Sawtooth Curve?

No, I don't think you're getting what I'm saying. They have this categorization here called 'prediabetes.' If you have 140 to (I'm starting to think this one) 240 or something 1.5 hours after eating, you're in the prediabetic range. Below 140 1.5 hours after eating is considered normal. People that fall into this 140-240 range are considered as being at risk for diabetes (thus prediabetes), showing faulty glucose metabolism starting to form. It's not dangerous and it can cause symptoms, but nothing like pure diabetes, but they do consider it a concern here. It's just a warning essentially, get your life together or get worse. There are also levels for fasting and such, but I forget them. It's odd, you'd think this would be a benchmark used worldwide, but then again doctors seem pretty clueless sometimes so it's not surprising.

I can understand there being a warning level that's not quite diabetic. Especially in recent years as the whole issue of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance has exploded. I suppose as a warning threshold the values would be considerably lower than diabetic threshold (which I was referring to). Maybe I'm just not familiar with our warning levels.

Personally I think 140 is fine two hours after eating, and in a GTT that would be a perfectly fine reading. Around 160 and up I'd think is a concern, blood sugars should have come down lower than that after two hours, where 200 after two hours is the diabetic bench mark. The 240 that I get was flagged up by my endocrinologist - that's over the diabetic bench mark but I'm not diagnosed because of the hypoglycemia and how quickly my blood sugars drop. I may have an insulin resistance (hence the fatigue after eating and the high blood sugar after the first hour) but my sugars drop so low so fast, I have more than enough insulin already and aren't diabetic. The insulin resistance has been in recent years and I don't doubt it's down to an unhealthy lifestyle, but the hypoglycemia is a separate issue. I'm at risk of developing type 2 as well as hypoglycemia, which wouldn't be pretty.

Completely off topic, but everyone develops a slight insulin resistance as part of the aging process. Depending on your diet and lifestyle the process can speed up significantly, hence warnings. There's not much of a focus here on warning blood sugar levels (though there are posters about waist size on every bus shelter in the city!), just the bench mark for diabetes. But there are a LOT of GTT tests done to keep an eye on patients likely to develop diabetes, the waiting list for a GTT is months and months long.

As for the OP (original poster) I honestly do think he should stick with his doctors and relax. Even if he is in the warning zone, I think that's a separate issue to his other symptoms and so he needs to mention everything to his doctor. It's easy to become obsessed with taking blood readings, years ago I'd be pricking my finger every 10 minutes wanting to know what my blood sugar was, it's not a good habit to develop especially if you don't have need to be doing it. It's frowned on by doctors here and if you waltz into a doctors office with pages of blood sugar readings, it'll make no difference to how he's going to do things. If he finds a food/drink that upsets him, stay away from it. That's the best thing he can do until he's diagnosed and receiving any treatment/advice he needs.

And on the subject of doctors being clueless, when it comes to non diabetic hypoglycemia, they really are. Depending on where you are you can have a hard job finding a doctor who even recognises hypoglycemia in non diabetics. If you do find one, and your hypoglycemia is reactive, then you're none the wiser. There's quite a few theories around reactive hypoglycemia including hormone deficiencies, sensitivities to carbohydrates or certain proteins, an over active pancreas etc. But there's no cause set in stone and so the cause of reactive hypoglycemia is debatable and not very well understood (or even recognised as I said). Fasting hypoglycemia caused by an insulinoma or stomach surgery - fine. But reactive hypoglycemia is a pain when identifying the cause.

Sorry for the late reply. I have been testing while eating 2 cups of brown rice + vegetables and some forms of meat. This is basically what i eat every large meal these days.

But yes, lately it's been going up to 9something 1 hour after i started eating, and 2 hours after i started eating, it is usually a bit above the cut-off, about 7.9 or low 8. Sometimes by the third hour it is 7 or so, but sometimes it goes back to 5.5ish by then.

My fasting is completely normal, at 4.7-5.0.


I didnt have these issues a month ago, which is interesting. I ate the same thing, and usually it only goes up to 7.5 at most. At the second hour it would be low 6 or high 5. They were very much fine.

I hear that perfectly normal people usually don't go past 8 at all in any situation as well. I'm not obese, or have any of the risk factors for prediabetes except maybe sedentary lifestyle so this sudden issue is very odd.

Sigh, more things to worry about

You may want to watch what you're eating, it could be that you're developing type 2 diabetes.

A blood sugar of 8mmol after eating a meal high in carbohydrate is fine. 11.1mmol is the bench mark for type 2 diabetes in the UK.

