New and eager to learn from you!

[BeeBusy]

Hello everyone!

Thank you for reading this post.

I'm here after looking for a friendly place on the internet to learn from people such as yourself, who have experience with blood sugar issues.

My doctor said I'm at the beginning of diabetes, but not there yet. I'm looking for help on how to delay the day she'll tell me I am diabetic.

I'll be reading a lot in this forum. I wanted to register, because I prefer to properly introduce myself before lurking.

I hope it is ok if I ask questions, as there are so many in my mind. But I promise to search a lot before asking, just in case someone asked the same question before.

I don't speak English, but I also promise I'll make an effort to write as best as I can. Please, be forgiving when I make mistakes, but don't hesitate to point them out.

I'm not from the UK, but I didn't find a place where to get help in my mother tongue, so, I'm here. I'll have a problem to make your recipes, because here we don't have the same ingredients as in the UK, but that's ok, because my food tends to be very simple. I'm a pitiful cook.

So, wishing you well and hoping today is just the best day ever for you all and that you all reach any targets and objectives you've been pursuing soon!

 

[Inka]

Welcome @BeeBusy 🙂 Did your doctor say you’re close to getting Type 2 diabetes? I see that you’re quite young. Please don’t be offended but are you overweight at all?

Don’t worry about English not being your first language. Write what you can and if you don’t understand what we are saying to you, just ask us to explain again 🙂

 

[BeeBusy]

Thank you for the welcome, @Inka!

I won't say I'm sorry I'm not overweight, because that would be disrespectful towards people who fight weight issues.

But...

I asked my doctor if I could reverse this and she said "if you were obese and lost a lot of weight, you could, but since you're not, you can't."

So, my weight is in the normal range. I also do exercise: I walk way more than the 150 min per week and I also jog. I did already before, since I was young.

I'm 52 now.

I don't mind any questions.

 

[Inka]

Your profile was saying you were 17. Of course, 52 is still young but not as young as I thought you were 🙂

Would you be happy to write down an average day’s food for you? Many Type 2s find they have to watch the amount of carbs they eat. We do have some slim Type 2s. @Martin.A is one.

 

[BeeBusy]

Oh, 17?!! I don't know why! I must have filled in something wrong. I'll see if I can find it back in my account settings and fix it. Sorry about that!

My food today:
200g of salmon
30g of mozzarella
20g of heavy cream
20g of butter
Konjac fiber "spaghetti" (it isn't wheat! I think it is the thing called shirataki noodles, but I am not sure)
Tea: green with lemon flavor
100g cauliflower
Sea salt
Pepper
Paprika (condiment)
Garlic powder


Later today I'll have a dessert:
Cinnamon
Coconut flour
Erythritol
Stevia
Cocoa powder (100%)
Baking powder
Egg
Topped with: Philadelphia original that I mix with lemon juice and aspartame.

Water: at least 10 glasses.

Exercise: walk 2h.

Sleep: 6:50 h of sleep last night.

Height: 164 cm.
Weight: 63 kg.

Fasting glucose this morning: 106 mg/dL.

Medicines: none.

Other illnesses: none that I'm aware of.

Edit: I see 2004 on my birthdate. It is an unfortunate mistake. I tried to fix it, but when I click on it, nothing happens. I don't know how to change it. I'm so sorry!

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
Your English is perfect so you have no worries there.
If what you have just posted is typical then your dietary regime is pretty well what Type 2 folk who are following a low carbohydrate diet will be following.
Your fasting glucose looks very normal, in the UK we use mmol/l but to convert from mg/dl you divide by18.
Diagnosis is normally done with an HbA1C test which gives a 3 month average and a level above 47mmol/mol is diabetic.
I'm not suggesting you follow the diet suggested in this link as you are only 'at risk' but it may fill in with some useful information.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

 

[BeeBusy]

Thank you for the welcome, @Leadinglights!

I'll follow the link, thank you!

I eat like this almost everyday. Once in a while I'll have one, or two magnum popsicles with caramel in it, or a meal at an Indian restaurant (chicken korma and fried rice). Are my sinful days. I keep them as a treat.

My blood sugar is pretty ok during the day and meals, however, my morning blood sugar is high, the highest of the day.

Edit: I've followed the link. That's the way I eat! It's influence of my work colleagues, who are very health minded. No processed foods, no sweets, no low fat foods, no fizzy drinks. They see things like fast food, snacks, margerine and starch as bad things, imported from the USA, and don't eat them. I even hide from them that I use erythritol, stevia and a little aspartame. I'm self-conscious.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you for the welcome, @Leadinglights!

