 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Diabetes / January 2006What do these test results mean?
A while back I posted to this group and found the answers very good, so I am hoping someone can comment on this. My symptoms are mostly numbness and coldness in my mostly left leg, that vary in severity from mostly very mild to sometimes (before diet change) quite numb in both legs. Going to low sugar, low carb diet has improved the symptoms, but I am also exercising and have lost weight. No obvious genetic history of diabetes in my family. The docs do not know what's wrong, one thought it might be prediabetic. My latest is it Acl/Hemoglobin results fasting were 5.9 and my blood glucose was 95. This is AFTER switching to a low sugar, low carb diet and exercising regularily. Do not know what they were before, but probably about the same, judging from docs comments. Also I took Olazapine for a short time and I understand there is now a collective action on this drug in that people have developed diabetes after taking it. I was only on it a short time. Can anyone offer their opinion on whether these test results might suggest a prediabetic cause of my peripheral neuropathy. I am also have dry eyes requiring frequent drops and dry mouth. Also some minor lower back/kidney area pains. I have lost weight and am at my ideal weight now, age in late 50's. Thanks. oldfart <oldfart@somewhere.org> wrote in news:5qKPGBDEGHA.556@winisp- ti82.winisp.net: > A while back I posted to this group and found the answers very good, so > I am hoping someone can comment on this. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > back/kidney area pains. I have lost weight and am at my ideal weight > now, age in late 50's. Thanks. Almost sounds like you have my doctor. I had the same problem - to many questions and not enough answers. Corner your doctor and make him explain his plans and ideas. It worked for me. >oldfart <oldfart@somewhere.org> wrote in news:5qKPGBDEGHA.556@winisp- >ti82.winisp.net: [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >Corner your doctor and make him explain his plans and ideas. It worked for >me. Believe me, when I say I am no doctor, but have you considered peripehral artery disease, or some other cause of disruption of your circulation? Will, T2 Thanks to all for your replies. Of the ones I got on this server,McKee's replies and Jenny's replies helped. In answer to McKee's question, yes, that is the other possibility, but what test will determine whether it is peripheral arterial or not? My cholesterol readings are consistently high and history of heart disease in family, but no chest pains and I exercise, although it has gotten harder last year or so. Doc says not arterial on the basis of palpitation of the pulse that supplies my lower legs which he says is strong. W.M.McKee <wmmckee@cox.net> wrote in >>oldfart <oldfart@somewhere.org> wrote in news:5qKPGBDEGHA.556@winisp- >>ti82.winisp.net: [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > Will, T2 Hey there, Old.... I am an old fart, too.... har, har... Anyway, I do know a little about some of the issues you raise, although I caution that I am not a doctor. Testing of the pulses in your leg by palpation, as your doctor has apparently done, already, is a quick clinical check. For other more in-depth workups, you could go to a vascular disease specialist, or vascular surgeon, who could order more sophisticated testing that might involve injection of dyes into your veins and arteries to see whether there are areas of impaired circulation. If it is a nerve problem, a specialist in metabolic diseases, such as an endocrinologist, might be in order. You might also get a referral to a neurologist, who could order/ perform an EMG (Electromyelogram), or do other testing, to check specific areas of nerve conductivity. Just some ideas.... Please follow through, and you will get some answers, even if they are not what you want to hear.... Not knowing could be worse. Will, T2 > My latest is it Acl/Hemoglobin results fasting were 5.9 and my blood > glucose was 95. This is AFTER switching to a low sugar, low carb diet > and exercising regularily. Do not know what they were before, but > probably about the same, judging from docs comments. <snip> > Can anyone offer their opinion on whether these test results might > suggest a prediabetic cause of my peripheral neuropathy. I am also have > dry eyes requiring frequent drops and dry mouth. Also some minor lower > back/kidney area pains. I have lost weight and am at my ideal weight > now, age in late 50's. Thanks. When I switched to a low carb diet, my A1c went down to 5.2%. Lots of people here started out with A1cs of 10% or more and dropped that low or even lower. So yes, it is almost certain you probably were more than "pre-diabetic" before you started your current healthy regimen. http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/moreresearch.htm gives some studies that show that you don't have to be frankly diabetic to develop neuropathy. 2 hour Glucose tolerance test results of only 140 mg/dl correlate to a higher incidence of neuropathy and several people on the newsgroup report that staying under that number really helps control their pain. So the chances are that you were simply undiagnosed. You might be one of those people whose post-meal blood sugars are much higher than your fasting sugars. That is often a formula for having your doctor miss the diagnosis as they only do the fasting test on most people until after serious problems (like neuropathy) emerge. Does your doctor have you on Metformin? With blood sugars as high as yours are on a low carb diet, it looks like it might be worth considering. --Jenny http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u Diabetes Info http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood Sugar Under Control Thanks for the good reply Jenny. More inline,... >> My latest is it Acl/Hemoglobin results fasting were 5.9 and my blood >> glucose was 95. This is AFTER switching to a low sugar, low carb diet [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > or even lower. So yes, it is almost certain you probably were more > than "pre-diabetic" before you started your current healthy regimen. Ok, guess I'll have to get the earlier results, but the previous tests the doc said were "on the high side of normal". Can you please advise what the newest guidlines are for A1cs? Is 5.9 considered abnormal or not? What about 95 fasting bg? Previous doc advised me to avoid starchy foods (high glycemic index foods). But I am getting mixed signals from the docs, with one saying no diabetes and the other telling me to watch my diet. I'm thinking maybe the olanzapine ate up my pancreas as there is no history of diabetes in my family; now I see commmercials from lawyers looking for diabetics who took olanzapine. Damn drug companies. Doc wants me to try Lyrica, but that is a new drug also, so am not too keen on it. > http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/moreresearch.htm gives some > studies that show that you don't have to be frankly diabetic to > develop neuropathy. 