[jakatak]

I did respond to a post with this dialogue. I apologize for being repetitive, but I'm hoping someone can talk about my glucose. Thank you.

I have always wondered about the pre diabetic thing...even though my GP assures me that my on again off again burning is not attributed to my glucose level. I am at 108. I did the...drinki the sugar bomb thing, and my level returned to normal with the norm period of time. I still am not convinced that sugar isn't the culprit. i.e. alcohol. I think it is important for me to not cloud my symptoms with antagonists. I worked out two days in a row on my elliptical trainer....and...had a pint of haagen daz ice cream last night. I always wonder about my feet being traumatized by the peddles...the neuroma surgery thing being aggravated. Plus....sorry to go on....the Lyrica dosage...up and down...not knowing if it even is the magic pill. Sorry for the blah blah blah......

[mrsD]

drawn, and that will tell more.

Fasting insulin is easy, and indicates insulin resistance.

[jakatak]

how does that differ from the 8 hour fast...the 2 hour one....and drinking the 10 pounds of sugar goo?

[mrsD]

Increased insulin levels at fasting first thing in the morning, show if you are making too much. Too much means you are on the way to diabetes, because normal levels are not working for you.

Eventually the insulin stops working and THEN your sugars go up.
A GTT does not tell WHERE you are on the road to diabetes.
It only shows if you have arrived there.

[jakatak]

Originally Posted by jakatak

how does that differ from the 8 hour fast...the 2 hour one....and drinking the 10 pounds of sugar goo?

My glucose tolerance test was normal, by the way. But, I am somewhat concerned about the 108 on the fasting test.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by jakatak

My glucose tolerance test was normal, by the way. But, I am somewhat concerned about the 108 on the fasting test.

Does seems a bit high, when i was prediabetic my sugar fasting levels were always around 81, pay to get the insulin test as MrsD suggests.

Brian

[glenntaj]

--the best test, if you can talk a doctor into writing a scrip for it, is a LONG GTT (4-5 hour) with both fasting glucose and insulin levels drawn before the glucose drink, and then half-hour draws until at least the end of the third hour, with insulin and glucose levels analyzed from each draw.

As Mrs. D notes, the fasting insulin level may be more revealing than the fasting glucose level. I have insulin resistance, with a high fasting insulin level and "normal" fasting glucose levels, and I know that means my body is overproducing insulin levels to keep my sugar levels in check.

But, the patterns of insulin and glucose rise and fall over the hours can also be very revealing--and half-hour draws helps to keep one from missing some of the patterns, which can happen rapidly. In my case, there is normally an initial glucose level rise in the first half-hour to hour, but not to diabetic levels, followed quickly by a major insulin level increase, which a couple of hours later drives my blood sugar down to levels below my fasting level. This causes the insulin spigot to stop abruptly, and then things normalize over the fourth-fifth hour. This is characteristic of reactive hypoglycemia due to insulin overproduction in response to challenge, and another sign of "pre-diabetic" impairment. It's why I'm very careful with carbs, try to eat a "Zone" type diet, do weight-bearing exercise to build muscle (which helps insulin utilization), and take R-lipoic acid (a known insulin normalizer).

[mrsD]

Type II diabetes is a FAILURE of the insulin you have, to get the glucose from your blood into cells.

Something fails at the cell wall, and the body senses low blood sugar in the cells, and stimulates insulin to be secreted by the pancreas. Then you get higher and higher levels, which continue to fail at the cell level. When total failure occurs, you are then a type II diabetic.

This is thought to be due to some undiscovered hormone made by the belly fat in your body, that blocks the cells from using the glucose the belly fat wants. This is a genetic failure, and is often called the starvation response. People who made fat quickly from their food intake instead of burning it as energy, survived starvation during our evolution, and lived longer and reproduced more successfully. Since people died young (compared to today), this was not a negative issue. But today with our longer lifespan, this trait, becomes a negative one when blood sugars go too high and diabetes results.

Basically people with this conservation gene, are feeding their belly and the body is starving. That is why hypoglycemia precedes type II diabetes.

This is why it is not a good idea to binge on pints of Hagendaz ice cream. (or other sweets).

Also high intake of fat at one sitting makes the blood viscous and thick, and people with MGUS who already have thick blood just make that worse. Besides the sugar, the sudden fat intake can be very dangerous, to the cardiovascular system. Smaller meals with moderate, good fats, and lean protein, and fiber/veggies with moderate carbs that are slowly converted to sugar (low glycemic) are the best road to take.

[jakatak]

thanks for remember my history mrs D. thanks to all for the valued info. I am going to present to my doc for further testing. when I was on the South Beach Diet for almost a year, I had dropped close to 30 pounds. I never felt better. It is a difficult diet to maintain due to all the prep work required and the 5 meals a day. But...it did work. I will be discussing with my wife...again...that we should get serious about our diet again. It's not that we don't eat fairly nutritious, but I can't afford to continue like this. I'm 6'5 and weigh 250. I'm also fairly fit. I was a runner in my day, and I have a resting heartbeat of 56. Due to a bad knee and back...my running days are long over...and unfortunately, with my foot pain...it does make it difficult to even use my elliptical trainer. That is why I really want to get to the bottom of the on again off again pain in my toes.

[gordon55]

For those who want to do their own GTT at home,
you can get free meters. They usually come with
10 strips also. I have gotten several.
They usually take a week or two to deliver.
PM me if you want specifics.
I suppose they are still free, this was several months ago.