High Glucose (Hemoglobin A1C). How bad off am I? Can it be "fixed? (blood, diet)

[nicet4]

I am a male in my mid 60's, I do not take any medication of any kind and I am 20 lbs overweight. I know, compared to some my problems are slight but two months ago I got the following blood test results.


Up to the test I was bad, never had any issues before in my life so at work it has always been donuts, pizza for lunch and then there was the Milk Duds kick. Never had Milk Duds before but tried some, really liked em and went a bit overboard for a good month prior to taking the blood tests.

So for over two months I really cut out sweets and carbs from my diet and a few days ago I purchased a Free Style glucose meter because I got to get this under control.

Yesterday
133 7:30 AM fasting
177 10:30 PM three hours after an evening meal of corn bread and single piece chocolate cake for desert.

Today
141 6:30 AM fasting
93 1:31 PM after eating almonds. Skipped lunch, coffee for breakfast (no sugar).
157 11:30 PM 3 hours after eating dinner of home made pizza. Also had a small bit of chocolate earlier in day.

My eating habits are atrocious except when the wife cooks and I eat at home. She cooks healthy, the pizza was the first pizza in months and made with low fat cheese, whole wheat flour etc.

I know the one that counts is the Hemoglobin A1C with two months of "watching it" and seeing as how my glucose hasn't been close to the 244 on the blood tests would I be correct in assuming the Hemoglobin A1C dropped as well?

I got to somehow get this under control for an FAA flight physical I have coming up. My understanding is diabetes will cause the loss of a flight physical certificate quicker than just about anything other than a heart attack. Anyone have any experience with this?

[nicet4]

Just took a test @ 6:21 AM and got 119.

[Trivettes]

One way to help get your blood sugar under control is to cut the carbs. That includes flour, sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, corn. And, of course, chocolate cake, corn bread, pizza.

Here's a very good site that explains diabetes.

Blood Sugar 101

I'm no doctor, just a patient, but your bloodwork indicates to me that you are diabetic. Just my personal opinion. Try eliminating the carbs and test your blood sugar frequently. At one hour post-meal your blood sugar should be 140 or less. At two hours post-meal, it should be 120 or less. Normal fasting readings should be below 100 (a non-diabetic reading is usually somewhere around 83). So you should be aiming for these numbers.

Also, it's very important to eat meals regularly. Don't skip meals--you want your blood sugar to remain fairly steady.

Another good site is Diabetes Forum - Meet 82,200 Members Like You! There's lots of recipes there in the food and diet section that might help your wife to help you (if she's the one who cooks). Plus lots of good information on lowering blood sugar.

One benefit of a lower carb lifestyle is that your cholesterol and triglicerides (which are way too high, in my opinion, according to your labs posted) should drop. This will happen more slowly.

What did your doctor recommend you do? Did he recommend meds?

It's so very important to get this under control now, before the high blood sugar causes damage to organs, eyes, feet, hands, etc.

Good luck.

[timneh5]

Do a morning fast test.
Test before you eat and 2 HOURS after you eat, time starts from your first bite.

This will tell you how your glucose is doing. Also, the A1C test is an average of 3 months, not 2.

Over 126 is considered diabetic. Also recommend Blood Sugar 101 (link supplied above) to get a better understanding of what's going on.

Good luck~

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Trivettes

One way to help get your blood sugar under control is to cut the carbs. That includes flour, sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, corn. And, of course, chocolate cake, corn bread, pizza.

Here's a very good site that explains diabetes.

Blood Sugar 101

I'm no doctor, just a patient, but your bloodwork indicates to me that you are diabetic. Just my personal opinion. Try eliminating the carbs and test your blood sugar frequently. At one hour post-meal your blood sugar should be 140 or less. At two hours post-meal, it should be 120 or less. Normal fasting readings should be below 100 (a non-diabetic reading is usually somewhere around 83). So you should be aiming for these numbers.

Also, it's very important to eat meals regularly. Don't skip meals--you want your blood sugar to remain fairly steady.

Another good site is Diabetes Forum - Meet 82,200 Members Like You! There's lots of recipes there in the food and diet section that might help your wife to help you (if she's the one who cooks). Plus lots of good information on lowering blood sugar.

One benefit of a lower carb lifestyle is that your cholesterol and triglicerides (which are way too high, in my opinion, according to your labs posted) should drop. This will happen more slowly.

What did your doctor recommend you do? Did he recommend meds?

It's so very important to get this under control now, before the high blood sugar causes damage to organs, eyes, feet, hands, etc.

Good luck.

Like Trivettes said, definitely diabetic. My numbers were similar when I was diagnosed. I do eat carbs but limit them, I also limit food portions, and work out a LOT! I ride my bike one hour each day, plus weight training 2 or 3 times per week and a lot of physical yard work. Only a teensy amount of sweets once per week. I was taking a small amount of Meformin, but am trying now to control it through diet and exercise, and natural herbal supplements, and it is coming down. You definitely want to get a handle on things, because chronic high blood sugar will literally shut you down.

Good luck!

[jambo101]

The numbers on the right are normal values, you are exceeding normal values in at least 5 areas,
has your doctor suggested you may have diabetes? if you do get the Diabetes diagnosis your diet will need a major rethink,perhaps a dietitian will be required to show you the way..You can start by cutting out any sugar in your diet and Pizzas are too greasy and the dough to high in carbs.. And you might want to join a gymn not only to work off the carbs but to get info from trainers and fellow members on diet/lifestyle

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by jambo101

The numbers on the right are normal values, you are exceeding normal values in at least 5 areas,
has your doctor suggested you may have diabetes? if you do get the Diabetes diagnosis your diet will need a major rethink,perhaps a dietitian will be required to show you the way..You can start by cutting out any sugar in your diet and Pizzas are too greasy and the dough to high in carbs.. And you might want to join a gymn not only to work off the carbs but to get info from trainers and fellow members on diet/lifestyle

I haven't seen my doctor yet but I have an appointment next week to see him.

I am having fun stabbing my finger while keeping a journal to give to doc. Got another week of finger blasting. Dang, I hate that! Since Sunday my fasting levels have been:
133
141
119
118 (5:20 AM this morning, less than an hour ago)

On the 140 the 12 hours earlier I was very bad and ate cornbread and cake for desert that had frosting.

I take the test throughout the day, sometimes after eating, and the highest reading I have so far is 177.

[jambo101]

You'll be amazed how what you eat affects your blood sugar readings.
At this point you can probably control your diabetes through diet but it will take some discipline things like cake and pizza are now just memories.

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by jambo101

You'll be amazed how what you eat affects your blood sugar readings.
At this point you can probably control your diabetes through diet but it will take some discipline things like cake and pizza are now just memories.

Thanks, I am discovering that.

What I am doing right now is experimenting and over a period of just a few days I can see how what I eat impacts sugar levels.

Some of what I see I interpret as good, such as being really bad with pizza and milk duds and still not seeing my glucose level spike above 180. Other parts not so good such as fasting but still not see it drop below 110. That I don't like and see as the biggest problem.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Even 177 is too high after eating. It was explained to me at the hospital like this: glucose molecules have sharp edges and they rough up the interior walls of your blood veins. Over time those rough spots build up enough plaque to cause clots then clots lead to strokes. Thst scared me. Any higher than recommended level is doing damage on a daily basis. You just don't see it yet.

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