Hello everyone

[GranpaTurismo]

Hi
I just thought I’d better introduce myself as I’ll probably be asking a lot of questions.
I have been pre-diabetic for a few years, and at my last annual review my doctor told me that my hba1c levels had increased again and that I was now officially diabetic, but not to worry too much as the increase was in line with expectations due to age ( I’m 72).
I declined meds for reasons I’ll go into later, and said I’d try to control it with sensible eating.
I don’t really eat junk food, don’t drink overmuch but do have a fondness for bread - so I thought it’d be relatively easy.
I’ve cut out carbs as much as possible, no breakfast cereals, no bread potatoes etc.
I’m monitoring my blood glucose on a 1st thing in the morning basis, so at least 12 hours since the last food and the results are al over the place.
I’ve tried to ignore individual results, and put the readings into the Apple health app so that I can easily see the trend over time, which worryingly looks to be increasing slowly.
So this morning 7:30 the reading was 9.3 slightly above my average, so I took another reading at 9:30 having still not eaten. This showed 10.6, so I took another reading immediately which recorded 9.6. I then went to the gym, and upon my return took another reading, having still not eaten but having had a black coffee no sugar - this read as 13.1!
I’m using a Sinocare Safe AQ with brand new test strips to test.
Am I wasting my time trying to monitor my blood glucose levels as they always vary, or is it cheap shoddy equipment that’s the problem?

 

[rebrascora]

Because you haven't eaten, your liver is releasing glucose to give you energy but unfortunately your pancreas is not getting the message to release glucose (EDIT.. Should read "insulin") to deal with it. Sometimes eating something signals to the liver that it can stop releasing glucose and also triggers the pancreas to release insulin, so not having breakfast may have been the problem for you.

Depending upon the exercise you did, that can also raise levels sometimes, particularly if it is high intensity or puts your body under a lot of stress.... this again triggers the liver to release more glucose. Ultimately, the liver and your muscles will reclaim glucose from your body to replenish their stores and for me this often happens overnight whilst I sleep, and it can continue to happen for up to 48 hours after exercise, so even if it makes you go higher in the short term, there is overall long term benefit to exercise. Generally brisk walking for 30-40 mins will start to bring my levels down but if I do high impact exercise, they go up.

Unfortunately the BG meter you have is not one of the most reliable and some people have found that if you don't get enough blood on the test strip it can sometimes give you a false low reading.... usually below 4, so if you get any odd low readings do double check them straight away, rather than panic that you are hypo.

 

[GranpaTurismo]

Thanks for the response.
I bought the meter when I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and at that time my readings were all around 7 mmol.
I have bought new strips, but now my readings are around 9. No really low ones, just the odd really high.
When is best to test for consistency, and which meter is recommended
Thanks

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks for the response.
I bought the meter when I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and at that time my readings were all around 7 mmol.
I have bought new strips, but now my readings are around 9. No really low ones, just the odd really high.
When is best to test for consistency, and which meter is recommended
Thanks

Morning readings are usually the last to come down following dietary changes but as mentioned the liver can release glucose as soon as you get out of bed or even before when you wake up. Testing in bed can give more consistent results as there is less to influence the reading.
What was your HbA1C as it may be possible to assess if those readings are sensible.
You may find it better to test the effect of your meals by testing before you eat and after 2 hours where you are looking for no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase and as your levels come down then you are aiming at 4-7 morning/ fasting and before meals and no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal.
Rather than get disheartened by those erratic morning readings try the meal testing strategy as then that gives you information on which you can alter things whereas there is nothing much you can really do about higher morning readings in the short term especially if you are one of those affected by the dreaded Foot on the Floor Syndrome with the liver playing tricks.
May be also look at a more structured eating plan which would be more balanced, this link may point you in the right direction. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/. A low carb approach based on the suggested no more than 130g carbs( not just sugar) per day.

 

[GranpaTurismo]

Thanks for the response.
Hba1c was 44 in 2021, and the last measure in Nov 23 was 59.
I didn’t pay much attention to the number at the time as I was reassured by the doctor’s unconcern, but now in hindsight this seems an alarming increase.
You may well be right about the Foot to the floor thing, as I had a light lunch of homemade chicken soup, and then went for a nice long walk. Upon returning I measured again and it was 5.9 mmol. This being so out of line with all my recent readings, I tried again 10 mins later and got 6.1. ‍
I’m going to contact the surgery and see if I can get an up to date hba1c

It’s only recently that I have been paying more attention to this, I was demonstrating to a friend how to see your test results on the MyChart app and found the 59 reading which surprised me, as I’d misremembered it as a much lower number.

