Re: New to the Group With a Question

[Guest guest]

> Hello Everyone: My name is Mike and I am very possibly pre-diabetic and

> definitely a reactive hypoglycemic trying to avoid diabetes which runs in

> my family. My hypo symptoms seemed to be from carb intolerance,

> hyperinsulinemia, and some food intolerances, I believe I also have

> impaired fasting glucose (overnight fasting BG of 116), and possibly

> impaired glucose tolerance. Among my concerns are finding a way to lower

> the overnight fasting blood glucose level and avoiding diabetes. My

> question concerns control targets for BG levels: from the Dr. Bernstein

> book - BG level target of 85-90 mg/dl; from other sources overnight fasting

> BG about the same (less than 87 mg/dl) and hba1c as close to 4.6-4.8% as I

> can get. Are these good target levels - I want to target non-diabetic

> levels? Thank you very much! Mike

What does a doc say? Fbg's above 110 mean you are diabetic. Do you test a lot

now? What are your fbg #'s and what are your bg's 1 and 2 hours after you

eat? Have you had an A1c? What is it?

I try to get as close to Bernstein's numbers as I can, but feel pretty good

to have an average of 100. If I could get more exercise, I'd do better.

What do you mean by food intolerances? What happens? Tell us more about

yourself and we will try to help you figure it all out ;-)

(wsm311@...)

Peace and Carrots Farm

Vermont

http://www.homestead.com/peaceandcarrots/

http://www.heathershikinghiatus.homestead.com/

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/24/02 11:55:20 PM Pacific Standard Time,

mikes688@... writes:>

> Hello Everyone: My name is Mike and I am very possibly pre-diabetic and

> definitely a reactive hypoglycemic trying to avoid diabetes which runs in

> my family. My hypo symptoms seemed to be from carb intolerance,

> hyperinsulinemia, and some food intolerances, I believe I also have

> impaired fasting glucose (overnight fasting BG of 116), and possibly

> impaired glucose tolerance. Among my concerns are finding a way to lower

> the overnight fasting blood glucose level and avoiding diabetes. My

> question concerns control targets for BG levels: from the Dr. Bernstein

> book - BG level target of 85-90 mg/dl; from other sources overnight fasting

> BG about the same (less than 87 mg/dl) and hba1c as close to 4.6-4.8% as I

> can get. Are these good target levels - I want to target non-diabetic

> levels? Thank you very much! Mike

Greetings Mike. I'm glad to have you on the list. Unlike most of us here, you

have a unique opportunity to possibly avoid becoming a full-blown diabetic.

No guarantees, of course as diabetes is a very unpredictable disease that can

change its behavior with no logical reason.

The best chance you have to avoid the disease is to begin treating yourself

as if you are already diabetic. That means lifestyle choices, primarily diet

and exercise.

Normal non-diabetic blood glucose (bg) ranges for Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c

(HbA1c) in most labs is 4.5-6.0% or very close to those numbers. Recent

evidence indicates that truly non-diabetics tend to be toward the low-end of

that range. It is generally accepted that complication risk starts increasing

above 6.0%, and the higher the number, the faster the risk increases.

The goals you state (85-90mg/dl & HbA1c 4.6-4.8%) are admirable and will

absolutely minimize complication risk. If you can achieve them your

prognosis should be excellent to avoid the big " D, " but nothing is 100% sure.

There are many here on the list that have achieved HbA1c's in the 5-6% range,

but then we are already diabetics and having to struggle somewhat to get the

bg's back down from higher levels. Don't obsess if you cannot achieve the

exact levels you have mentioned as the stress of that could cause higher bg's

in itself.

Your morning 116mg/dl reading is an indication that you are slipping towards

being diabetic as no normal non-diabetic would have that kind of reading. The

time to act is now.

Please feel free to ask any question that pops into your head here on the

list. There are many of us that have real day-to-day experience at

controlling our bg's. There are different ways to control and none works for

everyone so its kind of like a science experiment and you are it!

