Do I have prediabetes?

Post Reply New Topic

When I take fasting glucose it is in the 90s more often than not. But sometimes it is in 100s, and a few times it was 114 and once even 134. Then other times it was in the 80s and occasionally in the 70s. I think my stress about it might drive it up while my limiting what I eat might drive it down, so I am not sure which to believe. The time when I consistently was getting over 100 was basically when I couldn’t sleep due to thinking about it, this was my obsession 24/7 and felt agitated, so maybe adrenaline produced sugar. But then again, I shouldn’t forget about the fact that I started limiting what I eat so maybe my normal results are only normal due to that?

I once simulated glucose tolerance test by drinking what I estimated to be 75 grams of sugar. After one hour it went as high as 175 but after 2 hours it was down to 132. So if I judge it based on “under 140 in 2 hours”, then I am fine, but if I judge it based on “under 120 in 2 hours” or “under 140 in 1 hour” then I am not fine. So I don’t know which criteria to use since I see different things on the internet depending on where I look.

At the same time, next day after I took that test I ate cottage cheese with jam and my blood sugar was 155 in 2 hours. I have no idea why one or two spoons of jam affected me more than 75 grams of sugar. Maybe my body was just destabilized due to sugar the previous day so the two things sort of combined? I should mention though that four hours after I had 75 grams of sugar I was down to 80. So that sugar didn’t stay in my system. But could it be that I was destabilized in a different way?

What I see more consistently is if I eat sweet crapes then my sugar can be 144 in an hour and in 130-s in 2 hours. So again it can be interpreted as either good or bad depending on what criteria I use. Should I say 144 is bad because it’s over 140, or should I just say 144 doesn’t matter since it’s just in an hour but rather it’s food I am in 130-s after 2 hours? Or should I say it’s still bad since I should be under 120 in 2 hours rather than under 140?

On the good side, however, if I eat something like meat or fish or vegitables then it is either under 120 or slightly above 120. Sometimes it can even be under 110 and occasionally in the 90s. But then again, does it really count since it’s not sweet?

So this leads to the question: does the blood sugar after meal refer to the average meal or really sweet meal? If it refers to average meal then I can just say I am doing good since meat and fish is a lot closer to average meal than the other stuff. But if it refers to really sweet The 75 grams of glucose in that test seem to suggest it’s really sweet meal then it’s a lot more iffy.

The fact that they have you drink glucose on glucose tolerance test seem to suggest it refers to sweet meal. But then again the fact that I reacted to a couple of spoons of jam more than to 75 grams of sugar seems to suggest that for some reason or other the person reacts to food more which would suggest that maybe it should be average meal.

Oh by the way I also took a1c based on the thing I bought in the store and it is 4.8 So that looks good, but I am not sure whether I can trust it because, unlike the fasting glucose thing, I only had two a1c things in the entire package. The first one I did with the help of the pharmacist since it is too difficult to figure it out and the second one I tried to do at home but I screwed it up so it just gave error message. The 4.8 that I got, I did with the pharmacist. Now I know that a1c is the average over 3 months so there is no point in doing it over and over. But the question is: am I sure the number that it gave me is correct? For example, I was disinfecting my finger over and over instead of doing it just once, so maybe the alcohol diluted the blood sugar. I read the rubbing alcohol can put the fasting result lower than it should be. But can it affect a1c in that way too?

The other thing I am concerned about is that, even if my a1c is, in fact, 4.8, is it truly because I don’t have diabetes or is it because my good diet hides it? I am living with my mom now that school became remote due to pandemic, and my mom always gives me really healthy food. So could it be that I became prediabetic back when I was living away from my mom, and then when I moved to my moms place her diet lowered my a1c while I am still prediabetic all the same? What do you think?

Speaking of diet, few days before I got fasting results in 100-s, I are the whole package of pita with a whole package of butter in two days. But I did those tests a week later so I don’t know if they were able to stay in my system for that long. Also I should mention that I starting limiting what I eat once I saw the results I didn’t like. So should I really feel good about my normal fasting scores or should I say they are just due to my eating less? And by the same token should I feel bad about my high fasting scores or should I just say they were due to my eating all that pita a week earlier and/or due to extreme stress about the topic?

