I have been dealing with problems with weakness, fatigue, and these "attacks," during which I have tremors, muscle spasms, muscle weakness...

My dr. did a CBC and said that my glucose is high. Today I went in for another glucose test, but won't have the results for a few days.

I am 27 years old. I am a long-distance runner, and I am 115 lbs, 5'7. I have no family history of diabetes. So, my question is -- what is the likelihood that I am diabetic? I eat healthily, I am thin, I have no family history, and I work out regularly. I have been this way my whole life. Just curious if adult onset diabetes is common in people with my history? I do eat a lot of carbs prior to running...

You may have become "insulin resistant", that is your body is not able to handle the amount of carbs you consume at any one time.

Since you are not overweight, not sure what to tell you.

Skinny people have been known to have diabetes also.

When you had the bloodwork done, did you drink grape juice in large quantity or indulge in high carb meal night before? If so, this may be the reason it was high, body was not able to handle that much carbs.

Maybe the next test will tell the story better for you.

Did they do the HbA1c test that averages glucose over the past 3 months? If not, they should.

Marie

Yes, I did eat a meal before the test -- It probably did have carbs in it (though I can't remember).

I have had problems in the past with being hypoglycemic. So, I don't know if that means anything. I must apologize, as I am pretty ignorant about this whole thing. I guess I was thinking that if they say I am diabetic, I am not sure what lifestyle changes I would make. I suppose I could start eating whole grains before a long run... but I don't smoke, don't drink, and already exercise.

This is not to say I think all diabetics are chain-smoking, alcoholic, over-eaters... We had a family friend who was diabetic and was told to lose weight, stop smoking, and eat better. So, that was why I was asking about those things.

I will know soon enough, I guess. I am not a fan of over-induglence, so if I find out I am diabetic, then I will approach it seriously and do my best to make positive changes... I don't think it will be easy, but I won't whine either. I will be lucky enough to know what has caused my symptoms, and that is all that matters. It could always be worse... Thanks for your help.

In reading posts on this site, it seems that most people are conscientious, realistic, and well-informed. That is impressive.

Hi there, You sound alot like me. I am 28 years old and get the same hypoglycemic episodes. They have gotten worse over the past 5 years so that if I don't eat meals by a certain time, I am sure to have a hypoglycemic reaction. I am working with my doctor right now to learn more. Sometimes, not always, if I drink something high in sugar like orange juice, my sugar goes up to 200 for about 5 hours afterwards. He labelled me pre-diabetic. Does that mean I will get diabetes? Maybe, maybe not. I am just exhibiting some of the signs of complications before the onset of diabetes. He did many blood tests, a glucose tolerance test, etc. I used to eat a very heavy carb diet-being italian. I have completely cut all of that out. I now eat more protiens-fish, chicken, turkey in place of the carbs. Lots of greens, stuff like that. Stay away from sugars. It has helped somewhat because the intensity of my hypoglycemic attacks has subsided a little. Exercise is also really important. It sounds like you already do that-so maybe you just shouldn't over exert yourself. This is another problem of mine. If I exercise too much, I can be sure of a hypoglycemic reaction-but if I take it steady and do my exercise at a precise time every day, my sugar tends to run better. I could write about this all day. Check out some of my other posts, because it sounds like you and I are in very similar situations. You should definitely check with your doctor about changing any habits that could be aggravating your sugar levels. I have passed out several times, and in most cases, people do not know what to do for you. Also, when you get hypoglycemia you sometimes can't think for yourself. You get the strangest thoughts and things that make no sense normally, seem to make all the sense in the world-like allowing yourself to pass out. So be careful! Maybe your doctor should give you a GTT. This can tell the doctor alot. Maybe you just need to eat more before you run. For now, when you do get the shakes, eat a snack with some carbs and protein. The carbs give you an immediate rush and the protien will follow for later. The best one that people always recommend is peanut butter crackers. Good Luck!

Two other things I forgot-weight does not necessarily have anything to do with these problems:
1. I am not overweight-I wear a juniors size 7, but my weight is high. People always comment that I don't look like I'm 150. I attribute that to muscle weight. I asked the doctor about this and he didn't think it was problematic. When I exercise alot I gain even more weight and I've gone as high as 165 when working out heavily.
2. My brother is diabetic and is skinny as a rail and very muscular without trying, but he also weighs alot.

Moderate excercise is great at lowering glucose levels, but too much excercise can raise your gluocose levels. In any event, you need to do a fasting glucose test...meaning that you don't eat or drink (other than water) for 8 hours prior to the test.

Dee Dee, there is no such thing as Pre-Diabetic. If your Glucose is consistently over 140. You are Diabetic, type 2 period. Good thing is with it not getting too high it is easily controlled by diet and excersise. I would stick to a diabetic diet and get your sugar tested regularly. If diet and excersise does not get it down to normal levels within a few weeks you may need medication to help. Doctors who call this Pre-Diabetic are trying to "sugar coat" your diagnosis (pardon the pun) and that can be dangerous to you because if you dont treat it now in a matter of time, sometimes just weeks your blood sugar can skyrocket. You may want to go ahead and invest now in a testing kit and test your sugar at home 2-3 hours after meals (keep a food diary) and track it for awhile and share the results with your doctor.

gracieathome, I guess the good part of my situation is that it is not consistently running high. Maybe that is why the doctor called me pre-diabetic? Typically, my sugar runs too low. I do test and have kept a log for the last month. I don't know if that makes a difference. My brother is Type 1 diabetic since he was a child. My mother was told she had "borderline diabetes" when she went in the hospital for a routine surgery, after her sugar went up from the IV. Her sugar runs fine otherwise. Maybe borderline diabetes is another one of those labels that really means something else. I still have more tests and consulting to with my doctor at the end of the month, so who knows what will happen? I don't really care what I am labelled as long as I am taking care of myself correctly. From all the people that post here, it seems like there are all different levels caring for/managing diabetes. I don't know if thats medically true, but it just appears that different people have different levels of complications, risk and sugar levels. Everybody's body works differently I suppose.