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That's good advice - thank you. I'll try to remember to do that.
I took it again this morning when I first got up and it was 96 again, so at least I'm pretty consistent!
I'm going to the grocery store today and will stock up on some high protein, low carb, low glycemic foods - thank you for that helpful link.
96 is on the upper end of normal. Normal is considered 70 to 99. So you are borderline normal but the test you do with a meter is like a snapshot. It is only one moment in time. A fasting test tells you how you are after fasting for a certain period of time (sleep) with no food at all. What is even more important is how you respond after meals. So you should test 1 to 2 hours after meals. An A1C test is the main test to see if you are a non, pre or full diabetic. An A1C is a 90 day average of blood sugar. Since you know your history you should not have to wait for a diagnosis to get on a 'diabetic' diet. You should have been on at least a moderate 'diabetic' diet all along. It is just a better idea to begin with. The ideal blood sugar for a non diabetic is 84 whether it is fasting or from an A1C test. By the way, A1C test results are given (in the US) in percentages. So a 5.1 % is about a 100 average blood sugar. I happen to have a 5.1 A1C but I am a full diabetic and control it with medication and diet. Actually, normal is 5.6 or below. A 5.7 is pre-diabetic.
As for your eyes, your regular eye doctor should be a able to tell you if you have signs of retinapathy. Make sure to mention it to him/her. It may be nothing, just poor eyesight. I've been nearsighted since I was in my teens and it has nothing to do with diabetes.
My mom has macular degeneration and that scares the crap out of me.
Fortunately todays medicines can stave off macular degeneration through the use of several drugs ,the drug i get treated with once a month is called Avastin, not something i look forward to but the alternative is something i really dont need = https://maculacenter.com/eye-procedures/avastin/
I started feeling the effects of Diabetic macular edema about two years ago,my eyesight was failing rapidly,since then my eye sight has come back to normal through use of the drugs (Injections)
96 is on the upper end of normal. Normal is considered 70 to 99. So you are borderline normal but the test you do with a meter is like a snapshot. It is only one moment in time. A fasting test tells you how you are after fasting for a certain period of time (sleep) with no food at all. What is even more important is how you respond after meals. So you should test 1 to 2 hours after meals. An A1C test is the main test to see if you are a non, pre or full diabetic. An A1C is a 90 day average of blood sugar. Since you know your history you should not have to wait for a diagnosis to get on a 'diabetic' diet. You should have been on at least a moderate 'diabetic' diet all along. It is just a better idea to begin with. The ideal blood sugar for a non diabetic is 84 whether it is fasting or from an A1C test. By the way, A1C test results are given (in the US) in percentages. So a 5.1 % is about a 100 average blood sugar. I happen to have a 5.1 A1C but I am a full diabetic and control it with medication and diet. Actually, normal is 5.6 or below. A 5.7 is pre-diabetic.
As for your eyes, your regular eye doctor should be a able to tell you if you have signs of retinapathy. Make sure to mention it to him/her. It may be nothing, just poor eyesight. I've been nearsighted since I was in my teens and it has nothing to do with diabetes.
Good luck.
Thank you for the tips.
Do I have to get the A1C test done via a doctor? I guess I need to google how to do that test. I don't understand the percentage thing but I'll research it.
I am so freaked out about being so thirsty and my eyesight that I am taking my blood sugar about three times a day now - LOL. So I just took it two hours after a protein breakfast (two eggs and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese) and it is 98. Not much fluctuation and so far no readings over 99 - talk about toeing a line. This was also after two hours of exercise this morning (yoga and water aerobics, so no one need be overly impressed - but hey, it beats nothing!).
I am definitely starting on a diabetic diet which seems to me to really be a healthy diet anyway. I mean, I'm not going to go off the deep end but I am going to track my blood sugar for the next 90 days and pay a lot closer attention to what I eat, regardless of the test results next week. Something is up.
Do I have to get the A1C test done via a doctor? I guess I need to google how to do that test. I don't understand the percentage thing but I'll research it.
I am so freaked out about being so thirsty and my eyesight that I am taking my blood sugar about three times a day now - LOL. So I just took it two hours after a protein breakfast (two eggs and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese) and it is 98. Not much fluctuation and so far no readings over 99 - talk about toeing a line. This was also after two hours of exercise this morning (yoga and water aerobics, so no one need be overly impressed - but hey, it beats nothing!).
I am definitely starting on a diabetic diet which seems to me to really be a healthy diet anyway. I mean, I'm not going to go off the deep end but I am going to track my blood sugar for the next 90 days and pay a lot closer attention to what I eat, regardless of the test results next week. Something is up.
Yes you can actually do your own A1C test. I have seen it at Walmart and from what I hear it is accurate. I have not done it myself. We have a "wellness clinic" where I live that offers many types of tests without the need for a doctor's referral. The diabetes test which is $20 covers the A1C and other diabetes related tests like glucose, Trigs, and insulin.
