Newbie Question.scared..please help!
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dizneedana
Posts: 40 Member
A month ago my family physician let me know my fasting blood glucose test was high. She thinks I also have P.C.O.S. and the 2 go hand in hand. Well, I went and bought a meter from Target and have been testing my blood. I just took my 2 hr after Dinner and it was 247. I have never noticed it that high before. The machine flashed "keytones" and beeped. I have no idea if I should be alarmed or what exactly it means. I have had high readings so I am sure I am type 2 probably but have never had it this high. Is this # scary high like I should go to the Dr. Or am I O.K.? Please help...Thanks. Also...My Dr. Is sending me to a endocrinologist but can't get in until Dec. 3 :-( seems so long from now!
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Hi! Yes, those numbers can be scary as well as the diagnosis. But with knowledge comes power to make some decisions and change those numbers.
There are many different ways to get those numbers down. Some folks like the low carb, high fat while others control glucose using a limited carb (less than 100). It is good you got a meter and test your reaction after you eat to see how your own body responds to certain foods. December 3 is a while away but does allow a good deal of time to experiment with diet and exercise.
For me, my naturopath doctor challenged me to have less than 30 carbs per day and while I've not met that goal consistently, making a change to a much, much lower carb diet has significantly improved my weight, a1C, cholesterol and other health indicators. Have you tested your a1C? That'd let you know another piece of info - how your body responds long-term.
Best wishes and welcome
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Hi! Yes, those numbers can be scary as well as the diagnosis. But with knowledge comes power to make some decisions and change those numbers.
There are many different ways to get those numbers down. Some folks like the low carb, high fat while others control glucose using a limited carb (less than 100). It is good you got a meter and test your reaction after you eat to see how your own body responds to certain foods. December 3 is a while away but does allow a good deal of time to experiment with diet and exercise.
For me, my naturopath doctor challenged me to have less than 30 carbs per day and while I've not met that goal consistently, making a change to a much, much lower carb diet has significantly improved my weight, a1C, cholesterol and other health indicators. Have you tested your a1C? That'd let you know another piece of info - how your body responds long-term.
Best wishes and welcome
No I have not had the a1c test yet that I know of. I have been watching my carbs here on MFP and completely cut out sugared drinks but tonight my family went out to eat. I was drinking at least 6 cokes a day prior to finding out my glucose was high a month ago. I know eating out was my downfall tonight but how concerned should I be with 247? Is that number something that could send me in to a coma or should I just watch it better going forward? Basically...how high is rush to the ER high? Thank you for the response!!!0 -
Hi @dizneedana It won't put you in a coma, but it is doing long term damage to your organs - so scary, but not run to the ER scary! Once you get into the endo, you will get more help and advice, but the people here are great at help and support. I'm sure some of them will be along that know more than me with additional advice and ideas. Welcome to the group! 0
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pjwoodhouse wrote: »Hi @dizneedana It won't put you in a coma, but it is doing long term damage to your organs - so scary, but not run to the ER scary! Once you get into the endo, you will get more help and advice, but the people here are great at help and support. I'm sure some of them will be along that know more than me with additional advice and ideas. Welcome to the group!
Thanks so much!0 -
You can get an over the counter a1c kit at any pharmacy or Amazon for not that much ($20 range) and it will give you a much better idea of where your health is currently. That way when you make changes, you will know how far you've come. 6 sodas will not be doing you any favors. Besides the sugar, the carbonated portion is a problem because your body has to take calcium stores to neutralize its acid. Although more expensive, I've discovered the Bai5 drinks which use erythritol. They taste amazing! a real treat - especially that coconut one. It doesn't taste fake either. There are several natural sodas that do not use sugar (Zevia for example) that you might like instead. For me, it's been about substituting a higher for a lower carb version. Also, you should study glycemic load to get a better understanding of how those carbs work.0
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You can get an over the counter a1c kit at any pharmacy or Amazon for not that much ($20 range) and it will give you a much better idea of where your health is currently. That way when you make changes, you will know how far you've come. 6 sodas will not be doing you any favors. Besides the sugar, the carbonated portion is a problem because your body has to take calcium stores to neutralize its acid. Although more expensive, I've discovered the Bai5 drinks which use erythritol. They taste amazing! a real treat - especially that coconut one. It doesn't taste fake either. There are several natural sodas that do not use sugar (Zevia for example) that you might like instead. For me, it's been about substituting a higher for a lower carb version. Also, you should study glycemic load to get a better understanding of how those carbs work.