2 hour Glucose tolerance test results of only 140 > mg/dl correlate to a higher incidence of neuropathy and several people > on the newsgroup report that staying under that number really helps > control their pain. Two random tests with a meter in docs office were lower than 95, but these were not fasting tests. Guess I'll have to buy a meter and get a complete reading. > So the chances are that you were simply undiagnosed. You might be one > of those people whose post-meal blood sugars are much higher than your > fasting sugars. That is often a formula for having your doctor miss > the diagnosis as they only do the fasting test on most people until > after serious problems (like neuropathy) emerge. Well, as I said two random non fasting tests were normal and below 95 as I recall. But I was still on a low sugar diet at that time. > Does your doctor have you on Metformin? With blood sugars as high as > yours are on a low carb diet, it looks like it might be worth > considering. They are either bsing me or they are not up on the latest info,cuz they are telling me I don't have diabetes, yet the tests are borderline from what everyone here has said AND as soon as I upped my exercise and lowered the sugars/carbs in my diet, my symptoms diminished signficantly-the neuropathy is much less now than before, numbness less, lower in the extremity. Still have dry eyes and throat though. > --Jenny > > http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u Diabetes Info > > http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood > Sugar Under Control > Ok, guess I'll have to get the earlier results, but the previous tests > the doc said were "on the high side of normal". Can you please advise > what the newest guidlines are for A1cs? Is 5.9 considered abnormal or > not? 5.9% is considered normal but 6.0% is considered the bottom of the diabetic range. It's a gradient, not a sharp cutoff, though. It's not like there's some magic at some blood sugar level where you're safe and at another you're a gonner. Every bit of elevation over 4.7% which many people now believe is true normal represents an elevation in blood sugar that is probably eroding away at something. >What about 95 fasting bg? This is considered normal but a recent study done on young men in the israeli army found that men who had fasting bgs in the mid and high 90s in conjunction with high cholesterol were much more at risk for developing diabetes and associated problems. Again, true normal looks like it is under 90. Previous doc advised me to avoid starchy > foods (high glycemic index foods). But I am getting mixed signals from > the docs, with one saying no diabetes and the other telling me to watch > my diet. Again, it's a gradient. Diabetes is arbitrarily defined at X level. Every so often the level gets redefined. For example, in 1996 diabetes was defined as a fasting blood sugar of over 140 and normal as anything under 110. In 2000 it was defined as a fasting blood sugar of over 125 and normal was anything under 110. Now normal is defined as anything under 100. In another decade, these defined cutoffs may drop again, as there is a lot of evidence that they were set too high to prevent complications. > I'm thinking maybe the olanzapine ate up my pancreas as there is no > history of diabetes in my family; now I see commmercials from lawyers > looking for diabetics who took olanzapine. Damn drug companies. Doc > wants me to try Lyrica, but that is a new drug also, so am not too keen > on it. There is a lot of evidence that drugs in that family cause permanent diabetes. It was mentioned in the prescribing information, but in a way that did not make it clear that the distortions in blood sugar were permanent. So most doctors ignored it. A huge problem with the standards for prescribing information is that the companies do not have to distinguish between transient and permanent side effects. I have permanent tinnitus thanks to a doctor assuming that the side effect, listed in the PI, was transient. It wasn't. Sorry this had to happen to you!!!! > Two random tests with a meter in docs office were lower than 95, but > these were not fasting tests. Guess I'll have to buy a meter and get a > complete reading. > Well, as I said two random non fasting tests were normal and below 95 as > I recall. But I was still on a low sugar diet at that time. If you can get under 95 using a low sugar, low starch diet, you are in luck and have a way of controlling your diabetes for years to come. It's also important to note that if your diabetes was caused by a drug, it probably WON'T deteriorate the way that genetic diabetes often does, so if you can find a way of eating that controls it, you're all set. But you also have to remember that continued exposure to high blood sugars will harm your remaining pancreas cells, so it is important to keep those low, normal numbers as much as possible. --Jenny http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u Diabetes Info http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood Sugar Under Control >A while back I posted to this group and found the answers very good, so > I am hoping someone can comment on this. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > back/kidney area pains. I have lost weight and am at my ideal weight > now, age in late 50's. Thanks. Hello oldfart There is another test you might ask your Doctor to do which could help settle the issue, a Glucose Tolerance Test. They give you a dose of glucose and then check you at one and two hours to see where your blood is at. A lot of people, as has been pointed out by others, don't have high fasting numbers but do have diabetes and high post prandial numbers. The GTT will catch that. My last A1C was 5.9 and I am T2 without a doubt. Now, if you had come in at 4.5 or something, that would be more normal. If you get a diagnosis, at least you know then, and your insurance will cover a meter and strips and some diabetes education. I hope you don't have it. Also, I was wondering if you are drinking enough water? regards, rudy bantista@thuntek.net |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.