Confused with Sugar Levels?

Question

I’m confused and need help. 1 ½ year ago I was pre-diabetic 2hr GTT was 187 mg/dl. I am not overweight. I always had high cholesterol, not from my diet. I took meds and nothing happened.
I always get severe-shakes, sugar helps. I lost my vision a lot and I have floaters. When I did my GTT I was thirsty a lot and bathroom too. But now I am more dry mouth and I don’t care :)
my glucose monitor results are never the same. Someday I will be high (in the 200’s) post-meals and somedays I will be 70-105 mg.
I did another GTT and my 2hr was 125 mg :(? I feel worst than last year. My cholesterol is high, my good cholesterol low and Triglyceride high. My blood pressure is 173/177. I read that if your Triglyceride/HDL is above 2, it can mean insulin resistance, I’m at 3.15. Anyways, with my recent GTT my GP wanted me on anti-depressant. I am seeing an endo soon :) Is it possible my glucose levels are all over and it makes it difficult on the monitor or GTT. what's wrong with me?

Answer 1

GTT stands for glucose (sugar) tolerance test, and it tells your doctor how your system is handling glucose. A normal glucose is figured to be at 100. If your blood sugar is too high, it can cause very severe problems over a number of years, such as blindness, heart, kidney problems, blood pressure which leads to stroke, and is the main reason for amputations of feet due to lack of circulation and wounds that won't heal. So it's very important to do what you can to control blood sugar!
It's good you are seeing an endocrinologist, because he's the specialist who can give you the most help in controlling the problem. When you are able to get the glucose/insulin under control, you can live a near normal life. If you feel like you must have sugar, you should choose something like orange juice or raisins, because it's not such a rush as candy. Best luck!

Answer 2

Blood sugar levels vary greatly, from day to day, even from hour to hour. It largely depends on WHEN, WHAT, and HOW MUCH you've eaten. NORMAL blood sugars are 80-120 (US measurements, 5-6 European). immediately after you eat (like 15 minutes) your blood sugar will SPIKE to some high value, like 250-300 (US). Then you body's insulin kicks in and the blood sugar level drops back to normal (80-120) after about 90-120 minutes. This is the normal expected response from a healthy body. That "spike" will vary depding in what you ate. If you ate 1/2 a cheese cake and washed it down with a vanilla milkshake, then your eading will spike to 300-400. If you have a peice of broiled chicken breast and some unsweetened iced tea, the spike will only go to about 150. Readings of 60 US (4.0 European) is low -- that shows that your body is running out of fuel! You need to eat more. This condition is called hypoglycemia, and the primary feeling it produces is sudden tiredness. If your reasdng drops too much lower (less than 60 US) you will feel disoriented and dizzy (like being drunk). You might faint. This could be dangerous if you faint while you are driving! If your readings get really low (40 US) you could faint, go into a coma, and die. People often treat temporary hypoglycemia with a "sugar fix" by eating something sweet or drinking a cola. This will give you an immediate "high", but then you will "crash" again, feeling worse than you did before. If you are not diabetic, you need to be sure that your are eating nutritious properly blanced meals, and eating three meals a day. DO NOT skip meals, especially breakfast. Just as importantly, stop using the glucoe meter! It seems that you do not understand how your blood sugars fluctuate from hour to hour, and you are confusing and scaring yourself! Ask the doctor to do an A1C test once every 6 months. This is a reletively new test (3-4 years), and it is MUCH more accuracte at determining diabetes (or not) and hypoglycemia. Your doctor will do this very simple test and discuss the rssults with you.

Answer 3

It sounds to me like you could have diabetes now. My grandma only developed diabetes when she was in her 40's and she is now insulin dependant and gives herself insulin shots everyday. You can get diabetes at any age. If you are not getting the help you need from your present doctor, then Find A New One. Untreated diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney disease, nerve damage, limb amputations and heart disease. You seem to already be having the vision problems. You may need to go on daily insulin shots and you need to make sure to check your sugar many times every day. Especially before meals, before you are supposed to take your insulin (you may not need the shot, if your sugar is too low) and Before You Go To Bed. You need to get your body and meals on a regimented schedule, according to your sugar needs. It will be hard in the beginning, but a regular schedule and always being aware of your sugar level will save your life someday.
Here is some more info on diabetes taken from a diabetes website:

How do I know if I have diabetes? What are diabetes symptoms?

There are no easy ways to recognize diabetes symptoms. You cannot look at a person and tell if he or she has diabetes.

Diabetes is identified by fasting blood sugar levels, measured on two occasions, of 126 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) or more.

Pre-diabetes is a condition (not a true disease) that is identified by blood sugar levels which are higher than normal (110 – 125 mg/dL) but not yet in the diabetic range or by a fasting glucose less than 126 mg/dL and a 2 hour glucose tolerance blood sugar test result of between 140 and 199 mg/dL. People with this condition are more than 50% more likely to suffer from diabetes related heart conditions.


What are other diabetes symptoms?

* Extreme hunger
* Consistently elevated blood sugar (blood glucose) levels
* Increased thirst
* Increased fatigue
* Blurred vision
* Irritability
* Frequent urination
* Pain or neuritis (loss of feeling, strange tinglings, etc) in the extremities
* Rapid and unexpected weight loss in obese individuals

My grandma also got bad yeast infections before she was diagnosed with diabetes.

God Bless! I hope you start feeling better soon.