I personally use Dr Bernstein's LC WOE as my guide, although I have tweeked

it to fit my body and lifestyle. It works for me.

Oregon

T2, controlling with L-C diet Only (Bernstein goals & WOE)

Average bg 100, Last HbA1c 5.6%

[Guest guest]

Good for you, Mike, for being proactive!

You're in luck...Gretchen Becker, very knowledeable diabetic, author and

listmate from my other diabetes list, has just written a book on this

subject. It's called

<A HREF= " http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-1569245630-0 " >Stop

Diabetes: 50 Simple Steps You Can Take at Any Age to Reduce Your Risk of

Type 2 Diabetes </A>

Gretchen Becker

<A HREF= " http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-1569245630-0 " >Sale</A>

$9.50

(List Price: $12.95)

The above link is from 's online where it is apparently on sale. It's

in paperback. I'm sure it will give you all the information you need.

The URL for 's is

www.powells.com/

Vicki

PS: ... and BTW, your non-diabetic target is quite ambitious. Non-diabetic

numbers may vary from lab to lab...my own lab considers anything below 5.5

nondiabetic. But yes, if you can maintain non-diabetic numbers, there's a

good chance that you can very well indefinitely postpone diabetes.

In a message dated 11/25/2002 12:55:30 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

mikes688@... writes:

>

> Hello Everyone: My name is Mike and I am very possibly pre-diabetic and

> definitely a reactive hypoglycemic trying to avoid diabetes which runs in

> my family. My hypo symptoms seemed to be from carb intolerance,

> hyperinsulinemia, and some food intolerances, I believe I also have

> impaired fasting glucose (overnight fasting BG of 116), and possibly

> impaired glucose tolerance. Among my concerns are finding a way to lower

> the overnight fasting blood glucose level and avoiding diabetes. My

> question concerns control targets for BG levels: from the Dr. Bernstein

> book - BG level target of 85-90 mg/dl; from other sources overnight fasting

> BG about the same (less than 87 mg/dl) and hba1c as close to 4.6-4.8% as I

> can get. Are these good target levels - I want to target non-diabetic

> levels? Thank you very much! Mike

>

>

[Guest guest]

> The food intolerance was possibly from sugar in peanut butter - I basically

> go hypo from sugar or too many carbs.

OK...what you need to do is take your bg every morning as soon as you wake

up, then 2 hours after every meal. Keep track of everything you eat and your

bg's after each meal. Then tell us what you ate and what the results are.

Kinda tough for us to help you without that basic information.

If some carbs make your bg go high, then low, it sure sounds like diabetes to

me. You REALLY need to test and keep track, otherwise you know nothing.

(wsm311@...)

Peace and Carrots Farm

Vermont

http://www.homestead.com/peaceandcarrots/

http://www.heathershikinghiatus.homestead.com/

[Guest guest]

This needs to be amended slightly...you also need to test before each meal,

otherwise you'll have no idea how much your BG raised from baseline from the

meal. And unless you eat breakfast immediately upon getting up, that includes

testing before breakfast too. There's something called the " dawn phenomenon "

where your BG will start to rise from the time you become vertical in the

morning, whether or not you eat something. Sometimes it starts immediately;

sometimes not for a half hour to 45 minutes after rising...then continues for

a few hours in the morning. Everyone experiences it but in non-diabetics the

body corrects for it; in diabetics it doesn't.

Vicki

In a message dated 11/25/2002 11:08:04 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

wsm311@... writes:

> OK...what you need to do is take your bg every morning as soon as you wake

> up, then 2 hours after every meal.

[Guest guest]

> This needs to be amended slightly...you also need to test before each meal,

> otherwise you'll have no idea how much your BG raised from baseline from

> the

> meal. And unless you eat breakfast immediately upon getting up, that

> includes

> testing before breakfast too.

For me, testing before every meal is a totally unnecessary number. I do it

once in a while, but it is always around 100 or less. My pp bg #'s are

mostlly under 120. What's the point?

