Blood sugar levels? - Diabetes Message Board

sher56 · 05-17-2004, 11:47 AM

Hello,I am a 31 year old female who weighs 148 and I am 5'6.My father was a type two diabetic and my sister is a type one who was diagnosed at age 10.The last test I had for diabetes was about two years ago while I was pregnant.I had to do the fasting test.Everything came back normal then. The other day I went to see my sister that has diabetes and decided to check my sugar on her machine it was 136.My question is would the fact that I had two sodas and a doughnut a couple of hours before make this number that high.I don't normally drink soda but had no other choice where I was staying and the doughnut was a lapse in judgement.But anyway I eat healthy most of the time.But I do eat one sweet a day and I love my sweet tea!But I don't add that much sugar to it!I am just worried that I have diabetes.I want to make an appointment with my doctor but I have no insurance and I already have an appointment in three months so I don't want to spend the $300 that I don't have for a doctor visit that I don't need.I guess I am just asking if this 136 means I have diabetes?

Path-To-Truth · 05-17-2004, 01:23 PM

Yes...you could have type 2 diabetes, which produces some insulin, but just not enough. I have it too and the levels can go up or down any given day, depending on your overall health and food intake. With type 2 diabetes, it is possible to have the results come back in the normal range after a fast before the blood test. I would load up on starchy foods and a soda a couple hours before your doctors visit to test and register any abnormal levels the doctors may tend to overlook with testing before a fast...and they will if you let them. You can always do the fasting test at a later time other than your initial doctors visit. Try testing with your sisters machine again at different times. Try a couple hours after eating something particularly sweet to see what the results are and record eveything. I would not suggest overdooing it with the sweets or eating things outside of your normal regimine, but a couple of days of testing after each meal should give a good idea, including a couple of fasting tests between days. Good luck

modert · 05-17-2004, 03:08 PM

The chances are that you are T2 diabetic - a non-diabetic would produce natural insulin to counteract the the sugar in the soda and donut. A non-diabetic would not likely test higher than 126 2-3 hours after eating.

I don't think you need to (nor is it a good idea) to load up on unhealthy carbs to get your doctor to address this. Just tell them that you tested yourself and what the results were, and have them run a hemoglobin A1C test (the next time you go) which will indicate if your sugar has been running high consistantly over the last 3 months.

Regardless, the fact that you had a high reading is concern enough to start modifying your diet accordingly! Even if you don't have an official diagnosis, the chances are you are either diabetic or insulin resistant and dietary changes are in needed. I won't tell you to wait to see your doctor, that is a choice you have to make, but you can certainly make adjustments in your lifestyle to help yourself, until you get back to the doctor.

Most people do not want to hear that they need to change their diet, but you can feel blessed that you are able to address this before you experience severe problems associated with diabetes such as vision loss, neuropathy (nerve damage), and kidney failure. I don't mean to scare you, but diabetics who are experiencing these problems certainly wish that they had been able to control sooner or more effectively, and it's often too late. You can prevent these problems by taking control now.

You say that you didn't have choices to eat or drink because of where you were. You cannot let this happen to you in the future - you should always have choices even if you have to carry food with you. I go NOWHERE without 2 substantial, healthy snacks, and a lot of filtered water. If I go away for longer I bring food (groceries) with me. I don't eat out unless the restaurant can accommodate my needs. Sometimes I call ahead to my destination to see if they can buy me some items I know I will need. When invited to dinner, I am not afraid to tell friends and family that I have special needs and always offer to bring my own food if they are not able to modify the menu for me.

There is a good thread on this board that outlines some suggestions for a balanced diet that will help control blood glucose. As you will read, there are many different types of diets that will help you control blood glucose - this will be an individual choice you make for yourself.
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=172467&page=1&pp=5

At a real high level you should consider avoiding all foods made with refined sugar or heavy in sugar (donuts, regular sodapop, fruit juice, cookies, candy etc). You probably should not have your daily sweet anymore - but you may be able to substitute it with something that you love (I really love my apples now, and I have found some interesting health-food snacks that do not have sugar or high carb that are very delicious.) You should also always eat protein with carbs... no matter what... this helps stabilize your blood glucose levels - a piece of cheese, some peanut butter, even a glass of milk. And as far as carbs go, you want to eliminate all refined carbs - anything made with white flour, especially highly processed foods (white bread, pasta, pancakes, starchy cereals). There are some delicious breads that are only 9 carbs per slice that are not loaded with chemicals (Arnold Bakery Lite is fantastic). Some diabetics can eat small portions of brown rice or baked potatoes, others cannot, but these are natural, complex, fibrous carbs - so still a better choice over bread and pasta. You will also want to avoid any "low-carb" foods that are loaded with sugar alchohols and fermentable carbs (usually they are labeled with a "low net carb" label and they are really bad for you in other ways!)

There are lots of people here who will help you and give advice if you want it, but the bottom line is, you have to be willing and ready for change to be successful.

magpie34 · 05-18-2004, 01:25 AM

Do you fully realise that a large bottle of coke or soda(?) when crystalized, will produce 13 teaspoons of sugar. Do you realise that before sugar was found and manufactured, there was never a case of diabetes.

CobaltBlue · 05-18-2004, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magpie34

Do you fully realise that a large bottle of coke or soda(?) when crystalized, will produce 13 teaspoons of sugar. Do you realise that before sugar was found and manufactured, there was never a case of diabetes.

Magpie, granted that soft drinks are sugar-loaded, and they do contribute in dental cavities and the overall obesity epidemic (and thus indirectly to diabetes); however, it's not the sugar itself that is the cause of the diabetes. There are plenty who post in here that did not have diets containing large amounts of sugar prior to the development of diabetes.

Also, where did you read that before sugar was found and manufactered, there was never a case of diabetes? This seems to relate to the misconception that sugar causes diabetes.

The earliest case of diabetes that I have read about was diagnosed by Hesy-Ra in 1522 B.C. and later Arateus in ~ 50 A.D.

The sugar creating process to form crystals was developed in India around 500 B.C.
Sugar was cultivatied by Alexander the Great in 327 B.C.
Columbus found sugar cane growing off Hispaniola on his 2nd voyage to the New World in 1493. By the late 1600s, sugar was all over Europe. Sugar cultivation in the U.S. began in 1690. The per capita sugar consumption has tripled since the 1900s (according to Lappe).