How to keep blood sugars up please x

[Mighi]

Good morning everyone I'm after some help please ~ Second hb1ac came back beginning october at 41 which put me in the normal range and I had not been on medication at all just diet controlled. Now 2 weeks on I am having terrible trouble keeping my blood sugars above 4.6 . Last friday I was due a ct pet scan but because the numbers went down to 4.4 I was sent home. Any suggestions to help lift the numbers back to 5.0 or a tiny bit more please x I am eating and drinking water and have upped the carbs to see if that helps now stumped!

 

[Martin.A]

Did they not explain why your BG was too low or give you any advice on how to bring it up to the required level, and keep it there, bearing in mind that you're usually advised to fast before the scan?

 

[Eddy Edson]

Surprising!??!??

BG of 4.4 mmol/l is a normal kind of read for a non-diabetic.

 

[Mighi]

Did they not explain why your BG was too low or give you any advice on how to bring it up to the required level, and keep it there, bearing in mind that you're usually advised to fast before the scan?

have a good breakfast as scan at 2pm drink lots of plain water and nothing except water for 6 hours before scan .......

Surprising!??!??

BG of 4.4 mmol/l is a normal kind of read for a non-diabetic.

I'm t2 in remission at present x

 

[Martin.A]

Surprising!??!??

BG of 4.4 mmol/l is a normal kind of read for a non-diabetic.

I hadn't heard of a CT PET scan so I've been reading up about it. BG should apparently be between 4 and 10 for a scan, so @Mighi was in range.

Hard to think of what you might eat for breakfast that'll push your BG up to a level that will take 6 hours to drop back down to 5.

 

[trophywench]

Err, would anyone be able to tell if 'plain tap water' in the bottle you had with you, that you were drinking had sugar in it OR if it made any difference to the result of the scan?

 

[Proud to be erratic]

@Mighi, the easy answer is to have something high glucose such as dextrose tablets, jelly babies, sweets such as mints, drink fruit juice, etc. All things that dissolve internally quickly and leave no trace to show up on a CT PET scan - which is in itself looking to identify some physical abnormality to assist in making a complete diagnosis.

But, as others are saying a BG of 4.4 for a non-diabetic is normal and even if you were diabetic, but on no medication, this also would be normal. Even on medication that can not possibly put you into a hypoglcaemic state, such as Metformin, there is still zero risk of hypoglycemia. I think the radiology team that sent you away are blatantly wrong to do that - which is very disappointing for you and others in your position.

I would report this to probably 3 different places - to ensure corrective training is given to whoever made this poor decision and consequently is wasting NHS resources as well as defeating getting you a prompt diagnosis:

1. The booking system that sent you the paperwork that called you in. They will know who set up your requirement for a CT PET scan. They won't know why but can provide simple feedback to the requesting Dep't.
2. The GP or Consultant who you last saw or spoke to that wants the scan result and initiated the scan requirement.
3. The Radiology Department - not only to point out that 4.4 is fine and in accord with the call in instructions but also to point out that sending you home without any advice on what else you might do to raise your BG is unhelpful, wasteful and frankly unprofessional.

I see this as a modest nail that needs firmly hammering home to prevent it from recurring.

 

[rayray119]

I'm slightly surprised that they would send someone not on medication home for that number as well. In fact for people not insulin or other blood sugar lowing medication 3.5 is considered normal. I wonder if there miss informed and think all diabetiecs are at risk of going dangerously low

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I wonder if the radiology department just assumed you were on glucose-lowering medication because of your T2 label? Or that they have a different protocol for people with diabetes that doesn’t make much sense for you personally - because your diabetes is in remission and you don’t take meds.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I wonder if the radiology department just assumed you were on glucose-lowering medication because of your T2 label? Or that they have a different protocol for people with diabetes that doesn’t make much sense for you personally - because your diabetes is in remission and you don’t take meds.

Your reaction is both kind and generous. But I can't help thinking why is any medical department "assuming" and what happened to "asking", or "speaking with" a patient. The Radiology protocol could well be derived from dealing with patients who are insulin dependent or vulnerable to hypoglycemia from other meds - but that could so easily have been resolved by just a tiny amount of investigation and clarification at the time of the radiology appointment, before sending rhe patient away.

That's why I think feedback leading to corrective training is so necessary.

Digressing from this example I was unfortunate enough to have 4 hospital stays in 2022. Each stay had a silly nonsense that could be readily tracked back to a Nurse, Doctor or Consultant "assuming" and just not "asking me" or "advising me"; each event caused unnecessary delay, deferred procedures and resulted in extra nights in a scarce hospital bed. (Never mind my own desire to get home). On this morning's breakfast TV there was a lengthy news article about the apparently deteriorating care coming from maternity services; just listening to an interview my perception was that there were HCPs wanting to do their best and expectant mums wanting the best outcome (!) yet there were still quite fundamental problems. The Chief Exec being interviewed acknowledged this situation and talked about the need for much better dialogue between staff and patients (I interpreted that as better management of expectations) as well as recognising that wider hospital pressures and protocols were somehow not resolving the now measured increase in infant deaths. Of course a TV interview can, from the safe distance of a studio, flush out possible reasons for that decline - but that doesn't necessarily translate into solutions on a ward NOR provoke a better dialogue between staff and patient. Better training (CPD) could be a great start.

 

[rayray119]

Your reaction is both kind and generous. But I can't help thinking why is any medical department "assuming" and what happened to "asking", or "speaking with" a patient

I've found from personal experience that any medical departments apart diabeties clinic usually has some misconceptions when it comes to diabeties. I've had some produces which meant eating for a period of time I got sent special instructions for diabetics but when looking at them thought that didn't seem right. It also seems like doctors and other non diabetic medical staff seem to think everyone is on set doses.... I think there should be more education on the gernal medical field

 

[Drummer]

When I was pregnant back in the 1980s I was denied genetic testing because I would not agree to automatic termination if anything amiss was found.
I have a niece with Turner's Syndrome - she works as a solicitor's clerk. Hardly a reason for extermination.
Over her lifetime many professional people have 'made assumptions' knowing just the one fact.