Hello

[mandan]

Hello to everybody.

I had blood load test middle of May. My base blood sugar level in the morning was 6.5, after drinking sugar after one hour it was 14.5, after two hours it was 12.2. My base insulin level was 6.5, after one hour 42.3, after two hours 119.5. In February my Hemoglobin A1C was 40 mmol/mol or 5.9%, my average blood sugar concentration 6.6, blood sugar in the morning before eating 7.3. The Hemoglobin wasn't in my blood test in May. The doctor wanted the 3 hours tests in May, but the private company couldn't do it, it would be interesting how the blood sugar level was going back and if the insulin production was increasing in the third hours further or were decreasing.

In June the doctor started with Merckformin half pill first week in the morning, second week half morning half evening, third week whole morning, half evening, and finally whole morning and evening. The doctor prescribed me 60 tablets, but I have to go back just middle of August, so in the first month I take just half pill in the morning and in the last weeks I increase the dose week by week before going back to the doctor.

I have to measure my blood sugar level twice a day, in the morning before breakfast and one time more after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, before dining, after dining, and before going to bed. I prick my fingers on the side, but sometimes there isn't coming enough blood for the machine, so sometimes I am succeding just at the third time.

 

[Felinia]

Hi and welcome. Try warming your hands first - washing in warm water. Also if your lancet is adjustable, try the next setting. To also help yourself many of us reduce our daily carb intake. The suggested level is less than 130gm a day, but don't go too drastic as it can affect the eyes. I got an app which measures the carb level of all my food and drink, which helps keep me on track. Plenty around online - some free, some fee paying. If you can, increase your exercise level - walking, swimming, cycling if you don't fancy the gym. I do aquafit 3 times a week, and in summer I also garden. Every little bit helps.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome
Some of those tests are ones that would not normally be done. The most usual one for diagnosis is the HbA1C where a result over 47mmol/mol would give a diabetes diagnosis and between 42 and 47mmol/mol prediabetes or at risk, below 42mmol/mol non diabetic. I am a little surprised that you have been prescribed medication as your last HbA1C indicated non diabetic, the doctor must think something has changed.
But the most important thing is to watch your carb intake but nothing drastic, modest changes would be more sensible at this stage.

 

[mandan]

Thank you for your answers. It was a big help for me. I had to do each day some exercises. I am doing twice a week one hours long Tai Chi. I started to do exercises with weights and medicine ball as well to burn carbohydrate. I am walking each morning to work 4 km. I used to swim, but I stopped due to COVID. To follow the carbohydrate intake is difficult for me, but I try to eat less and more vegetables. Maybe I should write a diary what I eat for each day or visit a dietary nurse as recommended by the doctor.

My doctor is worried about the high blood sugar levels after the load tests (14.5 and 12.2). He wrote the morning before eating bloos sugar is good, but after I eat anything it is in the diabetes range. After taking the medicine for one week my blood sugar level was before eating 6.7, 6.4, 5.2, 5.8, 5.3, 5.5, 4.9, 6.2, 6.9, 5.9., 5.7 (it should be 3.9 and 6.1) and after eating 6.8, 5.9, 7.9, 7.4, 5.2, 6.7, 6.0, 5.8, 7.3, 5.5 (below 6.8), before sleeping 5.0. So it is already better. I am measuring it 2-3 times a day, but always before breakfast in the morning.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for your answers. It was a big help for me. I had to do each day some exercises. I am doing twice a week one hours long Tai Chi. I started to do exercises with weights and medicine ball as well to burn carbohydrate. I am walking each morning to work 4 km. I used to swim, but I stopped due to COVID. To follow the carbohydrate intake is difficult for me, but I try to eat less and more vegetables. Maybe I should write a diary what I eat for each day or visit a dietary nurse as recommended by the doctor.

My doctor is worried about the high blood sugar levels after the load tests (14.5 and 12.2). He wrote the morning before eating bloos sugar is good, but after I eat anything it is in the diabetes range. After taking the medicine for one week my blood sugar level was before eating 6.7, 6.4, 5.2, 5.8, 5.3, 5.5, 4.9, 6.2, 6.9, 5.9., 5.7 (it should be 3.9 and 6.1) and after eating 6.8, 5.9, 7.9, 7.4, 5.2, 6.7, 6.0, 5.8, 7.3, 5.5 (below 6.8), before sleeping 5.0. So it is already better. I am measuring it 2-3 times a day, but always before breakfast in the morning.

Those all look pretty normal 4-7mmol/l before meals or fasting (morning) and no more than 8mmol/l 2 hours after eating.
Keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink with a before meal and a 2 hour post meal reading would give some useful information.
How many grams of carb are you having per meal or per day.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hello to everybody.

