Im 35 weeks pregnant and although i passed a 1 hour glucose test earlier in my pregnancy, my doctor still thinks i might be diabetic and gave me a glucose meter to use for one week. He told me to not change my diet at all and test first thing in the morning, and 1 hour after each meal.Yesterday when i woke up my reading was 72. After breakfast lunch and dinner it was 128, 145, and 154 respectively.
Today when i woke up my reading was 112. After breakfast lunch, and dinner it was 136, 119, and 142.
As far as i know, anything over 140 is diabetic so im a little confused as to whether or not im diabetic or not. Some of my readings are just fine and only a few are high. My appointment isnt for 3 more days and ill discuss my results then, but so far based on my results, does it look i have gestational diabetes or no?
thanks in advance :)
Skeptic - Most home glucose meters are very inconsistent and unreliable. The nutrition specialists I trust recommend treating type II diabetes through diet and lifestyle changes instead of or in addition to medications. A whole plant based diet that is carefully planned will provide enough protein and fiber to keep the blood sugar level steady. Most type II diabetics can "cure" their condition through diet and moderate exercise. Stop eating excess salt, sugar, oils, and refined foods.
ReplyDeleteAfter going on a "whole plant based" diet, I went from pre-diabeties to perfect blood work. The best experts on this subject include Dr. Neal Barnard or Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The majority of your diet should be plant based.
CarbonDated - Your numbers are normal. Your doctor is looking to get higher pay (insurance pays more if you have GD). Regular readings over 150 are a potential problem, not 140. People with perfectly normal blood systems occasionally go over 140 after a meal. You barely tip over and that is based on a meter, not a lab test. Current Food and Drug Administration standards require that blood glucose meters be accurate within 20 percentage points of lab readings. That's still a lot of variability. I'll bet that 154 is from mashed potatoes. If you have baked instead of any other variety, you will find that your blood sugar is much lower. If you have enough strips, test yourself twice. I'll bet you find that the readings can be very different (also, make sure you wash your hands before testing as food residue can give inaccurate results).
ReplyDeleteDon't let your doctor diagnose GD when it is clear you don't have it based on both HIS lab test and your meter tests. For one thing, getting life insurance gets costly. If he has concerns, agree to change your diet, but insist he not put GD as a diagnosis. All you have to do with your diet is reduce your starches and increase vegetables (such as have a salad or twice the green beans).
TheOrange Evil - I completely disagree with CarbonDated. Blood sugar up to 150 mg/dL is not "normal." In fact, 140 mg/dL, while considered non-diabetic, isn't even that normal since non-diabetics rarely, if ever, spike that high at any point after eating. In fact, most non-diabetics don't seem to go much over 120 mg/dL after a meal and surprisingly many don't even cross 100 mg/dL.
ReplyDeleteThere's research suggesting that diabetic complications begin when blood sugar is persistently over 140 mg/dL and that the immune system becomes compromised when blood sugar is regularly over 120 mg/dL, so if anything up to 150 mg/dL is normal, then what is normal?
People who do not have diabetes don't have to reduce sugar and starches to reduce blood sugar. My friend ate 100+ grams of carbohydrates in one sitting and was a little over 100 mg/dL at one hour and in the 80s by two hours. He doesn't have to eat a low-carbohydrate diet to have normal blood sugar and no amount of mashed potatoes or sugar would ever make him spike into the 150s. Please don't follow CarbonDated's advice - keep pursuing this because diabetes is very serious.
Let's break down your readings on both days. On the first day, your fasting was 100% normal. Your post-breakfast number was normal, but on the high end of normal. Your lunch and dinner numbers were elevated.
On the second day, your fasting was in pre-diabetic range (100-125 mg/dL). Your breakfast was on the high end of normal/elevated, your lunch was normal, and your dinner was elevated.
I'm not a doctor and I can't diagnose you, but I suspect these readings will prompt your doctor to test you further for diabetes.
M T - It sounds like you are checking after meals. It is normal for a nondiabetic to go up a bit after a meal but should be back to a good range by 2 hours after the meal.
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