Hidden Diabetes?

[Jane2010]

I have not been diagnosed with diabetes though I have some risk factors. I have a sister with type I diabetes, though I don't know if that is related to type II diabetes. I am half Hispanic. I am relatively sedentary, though I was very physically active most of my life and had the problems I will describe then too. I'm close to fifty. I have always had slightly low or normal blood pressure. My cholesterol has been excellent, as have my triglycerides. I have not had heart problems. I am close to overweight but not quite there. Prior to an accident which has left me partly disabled, I was on the very low end of normal weight. Now I'm on the very high end with my comparatively sedentary life. I do not sit all day, but I don't get rigorous exercise either. A few months ago, I did get rigorous exercise for a month and had not problems at all. I need to start again.

Several years ago, I began to have nausea sometimes when I had sweets and not sometimes. I am not sure what the difference was, and I never ate large quantities of sweets. I'm talking about a small chocolate bar or a cookie. I read about how sleep apnea can make sugar levels hard to control for type II diabetics and that if the sleep apnea is treated, the blood sugar levels are typically much better and easier to control. So, I stopped taking off my CPAP mask in the middle of the night and saw much improvement and lessening of the nausea until I essentially didn't see it very often at all and forgot about it. Before I figured this out, I was tested two or three times for blood sugar levels and they were never abnormal. I asked for a more rigorous test but the doctor said it was too troublesome. I think he saw how slender and fit I was and didn't think it was likely. He just told me that if sugar made me nauseous, don't eat sugar. I thought that was a little flippant of him, but I didn't pursue it more because I was fighting early breast cancer.

However, when I was expecting my son seventeen years ago, I did test borderline positive for diabetes. When they retested me, they said it was normal. I have always not liked very sweet things and would ask for birthday cake without the frosting when I was a girl, or ask for the type of frosting that has a lot of butter, nuts and coconut in it. That didn't make me feel sick to my stomach. I would make my Easter candy last for months and not eat it all at once.

So, today, I ate a very healthy diet and after dinner decided to treat myself with a small oatmeal cookie sandwich like you can buy for your kids' lunches. I began to feel nauseous minutes later and still do after forty minutes, more than usual. I am much more sedentary than most of my life. However, my waist is 29 inches, so that's not excessive even though it's big for me. I also had a stress test running on a treadmill because of the fatigue and sometimes nausea I had after the cancer treatment was actually over. I had worked fulltime throughout treatment, had no help from anyone with my child or my home and no time off. I was exhausted and getting infections left and right, such as a systemic infection with fever from a bee sting, off the wall mastitis in the opposite breast from the one with the cancer with no typical reason for it, etc. But, I passed the stress test with flying colors and my heart looked great.

So, here is my question: Can one have borderline diabetes without the blood sugar levels showing as abnormal when you go to the doctor without eating in the morning? I have also in the past had a very hard time going too long without food. I would feel faint and need to eat. With extreme fatigue, such as a very hard week and not enough sleep, I also feel nauseous and faint.

I seriously wonder if my generally excellent health habits (other than recent sedentary lifestyle and too much stress and work in the last sixteen years as a single parent of a child who needed homeschooling and other special measures with no outside help) could have prevented me from getting fullblown diabetes though I may have a genetic tendency that I don't know about. I wonder if I should very strictly follow a diabetes diet and get serious again about exercise regardless of the pain issues with my injuries.

Does anyone know if you can have borderline diabetes flying under the radar for twenty years?

[WaveRider]

Good sound advice from supersally down under. The A1c is called the hemoglobin A1c. It measures your average glucose for the past three months. Why is this test important? On an average red blood cells live 3 months. Excess glucose binds to "new" cells until they die off. The A1c captures this while the results are returned in % (percentage). If you get this test performed be sure to get a copy of your lab results and check the range values. Labs may differ as some say <7% others <6% (the symbol < means less than) is normal, non-diabetic.

All tests are indicators but they help the doctors determine the best approach as to treat, or not to treat a patient. In your case since you feel you may be prediabetic, along with not having your glucose tested for years, it's time you saw your doctor.

Go here for a quick online diabetes risk test along with great information on prediabtes and diabetes type 1 & 2.
http://www.diabetes.org/food-nutrition-lifestyle/lifestyle-prevention/risk-test.jsp

[Super_sally888]

Hi,

if you are concerned you should ask your dr for a HA1C test which looks at average blood sugar levels over the past weeks.  THis will give a better idea if things are looking normal.  If this test is mid normal chances of your having prediabetes (very unlikely to have full diabetes if all your tests have come back normal) is also very unlikely.

If this test came back abnormal then they may do something called a glucose tolerance test to get a better idea.

From what you've said you probably don't have diabetes at this time, though you may well have a tendency for it in the future.

So, jump the gun.  Type 2 diabetes is generally preventable or at least delayable by healthy lifestyle - diet and exercise.  And healthy diet and exercise has many benefits, including stress management.  Start the exercise slowly, build the intensity gradually,  and do exercise that you enjoy and can do consistently..

However, the nausea may be from other causes.  Do bring it up to your doctor and see if they want to look into it further (they should).  Also maybe try keeping a food diary and see if the nausea is related to any specific food, to your being particularly stressed, or something else.....