Go and see your doctor, he'll do a GTT and diagnose you as necessary. It's really not something to get worked up about, at the most you'll be looking at a diet change. Worrying will do more harm than good.

strangely enough, i was on a good diet and had very less symptoms for about 2 weeks. my internist did an alaysis and the liver and kidneys came up clean. I think thyroid too. They found high creatine kinase, suggesting of skeletal muscle damage however. They arrived at the conclusion that i probably have Hep C and mono while ignoring my postprandial issues, labeling them as an anxiety problem. I am more than sure the antibody tests will come up negative.

So seeing how they think it is not blood sugar, i decided to eat a bucket of fries for a first time in a while. I got the old symptoms again after an hour. Agitation, nervousness, palpitations, and somewhat cold. Smaller symptoms persisted for a while after that day too. It had been so long since i had significant issues like that since changing my diet a bit.

However, strangely enough, my blood glucose was never below 5.6 (100) while i had the symptoms. 2 hour was 6.8 (120), 3 hour was 7.8 (140), 4 hour was 5.6 (100). Symptoms started 1 hour after i first ate and persisted until the 3rd hour, all the way through. I didn't take the 1st hour, but it is never EVER ever low from previous tests.

The thing is, I really think it IS carbs, but i am not entirely sure. It is really bothering me. Maybe my body is just sensitive to it? My BG is fine. It doesnt drop steeply or anything.
2 months ago, my BG was a bit low end of normal while i had issues. Recently it is towards the high end of normal and takes a while to come down and i also have issues.

My problem seems extremely independent of blood sugar despite the culprit seeming to be eating carbs. Is there anything that comes to mind that is suggestive of what it is?

No one really knows, but this is the conclusion they reached with me. I don't have any clear sugar issues, though there were tests earlier that revealed a problem. I strongly recommend you try eating one piece of organic, sprouted grain Ezekiel bread every day and see what that does to you.

Shawn, the doctors have said it and you've seen it yourself, you don't suffer low blood sugar so it's not hypoglycemia. More often or not patients with symptoms of hypoglycemia don't actually have low blood sugar problems, these symptoms can be caused by any number of conditions unfortunately. Have you told your doctors that you think it's diet related? And what symtoms you suffer after eating? It's essential they know about the diarhea etc. Tests could be done during days you have symptoms rather than after weeks of feeling better, incase the problem hasn't shown up. I still think you should have a celiac test, just a quick blood test, but you have to be eating 'normal' the days before for results to be accurate. Sorry it's all in one paragraph I can't go down a line when on my phone! Stan, do you actually suffer low blood sugar after eating sugar?

I haven't had anything like plain sugar in awhile, but when they gave me the GTT it showed fluctuations from 98 to 60 back to 98 and down to 60 again. After eating right all of this went away. I'm not sure what would happen if I were to eat like that again, but I don't dare do it.

yeah, i don't think it is a blood sugar problem, but i do seem sensitive to refined carbs. And the effects sort of linger for a few days after i eat it. I've been eating a cup of brown rice mixed with vegetables and meat recently and i feel ok, too. Ive also been taking some red wine with my dinner and feel very calm afterwards!

I don't think i have celiac. I've been eating a slice of whole wheat bread every morning a while before and didn't get diarrhea. Diarrhea seem a very isolated thing that only happened those 3 days.

Although, when i ate the fries, my stools become looser for the day.

Oh yes, and my stools were very black twice. First time i ate some chinese assorted beef parts (intesines, liver) which were delicious. Second time when i mixed in some spicy chicken leg from the store with my regular meal. I forgot to tell the internists since they seem very isolated cases.


Unfortunately, as mentioned, though, it seems the doctors think that the palpitations and anxiety are completely psychological, and is focusing completely on Malaise and the other little issues. My next appointment with the internists are in 2 months! so i am going back to my family doctor and chatting with him about it once again...

Don't listen to them, stick to eating right and if it doesn't work out well enough within about four months, then you can think about different avenues. I know that sucks, but it's what I did, heck it took me almost 6 six year to get where I am today, that's why I frequently impart my knowledge on people here, save you the agony.

Most certainly! After the 2 weeks of eating right and feeling great, i doubt i am going to go back to eating poorly the rest of my days. However, i am still looking to see as to what my problem is. Despite eating healthily, i think it should still be possible to eat out of the diet once and a while without feeling awful.

I guess still, some input from the doctors is great. I would have been in hell for the last 3 months if my family doctor did not suggest a diet the day i first saw him for the problems. Although it does not really seem to be hypo, i am sure that it helped.


Add: Yeah i should really have gotten the tests done on days when i am feeling awful. I'll talk to my GP about it next time.