Hi I'm VERY new to all of this !

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G max

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At risk of diabetes
Hello everyone,
I'm really new to diabetes chat page, my position is that I have just been diagnosed with Non-diabetic Hyperglycaemia.
Bit of a shock and I would appreciate talking to anyone else in the same position please.
thanks
 
Hello everyone,
I'm really new to diabetes chat page, my position is that I have just been diagnosed with Non-diabetic Hyperglycaemia.
Bit of a shock and I would appreciate talking to anyone else in the same position please.
thanks
Welcome to the forum
I have not heard that expression before, is this what you mean? You have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (sometimes also called pre-diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glycaemia) which means your blood glucose is raised beyond the normal range but it is not so high that you have diabetes. However, you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If so then there are many people here on the forum who are told that but look upon it as an opportunity to make some changes to their lifestyle, making some dietary changes and trying to increase exercise if they can. Losing weight if you need to also helps.
It often come as a shock because people feel they have a healthy diet but there are some foods that are not so healthy if the body has problems metabolising carbohydrates as they all convert to glucose which remains higher than desirable as the insulin they produce is not being used efficiently.
Some modest changes in reducing your carbohydrate intake should be sufficient to bring your blood glucose down to normal which would be an HbA1C of below 42mmol/mol. Prediabetes being 42-47mmol/mol. The nearer to the upper end of that the more work you will need to do.
Many find that a low carb approach is one way to go and this link may help with explanation and some menu ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Hi and thank you so much for your reply. Yes it is pre diabetes and I am totally in the dark about this condition. As regards health I am just 70 last month. I have a dog I walk twice a day for nearly 2 hours. I weigh 8st 2lbs. Up until these last blood test results I had no idea of anything untoward. I would like to ask though if there is any association with steroids for asthma or allergies that might trigger this condition? The reason is I was prescribed them about 6 months ago ?
 
Welcome @G max 🙂 Steroids can cause raised blood sugar. I don’t know if that’s what’s causing your prediabetes, but you could ask. Are you taking large doses?
 
Hi and thank you so much for your reply. Yes it is pre diabetes and I am totally in the dark about this condition. As regards health I am just 70 last month. I have a dog I walk twice a day for nearly 2 hours. I weigh 8st 2lbs. Up until these last blood test results I had no idea of anything untoward. I would like to ask though if there is any association with steroids for asthma or allergies that might trigger this condition? The reason is I was prescribed them about 6 months ago ?
Steroids do have a reputation for causing raised blood glucose, do you have to take them all the time?
You do need to a bit careful in making too much change in your carb intake as that could result in you losing weight which it looks as if you do not need to do. Making sure you have plenty of protein and healthy fats to compensate for any reduction in carbs.
It would be a good idea to have a chat with your GP as if you are not too near the top of the prediabetic range then maintaining at that level may be fine, the aim being not to cross the threshold into diabetes which would be over the 47mmol/mol
There are a few people here who have high blood glucose due to taking steroids.
 
Hi G max, welcome to the forum.

You sound as though you're doing many things well to stay in good health so do keep them up. It's also great that you are ahead of things so can make some changes that should help keep type 2 at bay.

As mentioned, steroids can increase you blood sugar levels so it's worth having a chat with your GP to see whether there are any adjustments that can be made.
 
I am on a brown inhaler 2 puffs a day but also mometasone nasal spray which I think is quite strong 2 sniffs twice a day. There is a query over the asthma diagnosis. I have never had an asthma attack and on occasion when I have forgotten to use it I fo not have any breathing issues . Im also quite sceptical about the mometasone as I tested negative for all allergies? It’s quit a dilemma as to know if I really need all this medication!
 
So these are the test results …
 

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From those results it looks like the increase from within normal range to the first point on prediabetes has been over the last year, did that coincide with you starting on the medication.
However some minor tweaks to your menu should be sufficient to keep it where it is. Many people would be very happy with those results.
If you are still worried than ask for a HbA1C in September to check if your changes have taken you back into normal,
But it sounds as if a chat about the asthma diagnosis and the meds might be worth while.
 
That graph makes it look like an horrendous increase because the HbA1c scale is overblown. In reality your HbA1c has only crept up a little bit and whilst it is something to take into consideration and make some modest changes, it isn't anything to get in a pickle about. Being a bit anaemic could cause a rise like that and in fact someone the other day posted that because our red blood cells don't replenish as quickly when we get older, the HbA1c may naturally get a bit higher and doesn't necessarily indicate a risk of diabetes, just that those red blood cells have hung around longer and therefore more glucose has got stuck to them. I am not sure if this is true but an HbA1c of 42 is not a risk at your age provided that it doesn't get any higher. As a comparison, I am Type 1 and if I try to get my HbA1c down as low as 42, I would be hypo half the time. My consultant is very happy if I can maintain my HbA1c in the low 50s and I don't anticipate this will cause me any undue issues over the course of my remaining life span. (I am 59) I feel fitter and healthier than I have for years.

