Wellness

[151949]

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@lmt wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

I have read these posts with interest because my sister has been referred to a dietitian just this week.  

One thing I keep reading here is "pre-diabetic".    Is there a hereditary component to this?   I'm wondering how can so many people become "pre-diabetic" .... is it primarily bad diet that causes this?    

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For years and years and years a person's fasting blood sugar was considered fine if it was <140. Then they moved it down to 120 then 110 and now I believe it is at 95.Anyone whose FBS is over 95 is now considered "prediabetic". What has caused the big change? Well, we don't know do we - but IMO it has a lot more to do with selling drugs and making money than it does with improving anyones health. Now they have added the A1c component and they keep lowering that too.

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You're correct that they've lowered the numbers.

According to the lab that I use, the normal range is 65-99. Impaired (prediabetic) is between 100-125 and over 125 you are considered diabetic.

Every lab may have a slightly different reference range, but in any case, they have lowered the numbers over the years.

Found this on the ADA website.....

1997

The terms “insulin-dependent diabetes” (IDDM) and “non-insulin-dependent diabetes” (NIDDM) had long been used to describe different groups of diabetes patients. The terms type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are now accepted to define diabetes by cause rather than treatment. In addition, the fasting glucose level for diagnosing diabetes is lowered from 140 mg/dl to 126 mg/dl.

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I suppose this is open to some interpretation. My doctor has labeled me a diabetic despite that I have never had a FBS over 125 - or actually even close - mine hang around 110 and my A1c has never been over 6.4 . The ADA says  to be diagnosed as a diabetic you need 2 consecutive A1c of > 7.0. So now my doctor has me labeled a diabetic and has me on metformin. As well, many people have a higher FBS in the mornings but if they test their glucose throughout the day they will have perfectly normal bl sugars all day long - this is because when a person's glucose drops the liver releases glucose to bring it up and so when they are fasting through the night and their bl. sugar drops their liver is releasing glucose. Metformin should be able to stop that from occuring as it blocks the liver from releasing glucose.

[Greeneyedlady21]

Very long story short, my 80 year old Mom was told about 4 years ago that she was diabetic. By her primary care dr who is no longer that-because last year my mother was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and Graves disease and this woman never checked her thyroid. I asked that it be checked in an ER last year and that's how we found out. So how long she really had that, who knows. Her most recent A1Cs and fasting glucose are non diabetic. She weighs 120 lbs at about 5'4" and still gets out and walks when she can.

She is a very disciplined eater but was still eating too many carbs. So a few weeks ago I got her an appointment with a RD. The goal was to maintain and gain a bit of weight, which is very difficult with this thyroid issue. But to also have healthy blood sugars. This woman was very good, she worked with what my Mom likes. At her age she is very resistant to change. She needs to eat more protein.   So we have been working on alternative choices.  My Mom won't give up her pizza so she makes tradeoffs on days when she has it. And walks if she can, she can still bring her blood sugar down significantly  just by walking around the house if she has to. RD told her her small portion of ice cream is ok too, she will never give that up. RD told her she is not diabetic, obviously she is not a dr.She did look up all her labs.

It's all who you go to, because 4 years ago she was sent to an RD who was completely useless. I am very cynical about the medical profession because of my experiences last year with my Mom's health and dealing with them, so I have no doubt that profit  motive could be a factor with diabetes. Thyroid issues can also affect your blood sugar, so that's worth looking into as well. Obviously everyone needs to seek out their own info and doctors. 

[Julie_23]

Hopefully this wiill be helpful, in some way, to you or someone.  I agree with a lot of the points made about regular dietetics.  If you want to read about a person that was traditionally trained as a RD but then went on to approach it quite differently, look up a person by the name of Brenda Davis, RD.  She does a lot of educational lectures on youtube regarding the diets of those in the Blue Zones (health/longevity) and health, in general.  Her website itself is also helpful.  

[violann]

@Greeneyedlady21- regrettably part of your mom's issue was likely the Senior Write off- she's too old to change, too old to listen to what she's told, too old to benefit from suggestions and therapies, tootootootootoo.

Good for you and her for working on her problems and solving them. Such efforts may begin to overhaul THIS country's perception of and respect for old people. I HOPE.

[Greeneyedlady21]

@violann Thanks for the kind words. It's been really tough on me because I have no family support. Two brothers who do nothing and give me nothing but grief. Far worse than grief actually but enough of my problems. My Mom always says she is a tough old broad and she is.

Anyway the first RD...my mother was eating crackers and grapes for lunch at the time and she just told her to eat fewer of them. What the ? The diabetes diagnosis had her paranoid about her eating and she got very restrictive about her eating. And like I said who knows how long she had the undiagnosed thyroid problem. 

[sidsmom]

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@151949 wrote:

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...when a person's glucose drops the liver releases glucose to bring it up and so when they are fasting through the night and their bl. sugar drops their liver is releasing glucose. Metformin should be able to stop that from occuring as it blocks the liver from releasing glucose.

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Why would anyone want to stop the liver from releasing glucose?

Drugs like Metformin cause more harm than good.

The connection of Diabetes & Cancer (including liver cancer) is

becoming more prevalent. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890380/

[hckynut]

@lmt

My wife had the Roux-en-Y surgery in 2008. In shortly over a year she is half the weight as pre-surgery, and has maintained that loss.

With this surgery comes a drastic lifestyle change. How drastic depends on the lifestyle you have been living before your first visit to your surgeon.

Never think of your surgery as the be all end all, as it is not. It is a Tool that could make it much easier to get to and maintain your desired weight. If you expect it to be more you will probably not be successful with your endeavor.

I wish you well in your venture and surgery.

hckynut(john)