I had blood load test middle of May. My base blood sugar level in the morning was 6.5, after drinking sugar after one hour it was 14.5, after two hours it was 12.2. My base insulin level was 6.5, after one hour 42.3, after two hours 119.5. In February my Hemoglobin A1C was 40 mmol/mol or 5.9%, my average blood sugar concentration 6.6, blood sugar in the morning before eating 7.3. The Hemoglobin wasn't in my blood test in May. The doctor wanted the 3 hours tests in May, but the private company couldn't do it, it would be interesting how the blood sugar level was going back and if the insulin production was increasing in the third hours further or were decreasing.

In June the doctor started with Merckformin half pill first week in the morning, second week half morning half evening, third week whole morning, half evening, and finally whole morning and evening. The doctor prescribed me 60 tablets, but I have to go back just middle of August, so in the first month I take just half pill in the morning and in the last weeks I increase the dose week by week before going back to the doctor.

I have to measure my blood sugar level twice a day, in the morning before breakfast and one time more after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, before dining, after dining, and before going to bed. I prick my fingers on the side, but sometimes there isn't coming enough blood for the machine, so sometimes I am succeding just at the third time.

A good place to prick your finger is just to the side of the fleshy pad (not right at the side), if you put your thumb onto your middle finger and prick just at the side and then apply gentle pressure with the thumb you should get a drop the size of a pin head which is plenty for your test strip. Warm hands and holding it below your heart also helps.

 

[Felinia]

Your sugar levels seem pretty good to me. If you are getting a rise of more than 2 mmol/l two hours after eating, there are some carbs in your diet causing the rise. There is an app called MyFitBit (free I think) where you can record your food. This should help you decide what foods cause a spike (I use a fee paying one NutraCheck). The foods to watch out for are bread, potato, rice, pasta, cereals, tropical fruits, and the usual suspects of sweets, cakes, biscuits, pastries. I simply have smaller portions now.
Your exercise is good, and I think it's safe to get back in the pool. I read somewhere that the WHO says chlorine renders COVID inert. Are you UK or overseas, as different countries have different protocols for diabetes?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @mandan

Sounds like you had a fairly thorough set of checks over there in Hungary. In the UK a diagnosis is generally made on the basis on an HbA1c check higher than 47mmol/mol.

Sounds like you have been making some positive changes which have really helped your body to balance your blood glucose levels effectively - those levels you have posted look great!

 

[mandan]

Thank you for your help and for the many advices.
Yes I am from Hungary. I don't really know our protocols for Diabetes.
I am glad that my results are not so bad. But I just started to work on the problem. I was first diagnosed with higher blood sugar in 2020 and my loaded blood sugar test was performed not right I didn't sit, I walked 2 hours long and I drank lots of water which made the results good, but false as well. The GP was happy with the false results, although I told her it wasn't performed right and recommended blood test in 3 month again. But somehow due to COVID it was difficult to deal with it, the hospitals were at the beginning overwhelmed. I asked this year three doctors, two private and my GP and all of them told me that I should take medicine. I don't really know the exact amount of carbohydrate I eat. I have a p website, where I could check the it with the quantities: caloriebase.com or I could use the programs recommended by Felina. I should be more careful about the quantities. I didn't know the 2 mmol/l rule before after eating, I will watch it.

The diagnosis is not insulin dependent diabetes without any complications. The fasting blood sugar level is at pre-diabetes (6.5 mmol/l), after eating it is at diabetes level (14.5, 12.2 mmol/l). The insulin secretion is held and long-continued, but the insulin is not efficient. In two month I loose 4.2 kg weight. My metabolism is at pre-diabetes limit and if consumed refined carbohydrate it is at manifest diabetes blood sugar level.

Recommendations:
Regular phisical activity daily
Participation on diatetics consulting (avoid refined carbohydrate and high glicemic index products, eat daily 4 times: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, daily carbohydrate intake is maximal 180 g)
abundant fluid consumption
blood sugar measurement for self control and diary
merckformin (1st week 1*250 mg, 2nd week 1*250mg morning, 1*250 mg evening, 3rd week 1*500 mg morning, 1*250 mg evening, from 4th week on 1*500 mg morning, 1*500 mg evening.)
Control in 2 month with blood sugar diary.

 

[mandan]

My blood sugar machine is Dcont Etalon where the minimal blood drop should be 0.6 nanoliter. Accucheck Active has minimum 1-2 nanoliter. I should try more, it was just my first week. Thank you Leadlights for the advices.

 

[Leadinglights]

Can I ask when are you testing after eating, the normal time to test would be 2 hours and that is when you hope for no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase from just before eating.
If you are actually diabetic, which I'm not sure you would be classified as by UK criteria, then 180g of carbohydrates per day would be rather more than many can tolerate.

