[susanT]

hi everyone

im new here; not sure about much right now. i know that my blood sugar is way too high. the doc wanted me to go in for a glucose tolerance test but i prefered not too since i know i will never be drinking a bottle of glucose ever in my life so i prefer a more common sense approach like a high carbohydrate meal. i did a two week test at home for him including the bagel test (blood sugar 101) which put my sugar at 162. he told me that was way to high for eating a bagel. since i have not done the glucose tolerance test i have not officially been categorized as a diabetic. I also ate some pancakes with maple syrup and sugar shot up to 180.

i have cut out all sugar and all refined carbs and i am managing to keep it down to under 115....boy its a lot of work. i have been reading blood sugar 101 and it has helped me so much! dr bernstein's book has also been a great help.

i guess my question is .... if you eat to keep the sugar down to around 120 (at the highest after eating) will it keep diabetes from progressing or will it progress eventually regardless of how you eat? i know thats a big if but i am hoping for some input from experienced people.

thanks everyone
SusanT

 

[Richard157]

Hello Susan

Hwllo Susan you should take the GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) because that is how yiu can determine wehether you are Type 1 or Type 2. After your Type is determined then your doctor will know what treatment to prescribe. If you are Type 1 then insulin is a MUST!!! Type 1 diabetics cannot live without insulin. If you are Type 2 then you can take a medicine unstead of using insulin.

Those are good references you are reading and a low carb diet is a great isea. I am glad you are doing that! I am Type 1 and I have been using insulin for 63 years. I am very healthy because of my injecting insulin.

Eating that way may cause the diabetes to progress more slowly but it will still progress. That is why your Type needs to be determined immediately so you will know what type of treatment is necessary to keep you alive and healthy. I eat only 130 grams of carbohydrates per day. I also exercise every day. I test my blood sugar at least 10 times per day too. Tight control has kept me alive and well since my diagnosis in 1945. Good luck to you!

Richard

 

[susanT]

hi richard

thank you so much for responding to my post. I appreciate your input more than you know!

i have a question. how will taking the glucose tolerance test tell me if I am type 1 or type 2? also my doc has suggested that i am pre-diabetic? what do you think? you have so much more experience. Also i am pretty old (52) to be type 1 all of a sudden dont you think?

I am not over weight at all. I am 5 feet 4 inches and when i was told that my sugar ws too high i was about 107 pounds now that i have been following the low carb diet i have lots almost 10 pounds and am now 97 but have stablized at that weight. i am eating very well not hungry at all and i am very active. in the gym 5 days a week.

thanks again
susanT

 

[Richard157]

If you were Type 2 then your body would be producing insulin but not using it as well as a nondiabetic person. Therefore your blood glucose (BG) level a few hours after the test would show high but not terribly high since your own insulin would be working to some extent. If you were Type 1 then your body would not be producing insulin and your BG after the test would be very, very high.

Since you are not overweight and you eat healthy and exercise a lot then it is highly likely that you are Type 1. I will be very surprised if that is not your diagnosis, but it is still possible. If you are only prediabetic I don't think your BG would be going so high after eating like you described in your first message.

You are certainly doing the right things to control your condition. Your healthy eating, your exercise and your not being overweight sounds great!! I am assuming that you wait two hours after eating before testing. Did your doctor tell you to do that? He should have. Testing very soon after eating does not tell you anything, even a nondiabetic will have a higher BG very soon after eating. How long do you wait after eating before you test? What is your BG when you get up in the morning before breakfast? (That is called your fasting BG.)

I hope you are seeing an endocrinologist (diabetes specialist) so that your diagnosis will be accurate. Some doctors who are not so experienced with diabetes make incorrect diagnoses. I have an endocrinologist and a GP doctors. The endo for diabetes and the GP for my general health.

Anything that causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin will cause Type 1. People of all ages can therefore be diagnosed with Type 1. I have read of people in their 80's being diagnosed with Type 1. That may have been due to old age and the wearing down of certain organs in their bodies. I know a man who had pancreatic cancer and his pancreas was removed so he became Type 1 in his 70's. Certain illnessescan affect the pancreas enough that insulin production slows down and eventually stops. That causes Type 1. Type 1 is not always hereditary, many things can cause it and it can occur at any age.

~Richard

 

[rubystar2]

I work in a hospital lab and when we do a Glucose Tolerance Test we run a fasting glucose, first. If it is elevated we do NOT give the glucose drink and we call the doctor for further instructions. We are not going to give someone with a 200 glucose level a bottle of high glucose drink. There are other ways to determine diabetes. I never had a glucose tolerance test. My diabetes was diagnosed by a fasting glucose level and a A1c.

 

[susanT]

hi richard

i was testing 1 hour and 2 hours after eating like it said in the blood sugar 101 book. i did this for a month to see where i was at and then put it all on a chart and took it to the doc and he circled a few numbers and said that in his opinion i am not diabetic but glucose intolerant. he based it on my fasting blood sugar since it was normal. but if i eat poorly (lots of carbs like cookies etc then my fasting will be much higher)

for example last night 1 hour after eating it was 4.7 then 2 hours it was 4.6 (about 84.5 mg/dl we use mmol/l here ). i ate fish and vegetables and the bran crisp crackers (recommended by dr bernstein in his book) and cheese. if i eat fruit then it will go up to 6.5(117 mg/dl)

my fasting BG this morning was 4.3 (77.3 mg/dl)

it seems if i eat protein and vegetables then i can keep it under 5.5 (99mg/dl).

thanks again for all the input

 

[susanT]

hi richard

i was testing 1 hour and 2 hours after eating like it said in the blood sugar 101 book. i did this for a month to see where i was at and then put it all on a chart and took it to the doc and he circled a few numbers and said that in his opinion i am not diabetic but glucose intolerant. he based it on my fasting blood sugar since it was normal. but if i eat poorly (lots of carbs like cookies etc then my fasting will be much higher)

for example last night 1 hour after eating it was 4.7 then 2 hours it was 4.6 (about 84.5 mg/dl we use mmol/l here ). i ate fish and vegetables and the bran crisp crackers (recommended by dr bernstein in his book) and cheese. if i eat fruit then it will go up to 6.5(117 mg/dl)

my fasting BG this morning was 4.3 (77.3 mg/dl)

it seems if i eat protein and vegetables then i can keep it under 5.5 (99mg/dl).

thanks again for all the input

 

[Richard157]

Susan, if some of your reported BG's are only one hour after eating then I am not so sure you have Type 1 especially since your fasting is such a good number. I am sorry if I misled you. I think I made some statements too quickly. I'm sorry I did that. Prediabetes does seem to be a more likely scenario now.