Here seeking info

[Spartan]

Hi all

I just registered with the intention of reading up on diabetes as it’s all a bit new to me. I don’t actually know that I have diabetes and haven’t seen a doctor about it yet, but I have some concerns.

This year my eyesight has been getting worse (I’ve been becoming more and more short sighted) and keep having to buy stronger glasses. My optician did not even mention diabetes and thinks it’s age related (I’m 46) but I’m not so sure. I’ve also found it hard to work in the garden this summer as I seem to have no energy.

Well anyway I bought an eBwell blood sugar meter from amazon and have no idea how accurate it is, but according to the booklet which came with it, I am either in pre diabetes or real actual diabetes, which is quite scary!

I’ve tested on two days first thing in the morning, not having eaten or drunk anything for over 8 hours and have seen readings of 6.8 mol/l and 7.6mmol/l.

Last night I tested two hours after eating a spaghetti dinner and had a reading of 8.6mmol/l.

Any comments on the implications of those readings are welcome please. Also, I have bought the Michael Mosley book “8 week blood sugar diet” as I know he claims it can cure diabetes. Any views on this book please and is it worth following the diet? Maybe there’s a thread on here I should read?

I’m 46 years old, 66kg and BMI of 21 so don’t want to go on to severe a diet as I don’t feel like I have so much weight to lose before I might be underweight. But I’m sure I could shed 6kg safely. Would it help though?

 

[Ralph-YK]

On a couple of readings showing those levels I wouldn't be bothered at all.
You should go to the doctor and get checked.

This year my eyesight has been getting worse (I’ve been becoming more and more short sighted) and keep having to buy stronger glasses.

Are you saying there's been a sudden change?

 

[Kaylz]

The only way to be diagnosed is to go to your doctor and get a hba1c test that tests your average blood sugars over the last 3 months

normal people can get a spike in blood sugars as well after eating etc so there is no evidence there that may show you as a diabetic

have you any symptoms? drinking a lot of fluids? going to the toilet a lot?
xx

 

[Spartan]

Hi Both. thanks for replying. This is quite reassuring actually, and I don’t find myself needing to pee often or being super thirsty. Eyesight changes are progressive rather than sudden, but surprisingly fast (have gone from +1.5 reading glasses to +2.75 in a year). It also seems to me that my sight is worse on some days and then has periods when it’s better for a while, so I wondered if it might be related to blood sugar changes.

Your advice about seeing the doctor for proper testing is spot on of course. I’m just trying to learn about the condition to go into that fore-armed rather than to be entirely at the doctor’s mercy. Maybe that sounds strange, but I’ve heard enough stories about people being given completely the wrong advice, so would like to educate myself a bit first. I’m reading the Michael Mosley book 8 week blood sugar diet and that seems very persuasive, so I may try that before I engage with a doctor and possibly get put onto pills.

 

[Kaylz]

The chances even if you are type 2 of being put onto pills straight away is minimal, they generally do try diet and exercise first, of course yes if you are pre diabetic you have the chance to try and reverse that

I disagree that it can cure diabetes as a whole though coming from a Type 1 that will never be cured lol
xx

 

[Docb]

From what you have said spartan I would guess that the chances of your eyesight changes being due to diabetes are pretty low. By all means talk to your GP about it but I would be trusting my optician - providing they were a decent one!

 

[Eddy Edson]

I'd certainly get an HbA1c test. Your 8.6 mmol/L after eating doesn't mean much - "normal" people can look like that - but your fasting levels are a bit high. Eg Where I come from (Oz) the usual fasting reference range for "normal" is 5.5 mmol/L or less etc. But you need a doc to give you the once-over before you can draw any conclusions.

See this for some diagnostic criteria in the UK: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/profess...nitoring/new_diagnostic_criteria_for_diabetes

Whether or not weight loss would help depends on a bunch of things, most importantly the type of diabetes if in fact you have diabetes at all. It's too early to make any kind of call on that or really to be putting in place a management strategy, until you've been checked out.

Whatever the situation, it doesn't sound like you're in a very bad way. Eg: I had fasting levels of 15 mmol/L+ at diagnosis, and was walking around with BG levels well above 12 during the day, and plenty of people around here were in the same kind of situation. I got the thing under control in about 6 months, which isn't very uncommon & didn't require anything very heroic. So if you do need to do anything, it should be very do-able 🙂

All the best!

 

[Ralph-YK]

. Eyesight changes are progressive rather than sudden, but surprisingly fast (have gone from +1.5 reading glasses to +2.75 in a year). It also seems to me that my sight is worse on some days and then has periods when it’s better for a while

Mention this to the doc. And ask your option about it again.

 

[JMyrtle]

Well here the doctor likes a fasting rate of 5.9 or less and two hours after eating under 7.8 so you might just be into the higher range of normal or pre-diabetic.

Having said that quite a few "normal" people have a waking reading of over 7.00 and how much spaghetti did you eat, if you had a thudding great plateful just over 8.00 isn't bad.

What you could do is test just before eating, eat an ordinary meal with what you would usually eat including carbs and then test two hours later, if your reading has gone up by more than 2.5 you may have a problem.

But as others have said the only way to be really sure is to get the doctor to do a HbA1c test which gives an average blood glucose level over the last three months on a ratio of 55% data in the last four weeks, 30% in the four weeks before that and 15% in the four weeks before that.to get the full picture as obviously being on holiday or being ill makes a temporary difference

It's measured in a different way to your meter but basically anything under 42 is normal, 42-48 is pre and anything over 48 is diabetic but depending on how your doctor thinks you may notgo onto meds until your reading goes over 60 as nowadays anything under that you are expected to manage by diet.