Keep feeling awful - pre diabetic

[BollockstoThis1]

I am late 50’s gluten intolerant, tired, unfit but trying to do more and also overweight. I also have an under active thyroid and low iron stores I am taking levothyroxine and ferrous sulphate.

I was tested for diabetes a couple of years ago by the nurse. My levels were high, I made a concerted effort to loose weight and reduce levels and brought my levels down over a 3 week period so I avoided medication.

Since then two years later every so often occasionally I can feel weak, light headed, very hungry confused and irritated. Should I be worried about this? I have noticed this doesn’t happen often but can happen around lunch time if its warm outside, I have over heated and or climbed a few stairs exercised more than usual. I feel like I have to eat something ASAP, sit down, cool down and calm down. On my watch my heart fluctuates from being in the early 100’s to dipping to below 50 but not for long. Once I have eaten and rested I am ok again.

Could this be my levels worsening, should I ask for repeat bloods (at chemist or pharmacy) and should I eat beforehand and if so how soon beforehand or should I fast? GP surgery give no guidance. We are flying today I am googling and worried.

Thanks

is this just a normal dip in blood sugar?

If you have pre diabetes you should have an annual blood test (hba1c) so I would ask for this. If normal I'd speak to the GP re your symptoms

Those sound like symptoms of low blood sugar, not diabetes, which is chronically high blood sugar.

If you were going to have a repeat of the HbA1c test you don’t need to fast or anything. It’s a test that checks your average over the last three months, what you have eaten that day doesn’t affect it.

Thanks both I will ask for a retest.

What can I do about low blood sugar? I try not to go to long without food. Is this anything to worry about?

I get like that if it us almost a meal time and my previous meals that day were not low GI. For instance if I were to lunch on white bread and tomato soup, I would get all shaky and clammy and be quite confused and ill feeling before dinner time.

Blood sugar levels are regulated by the body releasing insulin, which moves the glucose from the blood into the body’s cells. In diabetes you don’t make enough insulin or the insulin you have isn’t effective, meaning the glucose stays in your blood in high levels.

If you aren’t diabetic, when you eat food the body releases insulin to deal with the rise in blood sugar as the food is digested. If you eat food where the sugar is quickly released into the bloodstream the reaction can overshoot and your blood sugar dips too low before stabilising.

Eat sweet things => sugar high => too much insulin => sugar crash

Look up high glycaemic index/low glycaemic index foods. You need to avoid sending your blood sugar sky high with sweet snacks etc to avoid the low blood sugar crashes.

Thanks all. I rarely eat bread as GF bread isn’t the best.

I have this sensation several times every day. There’s nothing “medically” wrong with me ie nothing diagnosable. I have to eat frequently minimum 4 times a day, make sure I don’t eat later than I should, avoid all carbohydrates as much as possible.

Thanks all. I will look this up ‘glycaemic index/low glycaemic index foods’ try and eat better, stay hydrated and exercise more.

With my Gluten intolerance (one of the reason my iron stores are so low) sometimes food passes through me quicker than it should so this will maybe be making my symptoms worse rather than diet alone as I try and eat healthy and opt for foods that are naturally GF as much as poss.