Pre Diabetes ??

[BSkelcher]

Hi there, I am new to this forum and would like some help please. I am a 47 years old Female and overweight currently enrolled in a weight loss program, but only just starting today. Over the past few weeks I have been feeling off it and for some time now I have been having extreme exhaustion, frequent urination during the night, sometimes night time sweats, and also at times feeling a bit shaky after eating a meal, I was tested for the Menopause and that was negative, I did some research online and one of the things that came up was blood sugars so I decided to obtain a tester and a couple of tests ive done have been a little concerning, yesterday evening a couple hours after eating I tested 9.3mml and then this morning after waking I tested 5.8mml not sure what these levels mean, can someone please advise

 

[Eddy Edson]

You can't really tell anything just from a couple of fingerpricks. Best to talk with yr doc & maybe get an HbA1c test, which is the gold standard.

Having said that, those two numbers aren't wildly high but generally a "healthy" non-diaetic/non-prediabetic would normally expect to see fasting levels no higher than 5.6-ish and 2 hour after eating levels no higher than 7.8-ish. But that's just "normally" and "healthy" people can certainly see your levels sometimes.

 

[BSkelcher]

Hi Thanks for your reply, I will continue to do more tests and monitor for another week or 2, with the current covid situation its not as easy to see a GP but I will monitor. Thanks

 

[BSkelcher]

I agree with Eddy. If you suspect you may have pre-Diabetes then you should ask your GP if you could have an HbA1c test. This is the test that's used for a pre-Diabetes or Diabetes diagnosis because it can see what your levels have been like over the previous 10-12 weeks. That result will tell you one way or the other.

If you want to carry on self-testing then I would test on waking everyday, before eating or drinking anything, and then at least 90 minutes after a meal. Bear in mind that your 'after meal' readings will vary a lot depending on what you've eaten, For an otherwise healthy individual a waking level in the range 4.0 - 5.9 would be expected, and post-meal under 7.8 (NICE recommendations).

Martin

Thank you, in terms of the NICE recommendations does it mean that my waking level of 5.8 was within range and ok but the one after my meal last night at 9.3 was too high, could this actually be normal?

 

[Felinia]

I'm glad to hear you are trying to lose weight, as that is one of the things recommended for overweight diabetics or pre-diabetics. It wouldn't do you any harm if your weight loss programme reduced your carb intake. Some like Slimming World are very high in carbs like pasta, rice which puts up blood sugar. But as others have said, the best thing you can do is get an HbA1c test. Your GP might well offer a phone consult, when you could describe your symptoms. They could then refer you to a nurse for the blood test, with the result phoned through to you. Once you know one way or the other, it will give you some peace of mind, and you can tailor your food intake.