Symptoms

[Nelijes]

Hi, I’m new on here. My daughter has ME/CFS and has put on a lot of weight due to the inactivity it causes. We have been warned that she is prediabetes and we need to try and get her weight down which we are working on.

Recently when with a friend they had a bit of a sweet fest which she doesn’t really do now and she came over feeling very unwell, hot, clammy, feeling faint and needing to lie down. That night she couldn’t sleep as she had itchy genitals with a prickly feeling in them.
In my mind I’m feeling that this was a reaction to the sugar and wondered if these are diabetes symptoms.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[Kaylz]

Diabetics can be bothered with itchy genitals but more classic symptoms are drinking a lot, urinating a lot etc, you say you were warned about prediabetes, does that mean she has had a hba1c test done? if so what was the result and how long ago was this? xx

 

[Nelijes]

Diabetics can be bothered with itchy genitals but more classic symptoms are drinking a lot, urinating a lot etc, you say you were warned about prediabetes, does that mean she has had a hba1c test done? if so what was the result and how long ago was this? xx

Hi, they did a glucose tolerance test. Fast value 5.1mmol and 2 hours post glucose 8.4mmol. I have no idea what this means. I assumed they were suggesting she is pre type 2?!

 

[Nelijes]

Hi, they did a glucose tolerance test. Fast value 5.1mmol and 2 hours post glucose 8.4mmol. I have no idea what this means. I assumed they were suggesting she is pre type 2?!

Forgot to say this was done in December 2019

 

[Kaylz]

Hi, they did a glucose tolerance test. Fast value 5.1mmol and 2 hours post glucose 8.4mmol. I have no idea what this means. I assumed they were suggesting she is pre type 2?!

diabetes is usually diagnosed using a hba1c test, this measures the average amount of glucose that's been in your blood for around the last 3 months so I'd ask to have one of those done, the fasting value is good but I don't know what they look for result wise in the test they did xx

 

[Nelijes]

diabetes is usually diagnosed using a hba1c test, this measures the average amount of glucose that's been in your blood for around the last 3 months so I'd ask to have one of those done, the fasting value is good but I don't know what they look for result wise in the test they did xx

Okay, thanks x

 

[Deleted member 27171]

Hi @Nelijes

HbA1c is not always the most appropriate method of diagnosis (for example in children or with certain other conditions) and the OGTT your daughter had is an accepted diagnostic test. More information is in the following link:

Diagnostic criteria for diabetes

www.diabetes.org.uk

A very sudden increase in bgl (which is possible after eating lots of high sugar snacks in someone with pre-diabetes) may well cause a person to feel unwell as your daughter described. Genital itching is often associated with high levels too, the excess sugar excreted in the urine can lead to this.

Does she display any symptoms more generally? She may not, as pre-diabetes often occurs without persistent symptoms. Some people find it helpful to measure their level at home when beginning to make dietary changes to see how different foods impact on bgl. Testing before meals and looking at how they are approx 2 hours after gives a good indication of how well the body is processing the glucose from that meal.

Have you been offered a dietitian referral at all? Some find that helpful too.

Edit: self testing equipment is often not provided on prescription for those with pre/Type 2 diabetes, so may need to be self funded.

 

[Nelijes]

Thank you. At the moment everything has been focused on her M.E./CFS.

The Consultant who did the glucose fasting test said she needs to lose weight else she will get diabetes but did not say whether we were talking type 1 or 2. He said he’ll see her again in December allowing me time to help her lose weight.
I have improved her diet but she is virtually bedbound and is so tired all the time which is why I’m wondering whether the diabetes has gone a step further (ie the genital itching symptom) and whether I should get the diabetes situation rechecked now rather than wait til December.
It’s difficult to know what to do, especially in the current climate!

 

[Deleted member 27171]

did not say whether we were talking type 1 or 2.

He’ll be considering Type 2 as Type 1 is not linked to weight/diet/lifestyle so losing weight would not prevent it happening if it was going to.

Although the itching could be a symptom, there are many possible causes so could be worth speaking with GP about that anyway to see if anything can be done to alleviate the problem if not diabetes related. There’s certainly no harm in speaking with the Dr to share your concerns and ask if they feel a test a bit sooner would be a good idea since has been some time since the test was done.