Blood Sugar Levels

So, I went in for my military physical today, and turns out my glucose levels are way too high. Now I’ve gotta head back in a week for more bloodwork. Does anyone know how to get things back in range—like, what's the best way to bring those sugar numbers down? Honestly, I don't even eat that much junk or sweets, so this really caught me off guard... help me out, guys, I'm seriously stressing over this... thanks!

Keith Chase62 said:So, I was at my military physical today, right? And turns out my glucose levels are through the roof. Now I’ve gotta head back in a week for more bloodwork. Does anyone actually know how to get this back to normal? Like, how do I drop my blood sugar levels? It’s really stressing me out because I don't even eat much junk or sweets... help me out here, guys, I'm seriously freaking out... thanks

Look, it isn't just about the sugary stuff (I mean, you don't necessarily have to gorge yourself on donuts to see a spike), it's more about carbohydrates in general. You've got to cut back on the bread, pastries, cookies, pasta, potatoes, and all that other stuff that sends your blood sugar skyrocketing.

Hey, Lisa Barrett22—you’re totally right about that... I really need to put together a list of all the stuff I should be staying away from eating... thanks!

Before you even start making a list of what you shouldn't eat,🙄 you really need to seean internist and an endocrinologist first. They’ll figure out what's actually going on and order the right tests for you.

Keith Chase62 said:Ugh, yeah, totally... I mean, do I really have to sit here and list out every single thing you aren't allowed to eat? Thanks a lot.

Look, it’s just not smart to just dump everything out of your diet and try to reinvent how you eat overnight. You need to figure out *why* your glucose levels are spiked in the first place. For all we know, there could be an underlying health issue that needs to be caught right now, rather than you just trying to mask the symptoms by changing your diet. Do it for your own sake.😉

I'm assuming they ran your bloodwork while you were fasting?

Yeah, you're totally right. It’s been about 9 hours since I last ate—well, since I had that fancy chocolate cappuccino, anyway. I wonder if it has anything to do with me overdoing it at 3.1 miles yesterday? I definitely pushed myself a bit harder than usual. Plus, I take effervescent Vitamin C tablets every single day... honestly, who knows. I'm just crossing my fingers that everything's fine and it's just something I ate... I don't think I could handle dealing with some actual illness.
Thanks

Keith Chase62 said:Yeah, totally on an empty stomach. It’s been 9 hours since my last meal—basically just a fancy chocolate cappuccino. Could it be because I pulled a muscle at the 3.1 miles gym yesterday, maybe overdid it a bit? I also take Vitamin C effervescent tablets every day... man, who knows. I'm just hoping everything's fine and it's just what I ate... wouldn't be able to handle dealing with some actual illness.
Thanks

If you’d even eaten a whole cake this morning on an empty stomach, your sugar should at least be hovering near the normal range—what was the reading, anyway?

I don't want to freak you out, but this feels like diabetes territory... I really hope it isn't, because I don't want you going through everything I have to go through...

Cut back on the carbs (don't cut them entirely), stick to whole grain or rye bread, try eating six small meals, and watch the fruit—maybe some green apples or grapefruit, but just in moderation...

Fingers crossed for you—let me know if you're okay.

6.7 or something. Usually, you'd see it landing somewhere between 3.5 and 5.9.

Keith Chase62 said:6.7 of whatever. Usually, you'd expect it to land somewhere between 3.5 and 5.9.

Look, if you were fasting when they ran that test, a reading like that doesn't mean you have diabetes just yet. 🙂According to the ADA and WHO guidelines, you basically need at least two separate fasting glucose readings over 7 mmol/l to get that diagnosis. So, give me the details—how much do you weigh versus how tall are you? Any history of it running in your family? You on any meds right now? And what's the lifestyle situation... you sitting at a desk all day or are you actually out there being active?

There’s absolutely zero history of diabetes in my family—not even among my extended relatives. I’m about 5'10" and weigh around 156 lbs. Plus, I stay pretty active—I’m hitting the pavement running a lot and doing plenty of pushups... so honestly, I’m kind of stumped as to why my blood sugar is hitting these high levels. Like I mentioned, I just take one Vitamin C supplement a day to keep my immune system in check and call it a day...

6.7 mmol/L isn't exactly anything to freak out about,👍 but you should probably track your blood sugar levels for a bit and maybe follow up on what I mentioned earlier by seeing an endocrinologist.

Honestly, I don't see any reason to stress or go changing up your whole diet right now.

Thanks, Charles Edwards8—honestly, you're the first person here who's actually given me a little bit of hope.😉

Let me know what those follow-up results look like, and don't forget to check in if you need to with your doctor😉

Look, you’ve gotta have at least one fasting blood glucose reading to even start the conversation. If that number lands anywhere between 6.1 and 7.0 mmol/L, you're looking at impaired glucose tolerance. In that scenario, it’s all about fixing your diet—forget about jumping straight to pills. Honestly, the old-school OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) isn't really the go-to for diagnosing diabetes anymore, so you don't see it being done nearly as much as it used to be. Like I said, we just stick to the standard ADA guidelines nowadays for making a diagnosis.🙂 Charles Edwards8 hit the nail on the head there; there's absolutely no reason to freak out.🙂

Don't listen to Charles Edwards8; he's just being malicious 😁

This is likely what others have mentioned—it could just be a borderline result. If the follow-up test comes back clear, you aren't looking at diabetes. However, I would definitely suggest getting an A1C test to see if your blood sugar levels have been elevated for a while now. If they have, it’s worth considering the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. The goal then becomes focusing on prevention or delaying its onset as long as possible...

The "evil" side of the sarcoma guy who writes most of the posts here is pretty wicked😁 but the other half of him is actually really kind😉

Even if it turns out to be malignant, Charles Edwards8 is still a good sign 😁

😍 😘 the guy with the sarcoma is sending you a kiss🙂

Let me try to cheer you up a little bit too 😉
So, something I just learned—I was studying for a physiology exam recently, and while I was reading about insulin and diabetes, I noticed how different sources all say something slightly different about what "normal" blood glucose levels actually are
It seems like the definition of a healthy range keeps creeping up in this modern era
In an old textbook from 1999 (Guyton), they listed the normal range as 3.5 - 5.5 mmol/L
My professor mentioned 3.9 - 6.1 during the lecture
And nowadays, looking at lab results, the upper limit can go all the way up to 6.7 mmol/L

So, I guess there's really no reason to worry yet. Maybe try getting your blood drawn one more time? I'm rooting for a clean result next time... hopefully that cappuccino wasn't the culprit
Usually, people who are diabetic but don't know it yet see numbers around 15-20, and sometimes even up to 30 mmol/L...

Anyway, Charles Edwards8, your username is kind of funny 😲