As far as my actual symptoms, occasionally I get cracked heels, and that’s what drew my attention to this on the first place. Also, during the first couple of weeks after I started taking my blood I was extremely thirsty and going to the bathroom a lot. But both of these things went away, so I am not sure if it was just a placebo thing due to my stress about the topic (like I said I couldn’t sleep at night). One thing I do notice right now is that my fingers are cold which I read is one of the symptoms. But then again “sometimes” I am exposed to semi-cold temperature (I like to study in back yard where it can get somewhat chilly but not much). However my fingers remain cold even when I am warm. So can I really say my fingers are cold today because I was cold yesterday or does it require some other explanation besides that.

What does your doctor say?  You should rely on the opinion of an appropriately-trained and licensed medical-care professional, and not a bunch of strangers on a social website devoted to autism spectrum disorders, and if you need a second opinion, you should seek one from another appropriately-trained and licensed medical-care professional.

Go to a doctor. End of story.

Find out if your insurance covers it. I’m sure they cover routine checkups.

Sounds like you might possibly have hypoglycemia, but I find diabetes doubtful. diabetes is about problems with sugar that is too high, which does not seem to be the case. I also would encourage looking at other issues besides what a computer says. I have attempted to use a glucose monitor to gather evidence to better explain hypoglycemia, but the monitor says I am perfectly normal, but the problem I have where I frequently feel like I am about to vomit then goes away when I eat or drink something indicates otherwise.

Don’t be foolish and cheap. Go to a doctor.

What sort of health insurance do you have?

I believe you would be covered.

But contact Blue Cross, anyway, just to make sure.

Actually, I doubt that you’re diabetic, based on what you wrote—but I’m not a doctor.

What you need is an a1c measurement.

4.8 means, definitely, that you’re not diabetic.

See a doctor, nevertheless. Don’t be cheap with your health.

Update: I took a1c and fasting glucose last Feburary. I had 4.8 a1c and 89 fasting glucose. Now, just a week ago I took OGTT. I had 92 fasting glucose this time, and 2 hours after the solution it was 128 (but I am not sure it was exactly 2 hours, it seems like they were few minutes late).

I guess "officially" I didn't cross the pre-diabetes line (which is 100 for fasting, 140 for 2 hour after OGTT, and 5.7 for a1c), but it seems like I am pretty close as far as OGTT and fasting is concerned, don't you think? The only thing where I am safely far away from that line is a1c, but I am Jewish and I heard that a1c might be inaccurate for people with mediterranean descent.

So I been to doctors and tested myself four times. Every test says I don't have either diabetes or pre-diabetes. They do say I have high cholesterol though.

Nevertheless I am still concerned about the blood glucose. Because after I eat a lot of carbs it can jump as high as 180. But when I took OGTT in the lab it never jumped that high. The first OGTT they just told me what it was in 2 hours, which was 128. The second OGTT they measured both in an hour and in 2 hours, in an hour it was 126 and in 2 hours 105.

So apparently my body processes glucose solution better than some of the foods. But how would it help me that my body processes glucose so well if my actual meals include real food? And no, I don't spike after every meal that high. If I eat reasonably well I can keep it under 140 or even 120. But the fact that I can get to 180 after eating just a couple of pastries is rather worrysome.

As far as my fasting glucose, same story. My fasting glucose in the lab was all normal (it was 89, 92 and 91). But at home it can get over 100 at times. More often than not it is in the 90s, but the fact that there are times when it gets over 100 is worrysome too. But the doctor doesn't care: the doctor just says that as long as the labs are normal that is all they go by. But since my glucose changes from day to day, how do I know I wasn't just "lucky" when I was at the labs?

My a1c was normal as well. Back in Feburary it was 4.8 then this June it was 5.1 and this July it was 4.9. But I am a bit skeptical because I am Ashkinazi Jew and I read that people with Mediterranean ancestry might have misleading a1c. That plus also the a1c of 5.1 says my average glucose is 100 while the other two a1c-s say it is even less than that. But based on what I see on the meter, it can't possibly be the case. Because looking at how many times it was above 140, it would have to be below 60 in order to average to 100. But there was only ONE time it ever was below 60 and it was a fluke. It was usually above 90 or, in some of the good days it was 80 and on REALLY good days maybe top 70-s, but said really good days were like last winter, I never had it in the 70-s any time recent. Yet I had plenty of times above 120. So how can it possibly average to 100, I have no idea.

In any case, I know you said I should ask the doctor. But I already did. And all the doctor says is that my official tests were all normal and that is what she goes by. But what about your opinon? Do you think that even though I am not "officially" pre-diabetic, I might be heading in that direction?