I'll follow the link, thank you!

I eat like this almost everyday. Once in a while I'll have one, or two magnum popsicles with caramel in it, or a meal at an Indian restaurant (chicken korma and fried rice). Are my sinful days. I keep them as a treat.

My blood sugar is pretty ok during the day and meals, however, my morning blood sugar is high, the highest of the day.

Edit: I've followed the link. That's the way I eat! It's influence of my work colleagues, who are very health minded. No processed foods, no sweets, no low fat foods, no fizzy drinks. They see things like fast food, snacks, margerine and starch as bad things, imported from the USA, and don't eat them. I even hide from them that I use erythritol, stevia and a little aspartame. I'm self-conscious.

I am not sure why your doctor thinks you are at risk of diabetes as you fasting glucose level is very normal and would not be thought of as high.
It may well be higher than the rest of the day as many people find that their morning level is the highest as the liver releases glucose to give the body energy to go and hunt for breakfast as hang over from our ancestors.
You dietary regime sounds as if it suits you well and as long as it is a sustainable regime with foods you enjoy that should keep your blood glucose at a normal level.

 

[BeeBusy]

I don't know exactly what she thought, but because of my morning levels she tested fructosamine and it was high. She also tested me for antibodies, saying I could have late type 1, but it came back negative.

She told me she didn't understand how I could have high blood sugar with a low carb diet and exercising, therefore it could be I was becoming type 1. But the antibodies test was negative.

Here, a blood sugar like mine in the morning is considered bad. Not diabetes, but also not normal. She told me that people with bad morning numbers like mine, in a few years, if nothing is done, may become diabetic.

 

[trophywench]

Are you sure the number was 106? - looks 100% normal to me ! (= 5.7)

 

[Leadinglights]

In the UK the fructosamine test would only be done if people had any sort of blood disorder like anaemia and the normal diagnostic test would be an HbA1C which gives the average glucose over the previous 3 months.
Normal levels would be for the majority of healthy individuals, normal blood sugar levels are as follows: Between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L (72 to 99 mg/dL) when fasting. Up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) 2 hours after eating. So maybe at 106mg/dl she thinks it is a bit high. I don't know what a fructosamine test result would indicate 'at risk'.

 

[BeeBusy]

@trophywench and @Leadinglights, 106 is considered prediabetes here. I did a test where I drank a sugary drink and they measure plasma glucose at 30 min, 1h and 2h and after 2h and she told me my results were excellent for this one test. However, my HbA1c was 5.7 and my fasting plasma glucose is also above 99 mg/dL, which is considered prediabetes, too.

As I understood it, she did the fructosamine test and the antibodies test (to see if I'm type 1), because she finds it strange I have high fasting blood glucose and HbA1c and wanted to see if it could be a problem related to my hemoglobin. Considering that I've never been overweight, I've always exercised and I eat a very low carb diet, she told me it is strange my blood sugar isn't better.

She told me that in her experience, the only way I wouldn't develop diabetes in the next 10 years was if I was obese and lost a lot of weight.

She also told me I'm already at increased risk of developing retinopathy, nephropathy and other complications related to high blood sugar even at my current levels.

As you can imagine, I'm here trying to find ways to lower my levels. I don't know what else to do.

She wants to put me on medication, because she thinks I'm already doing all the things one with high blood sugar should do, and that in my case it isn't working.

The good thing is that my triglycerides and CRP are low. The bad thing is that my cholesterol and LDL are high. My blood pressure is good. She wants me to lower my cholesterol and eat less saturated fat and do not eat meat. Now I only eat fish. I hope it helps.

Edit: the fructosamine confirmed the bad HbA1c result, so it wasn't due to a problem with my blood cells.

 

[Leadinglights]

It does seem to a bit scaremongering as the results you have would be considered normal in the UK and the life style you have would be the recommendations that people would be encouraged to follow.
You have had tests that even people here would struggle to be offered even with glucose levels way above the HbA1C diagnostic level.
It would be unlikely that medication would be considered at the 'normal' level you have.

 

[BeeBusy]

@Leadinglights, here I can get many tests done and for free, or for very little money, because of my work. I can even go to any specialist without a referral from my doctor, and change to another doctor at any time. The lab tests have to be requested by a physician, though. I can't just request them myself.

I don't like to second guess the physicians, but I agree with you that it was a lot like scaremongering. I was very down after the appointment. I don't know if I'm in denial, or what. On the one hand she did say I'm doing everything I can related to blood sugar. On the other hand, she told me it isn't working, won't work and I should take the medication.

