Hi all, looking for a bit of advice please.... about 4 months ago I had a high-ish fasting blood glucose reading of 7.5mmol. I sort of ignored it but set about changing my diet drastically by cutting out bread, pasta, rice, cereal, crackers, biscuits, chocolate etc. I don't eat any meat or dairy anyway so what I do eat is extremely limited. My weight was 8st 7lbs at the time of the fasting reading, it is now 7st 5lbs. Anyway, i decided to go back to my GP and was offered an Hba1c test. This came back as 27, which I'm told is "normal" but could that be because of the all the food I'm restricting from my diet? I think theres a possibility im diabetic, but I'm too scared to eat carbs again. Is there any other test I can have? I have to admit I've developed a rather unhealthy attitude towards food. My mother was not diabetic, nor is my sibling, but I do not know about my father/his side. If anyone can offer me any guidance I'd be extremely grateful as GP not interested after Hba1c finding, should I just accept that result and forget about the high glucose fasting? Thanks all.
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Hi everyone
- Thread starter Hebe1
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Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Hebe1 and welcome to the forum. @grovesy and @Anitram are quite right in that there seems to be absolutely no reason for you to consider yourself as at risk of diabetes.
Can I ask how tall you are because if you are over something like 5ft4" then you are in danger of becoming underweight and if it get out of hand that can be as debilitating as a blood glucose figure a bit on the high side. If so, then my suggestion for you is that you reintroduce some of the foods you have restricted in order that you keep a healthy weight because that would be more important than worrying about high blood glucose.
If I have got it wrong then please forgive me, I have seen anorexia at first hand and it colours the way I think about these things.
Can I ask how tall you are because if you are over something like 5ft4" then you are in danger of becoming underweight and if it get out of hand that can be as debilitating as a blood glucose figure a bit on the high side. If so, then my suggestion for you is that you reintroduce some of the foods you have restricted in order that you keep a healthy weight because that would be more important than worrying about high blood glucose.
If I have got it wrong then please forgive me, I have seen anorexia at first hand and it colours the way I think about these things.
Hello, I've not been told I'm anaemic, but I know from recent blood tests I have slightly low hematocrit and lymphocyte - could that 'skew' results?
Thanks Martin, it was a random fasting test at 8am in the morning, so I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink for at least 12hours.
Thanks docb, I'm exactly 5ft 4 so I think I'm just ok but I certainly dont want to lose any more. Thank you for your concern though. Do you know of a test you can get where you take glucose and your levels are measured there and then to see how you react? I'm sure I've read about it on this site, but I cant remember the name.
grovesy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I would discus with your GP as an alternative test maybe more appropriate.
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
@Hebe1, phew, glad you have an understanding of being a sensible weight, it's such a tricky subject to bring up.
You can buy a meter which will give you spot readings of your blood glucose and if you read around the forum you will find out about what people have bought. I get mine on prescription so I am not au fait with current recommendations.
Getting the best from a meter means getting an understanding of how blood glucose varies during the day and the things that affect it. Its is not a question of getting a meter and taking a reading. It's more a matter of taking a number of readings over a period and using them to make judgements. If you do go down the route of getting a meter then we are here to help you make sense of the readings.
You can buy a meter which will give you spot readings of your blood glucose and if you read around the forum you will find out about what people have bought. I get mine on prescription so I am not au fait with current recommendations.
Getting the best from a meter means getting an understanding of how blood glucose varies during the day and the things that affect it. Its is not a question of getting a meter and taking a reading. It's more a matter of taking a number of readings over a period and using them to make judgements. If you do go down the route of getting a meter then we are here to help you make sense of the readings.
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Welcome to the forum @Hebe1
Well done on the weight loss, but sorry to hear about the anxiety you are experiencing
Please keep a careful eye on your levels of worry, and what sort of behaviours they are steering you towards over the coming weeks.
One slightly elevated fingerstick BG does not give you a diabetes diagnosis, and your HbA1c (general levels over the last 3 months) is well within the normal range.
I notice that you feel you have developed or are developing an unhealthy relationship to food and carbohydrates because of your worries. Another member @Kaylz may be able to share her experience which might help.
If you decide to do some fingerstick monitoring, be aware that the numbers you will see will go up and down a bit (because of inherent nature of the testing methid, and also because BG values vary with food, activity, and hormone responses), so some variation is absolutely normal and nothing to worry about.
If you begin to feel that your worries about diabetes and food are having a negative effect on your quality of life, please speak to your GP and seek support 🙂
Well done on the weight loss, but sorry to hear about the anxiety you are experiencing
Please keep a careful eye on your levels of worry, and what sort of behaviours they are steering you towards over the coming weeks.
One slightly elevated fingerstick BG does not give you a diabetes diagnosis, and your HbA1c (general levels over the last 3 months) is well within the normal range.
I notice that you feel you have developed or are developing an unhealthy relationship to food and carbohydrates because of your worries. Another member @Kaylz may be able to share her experience which might help.
If you decide to do some fingerstick monitoring, be aware that the numbers you will see will go up and down a bit (because of inherent nature of the testing methid, and also because BG values vary with food, activity, and hormone responses), so some variation is absolutely normal and nothing to worry about.
If you begin to feel that your worries about diabetes and food are having a negative effect on your quality of life, please speak to your GP and seek support 🙂
Kaylz
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi 🙂 only became aware of the thread when Mike tagged me above
My story is a bit different to yours but I was admitted to hospital to be diagnosed Type 1, I was fine for about a month eating as I had been but I developed an eye related condition, it was due to a plummet in hba1c but someone had told me it was because I'd been eating carbs so I then developed a huge phobia of carbs, this is from when I was at my skinniest around 2017/2018
I was around 7 stone there, 5ft 5, BMI had me very underweight at 16.4 almost exactly 2 years ago, I was extremely exhausted and felt I could barely carry the little amount of weight I had, I gained weight by snacking on cheese's, eggs, cold meats etc, the thought of carbs had me in a blind panic to the point I'd shake with anxiety, christmas and new year were nightmares for me, I wanted to join the meal and have dessert and I did but I'd be panicking, shaking and crying leading up to it, even while doing my insulin in prep for it, I've gotten through most of it though by adding a few extra carbs here and if all went well a few extra carbs there, if it didn't work I stuck to what I had for a little while longer until I felt comfortable to try again, January check had me at 8 stone 2 pounds and BMI of 19.3, if you would like to chat then feel free to message me as I think all I've done here is ramble so I do apologise
xx
My story is a bit different to yours but I was admitted to hospital to be diagnosed Type 1, I was fine for about a month eating as I had been but I developed an eye related condition, it was due to a plummet in hba1c but someone had told me it was because I'd been eating carbs so I then developed a huge phobia of carbs, this is from when I was at my skinniest around 2017/2018
I was around 7 stone there, 5ft 5, BMI had me very underweight at 16.4 almost exactly 2 years ago, I was extremely exhausted and felt I could barely carry the little amount of weight I had, I gained weight by snacking on cheese's, eggs, cold meats etc, the thought of carbs had me in a blind panic to the point I'd shake with anxiety, christmas and new year were nightmares for me, I wanted to join the meal and have dessert and I did but I'd be panicking, shaking and crying leading up to it, even while doing my insulin in prep for it, I've gotten through most of it though by adding a few extra carbs here and if all went well a few extra carbs there, if it didn't work I stuck to what I had for a little while longer until I felt comfortable to try again, January check had me at 8 stone 2 pounds and BMI of 19.3, if you would like to chat then feel free to message me as I think all I've done here is ramble so I do apologise
xx
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