 

[Felinia]

If you were in the UK, a maximum of 130mg carbs per day would be suggested. As mentioned above I'm not sure you are actually full diabetic, but instead may be in the pre diabetic range, as your blood glucose results look pretty good. Some people just in the diabetic range are given the option of reducing their level by lifestyle - diet and exercise - changes. It is very rare here for a doctor to go thundering in building up to the maximum dose of Metformin for someone in the pre diabetic range, or only just into the full diabetic range. Well done for the weight loss.

 

[mandan]

I am testing 1.5 hours after eating as it was written in the blood sugar diaries.

Before breakfast after breakfast values with 250 mg medicine in the morning.
6.7, 6.8
6.4, 5.9
5.8, 7.9
6.2, 5.2
6.9, 6.7
5.9, 6.0
5.7, 5.8
5.7, 6.0

Before dinner after dinner value
5.3, 7.4

I didn't make any more pairs. My doctor is interested in the before breakfast values and one more during the day.

My height is 185 cm and my weight was in the morning after breakfast 70.5, so my BMI index is 20.6 on the lower limit. Under 18.5 it would be underweight. I am loosing weight day by day, maybe because I am exercising more. Yesterday I went to a park and I played with my boomerang.

 

[Lucyr]

There is an app called MyFitBit (free I think) where you can record your food.

The free one is called myfitnesspal, it's quite american but people do find it helpful

 

[mandan]

Thank you for the applications. Myfitnesspal barcode scanner is working wonderful.
It is so much faster to find out which food is healthy for me.

 

[Felinia]

Glad you've found something that suits you - they do make life so much easier.

 

[mandan]

I eat less and tried to do some sport like swimming (swimming hall closed in October), running (stopped due to a wrong step at a curved grade), weight lifting (just sometimes), Tai Chi twice a week and ice skating once a week.

I was a dietitician end of August who recommended me the 180 carb, 84 fat, 124 protein, 1984 calorie diet. I didn't start to weigh out my fat, protein, carbohydrate and calorie intake, it is too difficult for me. I eat in a restaurant at the workplace 2-3 times a week, but I am at home office on the other days and on the weekend. I try to read about lowcarb diet.

I started Metformin 500 mg 17th of June for four weeks 250 mg, for 3 weeks 2*250 mg, for 1 week 1*500 mg and 1*250 mg, between middle of August and end of November 2*500 mg, due to weight loss my doctor changed it to 2*250 mg since then. My doctor at the workplace think that the weight loss isn't due to Metformin, it occur just in the first two months, so he decided to take some more examinations.
HbA1c
Feb 2022 HbA1c 40 (5,9%)
Oct 2022 HbA1c 35 (5,4%)
My blood sugar was in the morning before eating
June 2022 5.5-6.7
July 2022 5.1-6.7 (once 8.5)
Aug 2022 4.7-6.7
Sept 2022 4.5-6.3
Oct 2022 5-6.1
Nov 2022 4.8-6.2
Dec 2022 5.2-6.7 (due to halved medicine)

At the doctor in the evening my weight was
April 2022 78.6
June 2022 74.4
Aug 2022 70.4
Nov 2022 66.5
I measured since middle of July in the morning
July 2022 68.3-70.5
Aug 2022 66.6-70
Sept 2022 66.2-68.5
Oct 2022 64.7-66.9
Nov 2022- 64.7-66.8

My eyes are all right due to the diagnosis in October and in June 2022. My workplace doctor recommended me to go the a lung screening, because I had COVID in the autumn of 2020 with high fever and february this year.

My blood pressure at the doctor is due to white coat everytime higher but otherways it is normal or lower than the range. My doctor at the workplace recommended to ask blood pressure lowering medicine.
April 2022 170/104
June 2022 150/101
Aug 2022 160/102
Nov 2022 the doctor forgot to measure or was sure that the daily diary is good so he decided not to measure it.

I got begin of October rosavastatin 1*10 mg for 2 months but my liver function was not bad, but worse than the range GPT 67, GOT 31 end of November, so the doctor changed it to 1*10 mg atorvastatin. He told me it is a weaker medicine, but I don't think it is true, it is just a substitute for rosavastatin.
Aug 2020 Total 5, LDL 3.8, HDL 1.1, Trygliceride 2
Feb 2022 5.3, LDL 4.1, HDL 1.3, Trygliceride 1.8
May 2022 4.4, LDL 2.9, HDL 1.1, Trygliceride 1.2
Oct 2022 5.5, LDL 4.0, HDL 1.4, Trygliceride 1.3
Nov 2022 3.5, LDL 2.1, HDL 1.4, Trygliceride 1.1