Here is the A1C test I mentioned. This one is on Amazon and comes with two tests for $42 so about the same as I mentioned if you go to a local place to get tested. https://www.amazon.com/A1CNow-Monito...+home+test+kit
Don't bother buying the HbA1c test. Your doctor will run it and then your Insurance will pay for it.
The test covers your last three months: Hb in your RBCs lasts about three months as it courses thru your veins and as it travels it latches onto glucose molecules-- the more glucose it encounters, the more it builds up. An analogy would be to hang a sweater in the middle of the room and come back in three months to see how much lint has been in the air. We then assume (maybe not justifiably) that all the captured lint (or glucose) averages out to equal daily portions. If you repeat the test before 3 months are up, then you're overlapping test periods and results will have less meaning.
Don't worry yourself with too frequent BS testing. Just "sneak up on yourself" occasionally to see how you're doing with your diet and exercise. Hi BS takes years and years to cause damage. Daily levels and changes are not important. When you do test, either test fasting or 2 hrs after eating-- the only tines where BS levels are standardly defined. Levels at other times have no meaning.
A glucometer has an accuracy of 10%-- so if your BS was "really" 100, your reading could be anywhere from 90 to 110; if yours is "really" 200, then the reading could be anywhere from 180 to 220. (I put 'really' in quotations because all tests have some level of uncertainty and we can never know the true reading.) I make this point so you don't get discouraged when your 96 today becomes a 106 tomorrow. You didn't get worse. Those values are statistically identical- just like a home run hit into the first row of bleachers doesn't count any less than a home run into the upper deck. Normal is normal. Period.
Yes you can actually do your own A1C test. I have seen it at Walmart and from what I hear it is accurate. I have not done it myself. We have a "wellness clinic" where I live that offers many types of tests without the need for a doctor's referral. The diabetes test which is $20 covers the A1C and other diabetes related tests like glucose, Trigs, and insulin.
Here is the A1C test I mentioned. This one is on Amazon and comes with two tests for $42 so about the same as I mentioned if you go to a local place to get tested. https://www.amazon.com/A1CNow-Monito...+home+test+kit
I'm going through the same thing as you, and while we may be a tad neurotic.... at least we do not ignore our health!!
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Thank you so much for this advice. I did have a very thorough eye exam just a few weeks ago and they did find "early" cataracts. They weren't there a year ago so that probably does explain some of my issues. I don't have the symptoms your wife had - just fluctuating vision - sometimes my glasses or contacts work and sometimes they don't - it's generally "reading" stuff I have an issue with - and night vision. OMG. I can't see worth a flip at night.
My mom has macular degeneration and that scares the crap out of me. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I may have seem an optometrist rather than an ophtamologist. I am going to double check that. Anyway, when I go to the doctor next week, I am going to tell her he found evidence of cataracts and I am going to see if she'll refer me to an EYE DOCTOR. (I can't spell that word - LOL)
Again, you must see a macular specialist, also known as a retina specialist.
Think about how Medical Doctors can be 'general' physicians, or they can be specialists in cancer, cardiac, neurology, etc.
Same thing when it comes to disorders of the eye. Detecting, for instance, cataracts is very easy, but the equipment to examine the macular is very specialized (and expensive).
Again, you must see a macular specialist, also known as a retina specialist.
Think about how Medical Doctors can be 'general' physicians, or they can be specialists in cancer, cardiac, neurology, etc.
Same thing when it comes to disorders of the eye. Detecting, for instance, cataracts is very easy, but the equipment to examine the macular is very specialized (and expensive).
I agree. We only have one set of eyes so it's not something you anyone should skimp on. Spend the money, see the doctor. It's a small price to pay. I had high blood sugar for years without even knowing it. I have my nerve damage and neuropathy to show for it. Fortunately I have not had any eye or kidney problems. Knock on wood.
I agree. We only have one set of eyes so it's not something you anyone should skimp on. Spend the money, see the doctor. It's a small price to pay. I had high blood sugar for years without even knowing it. I have my my nerve damage and neuropathy to show for it. Fortunately I have not had any eye or kidney problems. Knock on wood.
True. My wife was exhibiting symptoms for two years, with her ophthalmologist running various tests, but without finding anything amiss. It was not until my wife went to the macular specialist that the wet-form of macular degeneration was found; by then, some irreversible damage had been done.
While there are treatments for Macular degeneration they certainly dont come cheap , along with my monthly injections of Avastin i also get a product called dexamethasone which is a small timed release cylinder injected into the eye every three months,it costs $1000 per shot,if the insurance didnt pay for it i'd by hard pressed to come up with the money it costs to treat my condition. http://macularhope.org/dexamethasone-implants/
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