(wsm311@...)

Peace and Carrots Farm

Vermont

http://www.homestead.com/peaceandcarrots/

http://www.heathershikinghiatus.homestead.com/

[Guest guest]

> There's something called the " dawn phenomenon "

> where your BG will start to rise from the time you become vertical in the

> morning, whether or not you eat something. Sometimes it starts

> immediately;

> sometimes not for a half hour to 45 minutes after rising...then continues

> for

> a few hours in the morning. Everyone experiences it but in non-diabetics

> the

> body corrects for it; in diabetics it doesn't.

>

My " dawn phenomenon " has been pretty much non-existant. I was 89 when I woke

up this morning. Everybody is different ;-)

(wsm311@...)

Peace and Carrots Farm

Vermont

http://www.homestead.com/peaceandcarrots/

http://www.heathershikinghiatus.homestead.com/

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/25/02 1:33:02 PM Pacific Standard Time, wsm311@...

writes:

>

> For me, testing before every meal is a totally unnecessary number. I do it

> once in a while, but it is always around 100 or less. My pp bg #'s are

> mostlly under 120. What's the point?

> (wsm311@...)

,

I may have missed some posts and jumped into the middle of a conversation,

commenting to the wrong person...Sorry!

My comments regarding testing before & after meals was intended for someone

trying to get control, and you obviously don't fall in that category. You are

doing an excellent job with those numbers. Keep it up.

Oregon

Diagnosed T2 4/98

Controlling with L-C diet Only (Bernstein goals & WOE)

Average bg 100, Last HbA1c 5.6%

[Guest guest]

I havent had much luck with doctors or diagnosing so I took control about two

years ago and am trying to do this myself; I was diagnosed as hypoglycemic with

normal cortisol levels and the usual lab tests only and another doctor told me I

didn't have hypoglycemia or anything else (I won't be going back to this one). I

didn't get any direction or help with preventing diabetes whatsoever - even

purchased a BG meter on my own. I do test but haven't much lately; my last

fasting tests at home were 100 one day and 79 quickly followed by 62 a short

time later (during a hypo crash) on another day. I haven't tested other BG

levels in quite some time and couldn't get a doctor to do an hba1c or any other

tests. The food intolerance was possibly from sugar in peanut butter - I

basically go hypo from sugar or too many carbs. I realize I need to test more

and am going to test very soon. If I had done nothing I would be well on my way

to full blown diabetes if not already there; this is one reason I took control

of the situation. Thank you, Mike

> > > What does a doc say? Fbg's above 110 mean you are diabetic. Do you

test a lot > now? What are your fbg #'s and what are your bg's 1 and 2 hours

after you > eat? Have you had an A1c? What is it?> > I try to get as close to

Bernstein's numbers as I can, but feel pretty good > to have an average of 100.

If I could get more exercise, I'd do better.> > What do you mean by food

intolerances? What happens? Tell us more about > yourself and we will try to

help you figure it all out ;-)> >

[Guest guest]

I recently purchased both books by Gretchen Becker and think the " The First Year

Type 2 Diabetes " is excellent; I haven't gotten around to reading the other book

yet. Thank you! Mike

> Good for you, Mike, for being proactive!

>

> You're in luck...Gretchen Becker, very knowledeable diabetic, author and

> listmate from my other diabetes list, has just written a book on this

> subject. It's called

>

> <A HREF= " http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-1569245630-0 " >Stop

Diabetes: 50 Simple Steps You Can Take at Any Age to Reduce Your Risk of

> Type 2 Diabetes </A>

> Gretchen Becker

>

> <A

HREF= " http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-1569245630-0 " >Sale</A> $9.50

> (List Price: $12.95)

>

> The above link is from 's online where it is apparently on sale. It's

> in paperback. I'm sure it will give you all the information you need.

>

> The URL for 's is

>

> www.powells.com/

> Vicki