I did the two-hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test with the 75g glucose drink. It was downright disgusting.

Fasting - 80
1/2 hour - 144
1 hour - 181
2 hours - 71

I became hypoglycemic on the drive home, but thankfully I was close to home when I realized what was happening. I carry glucose tabs on me at all times now...although I haven't needed to take any yet.

Hi janieg,

I have been following your thread.
Thanks so much for starting this thread. This is a very important topic.

I have read the oral GTT is truly the best way to check on how we handle glucose. The A1c is okay, yet really doesn't tell the whole story for anyone.

I have an aunt whose story is similar to yours. She had perfect A1c tests. She had been diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. She had good control with her diet and her meter readings were just fine. However, she was experiencing diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy. An oral GTT helped to figure out just what was going on for her, thankfully.

I stay on a very low carb diet and feel much better when I do so.

Thanks so much for sharing and for raising awareness on this very important topic!

With Love and Gratitude,
DejaVu

I check my levels on occassion and everything seems to be OK. but then i dont eat things that send me sky high. Oddly enough potatoes affect me way worse than simple sugar does. not sure why. i could eat a plate of french fries and go up to 150 an hour later. I could eat a plate of 2 eggo waffles and maybe hit 115-120 an hour later. Maybe because the potatoes are fried? No idea. A plate of french fries actually does have double the carbs than Eggo waffles does. Just something with my metabolism i guess. My 2 hour OGTT was 90-120(1)-90(2). I don't think that test is good for much really. Who eats that way? I don't like that i am always around the "90" baseline though. I ask all the doctors and they say you're dealing in nuances there, everyone has a different baseline based upon their body type and genetic makeup. There are some days where my fasting is in the 80's though. A lot of variables. When you have idiopathic SFN you are always looking for things. I had a top neurologist said SFN, when Idiopathic, is usually pre-diabetes or heading in that direction and we just need to watch and see. They are seeing it more and more. So, of course its something i will keep an eye on.

Supplements like R-Lipoic Acid, B1 and Grape Seed Extract have had a noticeable effect on blood sugar control for me The three in combination have a great effect. On their own they are not as powerful but combined they are very effective. To be this obsessive is a blessing and a curse and that's what "idiopathic" will do to you. My wife says why do you check if all the doctors say you are not even pre-diabetic? I say, these are the same doctors who cant find out what caused my SFN.

Blood sugar levels are constantly changing throughout the day and night. Just a fact.

And you are correct that different people have different baselines all within normal range when there is NO disease process. It is a matter of body metabolism.

Peripheral neuropathy is NOT limited to diabetics but it is always one of the first things checked when PN symptoms appear to rule that out.

There are some NEW lab tests out just recently regarding blood sugar levels. I was just reading about one a few days ago.

A CGM is a good method for seeing what your blood sugar does every few minutes over several days, usually 4 to 7 days. Many doctors are reluctant to have a patient wear the device for a short duration due to cost and is usually reserved for use in a diabetic for which medication is not working and a better record is needed than one with a regular meter and lab testing. (CGM is a continuous glucose monitor)

These devices are primarily used by type 1 diabetics on an insulin pump. They wear them all the time.

I have seen CGM's used on a one time temporary basis with type 2 diabetics to aid in determining the proper medication regimen.

Fast and slow carbs act differently upon some people as you mentioned.

Also, just one bite of rice will skyrocket blood sugar levels in some yet the same person can handle other starches better, like potato or pasta.

Blood sugar is NOT a one size fits all for sure. Some baselines are in the 70's, some the 80's and others the 90's without any disease process.

Fasting blood sugar levels can change also just with movement of the clock. I can do a fasting blood sugar level at 6 AM, continue fasting completely, no food or even water, and do another fasting blood sugar level at 9 AM and it may be 30 points higher. (But, I AM a diabetic.)

Blood sugar levels are very complex and what is normal for one person may not be normal for another. Levels change all day and night for everyone, not just diabetics. When the body does not make the proper adjustments to these changes is when one is declared diabetic.

Your numbers are fantastic, Patrick. And that one hour number of 120 supports what I've read that in a "normal" person, the postprandial number would never exceed 120 - 140 no matter what is eaten. That's why my 181 number bothers me. And of course the crash an hour later is a definite indication of a problem.

Here's something I discovered about my FBG number. Before I went low carb, my fasting number first thing in the morning was consistently in the low 80s. After I went low carb, it was consistently in the high 80s/low 90s. I was completely perplexed until I read something somewhere (great source) that once your body adjusts to a low carb diet, it is no longer is "panic-stricken" about keeping your blood glucose as low as possible in preparation for a carb onslaught. It will allow your FBG to drift higher because it knows it won't have to work as hard when mealtime comes. Kind of makes sense.

I personally wouldn't worry at all about your 90 number.

Thanks to everyone posting in this thread.
Lots of insights and helpful information.
It's truly so very important for each of us to know our own baseline numbers and to investigate as thoroughly as possible.

Thanks so much for sharing here.

Warmly,
DejaVu

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but when you have eaten your bagel or whatever high carb item you choose, how long after that can you eat anything?

Do you have to wait the full three hours before you can eat again?

Can you eat anything in addition to the bagel? Fruit? Can you have a coffee?

Thanks, Linda



Now eat something containing at 60 - 70 grams of fast acting carbohydrate. A bagel makes a good test food.
One hour after you started eating, test your blood sugar with the meter. Write down the result. If you lose track of the time measure as soon as possible. The numbers will still be useful.
Two hours after you started eating test your blood sugar again. Write down the result.
Three hours after you started eating, test your blood sugar. Write down the result. You are now done and can eat whatever you want.or

from what you have written there dont eat anyting else until after you have taken your final reading at 3 hours

Make sure you get 75g of glucose/sugar in whatever you eat/drink. A study done several years ago says jelly beans are good alternative to the drink normally consumed. Water is ok to drink during the test based on what I remember.

I was stuck four times: fasting, 1/2 mark, 1 hour mark, 2 hour mark

[QUOTE=janieg;1215475]Make sure you get 75g of glucose/sugar in whatever you eat/drink. A study done several years ago says jelly beans are good alternative to the drink normally consumed. Water is ok to drink during the test based on what I remember.


Thank you both, I just wanted to make sure I was understanding this properly!

Linda