Hi Mrs D they did my fasting insulin in the hospital I got those results from my Doc today they were 2.50 he said they are within normal range. They said my AIC was borderline low. Any comments appreciated. Thanks Jan

I am confused. The reference ranges in US are 6-24 typically for fasting INSULIN. Mine is 34, and we just had a poster post his at over 100!

I have never heard of a person with a borderline low A1C.
Were these tests done in the US?

Having a low or good AIC is a goal.
This is an A1C graph for example:
http://www.diabeteschart.org/bloodsugarchart.html

Those were the numbers the Doc gave me I will call him and clarify those numbers and get back to you. Jan

My A1C is 5.4 I will come back with fasting insulin when I get it from Doc.

Okay, 5.4 is good. People who have no insulin resistance typically are below 5.0.

5.4 means the average daily glucose you have is 108.

If you look on the chart I linked to you will see you are in the middle of the green area.
Frank diabetes is above 7. People controlling their glucose by diet typically fall in the high 5's to 7 range.

There is some leeway for age. A young person with 7 is more serious than a 65 yr old with 7.

So it would be a good idea to follow a conservative diet, get rid of sugars and juices, and minimize starchy carbs, and eat quality protein, and veggies. Having fruit with its fiber intact is ok in moderation. Berries, oranges, apples. The fiber slows the absorption of the sugars in the fruit and evens out insulin response.

There is alot of hidden sugar in many things. Ketchup (Heinz makes a low sugar one), tomato sauces, even salad dressings.
Use nuts in moderation for snacks, instead of carby snacks. One really needs to read labels. Even bread has sugar in it! (some brands are removing it so read the labels.)

Reactive hypoglycemia occurs with large meals, and sugar consumption for the most part. People with a rare tumor of the pancreas will also have low blood sugars.

Thanks MrsD you have been of great help to me. I saw my Neuro Doc again today, when he walked into the room and said how are you I very calmly said I am numb from had to toe, but I'm still walking so I am grateful, he and I had a very nice talk about all of this I told him, you must find an answer to all of this, he said I am doing my best and I will not give up, that is so nice to hear. He will be doing a nerve biopsy on me Oct 26th so I can use your prayers for that, he is checking for small fiber neuropathy, but I am a bit confused, if I have a small fiber neuropathy he told me he could treat it with IVIG, I thought there was no treatment for small fiber neuropathy. He has always seemed to think I needed IVIG treatment but is taking this plan of action very slowly. Can anyone tell me anything about small fiber neuropathy, even online information is confusing some say it cannot get better and some say it can reverse, what's the real story? Thanks, Jan

Sorry I need to correct one thing in my last post, the neuro Doc will be doing a skin biopsy not nerve, but I would appreciate comments on prior post. Thanks, Jan

The skin biopsy is possibly valuable. We have many posts about it on PN. You can search that term and find many many posts.

The IVIG is only useful for people who have autoimmune issues.
Elevated autoimmune markers in the blood.

Keep him on his toes.... that seems to be working so far!

Hi Jan,
I have had the skin biopsy. it is not really painful so don't be worried. It was positive for small nerve neuropathy. I have been tested for many things to try to find the cause of the neuropathy. Have never been able to find it.They say idiopathic & auto immune related. The doctor said possibly a virus or bacterial infection.
My rheumo is sending me back to neurologist to see if he agrees with IVIG treatments for me. I know he will agree. The neurologist tried to get them for me about a year ago but the insurance company said no. If he agrees I don't think I can have them done till the spring. I have to have a surgery done in the winter first (unrelated). I have read a lot of good things about IVIG.
I was at a conference today that said it will only work if the neuropathy is immune related.
I have asked many different doctors if neuropathy will get worse or can be cured. So far I have gotten that they are unsure how much it can progress. It is different for everyone. I have been told it can not be cured by every doctor. That you can not regenerate nerves. People on this site seem to disagree with this, so that is good. I also heard that there is research being done at hopkins for nerve regeneration. Gives me hope!! Keep praying! Good luck with everything. Hopeful

Hi Hopeful,

Thank you so much for your response, I know my Doctor said that if skin biopsy is positive he wants me to have IVIG, I still don't understand that though, does a positive skin biopsy mean my body wide numbness is caused by an autoimmune disorder even though all blood tests say I don't have an autoimmune disease? I'm so confused by all of this, I am just in so much distress over my numbness because it has spread so fast, in a matter of a few months. Thank you for any comments on this, and know I will be praying for all of us here, God is so good in all of this. Thanks, Jan