbA1C so you might expect people to present with high fasting glucose levels.
Another suggestion for a substitution for potatoes is butternut squash, very versatile, roasted, mashed, can be used as a topping for shepherds pie, used in curries.
 
HI kk84, welcome to the forum.

It's good that the doctors are finally looking into this as I can only imagine how worrying it must be. The surgery would usually call you in straight away if you were in danger so try not to worry too much.

As you're yet to have a firm diagnosis, it may just be worth trying to experimenting with adapting some things that may be contributing to your symptoms. We've got some meal plans on the main site and a really good food section on the forum so it's worth looking at what type 2's have as part of their diet.

It's also worth noting your household dietary needs down and sharing this with your nurse as they may be able to offer some advice/ insights.

Wishing you the best for your appointment, do let us know how you get on.
 
kk84 said:
Hello all - I have been struggling with tiredness for years, the gp has done loads of tests but recently the test commonly used for a diabetes diagnosis, didn’t work. It seems I’ve had a genetic change to my haemoglobin? I had a fasting test a few weeks ago and the result was 6.9, a test last week which wasn’t fasting was normal. Yesterday I went to the hospital for a gtt and my fasting sugar level was 7.6 so they were unable to do the test with the sugary drink and just sent me home!

The gp surgery has just called to book me an appt with the diabetic nurse. I just feel a bit anxious about what’s going on and how worried I should be, what should I be doing? Typically this is happening at a time when I’m starting a new job and having two holidays within the next month so I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Meals in our household are complicated, my daughter is coeliac and my husband has a genetic high cholesterol condition. Feeding everyone the right thing can be difficult and the thought of adjusting this even more for me is overwhelming. We generally eat well but do rely on rice and potatoes a lot as covers most bases but other than that we don’t drink sugary drinks or have lots of desserts. But I do crave sugar!

Any advice is welcomed!
Click to expand...
The guidelines for performing the OGTT at the Royal Bath Hospital are it is OK to go ahead with the test if a finger prick test is less than 10mmol/l, it is only if somebody is pregnant that is can't be more than 7mmol/l.
 
I wonder whether that is standard as gtt mainly done on pregnant women, they did call the lab to check. Perhaps I will enquire about the other possible test mentioned above, thanks all
 
kk84 said:
I wonder whether that is standard as gtt mainly done on pregnant women, they did call the lab to check. Perhaps I will enquire about the other possible test mentioned above, thanks all
Click to expand...

It is odd… because when I was given an OGTT to diagnose my T1D (as was the way back then) my levels must have been way higher. When the results were in I got sent straight to Cov and Warks hospital with BG in the high 30s!

Hope the fructosamine yields helpful information.
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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