I'm looking to do better for 4 months, give it my best shot, then have my fasting sugar and HbA1c tested again. If the levels are still high, I'll take the medicine.

I've even invested in blood sugar meters, both finger blood test and Libre 2 sensors, both self-funded and oh, so expensive!

Unfortunately, the things the meters tell me agree with blood sugar consistently above 100. Very small variability, perhaps because I eat low carb, seldom above 130, but also seldom below 100.

By the way, the Libre 2 results I see with the FREESTYLE app on my phone are never the same as the finger stick test. They're 10 to 15 mg/dL lower than finger stick test. I'm researching the forum and I've found lots of posts about the accuracy of Libre 2 and I know there's a delay between interstitial and finger results, as well as unavoidable error from both equipments.

The information I didn't find is: if I've compared finger blood result with the Libre 2 sensor results a few times and they were 10-15 off (Libre 2 lower than finger blood by 10 to 15 mg/dL), can I assume the Libre 2 is always 10-15 too low and just add 10-15 mg/dL to its results to get a more realistic picture? Or it happens a lot that sometimes it is too low, sometimes too high and I can't assume it is always 10-15 mg/dL too low?

If someone knows and can answer, I'd be very grateful and save money on finger test strips.

I would like to say that I feel self-conscious talking about my barely high blood sugar here, knowing so many of you struggle with levels that are much higher, the lows and many medicines and insulin. I didn't find another place where to learn. I believe prevention is important, if we're lucky enough to get an early warning and have the means to learn, such as internet and the access to this forum, and a budget allowing to test blood sugar, which is prohibitively expensive for so many. Please, if I ever sound disrespectful and callous, it is certainly a language barrier problem, never something coming from my heart.

 

[trophywench]

I have no idea whatever what nationality you are - but please be assured that as far as I've seen so far, you have a really good command and understanding of written English! No problems at all.

For myself, I have found the Libre 2 to be quite a lot more accurate than Libre 1 was. When I change sensors, I have found as many users have, that it is best to attach the new one before the old one expires, but only start the new one after the old one has finished, otherwise it takes about 24 - 36 hours to become more accurate.

 

[Leadinglights]

@Leadinglights, here I can get many tests done and for free, or for very little money, because of my work. I can even go to any specialist without a referral from my doctor, and change to another doctor at any time. The lab tests have to be requested by a physician, though. I can't just request them myself.

I don't like to second guess the physicians, but I agree with you that it was a lot like scaremongering. I was very down after the appointment. I don't know if I'm in denial, or what. On the one hand she did say I'm doing everything I can related to blood sugar. On the other hand, she told me it isn't working, won't work and I should take the medication.

I'm looking to do better for 4 months, give it my best shot, then have my fasting sugar and HbA1c tested again. If the levels are still high, I'll take the medicine.

I've even invested in blood sugar meters, both finger blood test and Libre 2 sensors, both self-funded and oh, so expensive!

Unfortunately, the things the meters tell me agree with blood sugar consistently above 100. Very small variability, perhaps because I eat low carb, seldom above 130, but also seldom below 100.

By the way, the Libre 2 results I see with the FREESTYLE app on my phone are never the same as the finger stick test. They're 10 to 15 mg/dL lower than finger stick test. I'm researching the forum and I've found lots of posts about the accuracy of Libre 2 and I know there's a delay between interstitial and finger results, as well as unavoidable error from both equipments.

The information I didn't find is: if I've compared finger blood result with the Libre 2 sensor results a few times and they were 10-15 off (Libre 2 lower than finger blood by 10 to 15 mg/dL), can I assume the Libre 2 is always 10-15 too low and just add 10-15 mg/dL to its results to get a more realistic picture? Or it happens a lot that sometimes it is too low, sometimes too high and I can't assume it is always 10-15 mg/dL too low?

If someone knows and can answer, I'd be very grateful and save money on finger test strips.

I would like to say that I feel self-conscious talking about my barely high blood sugar here, knowing so many of you struggle with levels that are much higher, the lows and many medicines and insulin. I didn't find another place where to learn. I believe prevention is important, if we're lucky enough to get an early warning and have the means to learn, such as internet and the access to this forum, and a budget allowing to test blood sugar, which is prohibitively expensive for so many. Please, if I ever sound disrespectful and callous, it is certainly a language barrier problem, never something coming from my heart.