Thanks for the reply. I will look tomorrow for the a1c tests. When I cut sugared sodas out a month ago I replaced them with carbonated flavored water sweetened with Splenda. Maybe that is not good either. I will look for the Bai5. I will also research the glycemic load also. Thanks for the great info!0 -
One thing most doctors want is your fasting blood sugar readings. There is another conversation in this group where we post our FBS readings every day. This reading needs to be quickly after waking up (within 10-15 minutes) and before any food/drink other than water. If you start testing like this you will start to see where you are now and it can help guide you to where you need to make changes to improve. Plus you could have over a months worth of readings to share with the specialist which will be really helpful! I keep my carbs to under 100 and with doing that and mild exercise and my medication I'm consistently seeing FBS readings under 100. Hang in there and the fact that you are concerned is a huge mark in your favor!0
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This is good to know. Due to recent infection that put me in the hospital, every sip of drink/bite of food was punished by strong insulin shots, including water. Now that I'm better, I'm relieved to hear that I can breathe without insulin with a clean conscience!One thing most doctors want is your fasting blood sugar readings. There is another conversation in this group where we post our FBS readings every day. This reading needs to be quickly after waking up (within 10-15 minutes) and before any food/drink other than water. If you start testing like this you will start to see where you are now and it can help guide you to where you need to make changes to improve. Plus you could have over a months worth of readings to share with the specialist which will be really helpful! I keep my carbs to under 100 and with doing that and mild exercise and my medication I'm consistently seeing FBS readings under 100. Hang in there and the fact that you are concerned is a huge mark in your favor!0 -
@zcb94 - I saw where you mentioned that the other day (water/insulin). Is that for real? I always seem to take a quick gulp of water when I wake up (dry mouth) and I'm assuming it never affects my readings but I'm by no means an expert. But so long as I follow my plan of eating lower carb, moving more and being consistent with my meds I've been successful with low FBS readings.0
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Frankly, I'm not sure, but I can't help but think that it would affect readings because, for the most part, drinking is not fasting (as in pre-surgery NPO rules). Furthermore, unless you want to, um, feel the water leave your body later, it's gotta warm up. That takes calories, which will throw your readings off if you're not careful. I'll clearly need to do more research, but that's what makes the most sense right now. Therefore, I really try to go NPO after falling asleep, until I do morning sugar test. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll be right back with some research done.@zcb94 - I saw where you mentioned that the other day (water/insulin). Is that for real? I always seem to take a quick gulp of water when I wake up (dry mouth) and I'm assuming it never affects my readings but I'm by no means an expert. But so long as I follow my plan of eating lower carb, moving more and being consistent with my meds I've been successful with low FBS readings.0 -
Ok, I may be wrong, but still don't know for sure. Healthline.com shares this:
However, drinking enough water to take certain medicines, and the meds themselves, may harm diabetics. Healthline goes on to warn us:If you are having a fasting glucose test, you should not eat or drink for eight hours before your test. You can only drink plain water. You may want to schedule a fasting glucose test first thing in the morning, so you do not have to fast during the day.
I still don't know what to think, but do apologize to @mrron2u for unnecessarily heating up the discussion. I'm definitely going to ask my doctor, too! If anyone has any other evidence, please post it!Always tell your doctor about the medications you are on—including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal supplements. He or she may ask you to stop taking some medications or decide to change the dosage before your test.
Medications that can affect blood glucose levels include:
acetaminophen
corticosteroids
steroids
diuretics
oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
hormone therapy
aspirin
atypical antipsychotics
lithium
epinephrine
tricyclic antidepressants
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
phenytoin
sulfonylurea medications0 -
Me too! Now that I'm looking more closely, I see that the article warns us NOT to eat or drink, and suggests that we only have plain water before testing, in the same breath! To sip or not to sip, that is the question!
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One thing most doctors want is your fasting blood sugar readings. There is another conversation in this group where we post our FBS readings every day. This reading needs to be quickly after waking up (within 10-15 minutes) and before any food/drink other than water. If you start testing like this you will start to see where you are now and it can help guide you to where you need to make changes to improve. Plus you could have over a months worth of readings to share with the specialist which will be really helpful! I keep my carbs to under 100 and with doing that and mild exercise and my medication I'm consistently seeing FBS readings under 100. Hang in there and the fact that you are concerned is a huge mark in your favor!
dizneedana--This is excellent advice which has been working out well for me too!...and I'd add to continue documenting your 2hr post-meal blood sugar results (& what you ate into the food diary on MFP) to learn how various foods & amounts affect those readings. By the time you have your endocrinologist appointment, you'll have a wealth of specific information about how your body reacts to "sugar" (& carbs) for the endocrinologist to evaluate.
dizneedana: A Personal Note: when I started my diet back in February 2015, my fasting blood sugars were just over 300 mg/dL (& my A1C was 11.4, which is very high) and even if I did a 24hr fast (i.e. ate nothing for 24 hrs), the following morning my fasting blood sugar only came down to about 250 mg/dL and I felt tired & exhausted (felt like I "starved" for 24 hrs despite having plenty of sugar in my blood that my body seemed to ignore). Now (October2015) my fasting blood sugars are almost always under 100 mg/dL and my 2hr post-meal blood sugars are < 140 mg/dL and a "side effect" of having my blood sugars under good control is reduced "cravings" for carbs (& sugar) making it easier to make healthy food choices which also resulted in weight loss (about 50 pounds) that further helps to keep my blood sugars under good control.
