Worried about diabetes

[bordercollies111]

Good Afternoon everyone,

A 2 years ago I was told I was prediabetes (I'm not sure what my ml was as the doctor didn't say). I had another test in August 2023 and my results were 41ml, I have been almost bed bound since August 2023 due to illness/serious mental health issues/WFH and over the past 3 months I have developed symptoms of diabetes (strong smell of sweat, repeated thrush infections and going to the bathroom alot), the doctor now wants to do another blood test next week to check if I have diabetes, while my activity level has been minimal for months I have kept to decent ish diet (occasional sweet treats, no alcohol, sugary drinks ect), so now I'm incredibly worried this has caused my levels to spike into diabetes, is it possible to go from 41ml to actual diabetes in 4 months. I'm currently not sleeping due to the worry of it all, thank you for your advise.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
It is quite possible to move into the diabetes zone which would be anything over 47mmol/mol, at 41mmol/mol you would not really have been in the at risk range so I suspect you had no reason to change your diet but it does not take much for things to go awry like illness, stress, change in activity for example.
But the symptoms you mention do suggest you may have gone well into the diabetes zone but one you have the blood test you will know and can make some more substantial changes to your diet as it is all carbohydrates that will convert to glucose not just the sugary drinks and sweet stuff so foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals are all food to be careful of.
The more you worry that is more likely to increase your blood glucose but reducing those carbs will be beneficial.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about what a difficult time you have been having with your mental health recently, and how profoundly it has impacted you

And now about this additional worry and how it is affecting your sleep.

Do try not to worry until you know your actual situation. it is so easy for the mind to run riot with maybes and what-ifs, but all of that stressing doesn’t help you.

It might be an idea to begin to behave as if you have had confirmation of diabetes while you await your checks and results. Diabetes is potentially a very serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. So if you start to make changes to manage your glucose levels now, you’ll already be ahead of the game by the time your results come back one way or another 🙂

Many new members find it can be really helpful to keep a brutally honest food diary for a week or two. Note down everything you eat and drink, along with a reasonable estimate of the total carbohydrate content (not just ‘of which sugars’) in your meals and snacks - the nearest 5-10g is fine. It might sound like a bit of a faff, and will involve weighing portions, squinting at the fine print on packaging, and possibly looking up things on the internet, but it will give you a really good idea of which foods are the main sources of carbs in your current menu.

Once you can see which meals or snacks are your ‘big hitters’, and where carbs might be unexpectedly lurking, your diary might also suggest some likely candidates for swaps, portion reductions, or using lower carb alternatives (eg celeriac or swede mash, or cauli ‘rice’).

Over weeks and months of experimentation you can gradually tweak and tailor your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your budget and your BG levels - and a way of eating that is flexible enough to be sustainable long-term. 🙂