[Evergrean]

I got my first A1C this week after getting several finger tip 12 hour fasting results that were at 109 for the past couple years.

My A1C was 5.8. I am 47, male, slim and excercise alot.
Please advise if my 5.8 level is pre diabetic and cause for concern?

 

[Shanny]

In my opinion, Evergrean, it's in the very early stage. I don't really believe in the concept of "pre"diabetes, because people are sometimes apt to use that as an excuse to ignore it. If you have elevated blood glucose (and your A1c converts to average blood glucose of about 107), then you have early signs of diabetes and would be well advised to take measures to prevent its advance.

If you don't have a meter already, you might consider getting one and taking a few tests around your meals. That will give you a better idea of how your metabolism is coping with carbs. Take a test before you eat, so you know where you started (keep a log of your readings, and keep a food journal too - what/when/how much you ate). Eat your meal and test one hour after the first bite; this tells you roughly how high the meal raised your BG. Then test again two hours after the first bite, and you should be dropping back down close to your starting level.

There is much good information and explanations at Blood Sugar 101,

 

[breezeonby]

I got my first A1C this week after getting several finger tip 12 hour fasting results that were at 109 for the past couple years.

My A1C was 5.8. I am 47, male, slim and excercise alot.
Please advise if my 5.8 level is pre diabetic and cause for concern?

Hello and welcome to the forum! I would follow Shanny's advice. Hope that you will visit often. Take care!

 

[jwags]

Different countries have different cut-offs of pre diabetes and type 2. In many places it is 6.0 and 6.5. Normal HbA1c tends to be 4.0-5.5. So 5.8 is between normal and pre D. I would do what ever you can to lower those morning fastings closer to 85, if possible. I am a full blown type 2 and tend to have fastings in the 85-100 range most days. My husband has been D for 13 years with HbA1c in the 5.5-5.8 range

 

[John.in.France]

I got my first A1C this week after getting several finger tip 12 hour fasting results that were at 109 for the past couple years.

My A1C was 5.8. I am 47, male, slim and excercise alot.
Please advise if my 5.8 level is pre diabetic and cause for concern?

Hello there and welcome. You sound as though you are in a situation quite similar to mine at the beginning of last year - except I didn't know I had a problem. After meals I was dozy, couldn't concentrate and everything was too much bother.

Then in August I collapsed into a Diabetic KetoAcidosis coma with a blood glucose of around 400 and an A1c of 8.2. I had a very hairy week.

So, Shanny has beat me to it - her advice is spot on.

Keep an eye on the meter, and grab the problem by the scruff of the neck. Cut out the sugar and the starchy carbs. Focus on keeping your after meals figure on the low side of 120 when possible. The site Shanny mentioned is well worth a look round - good simple advice not dressed up in jargon.

This forum is a gold mine for help. Most of the people here are happy to help with advice and guidance.

Good luck, John

 

[jwags]

Even if you a just a little above normal it tells you that your endocrine system is not working efficiently. As John said diabetes is a progressive disease and if not attacked early can progress into very high uncontrollable diabetes. Many feel pre diabetes is like being pregnant, you are or you aren't.

 

[ColaJim]

if you really care then get a glucose meter,

eat a whole 15.5 oz can of kidney beans at once,
check your blood sugar at one hour, two hours, three hours, and four hours,

if you are non-diabetic none of the reading should be over 140 mg/dl

if any of those readings are over 160 mg/dl then not only are you diabetic, but your insulin resistance is exhausting your pancreas and you need at least to take metformin as prescribed by your doctor.

doctors are not really interested until you are so bad off that they have a patient for life, they are not interested until the condition is not reversable.

just my personal opinion

 

[Scott D]

good day

A Diabetes forum, who would have thought. Well the fact that I'm here isn't a good thing. I found out last tax day that I have type 2, it runs in the family, YIPPPEEE. I first draw at fasting I was 6.9, close enough. I made an appt. with my doc because of an itch, it took 3 weeks to get in. Well durring my 3rd week I was dizzy as all get out, it was bad, and it became the topic of my visit, the itch was nothing at this point. So here I am, and I have a big problem. Oh my last test I was 5.9, and 104 not to bad. The problem.

For the past month or so I have been getting some pain in my toes. I know this much, it aint good. I started out with metformin, 500 x 2. Now I'm at 250 x2, I bit one pill in 1/2, they taste nasty.

From what I just read on the web, I'm not winning. It says that I am loosing the battle, my toes are the starting point. The pain comes and goes, at first it was one big toe, now it is both. Some times like today, it was all 5 on both feet. Right now typing and sitting in the chair the pain is going away, slowly. And most of the time I fell dizzy. I pull out my meter and test my oil, and it's fine, under 100.

