glucose tolerance test

Hi it is controlled by having 4 snacks a day, a mixture of low gi foods and fast acting carbs. Always have a fast acting carb in your bag.

Thanks for that Spoggy! Something to be aware of. I was diabetic, now I am not, and I did have those dizzy spells earlier on, but they seem to have gone now. Is it controlled by diet, and not pills?

Well spoke to a lovely lady at Diabetes Vic. She was full of information, after asking me lots of questions she said it sounds like I have reactive hypoclycemia syndrome. This occurs a lot inpeople who have had gastric sleeve or bipass. A hormone called GLP1 increases after such an operation. Interestingly decreases in diabetes. So those who lose diabetes get more GLP1. Another name she called this syndrome was a physiological hypo. This hypo often occurs 2 hours after a meal, which is due to the increased level of GLP1. So a snack is called for before the 2 hours is up.

Apparently they have a lot of people, who have had a sleeve or bipass, ringing about this sort of thing. Fast acting carbs are in order when in trouble.

There is more to it but I don't know how to explain it, but that is the gist.

Thanks Ted. The blood test that I have now comes back 5.7. My doctor is very pleased. Even before I reached this point I still had trouble. It seems to be a never ending balancing act. Maybe the test will show something up that I nee dto deal with. A bit of an unknown quantity at the moment.

Thank you for your input.

Hi,
I am a student nurse and also have diabetic family members and they say that your normal BSL is supposed to be between 5 - 8! Below 5 and u are starting to go into a hypoglycemic attack and need some form of a sugar hit! They also say if ur bsl is over 15 u should be going to the hospital as well! My mum ended up in hospital for a month as her bsl was sitting at 29 and even 30 for days on end! Hope this little bit of information has been useful

Regards
Ted

vanderaj : i'm not on medication of any kind, I have been just diet controlled. The doc had JUST given me a script for diamicron I think it was but I held off starting it and now it looks like I don't need it afterall!

@Lizzard, Have you reduced your medication intake? I went from two Metformin 500 mg XL a day to one during Opti pre-op, and now none post op.

Like you, I used to get bad hypos < 5.0. I once walked through Sydney after a protein rich lunch, and was so confused I went back to my hotel room in sweats and feeling nauseous. I could have died. I should have sat on the curb and ordered an ambulance, but you make dumb decisions when you're hypo.

Now the good bit to answer you Lizzard - Two weeks post op, I have fasting BSLs in the 4.5 - 5.5 range, and I don't get much over 6.5 at any time. My BSL average for the last two weeks of 3-4 readings a day is 5.5. I've not had a hypo since the operation. The sleeve op is WONDERFUL. I am diabetes symptom free and there's a very real chance I will not go back on to any meds after I see my GP in late January for my quarterly checkup. This is down from 4 prescription and 6 non-prescription before the operation.

@spoggy - The OGTT test lets them understand your immediate reaction to sugars. This is the gold standard for diagnosing diabetes. If you can't do this test (the wife threw the samples up), then taking BSLs 4+ times a day is the only other way to do to it over a period of time of a few weeks. This is how I was diagnosed. I did the BSLs with the wife to support her during the pregnancy. I wrote mine down near hers, and scrubbed them out. The diabetic nurse said whoever had the numbers not crossed out was normal, whilst the person with the scrubbed out numbers was diabetic. I sort of knew that I was diabetic, but I was in denial. A month later I was doing a diabetic education course, and my life hasn't been the same since.

The HbA1c test lets them understand your diabetic status over the last three months. This is the gold standard for managing diabetes. It measures the lifespan of red blood cells, averaged over three months. Sugar damages them early by sticking to them making them less efficient carriers of oxygen, so a high Hb1a is indicative of poor diabetic management. Mine was steadily increasing since 2009, despite cutting the crap out of my life. Coupled with a poor kidney function result that indicated a transplant in 10 or so years was the primary reason I got the sleeve.

You should ask them about getting onto NDSS for cheaper supplies, and making an appointment pronto with your GP for a diabetic care plan. This gives you access to cheap / free podiatry (don't laugh, the lack of proper foot care killed my 43 year old close friend a couple of years back after he lost part of his foot to a blister caused by new shoes (!)) and eye / retina care.

Also ask them about getting some diabetes education. I did a two day course just after the birth of my daughter in the US, and it helped me make some better choices - cutting out white foods, booze, juices, etc, and learning about the warning signs of both hypo's and hypers, and what happens near the end when meds and so on can't manage your diabetes. Diabetes cuts 20 years from our lives on average. You don't want to be average. Manage your diabetes well, and don't die early like my friend did.

I think this operation is a great way to manage it. I am so glad I did the operation. I wasn't expecting to be diabetes free so early, but I won't count my chickens until I've had a complete year of being free of the symptoms and meds.

Yeah, the others pretty much summed up what I thought too, Spoggy. The test is long and laborious, so forget mags and take a good book! It will tell you what response your body has to controlled doses of sugar, against the expected responses. Then you will have a basis from which the doc will be able to work, and hopefully be able to solve your dilemma.

Normally you can just turn up for blood tests, but I think you might need an appointment for these, so call and check first. Oh, and I think it's an overnigiht fasting beforehand, too. And not only do you have to stay there, but they tell you not to walk around too. Or at least they used to, when I last had one a few years ago.

Good luck.

do you mean to say you are having a glucose test because your sugars are now going too LOW?

I would assume they are checking your response to sugar in a controlled way to find out just how low your going after a controlled dose etc....

I too am diabetic but now doing optifast and other shakes I find i'm getting low numbers, sometimes a bit too low... for me going anywhere below 4.5 has me feeling really off.... I get shaky, cold, vision goes wierd etc....

Id love to hear what they find out for you as I wonder if I will also face this after my op if i'm getting similar things now?

I have had this test too, before I was sleeved. I had high blood sugar, but now I don't thank goodness!

The Doctor is trying to find out if you need to go back on your medication to control your diabetes. It is a long test, and you need to stay put. You go in fasting, then have a drink of sweet sugary cordial, then they take a series of blood tests to see how your blood sugar levels adapt.

Perhaps diet alone is not helping your diabetes.

The Doctor needs to see if you need to either adjust your diet, or take tablets to control your sugar levels, I think.

Hi

I had three of these when I was pregs. I'm sure there the same it was a 2 hour test. First they take blood so they have a base line then you drink a green sugar drink and wait an hour then they take another test to see how your body is processing the sugar. Then you wait another hour for the final test. So take a good mag with you.

oh and your not allow to leave while the test is on as they want you to be still guessing it's your heart rate ect.



Cheers Kaz

I have been having some hypos over the last couple of months. My bsls were in diabetic range, but now out of that range and off all meds. I usually let the dietician know when I have one and give her a couple of days of food so she can comment. This time she said I think you need to have a glucose tolerance test this time.

Can anyone tell me wht this will achieve? What information will be indicated? etc.... and any other questions that I should ask.

Hope someone can shed some light on the subject.