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This is good to know. Due to recent infection that put me in the hospital, every sip of drink/bite of food was punished by strong insulin shots, including water. Now that I'm better, I'm relieved to hear that I can breathe without insulin with a clean conscience!One thing most doctors want is your fasting blood sugar readings. There is another conversation in this group where we post our FBS readings every day. This reading needs to be quickly after waking up (within 10-15 minutes) and before any food/drink other than water. If you start testing like this you will start to see where you are now and it can help guide you to where you need to make changes to improve. Plus you could have over a months worth of readings to share with the specialist which will be really helpful! I keep my carbs to under 100 and with doing that and mild exercise and my medication I'm consistently seeing FBS readings under 100. Hang in there and the fact that you are concerned is a huge mark in your favor!
Anytime the body is under "stress" (& an infection is "stressful" for the body to deal with), blood sugars can go up (due to the liver dumping sugar into the bloodstream) or down (due to too much insulin getting dumped into the bloodstream) in response to that "stress".
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Ah. That makes so much more sense! However, I'd think that the hospital care team would know that they were over-correcting my BGs, and stop causing insulin OD, but it practically came as a constant stream.BarneyRubbleMD wrote: »
This is good to know. Due to recent infection that put me in the hospital, every sip of drink/bite of food was punished by strong insulin shots, including water. Now that I'm better, I'm relieved to hear that I can breathe without insulin with a clean conscience!One thing most doctors want is your fasting blood sugar readings. There is another conversation in this group where we post our FBS readings every day. This reading needs to be quickly after waking up (within 10-15 minutes) and before any food/drink other than water. If you start testing like this you will start to see where you are now and it can help guide you to where you need to make changes to improve. Plus you could have over a months worth of readings to share with the specialist which will be really helpful! I keep my carbs to under 100 and with doing that and mild exercise and my medication I'm consistently seeing FBS readings under 100. Hang in there and the fact that you are concerned is a huge mark in your favor!
Anytime the body is under "stress" (& an infection is "stressful" for the body to deal with), blood sugars can go up (due to the liver dumping sugar into the bloodstream) or down (due to too much insulin getting dumped into the bloodstream) in response to that "stress". 0 -
Thank you all for the knowledge! My blood sugars are some better but still higher than normal. I am keeping a log of my fasting blood sugar and 2 hrs post meals. I am documenting all my food here on MFP. One question I have is that it looks like my glucose is higher at 3 hrs post meal that at 2 hrs. Could it be that my body is doing something strange with digestion? Should I be testing at 3 hrs too? Just wondering. Thanks!0
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dizneedana wrote: »Thank you all for the knowledge! My blood sugars are some better but still higher than normal. I am keeping a log of my fasting blood sugar and 2 hrs post meals. I am documenting all my food here on MFP. One question I have is that it looks like my glucose is higher at 3 hrs post meal that at 2 hrs. Could it be that my body is doing something strange with digestion? Should I be testing at 3 hrs too? Just wondering. Thanks!
If you have enough test strips, I'd recommend post-meal testing a few times to determine when your peak post-meal blood sugar value is happening--when that happens can be different for everyone. I'm having to change my post-meal measurement time to 1-hour after first bite (or first sip for my morning breakfast protein shake) since my recent blood sugars measurements every 30 minutes (from 30 minutes after first bite to 3 hours after first bite) indicated that my peak post-meal blood sugar value is occurring at about 1 hour after the start of the meal. That seems to be holding true regardless of which meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner). That surprised me since my breakfast meal is a protein shake (i.e. all liquid) that I finish in 5 minutes whereas my lunch or dinner meal takes me 30-45 minutes to finish. I was expecting my breakfast blood sugar peak to happen earlier (maybe at 30 minutes) and expected my peak blood sugar for "solid food" lunch or dinner meals to happen later (maybe at 2 hours or more since it takes me longer to finish those meals). I was very surprised that all my meals seem to show my blood sugar peaks happening at about 1 hour after first bite (or sip) rather than at the "typical" 2-hour post-meal time--and therefore, I've been missing some of those "true" post-meal peak blood sugar measurements. My post-meal blood sugar measurements for breakfast, in particular, show my blood sugars dropping back down to the pre-meal value within 2 hours after first "sip" which is what gave me the idea to test more frequently to determine just where my post-meal blood sugar peaks occur.
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First don't be scared. That will raise you stress level and your blood sugars. Kidding. But remember that A1C is a 3 month average and so it will take time to get that down to acceptable levels and maintain it. During that time make lifestyle changes like diet, portions, and exercise. Carbs and sugars need to be reduced and managed for the rest of our lives. Testing is a good indicator of food reaction but for me, I don't look at each individual number and freak out. I am concerned more the overall averages. If I can stick close to the acceptable averages then I am happy. Testing a few times a day will help you get your current averages and make good life choices to improve those averages over time. My A1C started at 7.6 and is now 5.9 which is considered a good improvement for me. Your results may vary. Good luck and don't freak out.0