When I found out I was ill, it was kind of a relief. A relief of knowing, for the most part, of how I was going to die. And then my numbers were fine and I was cutting down on the meds. I not to cool with the idea of being chopped up to stay alive, I don't think it would be much fun.


So what do I do about these blasted toes??

 

[ColaJim]

tounge in cheek reply

A Diabetes forum, who would have thought. Well the fact that I'm here isn't a good thing. I found out last tax day that I have type 2, it runs in the family, YIPPPEEE. I first draw at fasting I was 6.9, close enough. I made an appt. with my doc because of an itch, it took 3 weeks to get in. Well durring my 3rd week I was dizzy as all get out, it was bad, and it became the topic of my visit, the itch was nothing at this point. So here I am, and I have a big problem. Oh my last test I was 5.9, and 104 not to bad. The problem.

For the past month or so I have been getting some pain in my toes. I know this much, it aint good. I started out with metformin, 500 x 2. Now I'm at 250 x2, I bit one pill in 1/2, they taste nasty.

From what I just read on the web, I'm not winning. It says that I am loosing the battle, my toes are the starting point. The pain comes and goes, at first it was one big toe, now it is both. Some times like today, it was all 5 on both feet. Right now typing and sitting in the chair the pain is going away, slowly. And most of the time I fell dizzy. I pull out my meter and test my oil, and it's fine, under 100.

When I found out I was ill, it was kind of a relief. A relief of knowing, for the most part, of how I was going to die. And then my numbers were fine and I was cutting down on the meds. I not to cool with the idea of being chopped up to stay alive, I don't think it would be much fun.


So what do I do about these blasted toes??

given the vast amount of data you furnished i would imagine that you may have cardiovascular disease, but if that where so your blood pressure would be well over 120/80 mm Hg, so what is your blood pressure? diabetes itself would take 5 to 10 years to develop advanced peripheral neuropathy unless you smoke, so do you smoke?
and what are your 1 hour and 2 hour post meal blood sugar readings?

 

[Scott D]

Blood preasure, the last time I checked it was 117 over 65. I lost 20 in the first 2 months, it just sropped off, from 260 to 240. The lowest so far was 230. The hollidays, I don't know as of yet. I don't poke myself every day so I can't say what my reading is. There was a week back in October were I stopped taking the pills. I took 250 on a saturday morning, started to feel dizzy about 30 minutes latter, and though maybe I had to much metformin in me, so I didn't take any more that day. The next morning I was 93. A day later I tested and I was at 80. Last monday I drank a regular soda. About 20 minutes latter I started to get dizzy and I could feel my toes starting to tingle, no more of that junk. I tested about 2 hours altter and I was at 200, the highest I have ever been. Most of the time when I test I feel like crap, and my sugar is under 100. It's rare to see it over 100, most of the time I'm in the 90's.

Back in June I went to a class at the hospital, they desided to raise my met from 1000 a day to 1500 with a time release. I was feeling for a couple of days and then the dizzyness started. I would test myself and be i the 90's. I talked to my Doc and she said to go back to the 500 twice a day. Since then I have been dizzy most of the time, very few good days. I was on those pills for 2 weeks. I just don't get it, my numbers are good, and I feel like crap, and my toes. Some times when I wake up in he night my arms are like rubber, maybe I'm just having a good relaxing sleep, who knows?

Thanks for the help. time for work.

 

[jwags]

Lots of times symptoms are not related to our Diabetes. Last summer I had a lot of higher bgs, dizziness, muscle aches and BP was in the low 100's. I finally realised it was a side effect of a statin drug I was on that was attacking my muscles. You said your BP was good, but what was your pulse. I found even though my BP was low my pulse was near 100 which meant some kind of inflammation was going on. Before diabetes I had some of those neuropathy signs in arms and legs. Many times I would wake up with my arm asleep and rubbery. I found once I started on Metformin and bgs fell most of that disappeared.

 

[onaughmae]

Even if you a just a little above normal it tells you that your endocrine system is not working efficiently. As John said diabetes is a progressive disease and if not attacked early can progress into very high uncontrollable diabetes. Many feel pre diabetes is like being pregnant, you are or you aren't.