As regards your inhalers and nasal spray, if you don't need them then why take them? I have intermittent asthma and have both a brown and blue inhaler. Most of the time I don't need either but I do go through spells occasionally where my chest gets a bit tight and I need to start using the brown inhaler again and it is obvious when that happens and I may need the blue inhaler a couple of times until the brown inhaler starts to work. Mostly however, my diet change (low carb, higher fat) and increased exercise seem to have improved my breathing enormously over the past 4 years though, as it has for other health issues like migraines and joint pain..... and disordered eating. There have been lots of benefits to changing my diet beyond my diabetes.

Not saying your steroids are not causing this minor issue with a rise in your BG levels and certainly not suggesting you ignore it, but just not to get too anxious about it as that graph makes the rise look far worse than it actually is and there could be a number of factors contributing to a small rise like that.
 
Hi ,
thank you for your message and advice. Well the latest is that I now have oral thrush !!
corners of mouth very sore and cracked and initially diagnosed as Angular Chellitis until swab was taken.
Ok so once again is this as a result of the steroids, with which I have tried my best to persevere OR is this another sign of developing diabetes. I was confused before but even more so now, although I have been told both my inhaler and nasal spray are low dose .
I am very thorough about rinsing my mouth and brushing teeth after use.
Still I am suspecting that these issues have arisen since the use of steroids.
any advice much appreciate.
 
Hi ,
thank you for your message and advice. Well the latest is that I now have oral thrush !!
corners of mouth very sore and cracked and initially diagnosed as Angular Chellitis until swab was taken.
Ok so once again is this as a result of the steroids, with which I have tried my best to persevere OR is this another sign of developing diabetes. I was confused before but even more so now, although I have been told both my inhaler and nasal spray are low dose .
I am very thorough about rinsing my mouth and brushing teeth after use.
Still I am suspecting that these issues have arisen since the use of steroids.
any advice much appreciate.
I would say you probably need a special mouth wash from your pharmacy as oral thrush is a yeast infection and you can help by not having sugary or high carb foods as the digestion process starts in the mouth with the enzymes in your saliva so you are effectively 'feeding' the yeast which love a sugary environment.
If the pharmacy can help then see your GP but there are several different products available over the counter at the pharmacy.
 
I would say you probably need a special mouth wash from your pharmacy as oral thrush is a yeast infection and you can help by not having sugary or high carb foods as the digestion process starts in the mouth with the enzymes in your saliva so you are effectively 'feeding' the yeast which love a sugary environment.
If the pharmacy can help then see your GP but there are several different products available over the counter at the pharmacy.
Thanks for replying., I have been given a one off capsule for the oral thrush.
it is the issue regarding what started the oral thrush in the first place which I am concerned about , to be honest everything around the whole diabetes issue appears to have started with the use of the steroids. The oral thrush is just the latest in the long line of others.
 
Thanks for replying., I have been given a one off capsule for the oral thrush.
it is the issue regarding what started the oral thrush in the first place which I am concerned about , to be honest everything around the whole diabetes issue appears to have started with the use of the steroids. The oral thrush is just the latest in the long line of others.
It maybe that you were tittering on the edge and the steroids just gave the extra push. It is fairly well known steroids can increase blood glucose but not just that the reason you need them can have an impact as well.
 
It is highly likely that it was the high sugar levels in your mouth that started the Oral Thrush. Just as a high glucose level on your urine can start off Thrush in the urinary tract etc.
There is no great mystery to this!
 
Thank you once again your reply is much appreciated, I wonder if I could ask another question please as I am still taking on a lot of information? Again as this is all very new to me, when should I be having another blood test ?
I am just concerned that there is some close monitoring of the situation for my peace of mind.
thanks
Could it happen that I might not know the condition is getting worse ?
just a bit worrying
 
Thank you once again your reply is much appreciated, I wonder if I could ask another question please as I am still taking on a lot of information? Again as this is all very new to me, when should I be having another blood test ?
I am just concerned that there is some close monitoring of the situation for my peace of mind.
thanks
Could it happen that I might not know the condition is getting worse ?
just a bit worrying
It is usual to have another blood test after 3 months as that gives opportunity for any lifestyle changes to be reflected in your result as the test is an average of blood glucose levels over the previous 3 months which is the life of your red blood cells and the test is a measure of how much glucose is stuck to them.
If you want to keep a better eye on what is going on then many have a home blood glucose monitor so they can check progress on a day to day or week to week basis or test the effect of food and meals or if they feel unwell.
It gives you the control over managing your condition.
The GlucoNavii or the Spirit TEE2 are monitors with the cheaper test strips which can be bought on line.
 
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