You would think the criteria for what counts as diabetes would not be different depending on what country you are in. I think if you try to do more or take any medication you could become unwell from too low blood glucose.
The guidance here is the increase in blood glucose 2 hours after food should be no more than 2-3mmol/l and no more than 8mmol/l. If people are within those ranges then they would have a HbA1C that would be normal and that would be below 42mmol/mol.
Sorry you may have to do a bit of conversion to equate to the units used where you are.
PS I have just done a bit of looking up and it appears that the diagnostic levels in countries where the population live at altitude is higher but many countries seem to be in line with the UK.

 

[BeeBusy]

You would think the criteria for what counts as diabetes would not be different depending on what country you are in. I think if you try to do more or take any medication you could become unwell from too low blood glucose.
The guidance here is the increase in blood glucose 2 hours after food should be no more than 2-3mmol/l and no more than 8mmol/l. If people are within those ranges then they would have a HbA1C that would be normal and that would be below 42mmol/mol.
Sorry you may have to do a bit of conversion to equate to the units used where you are.
PS I have just done a bit of looking up and it appears that the diagnostic levels in countries where the population live at altitude is higher but many countries seem to be in line with the UK.

I've converted and that is for diabetes here, too. For prediabetes, HbA1c is 39. Here we say 5.7%. Last time, this was my result. The one before was a bit lower. So, my doctor didn't actually 'diagnose' me with prediabetes, but told me if I have a second exam with levels equal or greater than 5.7, then I have prediabetes. She did say prediabetes isn't really a diagnostic, that it is a wake up call, an early warning that things need to change.

But my fear isn't prediabetes per se: I worry about what she said, that people like me will progress to diabetes in a number of years (say, 1 to 5 years). She said if I were obese and lost a lot of weight, I could reverse it, but since my weight is normal and I'm already eating low carb and exercising, there's nothing left for me to do, except take the medicine Metformin.

I've been reading a lot about diabetes here, preparing for the future. If I understood things right, if I control my blood sugar levels with low carb and exercise, and eventually medicine, I can decrease a lot the probability of having diabetes related complications. I want to learn all I can and already adopt whatever it is available in my lifestyle to be as healthy as possible, now and continuing when I become diabetic. I don't want to regret not taking advantage of the early warning when I could.

 

[Leadinglights]

I've converted and that is for diabetes here, too. For prediabetes, HbA1c is 39. Here we say 5.7%. Last time, this was my result. The one before was a bit lower. So, my doctor didn't actually 'diagnose' me with prediabetes, but told me if I have a second exam with levels equal or greater than 5.7, then I have prediabetes. She did say prediabetes isn't really a diagnostic, that it is a wake up call, an early warning that things need to change.

But my fear isn't prediabetes per se: I worry about what she said, that people like me will progress to diabetes in a number of years (say, 1 to 5 years). She said if I were obese and lost a lot of weight, I could reverse it, but since my weight is normal and I'm already eating low carb and exercising, there's nothing left for me to do, except take the medicine Metformin.

I've been reading a lot about diabetes here, preparing for the future. If I understood things right, if I control my blood sugar levels with low carb and exercise, and eventually medicine, I can decrease a lot the probability of having diabetes related complications. I want to learn all I can and already adopt whatever it is available in my lifestyle to be as healthy as possible, now and continuing when I become diabetic. I don't want to regret not taking advantage of the early warning when I could.

Many people who get their HbA1C below 42mmol/mol do then come off metformin and maintain their blood glucose levels if they also maintain their lifestyle.
It is very unlikely that people would be prescribed metformin unless they were at least in the diabetic zone above 48mmol/mol and even then people often elect to reduce their levels by dietary changes following much as you do now.
If they do not need to lose weight it can be tricky as reducing their carb intake usually results in weight loss unless they increase healthy fats and protein.
There is no reason to assume that people will become diabetic if they have normal blood glucose levels. Of course it can and does happen to people for no particular reason.

 

[trophywench]

How can you reverse something you have not got?
Do I need treating for a tropical disease I haven't got?
Or a brain tumour or cancer of anywhere else?
Show me the exact cause of the complications of diabetes please. It's generally because your blood glucose is too high for too long, so I want to know exactly how high and for how long.

 

[BeeBusy]

How can you reverse something you have not got?
Do I need treating for a tropical disease I haven't got?
Or a brain tumour or cancer of anywhere else?
Show me the exact cause of the complications of diabetes please. It's generally because your blood glucose is too high for too long, so I want to know exactly how high and for how long.

I'd like to reverse to normal blood sugar levels: levels below 100 mg/dL. At least in the morning, before I eat. I also would like to reverse to a HbA1c of less than 5.7%.

And if that's impossible, at least keep it as it is for as long as possible, as opposed to having it increase next time I get a blood panel.