That is exactly where I stand. To me, pre-diabetes is something that allows a person to brush off the problem until it is out of control. You either are...or you arent. Shanny's advice is spot on and I cant add anything to it really. Let us know how you are doing and please, feel free to ask anything at all that will help you

 

[thcri]

You mean I can't tell anyone I am pre-diabetic :jaw: Aww Shucks

 

[onaughmae]

Blood preasure, the last time I checked it was 117 over 65. I lost 20 in the first 2 months, it just sropped off, from 260 to 240. The lowest so far was 230. The hollidays, I don't know as of yet. I don't poke myself every day so I can't say what my reading is. There was a week back in October were I stopped taking the pills. I took 250 on a saturday morning, started to feel dizzy about 30 minutes latter, and though maybe I had to much metformin in me, so I didn't take any more that day. The next morning I was 93. A day later I tested and I was at 80. Last monday I drank a regular soda. About 20 minutes latter I started to get dizzy and I could feel my toes starting to tingle, no more of that junk. I tested about 2 hours altter and I was at 200, the highest I have ever been. Most of the time when I test I feel like crap, and my sugar is under 100. It's rare to see it over 100, most of the time I'm in the 90's.

Back in June I went to a class at the hospital, they desided to raise my met from 1000 a day to 1500 with a time release. I was feeling for a couple of days and then the dizzyness started. I would test myself and be i the 90's. I talked to my Doc and she said to go back to the 500 twice a day. Since then I have been dizzy most of the time, very few good days. I was on those pills for 2 weeks. I just don't get it, my numbers are good, and I feel like crap, and my toes. Some times when I wake up in he night my arms are like rubber, maybe I'm just having a good relaxing sleep, who knows?

Thanks for the help. time for work.

You may be experiencing high blood sugar after you eat..I would pretty much bet that you are. To be over 200 2 hours after just drinking a soda is pretty high. I cant even imagine how high it must be getting after a full meal. The best thing for you to do at this point is to test before you eat a meal, then at least 2 hours after you eat. You should be back to pre-meal readings within 2 hours (or at least below 140). If you are higher than that, then you need to consider restricting your carb intake.

Metformin itself does not usually cause hypoglycemia. It does not directly stimulate the pancreas. That isnt how it works. It works by making your body more sensitive to the insulin that you are already producing naturally. Blood sugars in the 80's and 90's are not hypoglycemia. That is a normal blood sugar. Metformin does not affect your blood sugar immediately after taking it. It can take a few weeks to actually build itself to a stable therapeutic level in the body. So skipping one dose actually does nothing really.

Many times, the pain from neuropathy is significantly reduced, or even may disappear with good blood sugar control. If not, there are medications that help considerably.

Stable blood glucose control is the key to managing diabetes and living a long healthy life. A diagnosis of diabetes does not mean you are going to die from it. My grandmother was a 94 year old diabetic when she died. She died from complications of pneumonia, not diabetes. My mother was 80 when she passed away....again, with diabetes...not from it. My sister died too young at 54....also with diabetes...not from it. Many diabetics I know are actually some of the healthiest people I know

You can do this Please visit often, ask all the questions you need. There is a ton of great info to be found all around the site so please poke around some when you have time!

 

[breezeonby]

You may be experiencing high blood sugar after you eat..I would pretty much bet that you are. To be over 200 2 hours after just drinking a soda is pretty high. I cant even imagine how high it must be getting after a full meal. The best thing for you to do at this point is to test before you eat a meal, then at least 2 hours after you eat. You should be back to pre-meal readings within 2 hours (or at least below 140). If you are higher than that, then you need to consider restricting your carb intake.

Metformin itself does not usually cause hypoglycemia. It does not directly stimulate the pancreas. That isnt how it works. It works by making your body more sensitive to the insulin that you are already producing naturally. Blood sugars in the 80's and 90's are not hypoglycemia. That is a normal blood sugar. Metformin does not affect your blood sugar immediately after taking it. It can take a few weeks to actually build itself to a stable therapeutic level in the body. So skipping one dose actually does nothing really.

Many times, the pain from neuropathy is significantly reduced, or even may disappear with good blood sugar control. If not, there are medications that help considerably.

Stable blood glucose control is the key to managing diabetes and living a long healthy life. A diagnosis of diabetes does not mean you are going to die from it. My grandmother was a 94 year old diabetic when she died. She died from complications of pneumonia, not diabetes. My mother was 80 when she passed away....again, with diabetes...not from it. My sister died too young at 54....also with diabetes...not from it. Many diabetics I know are actually some of the healthiest people I know

You can do this Please visit often, ask all the questions you need. There is a ton of great info to be found all around the site so please poke around some when you have time!

You said your sister died at 54. I agree that is too young. Would you mind sharing what did she die from if not diabetes?