Thanks for the link. I think I’m eating the correct foods, and because of the erratic readings was thinking of signing up for the Zoe thing to see if there was a dietary explanation.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks for the response.
Hba1c was 44 in 2021, and the last measure in Nov 23 was 59.
I didn’t pay much attention to the number at the time as I was reassured by the doctor’s unconcern, but now in hindsight this seems an alarming increase.
You may well be right about the Foot to the floor thing, as I had a light lunch of homemade chicken soup, and then went for a nice long walk. Upon returning I measured again and it was 5.9 mmol. This being so out of line with all my recent readings, I tried again 10 mins later and got 6.1. ‍
I’m going to contact the surgery and see if I can get an up to date hba1c

It’s only recently that I have been paying more attention to this, I was demonstrating to a friend how to see your test results on the MyChart app and found the 59 reading which surprised me, as I’d misremembered it as a much lower number.

Thanks for the link. I think I’m eating the correct foods, and because of the erratic readings was thinking of signing up for the Zoe thing to see if there was a dietary explanation.

I think your first step is to request an HbA1C as you should have been having those every year after a diagnosis and also food and eye retinal screening which should be annual.
You will find a good explanation in the Freshwell program which won't cost any money which I believe the ZOE does.
I also think you should make a complaint to your practice manager about not being informed of your HbA1Cof 59 which puts you very much in the diabetic zone and therefore entitled to the other checks I mentioned.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi
I just thought I’d better introduce myself as I’ll probably be asking a lot of questions.

Welcome to the forum GT

Your username did make me chuckle!

Fire away with any questions you have. We have literally centuries f lived diabetes experience on the forum, and lots of friendly members weaving their way through the maze of options and alternatives 🙂

 

[Big Pete]

Hi, I was borderline/pre diabetes for at least 15 years but finally tipped the scales by a couple of points few months ago but managed to reverse it and go just back under again. I cut out cakes biscuits sweets crisps, cut down on potatoes and pastry products, ate more fruit and fat free Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese, I tended to have wraps instead of bread anyway, don't skip breakfast have weetabix or shredded wheat with some fruit on s they are low sugar and high fibre, I swapped fried rice for bean sprouts from the Chinese and had more fresh or frozen veg, over 4 months I managed to reverse it and lost 12kg, I wasn't on medication either.

 

[Alan44]

Hi @GranpaTurismo and welcome to the forum, I can't add much more to what has already been said, but I would suggest which has already been mentioned that you get an up to date HbA1C test done to give you a start point to work from.

Different things work for different people, so it's a case of finding out just what works for you, be it weight management, diet management or exercise.

If you can management your numbers without medication, that would be great, and many can, you may also need to consider a new monitor ?

Alan 😉

 

[helli]

Welcome @GranpaTurismo.
I too think it is a great name.
You have some wonderful advice above and there was only one small thing I wanted to clarify

Depending upon the exercise you did, that can also raise levels sometimes, particularly if it is high intensity or puts your body under a lot of stress

There seems to be varying interpretation of "high intensity" and some high intensity exercise can cause BG to rise whereas other high intensity exercise can cause it to fall.
For example, most weeks, I will partake in a 45 minute full on Spin class. I often wear a heart rate monitor for this and my heart rate is high during the majority of the class. (My resting heart rate is in the low 50s so I do not usually have a high heart rate.) To me, this is high intensity. My BG will plummet if I don't manage it with dextrose.

Simplistically, two things happen when we exercise
- our liver dumps glucose to give us energy
- our body becomes more efficient at using insulin
The former will cause a BG rise, the latter will cause a fall. And the former happens first. So, if I do short high intensity exercise (such as HIIT or weight training, climbing or the kind of team sport where I am not involved all the time), my BG will rise.
If I carry on for longer (like my Spin class), the latter will kick in and my BG will fall.

I think, when most people refer to high intensity, they mean the second part of the sentence from rebrascora - "puts the body under a lot of stress".
I see this when I am outside cycling, If I am climbing up a steep hill on a cold, wet, windy day, I am uncomfortable and stressed which I can see from a raised BG. If I cycle up the same hill on a warm (but not too hot) day with the wind on my side, it is a joy and my BG falls.

 

[GranpaTurismo]

Hi all, thanks for the welcome.
Blood test is now booked in just over a week, and doctor appointment shortly thereafter so we’ll see how that goes. I’m expecting the hba1c to be higher and to be offered metformin.

I was scared of medication because of my brother’s lamentable issues/struggles with insulin which effectively ruined his life by ballooning him to 26 stone + before he prematurely died of a stroke at the age of 63.
I have done some research ( ok googling for an hour or so - apparently that passes as research these days ) and I’m satisfied that metformin will not be a problem and may well help. We’ll see.

I’ll get a better BG meter, I believe the Contour plus will give the consistent results I’m looking for, and if I have a consistent regime for measurement, then I can forget about the actual numbers and just look at the trend over time to monitor how well or not I’m doing. I will continue to improve my diet, and again I think metformin may well help in this, and will also try to get more regular exercise. I’m putting everything in my health app so I can see all my health data over time, and take whatever action is needed, and try not to get spooked by outlier readings.

Once again thanks for the support, it is appreciated..