Thanks so much for the information... it was very useful! I had just one follow-up question regarding testing my own fast glucose. I was told the meters available OTC have an error rate of +/- 15%. My concern is that I won't get accruate results compared to the blood test my doctor gives me and if the reading is +15% over my actual fasting glucose it will cause me even more anxiety. What are your thoughts? Thanks again for all of your help! Chris
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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Hi Barb,
I am a 47 year old male who was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in May of 2006 with a fasting glucose of 108mg. I am 5' 10" and at the time I was diagnosed I weighed 200 lbs and had high cholesterol (287mg / 196mg LDL).
On the advice of my physician, I began a diet and exercise program. When I was re-tested in September, I weighed 175 lbs and my cholesteral was normal (176mg / 122mg LDL). My fasting glucose had returned to the normal range with a reading of 93mg.
I had some additional blood work done at the end of December and, although I kept the weight off and continued to exercise, my cholesterol had crept back up - probably due to all of the rich foods I had eaten over the holidays (226 mg / 153 mg LDL). My fasting glucose was also up at 104mg.
Since finding out my glucose is back up again I have been in a funk. I thought I had it under control and now I am obsessing on the fact that my glucose will continue to increase and I will end up like my father who struggled with Type 2 Diabetes in his later years. I would really appreciate it if you could help me with any of the following questions:
Can changes in my cholesterol impact my fasting glucose even if I maintain my weight and exercise regularly?
Can anti-anxiety medications (i.e. Valium or Ativan) effect fasting glucose readings?
Is there an accurate self-test for fasting glucose I can do on my own? Now that I have been watching my cholesterol and continuing to exercise I would like to know if it's going back down.
Assuming I am able to return to the diet and exercise regime that got my glucose under control initially, is it likely I can keep it there or will it eventually increase on its own?
Thanks for your help!
Chris
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Hi Chris,
Congratulations on the weight loss and exercise -- those are really critical components in avoiding full-blown type 2 diabetes. You're right in thinking that the increase in cholesterol was probably due to "holiday-itis" ! What you may NOT know is that a very important component of cholesterol -- the triglycerides number -- is very closely related to blood glucose levels. That's partly because both triglycerides and blood glucose are impacted by high carbohydrate intake. So if you ate lots of cakes/cookies/sweets over the holidays, that would impact both your blood glucose levels and your cholesterol. You didn't say what your triglyceride # was, but you really want to keep it under 120 -- preferably under 100.
I'd recommend two things to you: one, restrict your carb intake to no more than 200 grams per day, no more than 35 grams at any meal or snack. Obviously, choose high-fiber sources of carbs such as whole-grain bread (no more than 2 slices), high-fiber cereals, whole fruit (rather than juice, which has no fiber).
Second: If you don't currently do any weight-training, start. Muscle burns up more blood glucose than fat, so the more muscle you build, the more efficiently your body will use the carbs you DO take in.
As for checking your own fasting glucose, you can buy an inexpensive meter (under $40) at any drugstore. Check your blood sugar first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast or have coffee. Since you'll only be checking once a day, the cost of the test strips won't be so bad. You want to aim for a fasting blood sugar between 70-90 when you first get up.
I'm afraid I don't know about the anti-anxiety meds...sorry I can't help with that one.
Good luck!
Barb
Answer Hi Chris,
The finger-stick (ouch!) meters have better accuracy, but yes, they can be off a little. That's why they give a target "range" rather than one hard number... Really, even as high as 100 with a finger-stick meter is in the normal range.
Please don't worry -- you're doing all the right things to keep from getting diabetes.