 

[onaughmae]

You said your sister died at 54. I agree that is too young. Would you mind sharing what did she die from if not diabetes?

She died from liver failure...complication of Hepatitis C. She was on a transplant list, but sadly never received one. As you can imagine, I am a big supporter of organ donation!

 

[breezeonby]

She died from liver failure...complication of Hepatitis C. She was on a transplant list, but sadly never received one. As you can imagine, I am a big supporter of organ donation!

I am an organ donator and I feel that some of my organs can be used and just thinking about being able to help someone who loves life is why I want to donate my organs.

 

[Evergrean]

Different countries have different cut-offs of pre diabetes and type 2. In many places it is 6.0 and 6.5. Normal HbA1c tends to be 4.0-5.5. So 5.8 is between normal and pre D. I would do what ever you can to lower those morning fastings closer to 85, if possible. I am a full blown type 2 and tend to have fastings in the 85-100 range most days. My husband has been D for 13 years with HbA1c in the 5.5-5.8 range

Thanks for all the responses. Great info.
I am now in process of educating myself about the carb counting world. From my Internet searches I think the only symptom I had was frequent urination. I am now paying attention to the carb counts and cutting way down on pasta, bread, rice and large carb meals. For example I now eat mushrooms or veggies instead of rice/pasta or only eat 1/4 (25 carbs) of rice bag. Trying to figure out how many carbs are acceptable per meal. Internet results advise I should be around 45 to 60 carbs per meal?

Other questions and please remember I am new to all of this:
What kind of meter should I get and how to make sure I am getting the right readings? How close do I hold it and how much blood is needed to make sure I am doing it right.

Can I eat limited carbs in a dinner meal and have dessert to make up the low carb dinner? For example have Chicken mushroom stew over spinach and green beans for dinner and have sugar free cookies (22 grams) for my dessert. Another example I switched to 3 eggs with watered down OJ for breakfast instead of 2 eggs with toast and normal concentration of OJ. Also eat 1/2 sugar free muffin (11 carbs). If I want the other half I wait about an hour.

What kind of low carb foods do most people in this forum prefer?

Is it true that 1 slice of Pan pizza is 60 carbs?

Worst question probably to ask in this forum but I will ask anyways. If I monitor my carb intake very closely can I treat myself to 10 sugar cookie dessert once every couple weeks?

 

[onaughmae]

I am an organ donator and I feel that some of my organs can be used and just thinking about being able to help someone who loves life is why I want to donate my organs.

me too..anything they can use...they can take

 

[onaughmae]

Thanks for all the responses. Great info.
I am now in process of educating myself about the carb counting world. From my Internet searches I think the only symptom I had was frequent urination. I am now paying attention to the carb counts and cutting way down on pasta, bread, rice and large carb meals. For example I now eat mushrooms or veggies instead of rice/pasta or only eat 1/4 (25 carbs) of rice bag. Trying to figure out how many carbs are acceptable per meal. Internet results advise I should be around 45 to 60 carbs per meal?

Other questions and please remember I am new to all of this:
What kind of meter should I get and how to make sure I am getting the right readings? How close do I hold it and how much blood is needed to make sure I am doing it right.

Can I eat limited carbs in a dinner meal and have dessert to make up the low carb dinner? For example have Chicken mushroom stew over spinach and green beans for dinner and have sugar free cookies (22 grams) for my dessert. Another example I switched to 3 eggs with watered down OJ for breakfast instead of 2 eggs with toast and normal concentration of OJ. Also eat 1/2 sugar free muffin (11 carbs). If I want the other half I wait about an hour.

What kind of low carb foods do most people in this forum prefer?

Is it true that 1 slice of Pan pizza is 60 carbs?

Worst question probably to ask in this forum but I will ask anyways. If I monitor my carb intake very closely can I treat myself to 10 sugar cookie dessert once every couple weeks?

Sure you can. Just because you are diabetic doesnt mean you never eat something sweet again as long as you live. Just count it into your meal plan. If you know that you need to eat X number of carbs for that meal, and you want to add in that cookie, then add it...just give up the carbs somewhere else. A good place to look for carb count values on many foods, including many fast foods, is calorieking.com I use it all the time.

Pizza is pretty tough. It is very high carb, and due to the fat content of it, it spikes your blood sugar slowly so it can even be difficult for insulin users to deal with. When I eat pizza I always choose the thinnest crust available to save on carbs.

If you have access to a dietitian, or better yet, a certified diabetes educator I highly recommend them. Check with your doc's office. They are a great resource to help you start to understand carb counting.